by Lynn Carmer
The sparse crowd ebbed and flowed around them, a few parents covering their kids’ eyes as they passed. Ai looked around and didn’t notice any other cops except him. “Do you seriously have nothing better to do? Arresting people on Christmas Eve?”
His ruddy face went from red to almost purple. “When I see a threat, I take care of it.” Pauls stalked forward, pressing himself against her. “What’s this illegal worth to you?” He pointed at Jesús.
“Illegal? Man, my family was in California when it was still a part of Mexico.”
“Get your hands off me.” Ai struggled against him.
“Don’t touch her, man. That’s not cool.” Jesús stepped between them.
“You don’t tell me how to do my job. Turn around, I’m cuffing you.”
A war cry sounded, a distant roar that got louder with every second that ticked by.
Ai looked around and focused on a brown streak making its way toward them, the squishy mass surprisingly fast.
“Leave. Her. Alone.” Nacho roared as he crossed the narrow street.
“What the hell is that?” Officer Pendejo reached for his night stick.
“No. Don’t.” Ai grabbed his arms, trying to protect Nacho. With what…her body?
Now the cop had clamped his hands around her wrists. He tried to throw her off, to confront Nacho, but spun her around until the two of them were in his path. Nacho smashed into Ai, knocking her head-first into the cop. The crunch registered before the pain. Her forehead smashed into his vulnerable nose.
Warm blood splashed all over her chest, her hands, and her beautiful dress.
“That’s it,” he gasped. “All three of you, turn around. You’re under arrest.” Pendejo stumbled, unable to see through the blood.
“Run! Get out of here,” Ai cried.
Nacho was already gone, halfway back across the street, his tiny towel long abandoned on the pavement.
“No. I won’t leave you.” Jesús shook his head.
“Don’t be insane, Jesús. Go!”
“You better not run. You better the hell not run!” The cop roared and reached for his cuffs. He tripped over his own feet and fell flat on his ass. “It doesn’t matter where you go. I know who you are, and it’ll only make it worse.”
Ai and Jesús looked at each other, trying hard not to laugh.
“You broke it. I know it. You broke my fucking nose.” Pendejo exclaimed over and over.
Ai’s heart sunk, accepting the inevitable. She looked over at her scrawny friend, who winced every time the cop cursed. “I don’t say this enough but…you’re a good guy. Thanks for staying with me.” She patted Jesús’ arm, carefully avoiding any other exposed skin.
It took about fifteen minutes to get the two of them to his squad car.
Right before the ranting cop pushed her in, she groped for the phone stashed in her pocket.
“Give me that.” Pauls plucked it out of her hand, his eyes instantly blackened. The bleeding was somewhat under control.
“Wait! Let me make a phone call.”
He confiscated her purse. “The hell I will. You can kiss Christmas, goodbye. Everything will be shut down the next few days, no judges, no prosecutor to set bail. No one to release your pretty ass. They’ll all be home with their families. And you’ll be sitting in lock up. Thinking about me.”
She wasn’t even surprised. Christmas Karma strikes again.
Chapter 18
‡
D Day. Five minutes and she’s in my arms again.
Sebastian straightened his tie for the thousandth time, making sure it wasn’t crooked. His mother’s pet peeve was improperly tied ties. He adjusted it to perfection in his rearview mirror and made his way toward the twinkling charm school.
Work had kicked his ass. The night shift was never easy, and the timing of it couldn’t have been worse. He finally went on the date with the woman of his dreams, and he was too busy to see her. Their schedules never lined up. Not that he hadn’t texted, to make sure she hadn’t forgotten him.
Her responses were fewer than his own, but she made up for it in a million creative ways. Slowly but surely, she was opening up, sending pictures of her latest artwork. Turned out her sculptures were her bread and butter, but sketches and water colors were her passion. They were tiny glimpses into her complicated and terrifying mind.
He felt damn lucky to be a part of her life.
He sent out a quick text: Here. What’s your ETA?
