Category: Young Adult/Teen Type: Fiction
Pages: 204
Copyright: June 28, 2022
ISBN-13: 9798440511286
Price: $3.99 (eBook)
When a kindhearted drifter is wanted for a crime he didn't commit, a teen girl helps him hide from the police. Despite her initial reluctance and a betrayal that she came to regret, she realizes she must prove his innocence and track down the true criminal before she becomes his next victim.
The peaceful small town of Sprucewood, NY, is shaken after a young woman is attacked on a remote mountain trail. When Jake, a kindhearted drifter, is accused of the crime, he finds himself running from the law...
Since fourteen-year-old Kat's rock singer father is performing out of town for a month, her insufferable Aunt Betsy moves in. Meanwhile, Kat’s friend Randy and her brother Dave find Jake wounded in the forest and decide to help him hide from the police. When Kat finds out, she is uncertain about Jake's innocence and struggles with her own choices between loyalty and betrayal.
As a blizzard hits one night, Kat and Jake are forced to flee to an abandoned wilderness cabin on her horse, Stormwind. But even their snowbound hideout isn't safe from their pursuers, including a corrupt cop who is determined to serve justice.
In this sequel to Stormwind of the North Country, Kat must clear Jake's name and expose a killer…before she becomes his next victim.
Excerpt
The big picture window was just ahead, hidden behind the cedar hedge. I stood and parted the thick branches, straining to catch a glimpse inside. A restless red-haired man paced around the living room, the tear in his coat gaping wide open. Bence!
Even though I had seen his yearbook picture, I was surprised at how young he looked, up close. He didn't look much older than Randy and me, and didn’t appear to be a murderer…yet there he was, holding a rifle leveled at Randy and Jake as they cowered on the couch.
“You thought you were being cute, didn’tcha, old man? You and your little sidekick, here. Trying to haul me in to the sheriff like a little western posse. Well, I know who you are, Jacob Drake. I saw your face all over the TV, telling the cops that…Bench did it.” He chuckled. “Well, you have no proof of that. As far as they’re concerned, you killed her that day. You’re the only witness…but you won’t be for long.” He shook the rifle at Jake and gestured at Randy. “And Goldilocks here is a fool to believe you. So’s the kid with the white horse. That girl...boy...whatever it is. I caught the kid pokin’ around here one day.”
I crouched behind the hedge, ready to run back to Dave and Stormwind and get help. There were usually policemen doing business at the town hall, but after what happened with Carson, I was afraid to get them involved. Not until they could see the evidence against Bence – the stolen jewelry and torn jacket – for themselves. Not until Jake cleared his name.
Taking a deep breath, I stood up again and spied on Bence and his captives.
“Son, you should put the gun down, and cool off a little,” Jake said calmly. “Look, how old are you, anyway? Nineteen? Twenty? You’re about to make a mistake that could ruin the rest of your life.”
“No, you made the mistake, old man. Stickin’ that big nose of yours where it don’t belong -”
“Then just let the boy go. He has nothing to do with this.”
Bence smirked. “He does now.” He snickered as Randy whimpered and shrank back closer to Jake.
I didn’t need to see any more. Randy was the bravest person I knew. It was a shock to see him huddled against Jake like a little child. I knew that no matter what happened, I couldn’t leave him and Jake alone there. Taking cover behind the hedge once again, I scuttled around a rusting oil tank beside the back door, crept up on the deck, and tried the doorknob. It was unlocked.
I pulled out my radio. “Dave! Dave!”
“Kat? You better come back here. Stormwind keeps trying to untie her rope -”
“Dave, listen to me. Jake and Randy are in a lot of trouble; I have to get them out. Look, I’m at the back door of the house. I need you to distract Bence. Wait until I tell you, then get a rock and throw it in the front door. Hide behind his truck. Think you can throw that far?”
“Kat, I’m the pitcher for my baseball team. I’m sure I can throw a rock across a driveway -”
“Then do it,” I snapped. “Then…just hide. Or run. Just be careful.”
I doubted that Bence would come out the back door, but squatted behind the oil tank just in case. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my rattled nerves. I never imagined that Bence would be so…ruthless. Or that guns would be involved. I thought this would be just a fun adventure with my friends. But if anything happened to Dave, I would never forgive myself.
I stood up behind the tank, ready to move, and listened. “Dave,” I whispered. “Now!”
“Hey!” I heard Bence shout. “What the -”
When I heard him stomping across the front porch, I jogged up the deck stairs and pushed open the back door. A handful of bullets glinted on the kitchen table, and without a second thought, I scooped them up and tossed them under the back deck. I looked down the hall and spotted Bence out the open front door, standing in the driveway scanning the yard with his gun ready. I flinched as he shot in the air, hoping that Dave was okay…and well-hidden.
I dashed across the kitchen, down the hall, and burst into the living room, out of breath.
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