Storm of Doubt

by Christy Barritt

  “Then let’s do this,” he told Eloise.

  But he kept only one eye on the choir as they started to sing “Joy to the World.” The rest of his attention remained on Juliette.

  She and the crew had paused not far away. The producer asked her some questions and she answered with a million-dollar smile.

  Juliette was so beautiful. But it wasn’t just her outward beauty that had Jack’s attention. She was a gentle, sensitive soul. In some ways, she reminded him of Leah. But Leah had been outspoken and loved being in the thick of things. Juliette was quieter, more introverted. But she still had that rock-solid faith that he found so admirable.

  And it looked like a swarm of vultures had surrounded her now.

  As a crowd encircled both the Town Carolers and Juliette, Jack lost sight of her. He had to remind himself that she was okay. That her stalker was dead. And that this would be over, and things would return to normal come tomorrow . . . he hoped so, at least.

  He sensed someone beside him and turned. Cassidy stood there, but her furrowed brow sent up warning signals in his mind.

  “Where’s Juliette?” she asked.

  Jack nodded in the distance. “Doing an interview. Why?”

  “I just got off the phone with some friends of Ronnie Davis.”

  “And something’s wrong?” The crowds jostled around Jack, and he pulled his scarf closer.

  “They think Ronnie was being blackmailed.”

  “By whom? Why?”

  “They didn’t know who. But they said he’d been acting strangely lately.”

  “Could be because he was a stalker.”

  “They thought it was more than that. They confirmed he was obsessed, but they didn’t see him as the type to take things this far. He told one of them that he had to go out of town and do something that he didn’t want to do. But he hoped it would all be over after this.”

  “That could be the crazy talk of someone who’s halfway out of their mind.”

  “You’re right. It could be. But I need to double-check a few things with Juliette.”

  A bad feeling churned in his gut. What if they were wrong? What if Juliette’s real stalker had murdered Ronnie? “Do you mind if I ask what?”

  “He was out of the country for several weeks during the fall. I need to know if any of her stalking incidents happened at that time.”

  “He did kill himself, didn’t he? He wasn’t murdered . . . set up as a scapegoat?”

  Cassidy frowned. “Nothing’s off the table. Besides, I thought everything wrapped up a little too easily. That’s why I need to talk to Juliette.”

  Jack’s back muscles tightened. Something about all of this left him very uneasy, to say the least. He was going to have to trust Eloise to run this choir.

  Chapter Twenty

  Juliette squeezed her eyes shut, wishing all of this would end.

  The cameras. The people watching her. The questions.

  They were all out of her comfort zone.

  And as much as she tried to plaster on a smile and pretend like she was enjoying it all, pretending like she was Ms. Christmas, she wasn’t.

  Her gaze searched through the crowds, looking for Jack.

  He’d just been there, standing near the choir, keeping one eye on her. She’d noticed—and delighted in it.

  But then people had squeezed in, wanting their own fifteen minutes of fame, most likely.

  “Juliette?” Rio repeated his question.

  She looked over at him. “What was that?”

  “I asked what your perfect romance would look like?”

  “My perfect romance?” she repeated. What did this have to do with Christmas? Yet she understood. She was a romance writer, and therefore a supposed expert on these things. “It would look like kindness and consideration. It would look like all the things that Christmas is supposed to stand for—except wrapped up in a person.”

  “Do you believe that actually exists?” he asked.

  Juliette looked through the crowd for Jack again. Just a few days ago, she would have said no. But now she felt her heart softening. “I do. I do believe that.”

  “You have a dreamy look in your eyes. Do you have someone special in your life right now?”

  She opened her mouth and shut it again. How did she even answer that? She still didn’t know what she and Jack were. Besides, she didn’t want to talk about this on camera.

  “My love life is private,” she finally said.

  Her gaze traveled in the distance. A man wearing a baseball hat and sunglasses stood in the crowd.