She had stopped replying to his texts earlier in the day, but she’d warned him she would do it, if he kept sending naughty ones. True to her word, she’d cut him off. However, he noticed they were all marked read. Which meant, she hadn’t completely zoned him out. He imagined the wicked grin and faint blush she wore whenever he sexted her.
She’ll be here. He knew it. Ai was no flake. She said what she meant, no matter the consequences. To herself and others. When she made a promise, she kept it. Unlike his ex. She was a people pleaser—and a flake. Most of the time her lies actually came from a good place, so he’d made excuses for her. She never wanted to disappoint anyone. He thought she was being kind.
Instead, he realized she was selfish to her core.
Maybe that was what he loved about Ai. She never shied away from difficult situations. He’d take brutal honesty over fakery, any day.
He rolled his shoulders before he headed into the school. Anticipation and happiness were more powerful than any pain medication—and he’d be pumped once he laid eyes on Ai. She’d sent him a picture of the dress her friend had designed; it was going to look absolutely gorgeous on her. He perused the perimeter, old habits dying hard, before he pushed through the school’s wide doors. He was enveloped in a blanket of cinnamon and pine.
“Sarge!” A blond whirl barreled into him. “You look hot.”
“Thanks, Dacey.” He laughed and lifted her up in a bear hug. “How are you doing this fine evening?”
“Ooh, I love it when you get all southern charm-y.” Dacey threw her head back and laughed. “I’m perfect.”
“Do try to stop manhandling my girlfriend at every turn.” Willem—surprise, surprise—looked annoyed.
“I think she manhandled me. But okay.” Sebastian laughed as Willem quickly extracted Dacey from his arms and tucked her into his side.
“Aww, that’s so sweet. No need to be jellie. I only have eyes for you.”
“As if I’d be jealous,” he grumbled, but immediately got lost in Dacey’s gaze.
The two of them were nauseating. “Either of you seen, Ai?”
“Look, baby. Mistletoe.” Dacey sighed and snuggled into Willem’s arms.
Sebastian rocked on his heels, giving them a few minutes to return to reality. No luck. They kissed, endlessly. “See you guys, later.” He called over his shoulder.
Still, no response.
Sebastian wandered into the ballroom. He was overwhelmed by tchotchkes galore…the decorations swamped him. Garland and figurines and ornaments everywhere. There was so much stuff, it was hard to process, but it felt like home. Even though his mom was Jewish, she always had a small tree and some decorations for him and his dad. Growing up with Jewish and Christian parents meant he experienced holiday overload, but nothing in his house compared to this.
“Hello, baby. I’m so glad you could make it.” Ms. Hattie approached slowly, her grey cane tapping on the hard wood floors with each step. “Don’t you look handsome.”
“Thank you, ma’am.” He smiled and bent down so she could give him kiss on the cheek.
“Such good manners. My Ai, is so lucky to have you.”
He beamed. She has me, does she? “Maybe you can remind her of that.”
“Why? Is my stubborn girl giving you a hard time?” She took his arm and headed toward a large sofa occupied by all of the Ladies, Ms. Belle’s regulars, at the charm school.
“Of course.” He laughed and helped her sit down. He greeted each of the posse, Ms. Babe; her sister, Ms. Nancy; Ms.
Scarlett, who he remembered from the auction; and of course, her current companion from the Mile-High Club, Old Henry.
“Sit, baby. Sit. We were talking about Ai,” Ms. Hattie whispered to the group. “She’s giving him a run for the money.”
Sebastian looked around the school, surprised at the number of people streaming in, greeting each other as they made their way around. The party had been a tradition in Sierra Madre, and the Quads decided to continue it even after Ms. Belle had passed.
“Playing hard to get is for the young.” Ms. Scarlett patted her pink hair as she batted her eyes at Old Henry. “When I spotted Henry, he received carnal knowledge as soon as were alone. Maybe sooner than that.” She tapped her boyfriend on the arm, for confirmation.
Old Henry nodded.
Sebastian cleared his throat, unable to form an appropriate reply.
