The Snow Leopard's Christmas Surprise

by Emilia Hartley

  Nova answered the phone and brought it to his ear. “Hello?” No answer. But he could hear him breathing. “Hello,” he said again. Still nothing. “Listen to me, you little dickless prick, I don’t know who you are or what you want, but this is the one and only time I am going to tell you: leave Amara alone. Or I will hunt you down and make sure you never cross her path again. You hear me? This sick game you’re playing ends now.” The line went dead in his hands. “Coward,” he muttered, setting the phone back down.

  Beside him, Amara had hardly stirred. She’d always been a hard sleeper. Sometimes he even had to shake her awake when her alarm went off. This was one of those times he was glad she slept so soundly. After the day she’d had, the last thing he wanted to do was worry her with more stalker business. But tomorrow he was going to see Mac.

  Chapter 17

  Amara sat in front of the DVD player Sunday night, cross-legged on the floor, an array of movies in her lap. She couldn’t decide what they should watch. Horror? Comedy? Action? She wasn’t mean enough to make him sit through a chick flick. But she had had enough horror and action in her life for a while, hadn’t she? Even if the Trials were over and Kal Vann was locked up, sitting through two hours worth of intense drama like that wasn’t her idea of fun.

  Comedy it was.

  “Hello?” Mitch called from the front door. “Anybody home?”

  “Right here,” she called back, sniffing the air. “Mmm. What’d you get me? Won tons? Sweet and sour chicken? Crab puffs?” Scrambling to her feet, she went to help him with the takeout. Closing her eyes, she inhaled the sweet aroma of Chinese food. “Oh wow. You are so my hero.”

  “It never did take much to please you,” he mused, chuckling to himself.

  Amara smirked. “What would you know about pleasing me?” she teased, setting the food on the table.

  Mitch laughed. “True.”

  “So, what do you want to watch? I couldn’t decide, but I narrowed it down to comedy. I’m not exactly in the mood for hardcore action or a slasher flick.”

  Confused, Mitch frowned. “I thought I was picking the movie?”

  “Were you? I couldn’t remember.”

  He scoffed. “Typical.”

  “So?”

  “How about the new Ryan Reynolds one? Sure, it’s got a lot of action, but I’ve heard it’s hilarious.”

  “Perfect. Hey, will you help me get these plates? I can’t reach them and I’m too lazy to grab the stool.”

  “Sure.” Obliging, Mitch came up behind her and reached to the top shelf. The entire line of his body pressed up against hers as he retrieved the plates.

  She froze. What was he doing? He’d never done anything like that before. They’d been friends for years and it had always been strictly platonic. Why was he changing it now? Could Nova have been right about him after all? Was he the one stalking her?

  Mitch glanced down at her, frowning. “Are you going to move?” he asked. “I thought I was getting the plates here. As it is, I’m about to bring them down on top of your head. I doubt you want that.”

  “Oh, right. Sorry.” Embarrassed, she got out of his way. Now she was imagining things. Of course it wasn’t Mitch. He would never do that to her. He didn’t even look at her that way. Never had. And then there was Zoe to think of. She was just letting the events of the last couple days get the best of her.

  Shake it off, Townsend, she thought to herself. You’re losing it.

  “Are you going to eat or what?” Mitch asked, staring at her funny. “You’re freaking me out.”

  She wasn’t going to do this. She wasn’t going to suspect someone any time they brushed up against her. And she certainly wasn’t going to suspect Mitch again. No, instead, she was just going to enjoy the time with her best friend.

  “Hey, Mac, you got a minute?” Nova stood in the doorway to the sheriff’s office, one arm resting against the door jam.

  Mac looked up from the papers spread across his desk and took off his glasses. “Sure Nova. What can I do for you?” He motioned for Nova to come in and sit down.

  “It’s about Amara’s case,” he said, taking the seat in front the desk.

  Mac’s face became grim. “Yeah, I thought it might be. I ran prints on the second note, but I didn’t get anything. Whoever he is, he’s never been arrested before.”

  “Damn.”

  “Has anything else happened that I need to be aware of?”

