His Holiday Bride

by Elaine Overton

  Amber glared at the man. “Why would I tell you?”

  He shrugged. “Doesn’t make a difference one way or the other. I was just curious.” He steadied the gun, leveling it at her chest.

  He hid it better, but Amber could see that this man was no more a natural killer than Dashuan. Something occurred to her. “Why you?”

  “What?”

  “Why did Dashuan pick you to help him?”

  His eyes narrowed. “You ask too many questions, you know that? Now, shut up and turn around.”

  Amber knew that turning her back to him would be the biggest mistake she could make. Her mind raced in a thousand different directions as she grasped for a way out. She fought back tears as she considered little Joachim a few doors away.

  She could still hear him crying, which meant no one had harmed him—yet. “Just please don’t hurt the baby,” she blurted out, unable to stop the plea. If there was any chance this man had an ounce of compassion in him, she needed to tap into it.

  His eyes widened. “What kind of monster do you think I am?”

  If the situation had not been so horrific, Amber thought, it would be laughable. In the dead of night two would-be killers stealing into Paul’s home, on the one night he had to work late. Paul…her sisters…would she ever see any of them again?

  Sitting in the Mustang in front of the house, Dashuan chewed on his fingernails. He listened in tense silence for the sound of a gunshot to ring out. Glancing into the rearview mirror, he saw a flash of chrome as the large, unmistakable silhouette of Gutierrez’s SUV came into view rounding the corner at the end of the block.

  Dashuan had seen that SUV too many times not to recognize it. With his heart racing, he put the car into gear and tore away from the curb.

  When Paul recognized the car pulling away from in front of his house, he slammed his foot on the gas pedal and shot halfway down the street like a bullet, intending to follow. But, suddenly, as he thought of Amber and Joachim in the house alone, he put on the brakes.

  He spun into his drive, shifted to Park and jumped out of the SUV, leaving the door open and the engine running. He found the front door unlocked and crept in. Paul froze in his tracks in the foyer, hearing muffled voices coming from upstairs.

  He reached beneath his jacket and pulled his Magnum from its holster. He had no idea how many people were in the house, or even who was in the car that pulled away. His back against the wall, his dark eyes darting in every direction, he maneuvered his way around the room. He removed the safety so as not to make a sound, before checking both the living room and kitchen.

  He could hear Joachim’s mournful cry coming from upstairs, and he forced himself to take several deeps breaths to rein in the raging impulse to fly up the stairs. The fact that his son was alive to cry was a good sign. This was not the time to let his volatile emotions take over.

  As silent as a cat, he climbed the stairs one by one. The long, steel barrel of his Magnum was cold against his muscular thigh. As he came closer to the top of the stairs, the voices he’d heard earlier became more distinctive, and Paul could make out most of the words.

  Reaching the top landing, he saw the hall was empty. Paul had never been more thankful for the SEAL training that now gave him the ability to be nothing more than a shadow on the wall. It also gave him the element of surprise.

  He considered going to Joachim, but thought better of it when he recognized the noise the baby was making. It was the same cry he gave when he was frustrated or annoyed—not in pain. Paul relaxed, and decided to hold his position just outside Amber’s bedroom door. If whoever was in there heard the baby stop crying, they would become suspicious.

  Pressing his head against the door, Paul’s eyes widened in shock when he recognized Barney’s voice. What is he doing here?

  Paul’s mind worked rapidly, as he tried to reevaluate what he knew. All this time, he’d thought the threat to Amber was Dashuan Kennedy. But could he have been wrong? Could the person stalking them have been Barney, wanting some sort of revenge for being fired? And if so, then who was in the black Mustang?

  He shook his head in silent dismissal of the many questions. Nothing was making sense anymore. And why Barney was here didn’t matter, not now, not when Amber’s life hung in the balance. He concentrated on formulating a plan of attack.

  “Move over there,” he heard Barney say from the far side of the room, and then there was a scuffling noise. He almost burst into the room, until he heard Amber’s calm voice respond.

  “Look out the window. He left you.” Amber chuckled.

  “No. Something must’ve happened. He’ll be back.” Paul could hear the uncertainty underlining the words.

  “Face it, he abandoned you. Left you to take the fall.”

  “Shut up!”

  Paul could tell Barney was getting nervous, which could be good or bad, depending on his stability.

  “Just go,” Amber said persuasively. “Leave now, and no one will be the wiser.”

  Barney gave a hard laugh. “I’m supposed to trust you not to say anything? You forget, your big mouth is why we’re here in the first place.”

  “I don’t even know who you are!”

  There was a lengthy silence, and Paul knew Barney was considering what she said. That’s it, angel, work on whatever is left of his conscience.

  “You don’t want to kill me. We both know that.” There was courage in her voice even as she pleaded for her life, and Paul had never been more impressed with her. Another woman would have been a hysterical, sobbing wreck. But instead, his beautiful girl was bargaining with her captor.

  “Just go,” she whispered.

  “I can’t!” he snapped.

  “Why not?”

  Barney chuckled, and Paul could almost hear the sneer in his voice. He knew in that moment, Barney had made up his mind to go through with it.