  Her throat tightened. Was it her stalker?

  No, he’s dead.

  But what if he wasn’t? What if that was too easy? What if . . . what if she was still in danger?

  A stab of fear jostled through her, and her side ached, as if reminding her of what had happened a few nights ago.

  “Juliette, I need you to listen to this question very carefully,” Rio continued.

  Juliette glanced at Sebastian, trying to give him the silent signal that she was done. She couldn’t handle any more of this. Especially not now that she’d seen that man with the baseball cap.

  She craned her neck, looking for another sign of him. But he was gone.

  What if he was planning something else? Something for right now?

  She could hardly breathe at the thought of it.

  “Juliette?” Rio asked.

  She jerked her gaze back toward him. “Yes?”

  “Will you write a story about us?”

  Juliette blinked, unsure if she’d heard the question correctly. What in the world did that have to do with this interview? She must not have understood him. “What?”

  She glanced at the cameraman, who looked equally as confused.

  The next thing she knew, Rio strode toward her until he was at her side. She halfway expected him to whisper some kind of instruction about filming. But when the wind blew and she spotted a gun poking out from beneath his jacket, she knew something was wrong. Very wrong.

  Rio grabbed her arm and leaned closer. “I want you to write our love story, Juliette.”

  Juliette’s heart pounded uncontrollably as Rio’s hand dug into her arm. He stood uncomfortably close. All around them, people watched, clueless that there was any threat to her life right now.

  She glanced at Sebastian, whose eyes widened with confusion. The camera crew continued filming. The celebration around them persisted.

  But Juliette knew this wasn’t scripted.

  She knew something terrible was about to happen.

  “Is this some kind of stunt?” Juliette asked, her voice trembling. She knew it wasn’t. But maybe she was misreading the situation. “Because it’s not funny.”

  “Rio . . .” the cameraman said, lowering the camera. “Am I supposed to film this?”

  “Say it,” Rio repeated, his voice a harsh whisper in her ear. “Say you’ll write our love story. Announce to the world that we’re together.”

  A tremble raked through Juliette. Her eyes went to the gun again—the one hidden beneath his jacket. “We don’t have a love story.”

  His gaze darkened, and he squeezed her arm harder. “Yes, we do. I’ve been helping you write it for months now, you just won’t acknowledge it. Instead you go all googly-eyed for that preacher. After all I’ve done for you.”

  The truth hit Juliette, and everything suddenly felt like ground zero around her. “You’re my stalker.”

  Rio’s darkened expression was so full of malice that he didn’t grin or try to play anything off. No, this had been his plan all along, hadn’t it? “That’s right. And you belong to me, Juliette.”

  “I’m not yours. I’m not anyone’s.”

  “Everyone, back!” Rio yelled, snapping into attention. “We have an announcement.”

  Something jabbed her in the side, near her wound. She let out a cry.

  His gun. He’d pulled his gun. No one else could see it, but Juliette could feel it.

&
nbsp; “Admit it—you like my plot twist, don’t you?”

  “Your plot twist?” Juliette’s voice quivered with fear. Where was Jack? Cassidy?

  Her gaze searched the crowd, but she didn’t see them. Certainly they were nearby.

  “I caught Ronnie watching you and told him I’d have him locked up if he didn’t do what I said.”

  Facts snapped together in her mind. “Like go into the clinic? Did you put him up to that?”

  “Exactly. Everyone needs a scapegoat.”

  “This isn’t love, Rio.” Juliette’s body was frozen with fear, and she was keenly aware of the gun at her side.

  “Yes, it is. You just haven’t realized it yet. Now come on.” Rio forced her to her feet and pulled out his gun, showing the crowd. “If anyone follows us, she dies. Don’t test me.”

  The choir’s voices faded, reminding her of a record being scratched to a halt.

  Panic rushed through Juliette.

  Was this really happening?

  It couldn’t be.

  Yet it was.

