Mayhem & Mistletoe

by Amanda M. Lee

  “And what do you want me to do for you?” I challenged. “What exactly do you think I can do for you? I didn’t create this situation.”

  “You started digging into Beau’s past. He led you to us. I was hopeful when you were interviewing those old crones he scammed, but you didn’t find anything there to focus on.”

  Now I was really confused. “How could you possibly even know about that?” My mind was busy with possibilities ... and then it hit me. “Ray. I went to see him before I questioned CeeCee and Janet. He followed us from the gun range ... and then he followed me to her house.”

  “Ray knew you were trouble from the start,” Jessica confirmed. “He was familiar with you. I thought he was overreacting, but he was right. You’ve caused a heckuva lot of trouble.”

  “That’s rich coming from you,” I shot back, opting for aggression because I didn’t know what else to do. “You killed a bunch of men dressed in Santa suits and left their bodies to rot like they were nothing more than garbage.”

  Jessica’s rage was palpable. “They were garbage! We had a system in place. Beau was part of that system. He agreed to work for my father. It was a well-oiled machine, but then he broke away.”

  “He wanted more of the pie for himself,” I deduced. “He figured you guys were making more than him and he wanted to cut you out of the equation.”

  “He tried to go around us, take our distributor, but it didn’t work because he couldn’t guarantee anything. That’s when he decided to move out here. We had plans to expand, but it’s not as easy as you might think. We needed time to get our network in place.

  “Beau leapfrogged over us,” she continued. “He took over the territory we were eyeing.”

  It turned out to be nothing more than a turf war. “You decided to kill Beau and his team and take the territory for yourself.”

  She bobbed her head.

  “Why were they wearing Santa suits?”

  “Oh, that.” She let loose a hollow laugh. “I’m not entirely sure. They were covering what they were doing by volunteering their time as Santas at the metroparks. It made delivery easier because they could go wherever they wanted without garnering suspicion. They could also carry bags of product in plain view. People thought the bags were part of the getup.”

  “Right.” The rest of the pieces came together. “You guys killed Beau’s team together. Ray freaked out when I started asking questions and began following me. When I showed up to question Cal a second time, he decided to make sure nobody would talk.”

  “He killed my father.” Jessica’s voice was like liquid ice. “I’m going to make him pay. You’re going to help me.”

  That sounded unlikely. “And how do you expect me to do that?” I asked. “What can I possibly do for you?”

  “Money. I need money to get out of here. And you know people who know people. I need someone to rat on Ray. He’s hiding, but he couldn’t have gone far. You have sources who can tell you where he is. You found me and my mother. You can find him, too.”

  “I found you and your mother via a fluke,” I countered.

  “You still managed it. I want you to do the same for me. Find Ray ... and give me all the money in your bank account. I’ll let you live — more importantly, I’ll let your friend and her baby live.”

  “Sure. Let’s go to the bank right now.”

  Carly furrowed her brow, clearly confused, but I spared her only a cursory glance. Jessica had my attention, and it needed to stay that way. “We need to head out right away if you want the money.”

  Jessica hadn’t expected me to acquiesce so quickly. I’d given her exactly what she wanted ... and yet she was leery. “You’re up to something.”

  I shook my head. “I want my friend to be safe. I’ll give you whatever you want to ensure that.”

  “But ... you’re lying.” Her expression was grotesque. “You’re not going to help me.”

  “It wouldn’t be my first choice,” I readily agreed. “But I don’t see that we have any choice. I mean … you’ve got the gun.”

  She stood there a long moment, bewilderment flushing her cheeks. “Okay.” She took a step away from the door. “You lead the way. Take me to that side lot you were talking about.”

  “No problem.” I risked a brief glance at Carly, flashed a small smile that I hoped conveyed things would be okay, and then pulled open the door. “Just one thing ....” I waited until Jessica had moved to the hallway.

  “What?” Her expression was quizzical.