“You know our, Ai. She went against her whole family and ended up with a bad break up. It hurt her deeper than you know. Changed her.” Ms. Hattie’s brown skin glowed against the dangling Rudolph decorations. “But her parents named her right. She is pure love.”
“What?” He looked up when he caught a glimpse of dark hair, disappointed when it wasn’t her.
“Her name. It means love in Chinese. You see how she cares for the people around her.” Ms. Hattie grabbed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong. “Don’t you ever tell her I said this, but she needs a strong man to protect those fragile flames inside of her. Nurture her. Challenge her when you need to, but trust her to be herself. She was with someone who took from her, and that beautiful flame almost burned out.”
All this time, that’s what I’ve been calling her, and I didn’t know. Sebastian blinked, touched by Ms. Hattie’s words. She had loosened her grip and moved on to talking about her Medicare Benefits, and a real hot topic: Why the younger generation of men never wore socks.
“I’m going to leave you to it.”
They waved him off, engrossed in the debate.
Sebastian glanced down at his watch. 6:30. He winced, feeling the first tendril of doubt. She hadn’t responded to him all day, but that didn’t mean…
“Looking sharp, my man.” Tommy and Dare Lagos sauntered over, both giving him a quick thump on his back.
“Where are all the Quads?” They might have seen Ai.
“Dacey’s making out with the English tool,” Dare cocked his head toward the front door. “The rest are arguing over the next class.”
Sebastian tried to focus on the conversation but continued to glance around. “They’re still doing that, then? Teaching those adult classes?”
“Oh yeah, they’re going to trade off, but Caelen will probably teach the majority of them.”
“Lucky man,” Tommy clasped his shoulder. “Inquiring minds must know, what are they debating?”
“Hate sex.” Dare ticked off on one finger.
All three men nodded.
“Or…cunnilingus.” He slapped his whole palm.
“Hell, yeah. I vote for that one.” Tommy adjusted his pink velvet jacket.
“No brainer.”
“I’d sign up tomorrow.”
Again, all three nodded.
“I guess that’s the problem. The cunny class would primarily be for men, but the majority of people who attend are women. There are a few gay guys, but I doubt that would be there favorite subject matter. The girls would have to start a whole new marketing strategy. Athena thinks they can do it but doesn’t want to get involved.” Tommy shrugged.
“Where’s your girl?” Dare looked at Sebastian.
“I’m not sure. She hasn’t showed yet.” The silence hung between them, weighted and way too serious.
“I’m sure she…well, I mean I was going to say, I’m sure she’ll come, but she didn’t seem thrilled about the auction date. Did she show for that one?” Tommy scratched the side of his head, looking anywhere but at him.
“Yeah, it was awesome.”
“Well, then, there you go, man. She’ll be here. No doubt.” Dare cleared his throat and looked around. “I think I’ll go and see if Caelen and the girls are finished arguing.”
“I’ll join you. Good luck, bro. If you can land Ai, that would be the coup of the century. You dared go where most men feared to travel.” Tommy called over his shoulder as they walked away.
Sebastian looked at his phone.
Running late? He texted.
He tempered the urge to type, Where the hell are you? She didn’t deserve that. Yes, she was going on an hour late, but maybe it was an artistic thing.
Who am I kidding? I hardly know the girl. He’d banked everything on someone he’d spent one glorious night with. Suddenly the warmth of the snowmen, and Christmas Carols, and people, pressed in. The kind glances felt judgmental, instead of friendly.
He made his way to the backyard, unwilling to give up, but needing some fresh air. She’ll show, he chanted to himself for the thousandth time.
Sitting in the corner, on a small patio loveseat, he faced the large backyard. The same placed they’d held the auction. It looked huge now that all the runners and folding chairs had been removed.
And like a schmuck, he waited, and waited some more.
I’m a fool.
“Something’s wrong. I feel it.” A masculine voice floated toward him.
“I’m okay, really.”
Sebastian froze, realizing that one of the couples had drifted in front of him. Oblivious to his presence, he was shaded by the large overhang that prevented the Christmas lights from shining anywhere near him.
