A Knight Before Christmas

by Alicia Dean

  think I would like that very much, I have to get going. I have

  to go into work and finish up a few things, then the charity is

  closed for the holidays. I don't have to go back until the

  Monday after Christmas. Maybe you could show me later?"

  He thought his heart would burst with the joy of knowing it

  hadn't been a one-time thing for her. Their friendship was not

  ruined, and now they had this new and extremely pleasurable

  level added to it.

  Today was arguably the best day of his life.

  He swatted her lightly on the butt. "Then, I guess you'd

  better get to it. I'm not sure how long I can stand here so

  close to you without stripping your clothes off and showing

  you now."

  She danced away with a laugh. "Later, stud. For now, I

  have work to do, and you have a blackmailer to stop."

  The mood sobered at that, and he stepped closer, placing

  a hand on the side of her face. "I will stop him. I promise you,

  195

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Nicolette. I'll find whoever is doing this, and I won't let him

  hurt you. You believe me?"

  Her eyes moistened as she nodded. "Yes. Yes, Heath, I

  do."

  Heath ducked his head in his coat and jogged out to the

  Tahoe, his steps light, his mood better than it had been in,

  well...ever. All he could think about was Nicolette. Everything

  bad that had happened to him in the past year; Rudy's death,

  his father's death, learning of his father's infidelity, learning

  he had an unwanted sibling, had fled, as if his soul was so

  overflowing with happiness, it had no room for anything

  negative.

  The snow was increasing, the wind picking up and blowing

  it in sharp, freezing gusts across his face. He experienced a

  moment of concern for Nicolette. If the conditions worsened,

  she shouldn't be out driving. Her Jeep could handle hazardous

  roads well, and she was a cautious driver. Still, he didn't like

  the thought of her being out on these roads with bad weather

  coming in. If the snow continued to fall this heavily, he'd call

  her, offer to pick her up wherever she was.

  Before then, though, he needed to follow up on a few

  things. His focus was identifying and stopping the

  blackmailer, but now he was beginning to wonder about his

  friend's death. It sounded more and more like it hadn't been

  an accident. But who would have wanted to hurt Rudy? Let

  alone kill him? Certainly not Nicolette. He didn't see any

  motive for Marla or Donovan to harm him. Of course, he

  didn't see any motive for anyone to harm him. That brought

  him back to the drugs. If Rudy's death was suspicious, most

  196

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  likely it had to do with his secret drug use. The blackmail and

  the murder—alleged murder—were probably related.

  From what Heath gathered, the barbershop was linked to

  Rudy's drug use. Not the owner, Ted. Heath didn't get that

  feeling from him at all. He did, however, get that feeling from

  Noah Forsythe. He was certain the guy had used drugs with

  Rudy, if not sold or bought them. He'd just acted too

  squirrelly, too fidgety, not to be hiding something. The only

  other thing Heath could think of he'd want to hide would be if

  there was some other kind of relationship between him and

  Rudy, like maybe sexual.

  But that was ludicrous. Forsythe claimed to be straight,

  although the jury was still out on that. However, Heath would

  bet his life that Rudy was straight as a board. Never in all the

  years he'd known him had there been even a hint that Rudy

  was anything but a female-loving heterosexual. Good God,

  any man married to Nicolette couldn't possibly be interested

  in anyone other than her, male or female.

  He thought again of their night together, and a pleasant

  warmth filled his chest. This time, it had nothing to do with

  his dick. He really, truly, genuinely loved being with Nicolette,

  even on a platonic level. But now that he knew what it was

  like to know her on a level other than platonic, he didn't think

  he could ever get enough of her. Of course, most likely he'd

  have to.

  Even though she hadn't indicated this was just a one night

  fling, it was doubtful and way too early to even entertain the

  idea of a future for them. First, he had to find the

  blackmailer, then make sure Nicolette wasn't charged with

  197

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Rudy's murder. Then there would be the question of how

  Nicolette herself felt. Did she want a future with him, or was

  she too concerned about what people would think? Was she

  too worried they'd look down on her for besmirching the

  memory of her saintly husband?

  Of course, there was also the very real possibility that she

  didn't feel the way he did. She cared about him, no doubt

  about that. She was attracted to him physically, something he

  hadn't really known for sure until last night. Boy, had he

  learned how true that was last night.

  Even if Nicolette felt the way he did, even if she wanted a

  future with him, Heath had to get past the guilt. He couldn't

  shake the notion that he was betraying his best friend by

  wanting a future with that friend's wife. Mostly, he had to get

  past the question of whether that made him as disloyal as his

  father.

  Shake it off, stop thinking about that shit. Stop thinking

  about Nicolette for right now. You have other things to worry

  about.

  He headed to the barbershop, peering out the windshield

  at the ever-increasing snowstorm. Hell. Visibility was almost

  zero. Ice pellets pinged the windshield. The Tahoe's tires

  grabbed the road and held, but others weren't having as

  much luck. Several cars were abandoned on the side of the

  road, and Heath studied each of them, trying to see if it

  looked like people were still inside. If so, he'd stop and offer

  help, but all the ones he'd passed so far were truly

  abandoned.