  She glanced back.

  Sebastian looked as pale as a ghost. The camera crew scrambled, trying to figure out what to do as Rio pulled her toward the beach. He’d have to get past the giant Christmas tree behind them first.

  Cassidy and Jack appeared through the crowd, their expressions mirroring her own. Troubled. Anxious. Fearful.

  “Stop right there, Rio!” Cassidy called, stepping forward.

  He froze, jerking Juliette to a stop and pressing his gun into her side again.

  As they turned, everyone stared at them, almost as if watching a movie.

  Juliette’s gaze connected with Jack, and she saw the worry there. He cared about her. He really did. They needed a chance to explore what their lives might be like . . . together. But would they ever get that opportunity?

  “Nothing you say is going to stop me!” Rio shouted. “You shoot me, I’ll kill her first.”

  He shoved the gun into her side again. Juliette sucked back another gasp as pain shot through her. The rest of the crowd gasped with her.

  “You don’t have to do this, Rio,” Jack called.

  Rio sneered. “I was going to finish you off in that bunker. I should have.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  Cassidy and Jack were keeping him talking. The more he talked, the more time they could buy. The more time Juliette had before he potentially pulled the trigger.

  “It wasn’t dramatic enough. This has more flourish, don’t you think? It’s more suited for one of her books.”

  “I write happy-ever-afters,” Juliette said. “You’re talking about a tragedy.”

  “I never found happily ever afters to be that realistic, you know.”

  “They can exist.”

  “You want a happily ever after with me?” Rio’s warm breath hit her cheek.

  She said nothing.

  He scoffed. “Oh, I get it. You want your happily ever after with that preacher man.”

  “Rio, putting a gun to my side is no way to win my love.” Maybe Juliette should lie to him. Tell him that she loved him. But she just couldn’t bring herself to do it.

  “We’re going to have a Romeo and Juliet ending,” Rio growled. “Did you know that’s my real name? Romeo? That was one of the first things that drew me to you. It was like we were meant to be together.”

  “They were just two characters in a fictional story,” Juliette said. “Love goes deeper than two people’s names.”

  “I just want you to love me,” he whispered. “You’re all I’ve been able to think about.”

  “Let her go, Rio,” Cassidy ordered again, her gun still trained on them.

  Juliette’s gaze scanned the crowd.

  Jack.

  Jack was gone.

  But where?

  She let out another gasp as Rio shoved the gun harder into her side.

  Juliette wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out. Maybe she shouldn’t believe in happy endings after all.

  Jack had already lost one woman he loved. He wasn’t going to lose Juliette also.

  Not that he loved her. It was too soon for that. But he definitely thought they could have a future together. He definitely thought what they had could turn into love.

  But not if this guy ruined all of it.

  Jack couldn’t let that happen.

  Lord, I know I’ve been wrestling with things. Wrestling with faith. I need You now more than ever.

  Jack crossed to the back of the boardwalk area and came in behind the town Christmas tree.

  Rio wouldn’t see him back here.

  Jack knew the situation was precarious. He knew one wrong move could turn disastrous. But he couldn’t sit back and do nothing.

  But what?

  He needed something to distract Rio. Then he could tackle the guy.

  Juliette could get away.

  He straightened. He knew what he could do.

  He pulled out his phone and called Ms. Eloise. “Jack, what’s happening?”

  “I need you to start the next song now,” he whispered.

  “What? Right now?”

  “Just trust me. Please. Can you do that for me?”

  “I . . . I suppose. But—”

  “Just have a little faith, okay? Start singing now. Something loud and fast. ‘Go Tell It On the Mountain.’”

  “Got it.”

  Five seconds later, the choir’s voices came in loud and strong, jerking the entire crowd with surprise.

  Rio lurched at the sound.

  This was Jack’s opportunity.

  Jack lunged forward and tackled Rio. Their bodies collided, and Rio hit the ground with a thud. The gun fell from his hands and slid across the cement.