He rose, ready to announce himself before things got—
“You’ve been avoiding me.” The deep voice dropped. “Is it me? Are you…changing your mind, angel? I can’t—”
“Never. No! I just got some news, and I don’t know how you’re going to take it.”
Oh shit. Alexei and Brynn stood under the soft lighting, his dark hair a contrast to her lighter mane. Why the hell does this keep happening to me?
Alexei looked gutted. More so than usual. The moody bastard was a good guy, but he kept a wide birth from most people. Sebastian appreciated his intensity in the gym, but also knew he wasn’t up to full speed, after the accident with his leg. He was still as imposing as hell, even though he couldn’t fight quite as hard as he used to. Alexei tossed his cane on the ground and took Brynn in his arms.
“Please, angel. Tell me we’re okay. As long as you’re with me, I can handle anything.”
Sebastian watched closely, noticing the tremor of Brynn’s hands as she slipped them around Alexei’s waist. Sebastian sat back down when he realized she looked nervous as hell.
This is none of my business.
“Promise me, you won’t freak out,” Brynn said.
“If you’re not okay, I will freak-the-fuck out.” He cupped her face, crowding her in. “I’m going crazy.”
Sebastian realized he’d never heard Alexei speak this many words. Ever.
“I’m fine, but things are going to change a little bit. Maybe, a lot.” She sighed and pulled out of his arms. “Remember last month when we weren’t as careful as we usually are?”
Alexei paused, clearly still in fight mode. “What? When?”
Brynn placed his hand against her belly and took a deep breath. “We’re going to have a baby.” She pushed her dark glasses up the bridge of her nose and squinted at him.
He looked like he’d been hit by a Mack truck. “Baby? My baby?”
“I sure hope so.” She laughed softly until he swayed on his feet. She plastered herself against him, steadying his wobbly frame. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. I know how worried you get. It’ll be okay. We can protect him or her. Truly.”
“Baby?” he whispered in a gruff voice. He dropped to his knees and pressed his cheek to her stomach. “My baby?”
Brynn burst into tears. “Does that mean you’re happy? I was so worried to tell you. You’ve been working like crazy, and I didn’t want to put any ex
tra pressure on you.” Brynn hunched over him, hugging any part of him she could reach.
“You were worried about me?” He hugged her like she hung the moon, like she was his reason for breathing. “I should be worried about you. Don’t ever scare me like that again. I thought…” he cleared his throat. “I thought the worst.”
She pulled back and kissed the tears sliding down his face. “We’re going to be parents. Can you believe it?”
Sebastian let his head fall back on the seat, letting out a long-held breath. The couple eventually made their way back to the party. That was…one of the most beautiful things he’d ever seen. Their love floored him. It made his chest ache. That was what he wanted. What he thought he’d been moving toward, with Ai.
One more time. A last glance at his phone. Nothing. No text. No explanation. Over two hours late. Wake up, man. You’ve been shafted, again. Siting forward on the bench, he rested his elbows on his knees. He felt too heavy to walk. The long hours on shift had taken its toll.
Time to go home.
When he made it back to the ballroom, determined to sneak out before the Ladies and Old Henry asked too many questions, he saw no one. Christmas music played, mountains of warm food sat on the dining room table, but every single inhabitant was gone. He stood in an empty house.
“What the hell?” He looked around. “Is it me?”
“Coming!” Sebastian heard Dacey yell from the side of the house.
Sebastian ran outside as Willem’s chauffeured limousine rolled away. “Dacey.”
She poked her head out the window. “We’ll meet you there! Hurry up!”
“Where?”
But she was too far down the road to hear his question.
He was utterly alone.
Chapter 19
‡
“I want my one phone call.” Ai tugged at the handcuffs cutting into her wrists. She perched on the edge of her seat.
“Hell no. No one is listening to your demands. You’re on my clock now.” Officer Pendejo had deposited her in a seat and was now being way too rough with Jesús, throwing him into a holding cell.
