“Ah ha,” he said. “I thought this was what you were up to.”
“No way.” She stomped her foot and smirked. “There’s no way you knew about this.”
“Oh yeah?”
“All right, Mister. You said you could prove it, so do it.”
Cooper grabbed her hand and pulled her around the boat.
Across the side of the boat in still-wet paint was the name “Paige’s Pleasure”.
Paige gasped. “How in the world …? I don’t understand. How did you know? Where did I let it slip?”
“After we received the twenty-thousand-dollar reward for finding the watch, I noticed some of the money from our savings’ account was missing. It happened to be the exact amount Stanley asked for to repair the boat. That’s when I hired Mr. Butler to paint the name on the side.”
Paige pouted her lips. “I guess I’m not very good at subterfuge.”
He leaned forward and kissed her on the nose. “I love you, sweetheart.” After caressing her eyes with his lips, he kissed her on the lips.
The kiss deepened until she heard someone clearing his throat. They pulled apart to see Mr. Butler step out from behind the boat.
“Oh, Mr. Butler, you’re still here.”
“Of course. I had to see if she likes it. I can change the font if you like,” he waggled his eyebrows at Cooper.
“It’s perfect, Mr. Butler. Thank you,” said Paige, and she gave him a hug.
He grinned at both of them. “Yes, ma’am. I’m glad everything’s okay. I’ll take my leave and let you two get back to … whatever you were doing.”
Mr. Butler threw several paint brushes into an old wooden box along with a small can of paint and tossed a wave and a “Merry Christmas” over his shoulder as he walked across the yard to his house.
“Merry Christmas.” Cooper and Paige spoke in unison.
Paige turned to Cooper. “I agree with Mr. Butler—let’s get back to what we were doing,” she said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and snuggled.
Cooper lifted her in his arms and carried her across the threshold of the new doorway. “Yes ma’am.”
HOLIDAY PURSUIT
By
Alexa Verde
Thank You, Lord, for all Your blessings.
CHAPTER ONE
Death threats to the people she loved was one of Brianna Rockwell’s pet peeves.
Her eyes narrowed, Brianna locked the front door and whirled around to her younger brother, Liam, who cowered in a corner after his hasty entrance.
“They are going to kill me!” There was no mistaking the look of sheer terror in Liam’s light-blue eyes.
“Who?” Her military training kicking in, Brianna got her gun from the safe, loaded it, and took if off safety. Though she’d been honorably discharged from the army three years ago, she still remembered some things.
No, wrong.
She remembered too many things.
“I don’t know… I didn’t mean to… I’m so sorry.” Liam’s voice trembled.
Oh, no.
Surely, her little brother hadn’t gotten himself into a bad situation again. And with Christmas only three days away!
At twenty-one, Liam wasn’t little anymore, but with them being abandoned by their parents she’d never gotten out of the habit of taking care of him.
“It’s not my fault! Honest!” His eyes darted around as he hid near the Christmas tree that they’d decorated five days ago.
Worry squeezing her rib cage, Brianna leaned to place the gun on the table, her long dark hair falling onto her face. Then she straightened and fished out her phone, her teeth set on edge. “Liam, what have you done this time? And if there’s someone after you, I’m calling the police.”
His head jerked up. “No! Please don’t call them.”
Her heart sank. Brianna placed her hands on her hips, her concern quickly changing into anger. Not again! “Tell me what you’ve done. Then I’ll decide what to do.”
“It was this car, really cool one. I didn’t mean it,” Liam whispered, words tumbling out fast. “I just wanted to go for a ride. I was going to put it right back. No one would know.”
Brianna groaned. “You’ve committed a crime!”
Her mind whirled. She’d have to find the way to persuade Liam to turn himself in. She’d hire a lawyer, talk to the stolen car’s owner, go to the police… At least, his life wasn’t in danger as she’d first thought. “You didn’t crash it, did you?”
He shook his head vigorously. “Oh, no. I brought it back just fine.”
