A Knight Before Christmas

by Alicia Dean

  and didn't speak as he waited. She was grateful for his

  patience, that he was allowing her to work this out in her

  head before she explained.

  She twisted a lock of hair between her fingers while she

  considered. This morning, she'd been sure she should do this,

  68

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  that Heath would help her and he'd want to be involved. But

  actually saying the words was quite different. Once she said

  them, there was no taking them back. Once Heath knew,

  there would be no 'unknowing.'

  But did she really want to continue to carry this burden

  alone? Could she forgive herself if she kept silent and

  someone she loved was hurt, maybe killed?

  Making her decision, she turned back to Heath, took a

  deep breath, then blurted out, "I'm being blackmailed."

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  69

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Chapter Five

  "You're being what?" Heath stalked to where she stood

  gripping the large red mug as if it might be her only hope of

  salvation. "Blackmailed?"

  Her hazel eyes were rimmed with dark circles, their normal

  brightness dulled. Her face took on a pinched look, and she

  nodded jerkily. "A little more than six months after Rudy died,

  I got a phone call at work." She swept a handful of hair back

  from her face. "It was a man. He—uh—said he wanted

  money."

  She stopped. Heath waited. When she didn't continue, he

  asked, "Money? Or else what?"

  She lifted a hand, palm up. "Or he'd ruin my life. Ruin my

  charity. Rudy's charity. Hurt me. Hurt Louisa. You name it,

  he'd do it."

  "What does he have on you?"

  She shook her head. "Not on me. On Rudy." She stalked

  over to the patio door and stared out over the deck. "Rudy

  was apparently involved with drugs."

  Heath tried to hide his surprise. She and Rudy both fooled

  around with drugs in college, but as far as he knew, they'd

  stopped long ago. Rudy had gotten back on them?

  "I didn't know," she went on. "I swear. At least, not while

  Rudy was alive. Shortly after he died, I was cleaning out his

  side of the closet—" She stopped, took a deep breath.

  "And?" Heath prompted.

  70

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Hesitating briefly, she turned away from the window and

  set her cup down on the end table. "I found some

  paraphernalia. Then, when the caller said those things, I

  knew he was telling the truth. He knew too much about Rudy,

  and the information he gave answered a lot of things I'd

  wondered about during the past few years. Things I put out of

  my mind because I didn't want to know."

  Heath hoped she wouldn't get angry with him, but he had

  to ask. "What about you? Have you done drugs since

  college?"

  "No." Her head shook in vehement denial, and he couldn't

  gauge whether she was angry or simply trying to convince

  him. "Not at all. No way. Haven't touched them since college."

  She shrugged dismissively. "Even then, I just dabbled. I

  really only partook because Rudy did them. Maybe I should

  have known he wouldn't truly give them up."

  "So why would drugs be a big deal now? Rudy's gone. It's

  not like he could go to jail."

  "I know. But Renewed Hope's purpose is to get people off

  drugs. Get them clean, give them a new start. Rudy's charity

  has a lot of powerful, connected benefactors. If it got out that

  the founder of the charity was guilty of the very thing the

  charity spoke out against, it would fold. Benefactors would

  pull out. People who need us, who count on us, would suffer.

  Rudy's standing, his reputation would be ruined."

  "How much are you paying the blackmailer?"

  "Ten thousand a month. I've paid it for the past four. He'd

  been blackmailing Rudy. After Rudy died, the asshole waited

  for the insurance money to kick in, then called me." Tears

  71

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  filled her eyes. "The money will run out before long. He called

  yesterday and asked for another payment just two weeks

  after the last. He wants another ten grand this Friday. And

  now it's more than just phone calls, he—" Her lips quivered

  and she shook her head.

  "He what?"

  "Nothing. Never mind."

  Heath took her elbows in his hands. "What happened,

  Nicolette?"

  She pulled away from his touch. "Last night when I left the

  event, he was there. In the parking garage."

  A stab of anger shot through Heath's chest. "Did he hurt

  you?"

  "No. He grabbed me, threatened me. It was just

  more...violent than he has been. I'm afraid of what he might

  do when the money runs out. Yesterday, he called Louisa's

  house phone, just to let me know he knows all about me. I

  can't let him hurt her."

  "We need to go to the police."

  "No! Please, Heath. No police. He said he'd kill me. That

  even if he was arrested—and like he's reminded me more

  than once, I have no proof—Rudy's reputation would still be

  ruined. I can't go to the police."

  She had a point. Heath would make sure the son of a bitch

  didn't get his hands on Nicolette, but until they had proof of

  the blackmail, it would just be her word against his. "That

  may be true, but it's not a good idea to cave to a

  blackmailer's demands. For now, though, keep doing what

  you've been doing. I'll figure something out."

