Holding Out For A Holiday Hero

Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

“I didn’t need to be visited by three Christmas spirits. I just needed one to change my life.

Hello, Ghost of Christmas Past. Now that you’re here, don’t ever leave me.”

– Jake Hale

(“Yeah, also, I think old Ebenezer was technically visited by four spirits—doesn’t Jacob Marley count as a spirit? And why the hell wasn’t Scrooge scared straight as soon as he saw all those chains?”)

He’d snuck in the back door. True had been so focused on Jake and his brother that she hadn’t even realized the intruder had been in the condo, not until it was too late.

He’d had the gun on her, so she hadn’t been able to risk calling out a warning to Jake. One of the jerk’s hands held the gun, and the other gripped her left shoulder. His fingers curled around her, digging into her skin.

“Are you hurt, True?” Jake asked softly.

“No.” Just angry. And scared. Correction, terrified.

“You shouldn’t have come back to town, True,” the man in the mask said as his fingers bit deeper into her. “Things were fine. No one cared about the old shit at the museum. I could pick up a few pieces whenever I wanted. Could take a few jewels from old necklaces or earrings and fence them. Who the hell was gonna know?”

“Dylan Dunn. He knew.” Jake nodded. “Did he help you fence the stuff you took? Was he working with you?”

“That guy—all he had to do was scare True away. So freaking simple. She was going to start hauling all kinds of shit out in the new year. The thefts were bound to be found then! I had to do something—scaring her out of town seemed like the best plan.” An angry exhale. “But the closer he got to True, the more Dylan started liking what he was doing. Too damn much. Liking her. ”

He kept his voice a rasp, but it was still familiar to True. Her heart galloped in her chest as she stared at Jake. His face showed no emotion. But his eyes glittered with an absolutely lethal intent. She knew he was just waiting for the moment to attack.

She had to give him that moment.

First, though, the man in the mask needed to get the hell away from her. Was he holding the same gun that had been used to shoot Dylan Dunn?

“I did you a favor,” the man beside her revealed. “He was waiting in that house for you. Dylan would have hurt you.”

“You have a gun to my head,” True pointed out in what she thought was a surprisingly steady voice. “Doesn’t that mean you’re going to hurt me, too?” Sure seemed that way to her.

He lifted the gun from her head. And pointed it at Jake. “I need the computer. Thought I’d taken care of that problem already when I smashed it, but then you whisked the parts out of the museum. You aren’t fixing shit. I need the computer.” A rush of air. An angry exhale. “True, get your boyfriend to turn it over, and I’ll disappear.”

The computer wasn’t there. They couldn’t turn over what they didn’t have.

“It’s in the bedroom,” Jake said. “I’ll go get it.”

And he took a step forward. One, then another. Toward them. Not toward the bedroom.

Her captor barked out a laugh. “You think I’m an idiot? You’ll just go for a gun if you head in the bedroom. And dammit, stop! Stop or I will shoot! ”

Jake’s gaze cut to hers. “Did you like the gift, sweets? The one I gave you tonight?”

He wasn’t talking about the tree. She nodded. “Best gift ever.” Her hand rose toward her left shoulder. Then, in a flash, she grabbed her captor’s gloved pinky finger. She yanked it back and out and heard the snap with a savage satisfaction.

Her attacker screamed. Filled with growing fury, her elbow rammed back into him, as hard as she could ram it, and True leapt forward.

Jake grabbed her. Practically threw her across the room. “ Get out!” he roared at True.

And he leapt for her attacker.

True whipped back around. She saw the gun come up as the masked man took aim at Jake. “No!” The scream tore from her as the world seemed to stop. The man in the mask was going to shoot at Jake. He was going to kill Jake.

No, no, no! “Braden!” True yelled the masked man’s name. “ Don’t!”

His head whipped toward her. His hold on the gun seemed to loosen.

Jake ripped the gun from him. Slung it so it soared over the couch. Then Jake was grabbing the masked man— it’s Braden, I know it’s Braden. Even though he’d disguised his voice, she’d still recognized it.

Jake pummeled Braden. Swung his fist at the younger man over and over again. Braden tried to fight back, but his swipes were pitiful. True scrambled around the couch and picked up the gun. She clutched it with shaking fingers and took aim.

Just as she took aim, Jake swung out hard and hit Braden with such stunning force that the masked attacker slammed into the Christmas tree. The whole tree wobbled, then crashed to the floor, taking Braden down with it.

