Snowed Under by Rickie Blair

Author:Rickie Blair [Blair, Rickie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-988881-06-5
Publisher: Barkley Books

Chapter Sixteen

I never saw it coming.

One moment, Boomer and I were strolling along the woodland path behind Rose Cottage, admiring the snow-covered spruce trees glistening in the sunshine and the vivid red cardinals flitting from branch to branch.

The next, I was face down in a snowdrift, struggling to breathe, with an unfriendly knee in my back and one arm pinned behind me.

From my Krav Maga training, I knew it was better to flee than fight. But sometimes there was no choice.

First, the feint.

I stopped struggling, forcing my body to relax. The moment the pressure on my back eased, I shoved against the ground with my unpinned arm and flipped over.

Even with one hand behind my back, I was able to knee my attacker in the groin. He barely had time for a muttered oath before I followed that up by slamming the heel of my palm into his nose.

Then I was on my feet, ready to run.

“Blast,” came a muffled voice from the figure bent over beside me. Red drops stained the snow at his feet. “I told you this was a bad idea.”

“No, it was a good idea. You’re just too old and too slow,” a woman said.

I recognized that voice.

With both hands planted on my hips, I abandoned my planned flight and swiveled around on one foot to scowl at the pair who stood before me.

My next-door neighbor Gideon Picard, a hand clapped to his bloody nose and a parka hood pulled over his gray topknot, glared accusingly at me through his blue-tinted octagonal glasses.

“Sorry about that, Gideon. But you surprised me.”

“You could have broken my nose,” he said with a distinctly nasal tone.

“No. My aim was off.”

The woman beside him was Aunt Adeline. She tilted her bare head, with its pixie-cut streaked gray hair, in amusement. One finger was looped under Boomer’s collar, holding him in place.

The terrier was looking up at her with undisguised awe.

Figured. Even animals fell under my aunt’s spell.

I scanned her winter outfit. The fur-trimmed parka, leggings, and snow boots were pure white. “Is that your Alpine disguise?” I asked. “Because we’re about a thousand miles from any mountains.”

Her gold-flecked gray eyes twinkled. “Don’t you be smart with me, young lady.” Aunt Adeline smiled sweetly at me while handing her companion a crumpled tissue.

Gideon held it to his nose with his head tilted back, muttering under his breath.

“Excellent work, by the way,” my aunt enthused. “Glad to see you haven’t lost your edge, Verity. Although—” She narrowed her eyes. “You should have noticed we’ve been tracking you for half a mile.”

“How could I hear footsteps in the snow?” I pointed to the fresh dusting of white that covered the path I’d taken through the woods on my way back to Rose Cottage. Hang on—why was I making excuses? “Tell me why you were trailing me.”

Aunt Adeline looked surprised. “To keep your skills sharp, of course. There’s no telling when you might have to defend yourself. Snow is no excuse. Villains don’t take the winter off.

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