The Heart of a Renegade

But while the weather was foul outside, listening to her sleeping next to him felt warm, intimate, and Luke couldn’t help thinking about what she’d just said.

Friendly? Him?

He felt his lips twitching into a smile. The idea was amusing, strange, like the taste of something new.

Didn’t taste too hellish, either.

As they neared Furry Creek, driving snow was settling alarmingly fast on the road. A sedan in front of them skidded sideways, slumping nose first into a ditch at the base of a rock face held back with wire, red taillights upended. Luke glanced at Jessica. She was still fast asleep.

He looked up into the rearview mirror. A vehicle behind him was stopping to aid the driver. Luke kept driving. It was safer to avoid stopping. Stopping might mean engaging police.

But less than one minute later, he saw it was futile. Up ahead lay a police roadblock, luminous pink flares lining the road where Mounties in reflective gear waved certain vehicles off the road with flashlights.

He cursed, wondering what they were looking for. They shouldn’t have an ID on him personally, and he’d changed plates. The RCMP out here also would not likely know about Jessica’s link to the murder of Stephanie Ward—that was Vancouver P.D. jurisdiction.

As they hit a bump, Jessica woke, rubbed her face, then sat bolt upright. “A roadblock? They’re looking for us. Turn around, Luke.”

“We can’t. Not without being obvious.” His brain ticked over fast as they approached. “Jess,” he said urgently. “You never told me how the Triad knew you had taken those photos in the first place.”

“I don’t know! I told only the RCMP. That very same night, my apartment was ransacked.” She ran a hand through her hair, then looked at him. “Luke, they must have had an informant in the police.”

He had to think fast. “Don’t say anything,” he said, eyes fixed on the roadblock ahead. “Pretend you’re still asleep, put that hat on, turn your face away.” Luke slowed the vehicle as he lowered the window. A gust of flakes swirled into the warm interior.

A cop walked over, bent down, a layer of snow thick on the peak of his hat. “Good morning, sir,” he said as he directed his flashlight at Luke, then panned over to Jessica.

Chapter 5

“Is there a problem, Officer?” Luke asked.

“We’re doing a vehicle check, sir, not permitting anyone through without proper snow tires and chains. There’s heavy weather ahead. Road north of Pemberton is closed due to an avalanche and we’re expecting worse over the next seventy-two hours.”

“We’re equipped.”

“Where are you headed, sir?”

Luke frowned inwardly. This wasn’t standard. “Only as far as Squamish,” he lied.

“Can I see your license, please?”

Luke offered one with an alias. The officer went back to his vehicle to check it.

Luke sat calmly. The false ID would hold, but he didn’t like the fact it was being checked at all. The cop returned, did a walk around the vehicle, noting tires.

“You carrying chains, sir?”

“Yes, like I said, we’re equipped.”

The cop handed the license back. “There’s no guarantee the road will stay open north of Squamish if the weather worsens.”

“As I said, officer, we’re not going that far.”

The cop nodded. “Have a good day, then, sir.” He stepped back and waved another car over behind them.

Luke edged his vehicle forward, tires slipping slightly.

“Thank God,” Jessica whispered as she sat up. “I thought they were hunting for us.”

“They are. They just haven’t connected the dots yet.”

Moisture filled her eyes and she looked away quickly. Luke’s heart punched. He placed his hand on her knee. “It’s okay, Jess. We’ll get you through this.”

He had no business making promises he might not be able to keep. But he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to try and make her feel better.

“Thank you,” she whispered, barely audibly, covering his hand lightly with hers. Electricity sparked through Luke’s arm at the contact. Shocked, he withdrew his hand instantly. His tires were slipping, he needed both hands on the wheel, full attention on the road ahead.

Dawn arrived in pale monochromatic grays, a diaphanous curtain of snowflakes separating from the dark underbellies of clouds that socked low over the mountains. All around them granite cliffs were fringed with ridges of conifers that speared aggressively into the sky.

Luke pulled off the highway and turned into the village of Squamish. “Breakfast?” he asked.

She blew out a lungful of air and smiled shakily. “You have absolutely no idea how good that sounds right now.”