  “I have my own reasons for being here. Did I mention I used to work for Paul until he fired me a few weeks ago?”

  “What does that have to do with me?” Amber asked.

  “Nothing—except that Dashuan Kennedy has promised me more money than I ever dreamed of seeing in my lifetime, if I help him with this.” He huffed in disgust. “All I was supposed to do was drive the car and keep a lookout. I never expected him to punk out this way, but since he did, I guess it’s up to me to finish it.”

  “Don’t you see? He didn’t punk out, he set you up.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “You think this is a coincidence? When the police find me, they’re going to ask Paul about his enemies, and guess whose name is going to come up? Not Dashuan. Paul doesn’t even know Dashuan. And even if you name him, it won’t stick, because he’ll have a better alibi than you—since he’s nowhere around! That’s probably why he left, to go create an alibi. Face it—he’s setting you up to take the fall!”

  So, Dashuan was here. Paul glanced back down the stairs, listening to make sure the Mustang had not returned, and then slowly leaned forward to try the door handle. Amber was doing a good job of confusing Barney, but he couldn’t take the chance she’d talk him out of it.

  “I’m going to frame Paul.”

  Paul’s hand froze on the chrome knob. He stood still, waiting to see if his presence had been detected.

  Barney chuckled, but it was not a pleasant sound. “Well, well, well, I finally found a way to shut you up. Yeah, that’s right. This isn’t just about you and Dashuan. See, when I’m finished here I’m going to use tape to put someone else’s fingerprints on the gun. Wanna take a guess whose fingerprints I’m going to use?”

  “Just because he fired you?” Amber asked in sorrowful amazement.

  “He didn’t just fire me—he stripped me of my professional reputation! He knew what would happen once word got out about why he fired me. But that’s okay. Dashuan Kennedy is going to pay me a king’s ransom—and all I have to do is get rid of you.”

  “You’re no murderer,” she said. “If yo
u were, I would be dead by now.”

  “I told you to shut up! You don’t know anything about me!”

  Paul knew Amber was losing the battle, he could hear the desperation in Barney’s voice.

  With precise movements Paul began to turn the door handle. He managed to get the door cracked wide enough to see the scene inside.

  Barney was standing with his back to the door, and Amber stood between him and the window. The moment his eyes found her frightened face, he regretted opening the door. Up until then, he’d been able to keep a certain professional cool, but seeing Amber standing at the other end of a gun barrel, knowing how quickly it could be over, trembling started in the heels of his feet and worked its way up to the top of his head.

  God, please don’t take her away from me—not like this! He took a deep breath to try and gain control of himself. He even forced his mind to block out his son’s cries. In a matter of seconds Amber could be dead. He had to act fast.

  “Turn around and get on your knees,” Barney growled.

  Paul knew it was now or never. He opened the door farther. For one split second Amber’s eyes flashed to his face, but she looked away.

  “Like I said before—” she lifted her chin and looked Barney directly in the eyes “—if you’re going to do it, you will have to look me in the face.”

  “Fine, have it your way.”

  Paul heard the pistol cocking, as a bullet slid into the chamber and prepared to be fired. He had two choices, and a split second to make his decision. He tucked his Magnum in its holster, threw open the door and dived across the room landing on Barney’s back. He heard the weapon fire, but was too involved in staying on top of the assailant to verify where the round went.

  Barney’s large, beefy hands tried to grip his neck and roll Paul beneath him. He was the bigger and stronger of the two men, but Paul’s sleeker body made his movements more precise, allowing him to maneuver better.

  He flipped with Barney and found himself straddling the other man. He reared back and punched him in the face. The image of the gun being pointed at Amber, the sound of his son crying, the realization of what he would’ve come home to if he’d arrived an hour later, all those images and more were planted in his mind as he hit the man again and again. He was so consumed with fury, he had not even noticed that Barney had stopped fighting back.

  Small, warm hands came down on his shoulders. In a distant recess of his mind, he heard Amber calling to him. “Paul! Paul! It’s over!”

  He was pulling back for another blow when he noticed the blood that covered his hand and the other man’s face.

  He looked up in relief to see Amber, unharmed, standing beside him. “It’s over.” She took his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her, trying to break through his haze of madness.

  “It’s over.”

  Paul scrambled up off the limp, unconscious body, and staggered across the room. His head was spinning and he stopped in the doorway. He felt Amber’s soft body beside him as she braced his weight against her side and guided him into Joachim’s room.

  Together they approached the crib and found a red, tearstained face staring back at them in outrage. Joachim was angry at having been ignored for so long, but as Paul lifted him from the crib he saw that his son was in no way harmed. Apparently, neither Barney nor his accomplice had time to come into the nursery.

  Amber took the baby from his arms. “Sit down before you fall down,” she said, guiding him toward the rocking chair. “You rest. I’ll go call the police.”

  Paul slumped down in the chair, but before Amber could turn away he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer. “That can wait,” he said, tugging her down onto his lap. “Right now I just need to hold you.”

  Amber surrendered easily. Sitting on his lap, she lifted her legs over the arm of the chair to accommodate Joachim, who was still whimpering. Paul grabbed a pacifier that was within reach, and the baby accepted the peace offering. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he settled into Amber’s arms.