Braden let out a low groan. He didn’t get up.

Jake grabbed the Christmas tree lights that were in a brown box near him. He looped the lights around their attacker’s wrists. Then his feet. Jake bound him completely. When the intruder was secure, Jake grabbed the ski mask and ripped it off the other man’s face.

Braden groaned again. Blood dripped from his busted lip. “B-bastard…”

“Hello, Braden,” Jake snarled right back. “Made the naughty list this season did you, you sonofabitch?”

Braden twisted and heaved but couldn’t get free of the lights.

“You’ve been stealing from the museum,” True accused. She crept closer, but she did not lower the gun.

Braden’s fuming glare shot to her. “Why the hell couldn’t you just leave? I only wanted you to leave town. No one had to get hurt! But you wouldn’t get scared off, no matter what Dylan and I did. Then Dylan—shit, he got crazy. Or crazier because I knew the bastard was always a bit unhinged. I knew I had to be careful with him—knew it ever since I met him when I was doing psych research on rehabilitating criminals.” A rough laugh tore from him. “It was so perfect at first. I took things that had been forgotten. Dylan sold them. We split the cash. But you came to town, you landed the Egyptian display, and you got all of those big ideas about revitalizing the museum. You were gonna ruin everything. Everything! I just wanted you to leave!” Spittle flew from his mouth.

“And I want her to stay, asshole,” Jake blasted back. He hauled out his phone. Dialed, then put the phone to his ear. “Harris, if those patrol units of yours are close, get them to come in my condo. Why? Because I’ve got our criminal mastermind tied up in the Christmas tree.” A pause. “Yeah, I said what I said… tied up in the Christmas tree. ” His gaze had never left Braden. “The perp is Braden Wallace, one of the museum guards. Yeah, the psych student. True has his gun, and I have him.”

She crept a bit closer to the bound man. “You trapped me in the sarcophagus.”

Braden’s breath heaved. “I wanted you scared. Why the hell didn’t you leave? Why did you need to stay in this town so damn badly?”

Because it had been her home. Her happiest times had been in this town. Before Braden and his pal had started to terrorize her.

“No one else gave a shit about the museum.” Braden let out a shriek when he couldn’t get out of the lights. “Why did you?”

Jake stepped closer to her. His fingers curled around hers as she held the gun. “Mind if I take this?”

“Please do,” she whispered.

He slid it from her fingers. His gaze swept over her face. “You okay?”

Okay? She’d been sure that her attacker—Braden—might pull the trigger at any moment. She’d been afraid to call out for Jake because she hadn’t wanted him to run inside and get shot. She’d been terrified that Jake might die in front of her.

“True?”

“I’m not hurt.” Not physically.

“It’s over,” Jake promised her, voice gruff. “This prick is about to go to jail. He won’t ever hurt you again.”

“I have jewels!” Braden cried out. “I have cash! I’ve been stashing it all— I can give you money, mister! So. Much. Money! Just let me go. I’ll give you everything I have. Just let me go.”

Jake shook his head as he focused back on Braden. “Trying to bribe me? Or buy me off?”

“Yes!” Braden screamed. He was covered in green needles from the tree.

“No deal. I’m not for sale.” Jake’s jaw clenched. “There isn’t enough money in the world for me to ever let you go. Not after what you did to her. ”

Braden went still as Jake leaned over him.

“You made a fatal mistake,” Jake told him. “You went after the woman I love.”

True grabbed the edge of the couch as shock rolled through her.

“You don’t terrorize the woman I love. You’ll be paying for that a very long time. See, I know where you’re going, Braden. I know the kind of people who will be waiting when you’re convicted of murder. The worst and most dangerous bastards you’ll ever meet. Some of those bastard actually owe me favors.” His smile was ice cold. “Maybe I’ll be calling in on those favors.”

“Oh, God.” Braden began shuddering. And maybe crying.

“You terrorized her. You put her in a coffin. ”

“I was just trying to scare her!”

“Now I’m putting your ass in a cell. And you won’t be getting out anytime soon.”

She could hear the wailing of approaching sirens.

“What was it that you said to me?” Jake never lowered his gun. “Ho, ho, ho, bastard.”

“You’re gonna need a new tree,” Harris informed Jake as he swept a critical gaze over the mess that had once been Jake’s Christmas tree.

Correction, True’s tree. I wanted the tree for True. A True who was outside, talking to uniformed cops.