“Then what happened?”
“I popped the trunk before leaving. I was curious. I wasn’t going to take anything.”
Brianna’s hands fisted. “Riiiight. But then something in the trunk looked really good to you, and you took it.”
Liam wasn’t a bad person, really, especially considering their rough upbringing, but his hotwiring skills had gotten him down the wrong path when he’d been a teenager, leading to a couple of joy rides. He’d done so well since she’d returned home, and she’d been looking forward to peaceful, cheerful holidays.
Now, this was her worst nightmare.
She’d have to report her only brother to the police. Her only blood relative.
Brianna’s heart squeezed painfully. “Liam, answer me. What did you see in the trunk?”
His hand flew to his mouth. “I’m going to throw up. I saw there… I saw…” He paused.
Brianna’s patience was wearing thin, and she didn’t have a large supply of it to start with. “What? What did you see?”
A growl of a motor outside was followed by a pounding on her door. “Police! Open up!”
Liam’s eyes grew as large as saucers. “It’s them! They tracked me!”
Brianna sighed wearily and headed to the door. “Of course, the police tracked you. You should learn to take responsibility for your actions.”
She said a silent prayer for her brother.
Liam dashed to her and grabbed her arm, his fingers pressing with surprising force. “No, it’s whoever killed that guy!”
Brianna turned slowly to him. Did he lose his mind? Or was he using substances that made him hallucinate? She made a quick assessment. His pupils weren’t dilated, his speech normal.
“What guy?”
“I found a body.” Liam’s voice trembled. “In the trunk of the car I took for a ride. The one that was in the woods several yards behind our house.”
A corpse?
A shiver went through Brianna’s body. Somebody had probably come to dump the body in the woods. They had left the car unattended for whatever reason. Liam liked taking short walks in the woods. Noticing an unattended vehicle, he’d borrowed it without a second thought why the vehicle had been there in the first place.
“Open up!” The pounding on the door got louder.
Brianna sent a quick text to her military buddy and best friend, Karen Bergmann, who’d thankfully worked for the San Angelo Police Department.
“Don’t open it!” Liam crouched on the floor and covered his head with his hands.
Unsure who to believe, Brianna grabbed her gun and stepped to the peephole.
The tall, slender guy on her porch wore a police uniform and dark sunglasses. He had a beard and a moustache which was surprising, considering that all police officers Brianna had met through Karen had been clean shaven. There was something familiar about the guy’s posture, but she couldn’t place it.
She gestured for Liam to hide. He obliged by retreating to a corner near the Christmas tree again.
Her pulse increased.
“Sir, I need to see your badge,” she said. “Please introduce yourself.”
“I’m Officer Clarkson, and you’re obstructing justice. You’re covering for a criminal.” The voice held a threat and sounded artificially lowered, as if somebody tried to change his voice.
Karen had introduced Brianna to Officer Clarkson once, and he’d been about a head shorter and twice as
wide as this guy.
Brianna moved away from the door and dialed 911. Maybe Karen had been away from her phone and hadn’t seen the text.
“Officer Clarkson, do you have a search warrant?” Listening to long beeps in her phone, Brianna did her best to sound calm while her heart was racing.
The answer was a bullet through the door, and a strong push to it.
Brianna jumped aside. She should’ve installed a more practical metal door instead of the beautiful wooden one.
“Sir, whoever you are, I have a gun, too, and I know how to use it. Besides, the real police will be here soon,” she shouted, then shifted away quickly, in case Officer Clarkson decided to shoot in her direction.
“What’s your emergency?” The voice in her phone asked.
“I have someone shooting at my door.” Brianna rattled off the address and hung up.
The silence outside was eerie. At least, living on the outskirts of San Angelo, Texas, she had only one neighbor, Mrs. Bergmann, the younger sister of her late adoptive father. Her husband, Mr. Bergmann had been prior military, too, so he’d know how to keep his family safe. Hopefully, nobody would get hurt in the gunfire.
