Previously:

Not wanting to reveal the full extent of his involvement with Dominick and Ava D'Amato, Miles was deliberately vague when Kerri grilled him about her kidnapping at their hands. Kerri felt betrayed when he wouldn't open up to her. Deciding she couldn't trust his judgment, both in business and on a personal level, she fired her brother from his position at the Highwind.

Giselle escaped the Castleton Psychiatric Hospital and hid herself away in a Catholic church. Meanwhile, Vincent struggled to get by without his wife at his side.

BJ Bradley lashed out at Charlie Guthrie, causing a scene at his sister's funeral when he accused Charlie of not being there to stop his murderous wife's behavior.

 

The Highwind Pro Shop

Miles Burke walked past row after row of skis and snowboards. Sure, they were all the same to him, but he knew that one tiny detail or variation in the equipment could make all the difference to an experienced athlete. Snowboarding was fun for Miles, but it wasn't the same. For the first time in a long time he felt homesick, missing the sand and surf he'd been so fortunate to have in his backyard for most of his life.

"These are our Burton Freeride boards. I've got two at home, myself. They're sick," Miles's new supervisor and current store tour guide, Kev, was saying to him. "They're one of our best sellers, so make sure you know where they're located. Are you writing this down?"

Miles held up his pad of paper and scribbled down the information. "Got it." He rolled his eyes at his manager's back as the tour came to a close. The guy was a total stoner, barely older than Miles. How could anyone rationalize leaving a guy who insisted on calling himself Kev in charge of a business?

"Other than that, the job's pretty simple."

"Take the money, sell the equipment," Miles said simply. "Should I write that down, too?"

His sarcasm was completely lost on this burnout. "Uhh... Yeah, if you want to, I guess?"

Maybe he was just irritable, but Miles had never disliked someone so much, so quickly. He smiled away his disdain. "Is that all?"

"That's it. I'll show you how we do inventory and stocking when our next shipment comes in. Should be later this afternoon, but it's cake, dude. This job's pretty sweet, trust me."

Miles hoped so, but according to Kev, everything was 'sweet' or 'sick' or 'tight,' so who was Kev to judge?

"I'm heading to lunch, buddy. You got this?" Kev asked, slipping an idiotic-looking sweatband over his shaggy blonde hair. It wasn't helping him to appear any less of a tool.

"Sure," Miles said, taking position at the cash register. "I think I can manage." I mean, you just trained me for all of 15 minutes, I should be a seasoned pro by now, right?

"Later bro!" Kev said before mercifully disappearing from Miles's line of sight.

Miles breathed a sigh of relief, exhaling away the glut of homicidal urges that had been building in his mind since meeting Kev. Miles didn't know how he'd manage to deal with that dude on a day-to-day basis, but other than that, Beau was right when he scored this gig for Miles -- it seemed like an easy job.

He flipped through a snowboarding magazine left on the counter top and tried to read over the sound of alternative music pumping throughout the store.

Just as he was in the midst of an enthralling article about two snowboarders getting attacked by some sort of mountain lion out west, someone walked into the store and cleared her throat, commanding his attention.

"I was going to ask if you were busy, but you're clearly not. Come with me. We need to talk," Elena Halstrom said.

"But, I'm supposed to be watching the store while ... while my supervisor is out."

"What? Since when do you work here?"

"It's a long story."

"Fine," she said. "Then we'll talk here."



Highwind X-Limit

The X-Limit expansion was in working order, and save for a few finishing touches, was ready for business. The newly constructed lodge complimented the grandeur of original. Smaller to be sure, but what it lacked in size it made up for in sleek sophistication. The X-Limit was for serious thrill-seekers, designed for athletes and winter sports aficionados.

"This is more than I ever expected."

Kerrigan Guthrie looked skyward, inspecting the vaulted ceiling of the newest Highwind property. "I mean, I've been here every day while it was being built, but still ... I can't believe this."

"Well, believe it. This is all us," Beau said with a bright smile, brandishing a remote. "Look what I got installed today."

He pushed a button, and the LCD screens stationed throughout the venue came to life, a cavalcade of sports channels and loud music.

Kerri theatrically covered her ears. "Ouch! Volume!" she shouted over the noise, and Beau cranked it down a few thousand decibels.

"Better?"

"Much," she agreed. She looked around the building in awe. It was surreal to see how it had all come together, everything she'd been working toward all these months. Beau stood behind her, looking over her shoulder. "I love it."

"I love you," he said, massaging her shoulders and giving her neck a soft kiss.

Kerri halfheartedly leaned in to him and his embrace, but she was distracted by the thoughts weighing on her mind. On top of everything else there was to worry about ... now, there was something new. Something she'd only just realized...

"There's something I have to tell you. This morning ... I found out..." she paused, unsure if she should proceed.

"Something about ... those people who abducted you?" he guessed, reading the trepidation in her eyes. "What is it, Kerri?"