  “He called her again last night. We were at my place this time, and there’s no way he could have been spying on us there. I live in a pretty secluded area so I have a lot of security.” To put it mildly. “He called her cell. Amara didn’t wake up, but since it was three in the morning, I figured it was him. He didn’t say a word. Just a lot of heavy breathing.”

  Mac was scribbling furiously in his notebook. “Did you say anything?”

  For a second, Nova hung his head. “I’ll admit, I did threaten him. I told him not to come near her, or I would find him. I told him to leave him alone.” Frowning, he pursed his lips. “I may have also called him a dickless prick.”

  “No shit?” Mac asked with a laugh. Nova could tell he was trying to remain professional, but even the sheriff of their fine small town had to laugh sometimes. “Probably wasn’t your best move, but given the circumstances, I more than likely would have done the same. Besides, you can’t exactly blame a man for what is said to an unknown caller in the middle of the night.”

  “No, you cannot.” Nova’s smile faded. “Do you have any suspects, sheriff?”

  Mac only shook his head. “Sadly, no, I don’t. Believe me, I wish I did. Strathford is a small town, but we have our share of kooks and weirdos, just like anywhere else. Still, most of us have known Amara her entire life. I can’t think of a single person who would wish her harm.”

  Nova stared at the ceiling. So they were still at square one. Perfect.

  “Alec,” Mac called as the deputy passed by the office. “Hey, Alec, get back here.”

  The young deputy appeared in the doorway, a carton of Chinese food in his hands. “Yeah, boss?”

  “Where did you get that food?” Mac asked. “It’s not your break time, is it?”

  Alec shook his head vigorously. “No, sir. That guy brought it in. Said he had extra and he was feeling generous since he’d fought with his girl and she was finally letting him make it up to her. There’s more if you want some.”

  Nova’s head snapped up. “What did you say?”

  “There’s more if you want some?”

  “No, before that.”

  “His girl was letting him make it up to her. Guess they’d had some kind of fight and he was bringing her Chinese to make it better. Seemed a little strange, but there you have it.”

  “Who was it that brought in the food, Alec?” Mac asked. He was watching Nova’s face more than anything else.

  “That guy that brings us dinner. The one from the tavern? Shoot, I’m so bad with names.”

  “Well I’ll be damned,” Nova murmured. He stared up at the sheriff. “I know who it is, Mac.”

  Amara took a bite of sweet and sour chicken and chewed while she watched Mitchell struggle to use his chop sticks.

  “Damn it, I can never get these stupid things to work,” he complained, spilling rice all over his plate.

  Amara couldn’t help but laugh. “Here.” Reaching over, she adjusted his fingers to where he was holding them properly. “There you go. Try now.”

  Obediently, he picked up another bit of rice, and this time it didn’t fall. “You are amazing, you know that?”

  She grinned. “I try.”

  “I’m sure. Nova’s a lucky man.”

  “I tell him that every day.”

  Mitch laughed. “I’m sure you do. But does he realize how lucky he is? I mean, truly? You’re beautiful, smart, funny. Does he understand that the woman he’s getting deserves to be treasured?”

  “He knows, Mac,” she assured him. “Don’t worry, Nova’s a re
ally great guy. And he’s good to me.”

  “I don’t know, Mara.” Mitch shook his head. “I’m not sure he’s good enough for you.”

  A little uncomfortable, she patted his arm. “Thanks. You’re sweet.”

  “I’m serious. There’s no one else like you. I know I’m with Zoe and everything, but the girl has some major issues, and I just…I don’t think it’s going to work out.”

  “No? Oh. I’m sorry, Mitch. I know how much you cared for her.”

  “The thing is, I’m just not sure there is anyone out there for me.”

  Sympathy washed over her. “Sure there is. You’re funny, sweet, kind. You own your own business. I may have helped make it what it is, but hey.” They both smiled. “You’re still successful. You’re handsome, and you pick up some mean Chinese food. What woman wouldn’t want you?”

  “I knew it,” Mitch whispered, staring at her. “I knew it.”