  “You’re just as drugged out as your father. Rehab is definitely real.”

  I grabbed her wrist and forced the gun toward the ceiling, cringing when she pulled the trigger. Hopefully there was nobody directly on the floor above us. Jessica was younger than me, but she barely put up a fight when I slammed the forearm of my free arm into her nose, causing her to gasp as she flew back and hit the wall.

  People were panicking behind me, some running, others taking cover. I kept my focus on Jessica as I pinned her to the wall.

  She was thin — barely weighed a hundred pounds if I had to guess. Even as she gasped and struggled, I couldn’t decide if I was angry or sympathetic. The girl had gone looking for her father and found an excuse to hide from life. She wasn’t solely to blame for all of this.

  “Let me go,” she spat, spittle forming at the corners of her mouth. “You’re a freaking cow and you’re crushing me.”

  “Hey, hey, hey.” I settled on anger as my main emotion. “There’s no reason to be nasty. You decided it was okay to murder people for drugs.”

  “Not drugs. It wasn’t about drugs. I’m not some loser junkie. It was about the money.”

  Did that make it better? Not in the least.

  “What’s going on?” Eliot raced to my side, immediately reaching for the gun Jessica pointed at the ceiling. “Is this ...?”

  “Jessica Shepperly,” I confirmed, forcing a smile as two nurses raced around me into Carly’s room. “She wanted money ... and for me to help her find Ray.”

  “I was just about to find you.” Eliot used his hip to prod me to ease up on Jessica so he could take control. “Jake found Ray. He was hiding in a strip club in Warren. One of the locals called the tip line hoping for a reward because Ray was mouthing off about the cops looking for him. He’s in custody.”

  Jessica’s face fell. “Then I won’t be able to make him pay.”

  “I think both of you are going to be paying for a good, long time.” I took a step back to make room for hospital security to help Eliot. “Wow. That’s a good way to get the juices going, huh?”

  Eliot’s eyes filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I flashed a smile. “I wasn’t even really worried. I had everything under control.”

  Now it was Eliot’s turn to scowl. “I hate when you say that.”

  “I know. I ....” I broke off when the nurses returned with Carly, rolling her through the door and taking a sharp right. “Where are you taking her?”

  This time Carly’s eyes sparkled. She grabbed my hand as they passed. “The baby is coming. It’s time.”

  “Oh, well ... good luck.”

  Her expression darkened. “You’re coming with me. Don’t even try to get out of it.”

  I felt sick to my stomach. “This day just sucks.”

  Eliot chuckled as he offered up a little wave. “I’ll be in the lobby when you’re done. Then we’ll go home and ... probably pass out.”

  “I’m going to need a bath first.”

  “I can arrange that.”

  “And liquor, a whole big bottle of it.”

  “Sure.”

  “And ice cream.”

  He bobbed his head. “Absolutely.”

  “And I don’t want to see another soul but you for at least twenty-four hours.”

  His smile was soft. “Consider it done.”

  29 Twenty-Nine

  I met Eliot at his shop shortly before we were supposed to leave for a fami
ly dinner. He greeted me with a smile, held up a finger to say he would be ready in a moment, and focused on his ledger.

  “I thought you would be done by now,” I complained.

  “Almost done. Give me a second.” He kept his attention on the book. “Did you park in the back like I said?”

  I nodded. “I think it’s weird that they don’t allow cars on Main Street when they’re cleaning it, but whatever. It’s not a big deal. The alley smells gross.”

  “The diner dumpster is back there.”

  “Don’t remind me. It will ruin the coneys next time we have them.”

  “Please. Like anything would stop you from having a coney.” He lifted his eyes and studied me, as if searching for cracks in my exterior. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Why wouldn’t I be fine?”

  “You’ve had a very busy twenty-four hours ... and now you’re being forced to have dinner with your mother.”

  I cocked my head, excitement building. “Do you think I could get out of dinner by claiming I’m exhausted from watching a birth?”

