A Colby Christmas Rescue (Colby Agency: The Next Generation #1)

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Chicago Colby Residence, 11:00 p.m.

Victoria opened a box of ornaments she’d had for at least thirty years, maybe forty. How time flew. There were dozens of boxes of decorations and here she was trying to pull this all together at nearly midnight. But she certainly couldn’t sleep.

She stared at the tree. On the way home last evening she’d insisted that Lucas stop at the pop-up Christmas store on the corner and pick out something lovely. They’d thought they wouldn’t bother with a tree this year since no one would be home for the holidays anyway and the two of them were set to go to Paris.

But she wasn’t sure she could go. Not until she knew for certain that Jamie and Luke were safe. She suspected Lucas had picked up on her hesitation, which was why he didn’t question her request for a tree.

She picked up a glossy green ornament. How could she leave with all this uncertainty hanging around them like a dark cloud? Tasha’s situation remained unknown. Luke was missing. Jamie had been forced to throw in with a man Victoria did not trust to find her brother.

“You should come to bed, dear.”

She looked up as Lucas entered the room. He wore those favorite pajamas of his. She smiled. The blue ones that made his gray eyes look so bright. She loved those pajamas too. She loved him. So very much.

“I thought I’d hang a few ornaments.” She draped the green ornament on a branch. The smell of cedar had filled the house and she so loved it. How foolish she had been to even consider not putting up a tree.

It was a tradition. She and Lucas always had a tree.

Lucas joined her and picked out a blue ornament from the box. “I love these ornaments.”

They were plain. No glitter or painted flowers or other symbols of Christmas. But there were literally hundreds of them. Red ones, pink ones. Silver, gold, blue and green. Even a few white ones. By the time the branches were loaded with ornaments, they would be beautiful.

“Wait. Wait.” Lucas held up a hand. “We have to put the lights on first.”

How had she forgotten the lights? “That was always your job,” she said, not wanting anything to do with that chore. “I’ll make hot chocolate if you string the lights.”

He gave her a look that suggested he wasn’t quite sure that was a fair trade, then he smiled. “Hot chocolate sounds lovely. Perhaps you’ll add a little rum to mine.”

“Mine too,” she agreed.

Victoria padded into the kitchen. She set a pan on the stove and added the milk, then turned on the flame. While the milk heated, she combined the chocolate and sugar and added it to mugs. Hot chocolate was a winter favorite around here. If it snowed, they had hot chocolate. She glanced out the window over the sink. The snow was still coming down. The weather forecast predicted it would snow all night.

It was beautiful and a little heartbreaking. It would be the perfect time to have everyone together. But that wasn’t going to happen.

This would be the first time they’d been spread so far and wide at Christmas. Victoria couldn’t help feeling a little nostalgic and a lot sad.

Her cell vibrated in the pocket of her robe. Her heart rate sped up as she pulled it free of the silk. It was Kenny. “Kenny, do you have news?”

“I’m at the Saint Thomas Hospital in Nashville.”

Victoria’s heart dropped into her stomach. “Is everyone all right?” Please, please let her grandchildren be safe.

“Yes. Jamie is here. I’ve seen her. She and Amar followed the doctor from his house to the hospital. But I was careful that neither she nor Amar saw me.”

“Was going to the hospital part of the plan?”

“No, ma’am. Whatever happened, it was some sort of emergency. The doctor left the party and Jamie and Amar followed not far behind. There was a small incident en route with someone who was following them. I’ve sent the license plate information to Michaels in hopes we might learn who it was.”

More thumping in her chest. “What sort of incident?”

“The unidentified driver attempted to run them off the road. He might be someone who works for the doctor and who thought their following him from the party was suspicious, but I’m leaning more in the direction of another outside source.”

Dread congealed in Victoria’s belly. “Someone else who wants to, perhaps, kidnap the doctor.”

“I fear so,” he said. “I’m also concerned as to how this stacks up based on what you’ve learned about Dr. Case.”

The additional intelligence her people had collected certainly shed a bad light on Dr. Case, but there were always two sides to every story. At this point it was best to reserve judgment.

“Very well,” Victoria said, the next step clearing in her mind. “Given what we know, I believe it’s time for you to return to the team.”

“I agree. At this point I feel too removed from what’s happening to be useful.”

“Call me as soon as you’ve made contact with Jamie again.”

“Will do. Good night, Victoria.”

The call ended and she said a quick prayer for Jamie and Luke as well as Kenny and Amar. The smell of scorching milk shook her from the worrisome thoughts.

“You need some help in there?”

She shook off the troubling thoughts and emptied the milk, then started over. “Just giving you plenty of time to string those lights.”

“Ha ha!” he called back to her.

She looked out the window and this time she couldn’t help smiling. Why was she so worried about Jamie and Luke? They were Colbys. They would get through this and complete the mission too.

It was the Colby way.