  Someone pulled Juliette to safety.

  Rio squirmed beneath him.

  “No, it’s not supposed to go this way!” Rio said.

  Jack remained on top of him, trying to keep him restrained.

  Cassidy grabbed the gun. As she did, Ty and Braden appeared. They grabbed Rio’s arms and pulled him to his feet as Cassidy yanked out her handcuffs.

  Jack pulled himself from the ground, his elbow throbbing from hitting the concrete. He’d be okay. As long as Juliette was fine, he was too.

  As soon as he stood at full height, Juliette threw her arms around him. “Jack . . .”

  Despite his aching ribs, he held her tight. Despite the pain, feeling her touch had never felt so good.

  Things could have turned out differently. Jack could have easily lost Juliette just then.

  He praised God that he hadn’t.

  Now he wanted to make sure he never did.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Jack watched as the closing credits scrolled across the screen, a warm sense of Christmas joy swelling inside him.

  Juliette’s movie had been touching. The story had addressed the real meaning of Christmas, going beyond the lights, gifts, and traditions. It had a message of Jesus and of love and of self-sacrifice.

  He felt honored to have Juliette beside him now, leaning into him as his arm stretched behind her.

  “Great job, honey,” he told her. “The movie was wonderful, and you were great on screen.”

  The production company, after many apologies, had finally decided to air approved snippets from the interview with Juliette from here in Lantern Beach. A new producer had stepped in to do the edits now that Rio was behind bars. News about what happened, surprisingly hadn’t been leaked to the press yet. That had been an answer to prayer.

  “Thanks, although all I did was write the story,” Juliette said. “The production company did the rest.”

  “I agree that the movie was great,” Cassidy said. “I’m so glad you had us over to watch it with you.”

  Cassidy, Ty, Lisa, Braden, Austin, and Skye had all come to Jack’s place to watch the premiere. Lisa had provided the food, including green “Grinch” popcorn and White Christmas Hot Chocolate.

  “I just a
ppreciate you all being here.” Juliette tugged the sleeves of her red plaid shirt over her hands, the picture of the Queen of Clean Christmas Romance. “Thank you.”

  “We have an announcement,” Braden stood and tugged a smiling Lisa to her feet. “We’re engaged!”

  Lisa held up her hand and flashed a ring on her finger.

  Everyone let out squeals of congratulations and offered pats on the back and hugs.

  “How did it happen?” Cassidy asked. “Please tell.”

  Lisa and Braden exchanged another smile.

  “It was over food—of course,” Lisa said with a laugh.

  Braden’s thick hand grasped Lisa’s petite one as they stood there beside each other, both of their faces glowing with unmistakable joy.

  “I baked an apple pie,” Braden said. “Lisa and I ate apple pie the first time we realized we liked each other, so I thought it would be symbolic. I put the ring in the pie.”

  “I almost ate it,” Lisa admitted.

  They shared a chuckle.

  “We were sitting up in the widow’s walk at my place—just like we did that first night,” Lisa said. “It was perfect.”

  “I’m really happy for you guys,” Jack said. “You’re a great couple. When’s the big day?”

  “We want a spring wedding,” Lisa said. “In the church. We hope you’ll preside over the wedding, Jack.”

  “I’d be honored.”

  After another hour or so of congratulations and chitchat, the gang left. It was just Jack and Juliette.

  He sat on the couch and pulled Juliette beside him. He wrapped his arm around her as he drew her close.

  “That was really beautiful,” Juliette said. “I’m really happy for them.”

  “Me too. Couldn’t have happened to a better couple.” Jack let silence pass between them a moment. One thing he loved about Juliette was that she was okay with quiet.

  Having her in his life over the past ten days had been amazing.

  She’d temporarily gotten a room at the inn in town, and she was staying there, for at least until after the holidays. After that . . . well, that’s what they needed to talk about.