Page 9 of Thaw of Spring (Knife’s Edge, Alaska #2)
Amka threw up a hand. “Nothing. It doesn’t. That’s the point. This has nothing to do with the fire.”
May pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Okay. I’m lost.”
Amka hesitated. “Jarod was coming back from a fishing trip that morning, or from staying with some tourist, or from getting drunk and passing out somewhere. I don’t know and it doesn’t matter.”
May sat up straighter. A cold spike of recognition lit through her. “And he caught you?”
“He filmed it.” Amka’s voice went flat. “He had his phone and filmed the whole thing.”
May didn’t speak right away. Her chest tightened. “That’s why you’re engaged to him.”
Amka gave a short laugh. “You were surprised?”
May shook her head. “He’s such a dick. I’m sorry, but no one can figure it out. I mean, sure, he’s good-looking. He knows how to be charming when he wants to be. But still. He’s a…dick.”
“Yeah.” Amka exhaled. “He’s blackmailing me. Jarod said if I didn’t go along with the engagement, he’d turn over the video to the authorities.” Her shoulders dropped.
What a terrible burden to keep to herself. “I’m so sorry,” May whispered.
“They’d have no choice but to charge Flossy. And probably me.” Amka let out a slow breath. “I wouldn’t mind going to trial and fighting it. I’d stand up there and tell the truth. But Flossy is elderly. She wouldn’t make it through something like that. It’d wreck her.”
May sat back, arms folded. “You’re not actually going to marry him.”
“No,” Amka said. “I agreed to be his fiancée for a few months so he could clean up his image and get financing for one of the businesses he’s always chasing.
That’s all it was supposed to be. But now he says he wants to actually get married.
That I don’t have a choice.” She paused. “I don’t know. I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t trust him either,” May said. “You’ve got to go to Brock with this.”
“Why? What can the sheriff do?” Amka asked. “Jarod holds the cards. If he turns in that video, we’re screwed.” She pulled at a loose thread from the blanket tossed over the couch. “Honestly, I was thinking maybe I could just stay engaged until Flossy passes on.”
May didn’t react right away. “You mean even if it took years?”
Amka flushed. “Yeah. I don’t mean that in a bad way. Just…she’s old.”
“No, no. I get it,” May said. “You’re just trying to make a plan.” Although that one wouldn’t work. “Let me be honest with you. Flossy’s in great shape. She’s sharp. Still hunts. Still gardens. She could last another twenty years.”
“I hope she does,” Amka said quietly. “But that doesn’t help me.”
“You have no idea where the video is?” May asked.
Amka shook her head. “No, and it gets worse. Jarod said if anything happens to him, the video automatically gets sent to the district attorney’s office.”
May froze. “Automatically?”
“He has someone ready to email it for him if he dies or disappears or whatever.” Amka lifted a hand, expression tight. “Not that I’m planning on killing him or anything.”
“Well,” May muttered, chewing the inside of her lip. “The thought would’ve crossed my mind.”
Amka cracked a dry smile. “You and me both.”
“Do you know who this friend is?”
“No.” Amka’s posture sagged. Her voice had lost its edge, and her focus slipped, gaze dropping to the floor. “I know most of his friends. Even the ones in Anchorage. I’ve gone through his contacts more than once, but none of them fit. It’s probably someone I wouldn’t expect.”
That was a pisser, if he was telling the truth. “What about the video itself? Is it on his phone?”
“Yeah,” Amka said. “Who knows where else. He could’ve backed it up. Copies could be in the cloud or on a flash drive buried in a shoebox. I can’t trust that it’s only in one place.”
That so completely sucked. “Can you get into his computer?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. But even if I did, I have no idea what I’d be looking for or where to start. He’s not dumb, May. He’s careful.”
May sat back slowly, the weight of it sinking in. “Why are you telling me all of this now?”
“I need someone to know the truth.” Amka’s voice quieted. “In case something happens.” There was a flicker in her expression that made May stop. Not just stress. Not exhaustion. Real fear.
“Are you afraid of him?” May asked.
Amka didn’t look away. “He’s a blackmailer and an asshole. I’d be stupid not to be afraid of him, but I can take care of myself.”
May swallowed hard. She knew what it felt like to be cornered, to believe there wasn’t a way out. “You shouldn’t have to worry about him, and you’re not going to do it alone.” She reached over and took Amka’s hand, trying to ground them both.
“I appreciate it,” Amka said, finishing her drink. “I just…don’t know what to do.”
“We’ll figure it out.” May meant every word. She didn’t have a plan yet, but she wasn’t about to let her friend walk into the fire alone. “Do you want to stay here tonight?”
Amka looked around, her shoulders hunched. “I do. If that’s okay with you.”
“Of course. I’ll make up the sofa for you.” May stood, trying to remember where she’d put the spare sheets. “You’re not going back there tonight, and you’re not marrying that prick, no matter what he thinks he’s got.”
May had survived something once that nearly ended her. She’d built a life after it. She knew what it looked like when someone was sliding toward that edge. She wasn’t going to let Amka go over.
At least not alone.