The Bistro

That afternoon, Vincent Guthrie met with his wife's attorney, Collin Goodyear, over lunch at the lakeside bistro. With Sonya's eyewitness account, the police were now focusing their attention on apprehending Erin Emery, and he wanted his wife back.

But of course, it wasn't that easy. Not since Giselle had apparently taken it upon herself to break out of the psychiatric hospital -- and with Pete Sorenson on the loose too, he feared for Giselle like never before.

"Do you want the good news, or the bad news?" Goodyear asked, taking a hearty gulp of iced tea.

"I don't know if I believe in 'good news' anymore," Vincent said.

"The good news is, the murder charges against your wife have been dropped."

"And the bad news?"

"Well," he prodded his salad with disinterest. "Since she fled the hospital before we learned about Ms. Emery ... we don't know where she is, and we have no way of telling her she's a free woman."

"Tell me something I didn't already know," Vincent barked. He pushed his half-eaten sandwich aside. His stomach was in knots. As angry as he knew Giselle was with him, he still cared deeply for her. He knew she'd understand why he did what he did, why he sent her to the Castleton facility, once she was back home with him and he had the chance to explain.

She was a resourceful woman, but could she handle Pete? Or did she escape on her own? What if she was out of the country? What if Giselle never returned, never knew the truth about Monique's murder...

She was on the run, but she had no reason to hide anymore. She could come back and be with him now, and this would all just be a bad memory.

His lunch wasn't sitting right. He apologized to the lawyer and threw a few bills on the table before leaving the restaurant.

He knew he wouldn't feel better about any of it, not completely, until Giselle was back home with him.



The Bel Ami Club

In the back room of the club, Josie Singer was mixing a drink that was just a splash from being entirely alcoholic. She frowned, hesitating before handing it over to her friend.

"Thanks," BJ Bradley said, immediately swallowing down a mouthful of the burning liquid. He'd already had more than he probably should have.

Josie peered out into the club. "Don't let anyone see us," she said. "You shouldn't be doing this to yourself."

"I know."

She didn't know what else to say to him. How could she make him feel any better about the fact that his sister was dead? About the fact that they'd attended a funeral. Misty's funeral. Even after the fact, Josie still found it impossible to fathom that she was gone.

But BJ did. She wasn't sure when it fully hit him, but he wasn't handling it well at all. Not that anyone could expect him to. She knew plying him with alcohol was no solution, but it was what he wanted.

"I keep trying to come up with some reason for all of this, but there isn't one, is there?" BJ said through gritted teeth. "There is no reason."

Josie had no idea how to respond, so she held him close, taking the drink from his hand and setting it aside.

"There's no way to make any sense of this, because she wasn't supposed to die, Josie. People like Misty aren't supposed to die," he said, through angry tears. "Someone should have done something! Someone should have seen this coming, but nobody even tried to stop it."

"Nobody knew what was happening. We still don't know what really happened or why. Nobody does."

"He should have known!" BJ bellowed, frightening Josie. She didn't know who he was talking about. "Can you believe him? How could he not notice? How do you not notice that your wife's a fucking psycho?"

"It wasn't like that," Josie said, trying to be rational, trying to cool him down.

"And then he had the nerve to show up at the funeral! Didn't you see him? With all that we're going through, he thinks he deserves to be there?"

"Didn't your mother invite him?" she asked. "BJ, I know everything's messed up right now, but blaming Charlie isn't going to help you get past this. He's not the one who did this to her."

"But he's the one who could have saved her!"

"There was nothing he could do! Nobody could have ever predicted something like this, much less manage to stop it!" She was shouting now, too. She didn't want to yell at him like this, but she knew she was right. "It's not his fault. No matter who you blame, she'll still be gone."

BJ seemed to sink into himself, Josie's words cutting through his hot temper.

"I'm sorry," she said, startled. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean to--"

"No. You're right. I just feel like ... I don't know what I feel anymore," he said, a sad shake of his head. "I've never had to be without her. It was hard enough when I left for school and she stayed behind. I could barely manage that! I don't think I can do it without her. I really don't..."

"You can. You will--"

Just then, the door opened and another server entered. "Josie, you're still here? I thought you were done for the day?"

"I am. We are." Josie took BJ's hand. "Come on. Let's get you home," she said, leading her drained friend from the kitchen.



The Highwind Pro Shop

Elena's expression was nothing short of dangerous. He didn't dare argue against her -- he doubted anyone could when she came to them like that.

"I want to know what the hell is up with you," she snapped, eyeing him like a predator would look at its prey.

"Why are you ... staring at me like that?" he said, calling her on her disturbing intimidation tactics.

Elena seemed surprised. "Am I? I didn't mean to." She took it down a notch. "I like looking at you, okay? I haven't seen you in days, and it's not exactly like we were seeing a lot of each other before that. Maybe I was beginning to forget what you looked like, I don't know."

"I'm sorry. I've been busy -- preoccupied with the fundraiser and all these other things."