Her mouth went dry, and she glanced at the patio door. What if the intruder had climbed over the fence and gone there? What if there were several of them?
Despite having the heat turned on, a shiver snaked down her spine. After another strong shove, the front door shook on its hinges.
Brianna fired a shot through the door.
Liam whimpered.
She needed to get him out of the line of fire.
“Go hide. If…” She swallowed hard. “If something happens to me, climb out of the attic window over the tree branch to Mr. Bergmann and wait for the police.”
Liam stared into space. “I can’t.”
Another shove to the door.
“I’m sorry, sis.” Tears ran down his face.
She was out of time. She’d drag him to the police later. She had to make him move!
A shot made them both flinch.
“Liam, go hide!” She gave him a push, her eyes pleading with her brother.
He ran up the stairs just as the door shook again.
A surge of adrenaline went through Brianna’s blood as she whirled around.
Well, two could play this game.
Brianna took aim at the door where she imagined the intruder was supposed to be and fired. Response shots thundered in her ears, then nothing.
Silence was scary.
Brianna didn’t think her uninvited guest had left, so she dashed to the patio door, and just in time. She ducked to the floor, and a bullet went over her head. She fired from her position on the floor.
She listened intently for the wail of the police siren, but didn’t hear it yet. She took a deep breath to calm her racing heart. She could do this. She just needed to hold on until the police arrived, which should be soon.
Then Brianna smelled it.
The stench of smoke.
The perp was smoking her out of her own home! Indignation rose inside her. Of all the nerve!
This changed everything.
Brianna sent up a prayer.
She couldn’t stall until the police arrived any longer. With Liam hopefully hiding in the attic, she couldn’t risk him suffocating from smoke or inhaling too much carbon monoxide. The frightening memory rushed through her mind, and she struggled for her next breath, just like when… She pushed the memory away. Brianna shot again as the realization hit her.
She’d have to attract the perp’s attention to herself.
Out in the open.
Dread pooled in the pit of her stomach.
No, this was crazy.
But it was her fault Liam had inhaled too much smoke when they’d been kids. It was her fault he hadn’t been on the straight and narrow path. He was her responsibility.
Her throat constricted. She’d have to protect him even at the cost of her own life. She’d been a track star in high school, would’ve made her parents proud had they bothered to know about her. She could run fast.
Yeah, but she still couldn’t outrun a bullet.
Brianna crawled to the front door, keeping low to breathe in whatever oxygen was left. It was all quiet for several excruciating moments.
Dear Lord, please keep Liam safe in Your care.
She reached for the door. Smoke irritated her eyes, and tears ran down her cheeks. She suppressed a cough. She couldn’t afford coughing, or she’d give away her location before the right time. Smoke scraped her throat, her lungs.
It was now or never.
She said a prayer again.
Wail of sirens was music to her ears.
Yes!
She distinguished the growl of the motor through the wail. It quieted down while the sound of the sirens grew stronger.
Smoke reached her nostrils, and she couldn’t suppress coughing any longer, so she coughed into her sweater.
Then she got up, plastered herself against the wall and with extreme caution, glanced out the window. The street looked peaceful, as if nothing had happened at all.
A patrol car with flashing lights pulled up to the curb.
Her knees weak, Brianna nearly slumped to the floor in relief. The firetruck pulled up next, followed by an ambulance.
Liam!
She had to get him out of the house.
Brianna peeled herself from the wall and bolted to the attic. Smoke ate up at her eyes, and she had an urge to douse herself in water. Instead, she grabbed a jacket from the chair and breathed into the fabric. Not much help, but better than nothing.
Once in the attic, she stopped in her tracks.
Liam was gone!
Her gaze roamed over the room and zoomed in on the open window. She’d told him to leave only if something happened to her, as the last resort.
But Liam had never listened to her.