“I’ve got to say, the Christmas lights were a nice touch. Guessing you didn’t have any handcuffs at the ready?”

“They were in my bedroom.”

“Sure. And the Christmas lights were just right there, so…why not use them to secure the perp? Makes total sense to me.”

Jake leaned to the left so he could see around Harris’s body. He wanted to put his gaze on True.

“That guy was confessing left and right. Begging for a deal as he was hauled out,” Harris added. “Criminals aren’t usually so quick to confess. What in the world would make him want to do that?”

Me. I scared him to death. “Who knows?”

“Uh, huh.” Harris rocked back on his heels. “His vehicle was hidden around the block. Uniforms searched it and found a big key ring—kinda looks like the one that Robert Moss is always hauling around at the museum. I’m thinking Braden made copies of any keys he needed—he must have swiped the originals from either Robert or True. And he helped himself to whatever he wanted in that place. No one knew about his thefts.”

“Until True came along.” Jake couldn’t see her. He really needed to see her. He felt as if he couldn’t pull in a deep enough breath until he saw her again. “Bastard had a gun on her.”

“I’m pretty sure that will turn out to be the same gun he used to kill Dylan Dunn. Ballistics will let us know for sure.”

Jake edged toward the front of his house. “He said Dylan went crazy. That he was after True.”

“Yeah, that’s what the perp was telling me, too. Trying to spin it like he had to shoot Dylan in order to protect True. Not sure I buy that story.”

Jake didn’t buy it, either. “Braden was probably trying to cover his own ass. When he stopped being able to control Dylan, the guy became a liability for him.”

“A liability that Braden couldn’t afford.” Harris brushed off a green needle that had tried to cling to his jacket. “Robert told Braden that you had taken the computer. That you could fix it. Dude panicked and came here.”

He’d wanted the perp to come after him. What he had never, ever wanted? For a gun to be pointed at True. “I made a mistake.”

“Do tell.”

“True was put in jeopardy because of me.”

Harris hummed. “Sure about that? I thought you were the hero who saved the day.”

True appeared in the doorway. Just as the first time she’d come to him, snowflakes were in the darkness of her hair. Jake pulled in a deep breath. Slowly exhaled. “She saved herself. Broke his pinky finger?—”

“Actually, the EMTs said two of his fingers were broken. He also had bruised ribs, a shattered wrist, and a bloody nose.” A delicate pause. “Is True responsible for all of his injuries? Because your bruised knuckles would say otherwise.”

True’s gaze collided with Jake’s. He swallowed down the lump in his throat. “Braden pulled a gun on her. He had to learn that was something you never, ever should do.”

“Important life lesson, totally understand.” Harris edged a bit closer. “What’s gonna happen now?” Low. His voice only carried to Jake. “Gonna get to live happily ever after with the woman of your dreams?”

If she’ll have me.

Snowflakes blew in the open doorway.

“Hate to tell you, buddy,” Harris said as he clapped a hand on Jake’s shoulder. “But this place is gonna be a crime scene for a while. You should find a new place to stay.”

Jake barely heard him. True was walking toward him. Her eyes were on his.

That creep had a gun on her. I came in and there was a gun on True, and I could feel my whole world shattering around me.

So, yeah, he loved her. Might as well get that right out in the open. The love he felt for her had nearly ripped him apart. He’d been so afraid. More afraid than he’d ever been on any battlefield in any place in the world.

True kept heading toward him.

He’d told her that he’d taken the case because he wanted her. Not because he was some noble hero. If only. I wish I could be a hero for her.

But he wasn’t. He was just a rough bounty hunter. A former soldier who knew how to hunt and how to hurt and he wanted True more than he wanted breath.

She stopped right in front of him.

His very own Ghost of Christmas Past.

The woman he wanted to be his Christmas Present. His Christmas Future. His everything.

Her hand rose. Pressed over his heart. “Jake.”

Was this the part where she told him it was over? That she was safe and that she didn’t?—

“I need you,” she told him.

Words from a fantasy he’d had long ago. Maybe he was hallucinating. Dreaming. Because she was his dream. A life with True would be his dream.

“And I think that I’m in love with you,” she added softly.

He shook his head.

She nodded.

Then True threw her arms around him. She hauled him down to her. And she kissed him.

No dream. No fantasy. True was the real deal. His arms wrapped around her, and he kissed her back with every bit of love and passion he had. Every. Single. Bit.

Sometimes, Christmas miracles could happen.

Even to a former Scrooge like him.