Tundra Threat. Sarah Varland
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handle it. She had to.
McKenna sat down at the kitchen table as she listened to the comforting noise of brewing coffee, trying to take deep, even breaths and work through what had happened. She was assuming the intruder was the person responsible for the bodies she’d seen on the tundra, but why had he come to her home? Surely he wouldn’t kill her just for seeing his crime scene. Would he?
She stood up to retrieve her coffee then moved back to the table, setting her mug down as she reached to replace the chair that the intruder had knocked over in his hurry to escape. She bent to lift it and noticed a small index card on the floor next to it, blank side up. Hesitantly, she reached to pick it up, just by the corner in case there were prints, and flipped it over on the table.
When she read the words, she dropped into her chair immediately, reaching out to pet Mollie to try to calm her racing-again pulse.
A shiver ran down her bare arms and she read the words again, this time aloud. “‘Go back to where you came from and forget what you saw today, or the next body found on the tundra will be yours.ʼ”
Glancing at the phone next to her, she let out a sigh. She had to text Luke for help. She was now officially in over her head.
* * *
Somehow sleep must’ve finally found McKenna, because when she woke up from her cramped position on her living room couch, the clock said it was past six.
Still alarmed from the previous night’s events, she glanced around the room to see what could have woken her. Was she just done sleeping, or was it something else?
Something or someone banged against her door with increasing force. McKenna jumped. Mollie lifted her head in alarm, then looked to McKenna to gauge her reaction. McKenna took a deep breath. Her assailant, back to shut her up forever? Reason stepped in. No, if he’d wanted to kill her, he’d have done so already. He must have meant to warn her.
For now.
Besides, criminals didn’t knock. Usually. Still, she crept toward the door, stealing a glance out of one of the front windows to see...Will?
She opened the door to him, noting that he looked half-asleep himself. “What are you doing here?”
“Good morning to you, too. That seems like a common question for us, doesn’t it? How about you let me in and pour me some coffee and I’ll answer you.”
She hesitated, looking down at her yoga pants and old T-shirt from a 5K she’d run several years back. Even if there could be nothing between them, her pride would rather he not see her like this.
Will nudged the door. “Come on, McKenna. I’ve seen you look worse. Just let me in.” He pushed the door open farther and stepped in, shutting it behind him and turning the lock.
He looked around the room and shook his head. “Nice place you’ve got here.”
“I recognize sarcasm when I hear it. Even if I am barely awake.” She tossed the words at him as she walked to the kitchen. She’d rather not comply with his request—no, demand—to make coffee, but she could use more herself and she wasn’t about to do without just to spite him.
“Seriously. Did you look for the house that looked most likely to have been the site of a murder?”
“Yeah. That was totally what I was going for.” So maybe the trailer was on the shabby side, but it meant she could save her money. That way, when she finally ended up in Anchorage, she could afford someplace nice. She glared in his direction. “Again, why are you here? Did you have a purpose, or are you just supposed to be a little ray of sunshine on this cloudy morning?”
The smile fell from his face. “Your brother texted me.” His tone was heavy. Serious.
“Oh.” McKenna looked away, went back to fixing the coffee. Great. She’d texted Luke to ask for advice because she was independent not stupid. Luke had said he’d get back to her with some suggestions for keeping herself safe and solving this and that was what she needed. Not Will Harrison showing up and seeing her all damsel-in-distress.
That was the last way she wanted him to see her. Maybe second to last. Right up there behind “like a sister.”
“I don’t know what he told you,” she began as she set a mug in front of him filled with the hot, black liquid. “I just needed to talk to him about a few things last night. I’m fine right now. There was no need for you to rush over here before sunrise looking like you haven’t slept in a week.” She surveyed his sleepy eyes, the stubble on his well-defined jawline. “Did you sleep?”
“I slept fine. Until I got his text.”
“Which was when?”
“Two.”
“So you haven’t slept since two?”
“Couldn’t.” He shook his head. “I came over here as soon as it seemed late enough to not be rude.” Some of the seriousness left his face as his mouth stretched into his trademark charming smile, the one that had made all the girls in high school swoon. “No need to welcome you to town by taking away your beauty sleep.”
“Yeah, because clearly I need every bit, right?” she muttered as she poured her own coffee.
“I didn’t say that. Besides, I figured if I came over here at a decent hour I could talk you into fixing me some coffee. And maybe breakfast? I think there’s a jar of pickles in my fridge. And maybe some sour cream from a few months ago. But nothing that seems edible.”
“Fine. I’ll make pancakes. You’ll tell me what my meddling brother told you. Then you can go back home and go to sleep or do...” She realized she had no idea what he did for work these days. She’d lost track—intentionally. Keeping up with him had hurt too much. She pulled her attention back to the present. “Or do whatever it is you do. I have to get to work. I have a lot to do today. Things are crazy.”
Will leaned back in his chair. “Sounds good. And it’s that part about work being crazy that I wanted to talk to you about.”
* * *
Will watched McKenna’s eyes narrow, knew he was dancing dangerously close to the line where she was concerned, between her teasing him back and giving in to her temper. She was annoyed he was here, that much was clear, but he couldn’t tell if it was because she really didn’t believe she needed help, or because he was the one offering.
He’d always thought they had a pretty good relationship. No one had ever understood him the way McKenna had always seemed to. In fact, if she’d been anyone else, he’d have claimed the first dance at the Seward High School Homecoming her freshman year of high school when he was a senior and seen where their attraction and connection could take them.
But she was his best friend’s little sister. So he’d done what he should and stayed away, keeping their friendship to teasing and the occasional long conversation down by Resurrection Bay, when he’d escaped the house to get away from his drinking father and she’d be down by the water, just watching the waves.
Then he’d gone to one year of college in Anchorage, fallen in love with Rachael, and that was the end of that.
Or so he’d thought.
“Whatever Luke told you is probably not true.”
“Because your brother is so known for not telling the truth.”
McKenna laughed and Will joined her. Luke was one of the most brutally honest people he knew.
“Obviously that’s not it. But anything I told him certainly didn’t include ‘hey, and could you send Will over here before the sun is up to demand pancakes and talk to me about my job?’” She stirred the batter and looked back up at him. “So I can only assume he exaggerated something. Either that or you really are starving.”
“He told me you texted him last night asking for advice because someone broke into your house, possibly connected to a double murder you