Pounding on the front door made her wince. She ran to the window and looked out. A large and sturdy branch of a huge oak led to the attic window of her neighbor. She’d used it to climb over there, visiting Karen, when they’d been teenagers. The Bergmann’s window was closed now.
Brianna dashed downstairs, coughed again, and peered through the peephole.
Karen!
Getting light-headed, Brianna wiped her tears and opened the door for Karen.
“You’re alive!” Her friend sighed with relief, then her eyes narrowed. “Get out of the house. Now!”
Brianna didn’t have to be asked twice.
CHAPTER TWO
Brianna dashed to the Bergmann’s front door, Karen on her heels, and knocked. “Liam should be here,” Brianna said over her shoulder.
“Wait! Explain to me what happened!” Karen barked.
Mr. Bergmann opened the door. “Come on in, girls. Glad you’re alive, Brianna.” Karen’s father waved for her to get inside.
“That makes two of us.” Brianna walked inside the cottage. “Karen, I’ll explain in a moment. I need to make sure my brother is okay.”
Mrs. Bergmann gave her a hug, but Liam was nowhere to be seen.
Brianna’s heart dropped. “Did you see Liam? He might’ve escaped into your house through the tree branch.”
“Yes. He took our car.” Mrs. Bergmann stepped forward. Fear lingered in her eyes.
Brianna wanted to punch a wall. “Oh, no! He stole your car, too?”
Thankfully, the elderly couple ignored the word too. “I gave him the keys to my car. It was parked in the back, and he said somebody was after him. Based on the gunfire outside and the frightened look in his eyes, I believed him. I know you’d do the same for Jack.”
Brianna suppressed a groan. Sure, she’d help Bergmann’s son and Karen’s younger brother, and had often cooked for them when Jack and Liam had played video games together. But going into hiding was going to make things worse for Liam. Now both the police and the criminal or criminals would be after him. What was Liam thinking?
�
�What’s going on, Brianna?” Karen’s voice showed she meant business. “Not to mention you need to be checked by EMTs.”
“Just a moment.” Brianna threw a glance in the nearby mirror to check for cherry-red lips, the sign of carbon monoxide poisoning. Her lips had normal color. “Thank you, Mr. Bergmann. If something happens to your car, I’ll compensate you.” Brianna wasn’t sure how she’d be able to get that kind of money, but she’d find the way.
“Don’t mention it.” The older man nodded at the rifle that stood near the wall. “I’d have helped you, but…”
Mrs. Bergmann stepped forward and tugged on her husband’s sleeve. “I didn’t let him.”
“I’m glad you didn’t. As for saving Karen’s life, I’m sure she’d have done the same for me.” Brianna gave the couple a brief hug, nostalgia entering her heart. The Bergmann family had been there for her and Liam so many times before.
She turned to her friend and gave Karen a brief description of events.
Karen glanced at her parents. “Have you seen the shooter?”
Mrs. Bergmann’s eyes were tormented. “No. We stayed away from the windows and the door. I didn’t want us to get hurt.”
“I’m sorry.” Mr. Bergmann hung his head.
“The main thing is, you’re safe,” Brianna said.
Karen nodded, worry for her parents evident in her eyes even as she maintained a professional demeanor.
The next hour passed in a blur, as Brianna answered more of Karen’s questions, let EMTs check her vital signs but refused to go to the hospital, and stayed out of the firefighters’ way.
All the time, one thought was repeating in her head.
She had to find Liam.
The need to call Richard Stone rose inside her. Richard was one of the few foster siblings Brianna had gotten close to and kept in touch with, even after he’d moved to Arlington. He’d gotten a private investigator license, so his skills might be very useful now. Richard had always listened to her and supported her, the picture of a protective older brother.
Brianna did her best to ignore a tightening in her chest. Richard was far away.
So, she turned to Karen. “I need to talk to your parents again. Maybe they’ll recall something. I need to find Liam before…” She swallowed hard. “Before other people do.”
Holly, Ivy, & Intrigue Page 6