  72

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "I know I shouldn't ask you to help me. It's my problem,

  and I need to deal with it. I just thought since you have that

  security firm, and since you were once a cop, you'd have

  experience dealing with this sort of thing. I figured you'd

  know what to do."

  "Yeah. I mean, I can't promise anything, but I'll do what I

  can. I'll look into it, see what I can find out. I need you to tell

  me everything you know. We'll have to work closely together

  on this."

  "I'll help in any way I can."

  "We don't have a lot of time. I leave in less than a week."

  He couldn't imagine leaving her if this wasn't settled, if he

  didn't know she was safe, but he'd worry about that when the

  time came. "I'll do everything I can to make sure it's handled

  before I go."

  She nodded. "Thanks, Heath. You're a good friend."

  Heath looked toward the stairs. In order to protect Nic, he

  needed to be as close to her as possible. "How many

  bedrooms you have here?"

  "Three. Why?"

  "Anyone else live with you?"

  "No."

  "I'll be staying here with you."

  Her brows rose. "Why?"

  "To look out for you. If this guy came up to you last night,

  he could be escalating. I don't want to find out what he might

  do next. Plus, I'll need to get all
the information from you that

  I can. There will be a lot of going over documents, checking

  into friends, associates, people involved with the charity,

  73

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  everything. We can get more done if we're staying at the

  same place."

  "No. I don't think that's a good idea."

  Did she think he had an ulterior motive? Just because he

  wanted to get her into bed, it didn't mean he would try

  anything. At least, he hoped he would be able to control his

  insanely strong attraction to her. "I need to be near you, Nic.

  Keep an eye on you. You're not safe."

  She crossed her arms and rested them beneath her

  breasts, lifting one hand to her mouth and chewing the pad of

  her thumb. "What about if you were close, but not exactly

  here?"

  "I don't get it."

  "The other side of the duplex is empty. I keep it that way

  for visiting relatives, people who need temporary housing,

  that sort of thing. It's furnished. There's a connecting door.

  You'd be close enough to keep an eye out for me, and we'd

  have an opportunity to work together as often as we needed."

  He nodded. "That'll work. I'll go back and let Mom know I'll

  be staying away for a few days." At her panicked look, he

  said, "I won't tell her why. I'll just tell her I have some things

  to take care of. Why don't you go with me, so I don't have to

  leave you alone?"

  "No. It's okay. You're not going to be with me twenty-

  four/seven anyway. I feel I'll be fairly safe until the next drop,

  at least. If he doesn't get his money, then he might try

  something. In the meantime, he'll want me healthy."

  Heath walked to the door. "I'll be back a little later today.

  While I'm gone, keep the doors locked. I want you to dig out

  74

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  everything you can about this. Notes, if the blackmailer left

  any. Write down times he's called, dig out any paperwork you

  might have that could be pertinent. I want you to pull phone

  records both before and after Rudy's death. Highlight any

  unfamiliar numbers."

  "Okay. Yeah. Sure."

  "I'd also like a photo of you, and one of Rudy I can carry

  with me." He wasn't sure if they'd be needed, but he believed

  in being thorough. "We'll go through all the paperwork and

  questions today, then I'll hit the streets tomorrow."

  She walked him to the door and stepped onto the porch

  with him. She wore faded jeans and a button-down olive

  sweater that gave her skin a sickly cast in the winter light.

  Her neighborhood was a quiet cul-de-sac with well-kept

  lawns. The Christmas decorations looked stark and forlorn in

  the cold gray morning. Lights trimmed Nic's duplex, but a

  thin, cardboard cutout of Santa was the only other

  decoration, like a half-assed attempt at gaiety by someone

  whose heart wasn't in it.

  Standing on tiptoe, Nicolette braced her hands on his

  biceps and planted a kiss on his cheek. For a brief moment,

  the feel of her warm breath contrasting with the cool air

  caused his heart to stutter.

  Before he could react, it was over, and she released him,

  "Thanks, Heath. Really."

  He took her shoulders and stared down into her face,

  "Don't worry. You're not alone in this anymore. I'll help you

  find this guy, I promise."

  75

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  She nodded and watched him from the porch while he

  headed to his car.

  When he climbed inside the Tahoe, Nic went back inside.

  He pulled out his cell phone. He dialed the number to his

  security firm, and Burke answered with, "How's it going up

  north?"

  "You wouldn't believe it, if I told you."

  "Try me."

  "I don't have time to go into all the details, but a friend of

  mine is in trouble. I'm going to have to do some

  investigating. I'll need you to send me a few pieces of

  equipment."