"You're not the only one, Miles. I just thought we'd be able to have one fun night together, but you barely spoke two words to me the entire party. We didn't talk, and then I didn't leave with you... You totally ditched me, so I'm asking you what the deal is. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong, because if I did just tell me."

Miles knew Elena was opinionated and not afraid to say what was on her mind, but he wasn't used to hearing her suggest that she might have made a mistake. Sometimes, it was hard for him to remember that, as much as she tried to hide it, she might care about other people and what they thought of her.

But she hadn't done anything wrong. Miles felt horrible, but the truth was, he'd sort of forgotten about her, forgotten she was even aboard that damned yacht with everything else that had been going on.

"You didn't do anything wrong."

"Good," she said, vindicated.

"But I think maybe we should break this off," he said, forcing himself to face her while delivering the news.

"What? But you just said--? What?" she repeated, more confused than ever.

"This just isn't going to work out, and it's nothing you did or didn't do."

"Let me guess, it's about Kerri, right? Your sister still has a problem with us?"

Miles shook his head. "It's not about her."

"Then it's you? Because if it's not me, and it's not your sister--"

"It's everything, okay!" With everything spinning around in his head the way it was, he didn't know what else to say. "It's just not a good idea."

Elena shrank back, considering him carefully. "What's gotten into you?" she asked concerned. "I've never seen you like this."

"It's nothing," he shrugged. "I'm sorry, but I'm not ready for a real relationship. Not with you or anyone else right now."

He thought Elena had cornered him earlier to break up with him. It would have been much easier if she had, he decided.

"I guess that's it then," she said softly. She walked to the door, but hovered there then looked back. "I think you're a coward, Miles. I think you're afraid to go after what you really want."

Miles flipped his magazine back open when she left, but try as he might to put the incident out of mind, he couldn't ignore her parting shot.

 

Highwind X-Limit

Kerrigan was thrown off by Beau's suggestion. Her kidnapping from the cruise wasn't what she'd intended to talk about with him. She had no new information about that night, and the fact that she didn't know anything was a bit of a sore subject for a woman looking for answers.

She studied Beau, suspicious of his reasons for immediately jumping to that conclusion. "Beau, did you talk to Miles? Did he tell you something about what happened to me?" she asked, unable to keep an edge of accusation from her tone.

"He told me the same thing he told you -- that he owed these people money, and that they came after you to make sure Miles came through with it."

"You spent all evening running around with him while he tried to pay these people off, and that's all he told you about the situation? There has to be more to the story."

"I'm sure there is," Beau nodded in agreement, "but at the time, I didn't care. The only thing that mattered was getting you back."

Kerri knew he meant what he said. She also knew these were issues she should be bringing up with her brother, not Beau. Still, she felt like he was holding something back from her.

"You should try to talk to him." Beau suggested. "I know you're mad at him and you have every reason to be, but maybe you should give him the chance to explain."

"That's all I want from him, but he won't tell me. I know he's covering something up, or at least not telling me the whole truth."

"Maybe knowing would put you in even more danger? Maybe he's afraid of hurting you again."

"I could have died! I deserve to know why, at the very least!" she snapped, whirling away from him. "Why are you so quick to apologize for him? You know something, don't you?"

Beau walked toward her, tried to take her hand, but she pulled away. "I saw what a wreck Miles was when he found out they had you. He made some stupid mistakes, but he was willing to do whatever they asked, whatever they wanted ... for you."

He tried reaching out for her again, but she kept her distance. He still wasn't answering her questions.

"Well, I can't just forget it happened. He's going to have to try a little harder if he wants to get me back," Kerri said. "And so are you," she added, walking out and leaving him alone in the empty building.

She wasn't fragile. If Beau was going to keep things from her in the name of protecting her, maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought he did. And maybe she didn't have to feel so bad for forgetting, in the heat of the moment, what she'd actually intended to share with him.

But there would be other opportunities to tell her fiancé she was pregnant. The last thing she wanted was to forever remember it as a moment they were fighting with one another. So, just for a little while, just until things blew over, maybe she'd keep it to herself.

 

Highwind Crossings - Miles's Apartment

Exhaustion was weighing Miles down by the time he returned home that evening. Not physical exhaustion really, his job was far too easy for that, but more of a mental tiredness that was slowly infiltrating its way through his entire body.

Between his loathsome new job, his argument with Elena, and the continued rift with his sister, he shouldn't expect to feel much better. The fact that he only had himself to blame for all of those things didn't make them any easier to take.

He turned his key in the lock and pushed open the door to his apartment, but only after he was inside did he realize that something was amiss. The door had already been unlocked.

Miles felt his shoulders tense. He directed a cautious glance toward his kitchenette, then back to the empty living area before his eyes settled on someone emerging from the hall in front of him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here!" Miles said, more relieved than he knew he should have been, considering who stood before him.

Dominick D'Amato smiled and shrugged in response. "I wish I knew."