Chapter 43

CHAPTER 43

T he snowstorm eased, and forecasters said there would be a break in the snow for the next few hours.

Based on that, Andi and Duke had decided to head into Fairbanks.

The move was risky, but time was ticking away, and they needed answers.

Tim’s son Jared might have some of those.

However, as Andi and Duke took off down the road, Andi couldn’t deny the apprehension she felt.

Though she’d been trained as an ice road trucker, being out on these roads was still unnerving. If anything happened, no one would be around to help them, and most likely they’d have no cell phone service.

However, she trusted Duke’s driving skills. The man could handle himself in almost any situation—and he could handle himself around her. It took a strong man to do that.

“You doing okay?” Duke’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

“Doing fine.”

The funny thing was that Andi felt as if she could tell Duke anything. But not about her anxiety and panic attacks.

The last thing she wanted was to hurt Duke. She wasn’t sure that being brutally honest about her hangups would be good for him. She felt safer with her walls up.

She wasn’t young and naive anymore. She knew relationships were complicated. Rarely was it boy meets girl, and boy and girl live happily ever after. Obstacles and conflict were a part of every relationship.

Not that Duke had done anything wrong. He hadn’t.

However, Andi had never been in a position like this before, and she didn’t know quite how to handle her uncertainties.

As the camp disappeared in the rearview mirror, Andi set her gaze on the road ahead. It was already a strange shade of grayish white outside, partly because of the snowstorm and partly because of the time of year. It was hard to believe that just last week it had been Thanksgiving.

In a surprising turn of events, the whole murder club gang had decided to stay in Alaska instead of going back home. They’d celebrated the holiday together at Ranger and Simmy’s house. Everyone had brought food and pitched in.

Instead of talking about true crime, they’d talked about what they were thankful for. They’d played games. They had laughed.

The whole evening had been good for all of them. It was one of the few times when they were reminded about how they were not just colleagues but friends. Here in Alaska, they were also family to each other.

The trees closed in as the road narrowed. This wasn’t even the tough part of the drive, she realized. The tough part would be at the end of this lane when the road descended onto another road below. The grade was steeper. Even though they were in four-wheel-drive, it would be tricky.

As Duke reached that part of the street, he slowed but kept going at a steady, reliable pace.

“You’ve got this,” Andi murmured.

He gripped the wheel. “Let’s hope.”

The road was essentially a sheet of ice beneath them.

She swallowed hard as Duke tapped on the brakes. The SUV slowed. Slowed some more.

She started to let out a breath of relief.

Then, just as they reached the bottom, the SUV began to slide downhill.

Toward the intersecting road.

The tires lost all traction.

“Hold on . . .” Duke murmured.

Andi glanced at the crossroad just in time to see a truck plowing through the snow . . . headed directly toward them.

Duke saw the truck coming at them. He resisted the urge to follow his instincts—to slam on the brakes.

Instead, he gently pressed the brakes and turned the wheel.

He prayed the truck driver saw him in time and eased into the other lane, out of their way.

“Hold on,” he murmured to Andi, bracing himself for the worst.

The SUV began to swerve, the back tires swinging out.

No! The timing couldn’t be more terrible.

At any second, that truck was going to hit them.

Duke lay on his horn. Then he braced himself for the impact, praying everyone would be okay.

Then, just as it seemed the vehicles would collide, the truck veered out of the way, narrowly missing them.

Duke let out the breath he’d been holding.

“That was close.” Andi rubbed her neck, looking ill at ease.

“You can say that again.” He gripped the steering wheel as he continued down the road.

God had been watching out for them on that one. Duke lifted up a prayer of thanks.

The rest of the drive was fairly quiet, which was fine. He needed the silence to concentrate. They couldn’t risk any more close calls like that.

Finally, they reached Fairbanks. The streets in town had been cleared more than the back roads. But Duke knew they didn’t have much time before the snowstorm came back with a vengeance. If they didn’t get back to the camp before that, they most likely wouldn’t make it.

Andi called out directions, and several minutes later they pulled to a stop in front of Jared Burrows’ house.

The place was small and painted a light purple. Similar-looking houses stretched up and down the streets and throughout the neighborhood.

A truck sat in the driveway.

“Is that Jared’s or Tim’s?” Andi asked as he followed her gaze.

“I have no idea.” Duke opened his door. “Let’s go find out.”