  He snickered. “Your mother wouldn’t let a zombie apocalypse stop family dinner.”

  I drifted toward the front of the store, to where he’d pulled down the blinds to cover the windows. “Why don’t you have anybody on the night crew? You usually don’t close this early.”

  “It didn’t work out. I should have the new schedule set next week.”

  I reached for the blinds to peek through them, but he cleared his throat to draw my attention. “What?” I asked as I swiveled.

  “Maybe we should talk about it,” he suggested. “You’ll feel better once you get it out of your system.”

  Agitation reared up. “I’m not worked up about what went down with Jessica. On the long list of people I’ve fought with, she was more sad than fearsome. I’m fine.”

  “I wasn’t talking about her. I know you’re fine. By the way, Jake says she and Ray are fighting to see who can secure a deal to turn on the other faster. Apparently, the prosecutor isn’t going to offer either one a deal.”

  “That’s good.” I pursed my lips. “Wait ... you talked to Jake? He wouldn’t accept my calls after the news conference. He answered, like, five questions and then disappeared.”

  “Did you need him to answer more questions?”

  “No, but ... whatever.” Weariness threatened to overtake me as I dragged a hand through my hair. “This has been a really long freaking week. I’m so glad it’s Friday.”

  “Me too. I was thinking we could be hermits and spend the entire weekend at home. The only people we’ll see are delivery drivers.”

  “I’m totally up for that.”

  “Good.” He was quiet a moment. “Just one more bit to record and then we can go.”

  “Hey, if we have a math emergency, maybe that will be enough to get us out of family dinner.”

  “Yeah, something tells me that won’t work either.”

  I started drifting toward the windows again, but he called out. “You haven’t told me how Carly is doing. All I know is what you told me last night.”

  I scowled at the memory. “You would think somebody would’ve come up with a better way to give birth by now.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Did I mention the afterbirth thing? It looks like a bloody alien.”

  He made a face. “You did mention it. I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t mention it again.”

  “Hey, if I have to think about it you have to be haunted by it, too. Those are the rules.”

  “I don’t particularly remember reading that section in the Relationship Handbook.”

  “Well, get some glasses, because it’s there.”

  “Fair enough.” He closed the ledger and smiled. “Have they named the new addition yet?”

  I shook my head. “Last time I checked, they were arguing between Kyle Junior and Carlin.”

  “They both want to name him after themselves.”

  “Pretty much. At this rate, I don’t think the kid will ever be named.”

  “Oh, they’ll come to a compromise eventually.” He moved out from behind the counter and grabbed his coat from the rack. “I just have to put the ledger in the safe. Why don’t you head out front and start the truck for me?”

  He tossed me a set of keys before I could answer, causing me to scowl. “Why do you get to park on the street but I have to park in the creepy alley?”

  “Because I’m leaving right now, but you would be parked here all night.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I pulled open the door and stepped out, bracing myself against the cold. My breath on the night air only served to depress me. We had months of winter yet. I hated this time of year.

  I was inserting Eliot’s key into the lock of his door when I sensed something and raised my head. I had an overwhelming sense I wasn’t alone. The second my chin lifted, a slew of crisscrossed string lights flared to life, illuminating the street in colors, from blue to purple and from orange to green. It was as if somebody flipped a switch and lit up the world.

  “What the ...?” Confused, I stepped forward. “How are they going to clean the streets with all these lights?”

  It turned out to be a stupid question, and not just because nobody was there to answer it, but because a new sound took over the night, drowning out everything else. I turned to the street, to the source of the music, and found what appeared to be a high school band. They were playing the music from the end of Star Wars: A New Hope.

  “Oh, geez.” I realized what was happening too late to race back into the store. He’d set up everything, covered every avenue, and even tricked me into parking my car behind the shop so I couldn’t run. I looked to where he should’ve been, but he hadn’t come through the door behind me.