  He gave Burke the list and asked him to overnight it.

  "Damn, dude. You're itching to get on it, aren't you?"

  "It's urgent. She's in trouble."

  "She?"

  Heath could hear the disapproval in the silence on the

  phone line. "Yeah, she."

  "Are we talking about Nicolette?"

  Burke didn't know exactly how deep Heath's feelings for

  Nicolette ran, but on a few regrettable occasions, fueled by

  melancholy and Jack Daniels, Heath had shared more than he

  would have liked.

  "Yeah. But it's not what you're thinking. She's a friend. I'll

  do whatever it takes to keep her safe."

  Burke promised he would get the package out today.

  Heath hung up the phone.

  Before starting the truck, he leaned his head back and

  squeezed his eyes shut. He'd vowed to Burke he'd do

  76

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  whatever it took to keep Nicolette safe. He only hoped to hell

  he could make good on that promise.

  As Heath opened the door to his mother's house, he

  smelled the spicy scent of her baking and heard squeals of

  delight coming from the triplets. He smiled. That had to be

  one of the sweetest sounds he'd ever heard. Alex was a lucky

  man.

  One of the girls, Macy he believed, stood on a chair next to

  the fireplace looking at photos. The other two chased one

  another around the coffee table.

  "Hey, girls. Slow down," Heath said. "That's how accidents

  happen."

  A giggling shout erupted from the one in front, and she

  didn't even attempt to slow her pace. Heath reached down,

  snatched the chaser up, and lifted her in his arms.

  "Which one are you?" he asked as she stared back at him,

  her big blue eyes not showing any fear.

  "I'm Michaela, silly." She pointed to her former quarry.

  "That's Mia."

  "Okay. You and your sister need to chill."

  "But we're having fun!" the still free one said.

  "Yeah. It's all fun and games till someone loses an eye."

  Mia screeched to a stop and turned her wide-eyed gaze to

  Heath. "What's gonna happen to my eye?"

  Heath cringed, feeling like a heel. He hadn't meant to

  scare her. "Nothing, sweetie." He deposited Michaela on the

  ground and squatted until he was eye-level with them both.

  "It's just an expression. Uncle Heath was just kidding."

  77

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Oh," they said in unison, but instead of resuming the

  chase, they plopped onto the couch. "Can you turn on

  cartoons?"

  "If I can find any." Heath picked up the remote and

  powered up the TV, putting it on the channel guide. "Macy,

  you want to come watch?" He was pretty certain he had the

  name right. Process of elimination.

  Without turning around, she asked, "Is this grandpa?" and

  pointed to a picture of Heath at his military graduation.


  Heath found a cartoon channel and went over to Macy.

  "No, honey. That's me. This is your grandpa." Heath showed

  her a photo of his father in his army uniform.

  "You look the same."

  We were the same, Heath thought. His dad was the main

  reason he'd joined the military right out of high school. The

  main reason he'd done most of the good things in his life. And

  look at how things had turned out now.

  He lifted Macy by the waist and set her down on the floor.

  "Why don't you watch TV with your sisters? I need to talk to

  Grandma. Where is she?"

  "She's in the kitchen making stuff."

  Heath grinned and ruffled her hair. "Cool. Be good, and I'll

  let you know when Grandma has a treat ready for you."

  He exited to a chorus of 'Yays' and found his mother in the

  kitchen. The tantalizing smells grew stronger in there, and his

  stomach rumbled in anticipation.

  Amelia smiled and shouted over the sound of the mixer

  she held, "Oh, hello, dear. So glad you're back. Is everything

  okay with Nicolette?"

  78

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "She's fine."

  "Good. Did you bring her back with you? I'd love to see

  her."

  "No. I won't be staying long myself."

  She shut off the mixer and turned to him, her face showing

  disappointment. "Why not? Where are you going?"

  "I have some things to take care of."

  "How long will you be gone? You'll be back for dinner,

  right? The triplets are staying. Aren't they just the cutest

  thing ever? Can't believe I'm finally a grandmother."

  Now for the hard part. "I'm actually staying somewhere

  else for a little while."

  "What? You just got here. You're supposed to be with your

  family for the holidays."

  "I know. But something's come up. I need to help a

  friend."

  Her brows drew together. "Nicolette? Is there something

  going on between you two?" Her expression was hard to read,

  but she looked neither completely pleased nor upset about

  the idea.

  "No, Mom. There's nothing between us. I just have some

  business to take care of. I can't really talk about it."

  "Ah. One of those security assignments?"

  "Something like that." He loved his mother, but sometimes

  her inquisitive nature bordered on nosiness. "I really can't say

  much. I hope you understand."