  Frowning, she stared at him. “You knew what? Mitch? Hey! Damn it, Mitchell, get off me!”

  Their food fell to the floor as she fought to push him off, but Mitch just kept coming. His body was on top of hers and he had her back pressed into the couch, pinning her down. She managed to wedge her hands between their chests, but that didn’t stop him from trying to kiss her.

  “I knew it,” he said again. “I knew you couldn’t actually love that guy. I knew you always wanted me. I just had to convince you of it. The roses. You used to talk about roses when we were younger, how romantic you thought they were. I thought you would know they were from me. I thought you would ditch that guy and come tell me you loved me once you realized how perfect we are for each other.”

  “Mitchell, get off of me.” She was beginning to panic. His voice had turned into that of a stranger. How could she have been so blind?

  Finally, he sat back, and Amara scrambled to the edge of the couch and tucked her knees against her chest. She gaped at him. “Oh, my god,” she whispered. “Nova was right. It was you.”

  Chapter 18

  Mitch grinned back at her. “Of course, it was me. Who else would it have been? Don’t you see? We belong together.”

  Amara just stared. “You sent me the roses. And the bugs? The rotting flowers? That was you, too?”

  Ashamed, Mitch reached for her hand. When she snatched it away, he nodded as if he understood. But the whole situation was incomprehensible. What was it that he understood? “I’m sorry about those flowers,” he said. “I was angry. You and Nova…you should have been with me. You would have been if that asshole hadn’t come into my bar that day. He blinded you with lies, Amara. He isn’t a good guy. He threatened me.”

  “He did what?”

  “Last night. When I called your phone? He threatened me.”

  “You put a rock through his window,” she reminded him.

  “He had it coming. He should keep his hands off my girl.” Lunging forward, he was on her again, and this time she couldn’t keep him away. His lips found hers and his tongue darted into her mouth. It tasted of salt mixed with sweet and sour sauce.

  “I’m not your girl,” she tried to tell him, but her words were blocked by his mouth. Instead, she bit his lip. She bit it hard enough to draw blood.

  “Damn it!” Mitch yelled, yanking away from her. “You bitch.” The back of his hand slapped across her face, and she could already feel the ugly red welt it would leave. Tears bloomed in the corners of her eyes. “Now look what you made me do.”

  Nova screeched to a halt outside Amara’s house. The doors to Mac’s SUV shut behind him. He motioned for the two cops to follow. He led them around the side of the house, then motioned for them to stop. Nate stepped forward out of the shadows. “Anything?” Nova asked.

  Nate shook his head. “No, they’re just inside, watching a movie. The volume’s too loud for me to hear what they’re saying. Are you sure this is the guy, Nova?”

  “I’m sure. Did you call for back up?”

  He nodded. “Yes.”

  “Good.” He turned to Mac. “He’s inside. From what we can tell, they’re watching a movie. But I don’t think we should go in all at once.”

  “Nova, who is this?” Mac asked.

  “He’s a friend of mine. I asked him to keep an eye on her house for me.”

  “You trust him?”

  “With my life.”

  “Okay. Then what’s your plan?”

  “I think I should go in alone. Now, hear me out. If I can coax him outside, we might have a chance of arresting him without any chance of Amara getting hurt. If we ambush him, he’s likely to use her to get away. Isn’t that how these things work?”

  Mac frowned. “In theory. Shit, Nova, we’ve never had anything like this before. I’m a small-town cop. We don’t get hostage situations here.”

  “Then we do this my way.”

  “Really, Sheriff?” Alec asked. “We really think this was the tavern guy?”

  Mac nodded grimly. “Mitch. Yes, unfortunately, we really think it’s him. Nova, lead the way.”

  “Alright,” Nova said, rubbing his hands together. “I’m going in.”

  Moving slowly, Nova crept to the back door and eased it open, careful not to make a sound. He shut it just as quietly as he could. Keeping his back to the wall, he edged over to the doorway and peered into the living room. What he saw made his stomach tighten with fear.

  Mitch had Amara sitting on the couch while he paced in front of her spouting a monologue.