  Chapter 24

  Tucking her head beneath Paul’s chin, Amber took her own series of deep, fortifying breaths. She had never been so terrified in her life. She was certain she was going to die. Listening to Joachim’s cries was the only thing that kept her focused. As fearful as she was of her own fate, she was even more afraid of what they would do to him once she was dead.

  So, instead of doing something stupid like attacking that bear of a man and getting herself killed even faster, or falling to her knees and begging for her life, she’d tried to talk to him, to reason with him, especially when she realized he was hesitant about what he felt he had to do. Although, she had no doubt that he would’ve done it, she knew he did not want to kill her. As soon as she realized that, she played on it, trying to reason with him. And when she was certain it wouldn’t work, when she knew that she was about to die, suddenly there was Paul. Like an avenging angel sent by God, standing in plain sight right behind the man, with a terrifying intensity burning in his dark eyes.

  One look in those eyes, and Amber knew she would be fine. She knew that Paul would never let anyone hurt her. She knew he spoke the truth when he told her he loved her. And she knew she would never be satisfied with anything less than that love.

  Snuggling deeper into his arms, Amber fought off the deep exhaustion that was beckoning her to close her eyes and sleep. There was still a potential murderer in the next room.

  “What now?” she asked Paul. When she received no answer, she looked up at his face, wondering if he had fallen asleep himself. “Paul?”

  “Marry me.”

  Amber twisted her body to look at him. The two words were unexpected, to say the least, but more intriguing was that they were not spoken as a question, just a statement.

  “What?” Her thin brows crinkled in confusion.

  “I want you to marry me.”

  “Paul, you don’t know what you’re saying. Let’s call the police before this man wakes up.” She moved to stand up.

  Paul wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held her to him. “Don’t you see? It could’ve all been over so quickly. I could’ve lost you, Joachim, everything. We keep messing around like we have all the time in the world. I thought if I let you go back to Detroit, in time, you would realize that you love me and come back to me. But what if you never made it to Detroit? What if your plane went down? Or I’m killed in a car accident? What if we never get that second chance? Now is all we’re promised. We can’t waste it. Right now is all we’ve got. I love you, and I believe you love me. We have to make the most of that love now, while we can.”

  Amber tilted her head, wondering where this was coming from. Agreeing with him would have been the easiest thing in the world. After all, she did agree with him. Looking down the barrel of a gun had a way of bringing things into perspective. But she was also concerned that this soulful affirmation was stress induced, and once the dust settled he would regret rushing into marriage with a woman he barely knew.

  “We’ll talk about this later,” she said.

  His grip on her shoulders tightened. “Don’t you get it? There is no later!”

  Looking into his troubled eyes, Amber sighed in disappointment. She was right. This was the stress talking. “I know.” She decided to appease him. It was the easiest way to move on to what came next. The killer wouldn’t be unconscious all night. They needed to call the police.

  Paul’s eyes narrowed on her face. “No, you don’t. But you will. Say yes.”

  “Paul, we’re—”

  “Say yes, just to shut me up.”

  She felt the corner of her mouth lift. “Okay. Yes—just to shut you up.”

  “When this is all over, we’ll fly to Vegas and get married.”

  Amber studied his eyes, and the determination she saw there caused her to hesitate. She was almost certain once the adrenaline slowed, once their assailant was taken into custody, once everything returned to normal, Paul would reconsider his hasty propo
sal. There was a huge difference between saying you love someone and making a lifetime commitment.

  In the morning, all this would be forgotten. But for the moment, it was fun to consider flying down to Vegas for the quickie wedding that would make her his wife and Joachim’s mother. The fantasy was too good to resist. For now, she would allow herself to believe in the impossible.

  “A Vegas wedding it is. Of course, we’ll have to renew our vows in front of my family.”

  He smiled. “If you insist.”

  That gentle smile was a welcome sight after all they’d been through. It was like sun shining through the clouds after a long, hard rain.

  She reached over to hug him, but Joachim decided he’d had enough of being squeezed between the couple, and he began to squirm and whimper once more.

  Paul seemed content to leave the matter where it stood. He patted her thigh. “He’s probably hungry. You go feed him, and I’ll take care of our guest.”

  Amber stood with the baby. “Just be careful,” she said, before turning to head for the door.

  “Wait,” he called, coming to his feet. Paul moved around her and into the hall. One glance into her bedroom, and he nodded for her to come out. “He’s still out cold.”

  “He said he used to work for you, and you fired him, is that true?” She glanced down at the bloodied man and looked away. Some part of her did not want to remember that Paul was the one who’d done that.

  “Yes.”

  She avoided looking at Paul’s bloodstained clothes. Concentrating on Joachim in her arms she asked, “Why did you fire him?”

  Paul’s head turned, and his dark eyes focused on her face. “He betrayed me. Betrayal is the only thing I cannot forgive, Amber.”

  Her eyes narrowed, as she tried to grab on to the hidden meaning she felt was flying over her head at that moment. Was that a warning?

  Before she could decide, he gave her a light pat on her bottom. “Go on downstairs. I don’t want you here when he wakes up.”