Frigid Affair by Jennifer Foor Page B

wanted you to know why they died that day. I wanted you to know how sorry I was for ruining your life.”
    I swallowed the now forming lump in my throat, trying to put myself in his shoes. Taking me back to that hard time in my life was irreconcilable. I’d promised to let it go, yet here I was being forced to relive the pain. “How did you go from wanting to apologize to being part of an arson and theft?”
    “By the time I got the courage to seek you out you’d freaking moved to Alaska. Alaska,” he repeated. “Who does that?”
    “Someone who needs to forget who they were.”
    “Exactly,” he unexpectedly answered. “I applaud your efforts. After finally figuring out where you’d gone, and having nothing holding me back I made the decision to try to give you closure. Maybe it wasn’t my job to do. I wouldn’t blame you for hating me, for blaming me completely, but I had to do this to be able to live with myself. You weren’t the only person struggling to move forward. I know our circumstances were different, but we both lost so much.”
    “What happened next?” I kept on, like I didn’t care about his feelings. I couldn’t allow myself to.
    “Well, I had your address, but no idea where you lived. It’s not like it is back home. I arrived in town and found out you lived way off the beaten path. I started asking around, finding out how I could get to you, but no one could offer a way since the weather was shitty. Someone had even given me your neighbor’s number to see if they’d rent their place to me, since they didn’t use it in the winter months. I figured I could return before the weather got bad and give it another go. You can ask Eve. When I called I inquired about renting the house that following fall, not when the house burned down. I was about to give up. I’d only booked a hotel for two nights and my time was running out. That last night at the lobby bar I ran into a group of guys talking about plans to get up the mountain. I invited myself to go with them, not knowing what I was volunteering to be a part of.”
    “So you did rob them?” I assumed.
    “No. I didn’t. In fact, I had no idea what they were up to. They packed like they were hunting, and since I’ve never been in Alaska, I had no idea it wasn’t the season for anything. It wasn’t until that night when I realized they weren’t who they said they were.” Jensen looked over at Christopher. “I was sleeping when they went out and robbed your neighbors and then set the fire to the house in hopes of covering it up.”
    “Oh, that’s just too easy. Give me a break. Do you actually think I’d believe you?” I crossed my arms and raised a brow. He must have taken me for a fool.
    “It’s true. I heard the lodge door opening a few times, but figured they were loading up for the hunt. When they’d asked me what I wanted to get up the mountain for, I told them it was for a girl. They thought you and I were involved. I’d planned on coming to see you once the storm was over.”
    “How did you end up at the fire?”
    “At the time, I didn’t know they were responsible. I woke up to them arguing in the kitchen. They were talking about splitting the take. One of them was bitching about me staying with them. They’d come back from the house with all these fancy statues and other items. I knew they hadn’t been there before, and the fact that they were laying it all out on the table to brag was another obvious sign. As soon as I realized I announced that I was out of there. I told them I was leaving and calling the authorities. I stepped outside and saw the flames higher on the mountain. I didn’t know where you lived and assumed it was your house. I hopped on a snowmobile  and hauled ass up the mountain, making them think I was running away to call the police. They followed me. When I arrived here they weren’t far behind. One of the guys pulled out a gun and told me I should have kept my mouth shut. Figuring I had