  “For years, I was in front of you, waiting,” Mitch told her. “Waiting. For years, I kept thinking that one day, you would turn around and realize that I was the perfect man for you. And for years, you ignored me.

  “Then you met that stranger. You met Nova.” He spat his name like it was poison. “And everything I had been waiting for was stolen from me. You never saw me after that. You only saw him. And now, after all the time and effort I put into being the perfect man for you, you want to run off and marry him?

  “You betrayed me, Amara. I even started dating Zoe in hopes that it would make you jealous. And for a while, I thought it worked. But then, like everything else, you put my relationship with her to the back of your mind. You forgot about me again. So I had to remind you.

  “I had hoped that the roses would make you think of me, but they didn’t. I couldn’t understand it. How could someone so smart and so beautiful not realize who they came from?”

  “How would I have pieced that together, Mitchell?” Amara wanted to know. “They were roses. And then they were bugs. You called me and hung up. You put a rock through my fiancé’s window and you left threatening letters. Why on earth would I think that was you?”

  But I should have, Nova thought. I should have known it was him.

  “If you knew me better,” Mitch whined, “you would have.” Going to the window, he stared out into the night. “Then tonight, I thought maybe you had finally seen the light, but you’re just as blind as ever.”

  “What about how well you knew her?” Nova asked, stepping into the room. From the couch, Amara gasped, and Mitch spun around, his face tight with anger. “Did you ever once stop to think about how she felt? You say you waited for her for years, but did you ever tell her how you felt? You didn’t, did you? And now you’re throwing a tantrum because she chose me. I did tell her how I felt. So, if you have a problem with someone, it should be me. She chose me. So, let’s go outside and settle this like men.”

  “What are you doing?” Amara mouthed silently.

  “Trust me,” he mouthed back.

  Mitch glared at them both, fury taking over his expression. “You think you’re so much better than me? You? You are nothing. Just a stranger passing through. I am everything to her.”

  Nova cocked a brow. “You were.”

  And then Mitch charged. “She belongs to me!” he hollered.

  His shoulder barreled into Nova, hitting him hard in the stomach. Nova stumbled back and crashed into the kitchen, his foe on top of him. He knew he cou
ld shift and tear the human to shreds, but he had sworn an oath to his Pack. He would keep his secret from the humans at any cost. He only hoped his back up came in after him.

  Mitch’s fists pummeled his chest, his face, and Nova let him. He could have killed him easily, even as a man. But stalker or not, he was Amara’s friend. And he was hoping to be enough of a distraction that she could get away. He should have known she’d never leave him.

  Using Mitch’s distraction, Amara raced to her bedroom and pulled open the drawer to her bedside table where her gun was stashed. Sliding the clip home, she clicked off the safety and ran back into the kitchen.

  Nova was on the floor, on his back, doing barely more than keeping Mitch off his face. Mitchell, on the other hand, appeared to be taking out all of his issues on Nova’s body.

  “Freeze, Mitch,” Amara hollered, levelling the gun at him. “I promise you, if you lay so much as another finger on him, I will shoot you.”

  “Amara,” Mitch whimpered, gaping at her, “I don’t understand. Why would you hurt me? He’s trying to take you from me. I’m just trying to stop him.”

  Horrified, she stared at him. “You’re sick, Mitch.” She cocked the gun. “You need help. Get off of him, and I’ll make sure you get it.”

  Slowly, he got up and stood with his hands raised. Amara used the gun to motion him into the living room. She looked at Nova. “Are you okay?”

  “Fine,” he said, rubbing his jaw. “Just a little sore. Are you?”

  She nodded. “What should we do with him?”

  “Mac’s outside with the car. They’ll take him to county tonight.”

  Mitch gasped. “You would betray me like this, Amara? You, of all people? After everything I have done for you, you would let this asshat send me to jail?”

  “You deserve to be in jail, Mitchell,” she answered solemnly. “You’re sick.”

  Taking out his phone, Nova called Mac. “Yeah. Everyone’s fine. We’ve got him. It’s safe to come in.”