  I tried the handle. It wouldn’t open. “Son of a ....” I viciously swore under my breath and turned back to the approaching band. People began drifting toward the street to watch the impending spectacle.

  My mother — she actually looked happy — stood next to my grandfather. He looked smug more than anything else. My cousins, both the ones I liked and the irregular ones, leaned close and whispered to one another. Lexie and Derrick. Andre, one of my sources who lived something of a colorful life. Jake and Lauren.

  I focused on Jake as my heart threatened to explode out of my chest. He gave me an easy smile and head nod, tacit agreement that it was both okay to say yes and also expected. I wanted to strangle him for it.

  On the street across the way, stood most of my co-workers from The Monitor. Most of them I didn’t like — and the feeling was mutual — but they were probably there for the show and nothing more. Even Sabrina was present, though she’d pouted the entire day when she found out she’d been cut out of the action yet again. Fish promised there would be other stories, but she didn’t seem placated. She was out with the rest of them now, though, and I had no idea what to say.

  Eliot appeared on the street corner, and I realized he’d cut through the back of the store and walked around the building to join me. He’d changed clothes and was now dressed as a certain intergalactic smuggler I knew. He held a box in his hand.

  This couldn’t be happening. Not now. I thought I would have more time.

  He looked nervous when our eyes connected, as if he was second-guessing himself. Probably not about proposing, of course, but about doing it in front of an audience. I understood why. It wasn’t just a way to ensure I wouldn’t break his heart, the people in my life serving as witnesses who wouldn’t allow me to run. It was also a way to include everyone in what was probably the biggest moment of my life.

  He’d thought of everything ... and I still wanted to run him over with his truck.

  “Are you ready?” he called out, causing me to briefly press my eyes shut.

  “You’re not going to get mushy, are you?” My voice was a raspy whisper.

  “Do you want me to get mushy?”

  “No. Please, just ... no. I can’t take
it.”

  “I guess it’s good I’m not going to get mushy then.” He winked and opened the box, revealing a large, yet simple diamond. There were no frills, nothing making it look overly girlie. It was a simple ring, and the emotion on his face matched the setting.

  He dropped to one knee and my stomach clenched. If I was going to run, this was my last chance. If I was going to hide, I could get a head start now. I remained rooted to my spot.

  “You’re a difficult woman, Avery Shaw,” he started.

  “I thought you weren’t going to get mushy,” I groused.

  “Hey, I’m having my moment whether you like it or not.” He was firm, his expression serious. “You’re a difficult woman. I’ve grown to realize that you’re exactly the sort of woman I need, though. I want you in my life forever.”

  I held out my hand. “Oh, just give me the ring.”

  He yanked back the box. “I’m not done. You need to suck it up.”

  “Fine. Get it over with.”

  “Oh, you’re too good to me.” He smiled and held up the ring a second time. “I don’t want to change you. I don’t want to inhibit you. If I could occasionally arrange that you thought before speaking, I would totally embrace that … and yet it’s not a necessity.”

  I glared at him.

  “I love you more than anything,” he continued. “I love you more than I will ever love anything.”

  I found a lump had formed in my throat.

  “I want to spend my life with you,” he said. “I want to be your husband. I want to move forward and not look back.”

  I felt as if I was swallowing jagged glass.

  “So, Avery Shaw, will you marry me?”

  I stared at the ring for what felt like an extremely long time. This was the moment I could’ve turned tail and ran. This was the moment I could’ve made things worse, like I always do. Instead, I sucked it up and nodded.

  “Yeah.” My voice was barely a whisper.

  “Say it again,” he instructed. “Nobody heard you.”

  I cleared my throat. “I said yes. We’ll get married. We’ll ... do the whole vows thing. I draw the line at baking cookies, though.”

  He smiled as he slipped the ring on my finger. It was a perfect fit, of course. He’d thought of everything. He pulled me to him and kissed the top of my head as he stood, holding me tight as everyone around us burst into applause and started talking to one another.