  198

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  He finally made it to the barbershop but he wouldn't get

  any more questions answered today. Just as he'd suspected it

  might be, the shop was closed. They'd left early because of

  the weather.

  He tromped back through the deepening snow and climbed

  into the Tahoe. Digging out his cell, he dialed Nicolette.

  Nicolette had never been so glad to be home in her life.

  The drive had been treacherous, the road worsening by the

  second. Nothing had ever felt better than being inside her

  cozy duplex, warming herself in front of the fire. Nothing, that

  is, until her phone rang, and she recognized Heath's number

  on the caller ID.

  "I'm heading home," he told her in his husky, sexy tone.

  They were three simple words, but there seemed to be a

  wealth of meaning behind them.

&n
bsp; "I can't wait until you get here."

  "You and me both."

  "So...tell me what's going to happen then." She was being

  purposely flirtatious. She wanted to make sure Heath was as

  anxious to be with her again as she was with him.

  "How about I show you what's going to happen?"

  "Can you give me a hint?"

  He laughed. "Let's just say clothing won't be involved."

  A warm glow spread through her, happiness nearly making

  her head burst from her neck. Whoever would have guessed

  she'd finally have sex with Heath King? That it would be

  beyond her wildest expectations, that they'd settle into this

  easy, flirtatious, expectant rhythm and actually be planning to

  do it again?

  199

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Promise?" she asked, lowering her voice to a husky,

  seductive purr.

  "Oh, I promise all right. You just wait."

  "What if I can't wait?"

  His low growl carried over the phone. "God, woman. I'm

  driving in a snowstorm to get to you. Don't distract me like

  that or I'll never make—" he abruptly stopped, as if his

  remark made him think of what happened to Rudy.

  Some of her eager anticipation dwindled, but the warm

  glow didn't completely go away.

  "Drive safe," she whispered into the phone. "I'll be

  waiting."

  "You got it." The relief in his voice was evident, as if he'd

  been worried that the mood was ruined. "I'll be home in ten

  minutes, fifteen tops, depending on how bad the roads are

  between here and there."

  Steady snow covered the windshield quicker than the

  wipers could clear it off. Heath cursed the conditions that kept

  him crawling along the roads when all he wanted to do was

  rush home to Nicolette. He still couldn't wrap his mind around

  the thought that she was waiting, that the end of his journey

  would take him straight to her. He knew it was a temporary

  dream come true, but he would enjoy it as long and as fully

  as he could.

  He flipped on the radio. Maybe music would make the

  drive seem less endless. Christmas music flowed from the

  speakers, and Heath grinned, thinking of how much sweeter it

  sounded now than it had just a few days ago when he'd been

  200

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  on his way to Kansas City. He didn't even cringe when the

  Chipmunks squeaked out their rendition of "Silver Bells."

  Few vehicles were out on the roads, even though

  snowplows were busy clearing the streets the best they could

  under the circumstances. Through the dense white curtain,

  taillights shone like beady red eyes. The car was small,

  maybe a Cobalt or Focus. Heath was amazed it was actually

  moving on the icy, hazardous roads.

  As if his thoughts had jinxed the car's odds, the taillights

  swung to the right, and a flash of headlights appeared for a

  few seconds before the car went into a slide. Heath watched

  helplessly as the vehicle slammed into a tree, looking like a

  hot wheels car tossed by an angry child.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  201

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Chapter Fourteen

  The car shuddered to a stop, the driver's side door

  crunched by the massive oak.

  "Shit!" Heath slowed and pulled to the side of the road.

  Grabbing his cell phone, he dialed 911 as he flung open his

  door. Icy wind fought his efforts, but he managed to climb out

  of the Tahoe. "There's been a car accident," he shouted into

  the phone when the operator answered. "They ran off the

  road, crashed into a tree."

  "Where did this happen, sir?"

  He gave the operator the location, making his way in the

  deep snow, hoping whoever was in the car was okay.

  "Were you in the accident? Is anyone hurt?"

  "It wasn't me. I was behind them. I don't know if they're

  hurt or not. I'm going to check now."

  "Emergency vehicles are on their way, sir. Don't move the

  victim, okay?"

  "I won't. Hold on."

  He reached the car, but there was no way he could get to

  the driver. He stumbled around to the passenger side and

  yanked the door open. "Oh, shit," he muttered.

  Jerome sat slumped behind the wheel. The deflated air bag

  lay on his chest like a fallen parachute.

  Heath quickly looked through the car, but Jerome was the

  only passenger.

  "Hey! Jerome?" He slid into the passenger seat and shut

  the door. He pressed his fingers into Jerome's neck.

  202

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Sir?" The 911 operator said into his ear. "Are you with the

  victim?"

  "Yeah. I'm inside the car with him. Turns out I know him."

  "What's his name, sir?"

  "Jerome Badgett."

  "Okay. We're going to take care of your friend. Is Jerome

  breathing?"

  "He has a pulse. He's alive."

  "Okay, sir. Does he appear to be in distress?"

  "No. He's unconscious but he's breathing."

  "Is he bleeding?"

  A stream of blood poured from Jerome's forehead and

  dripped down onto his left shoulder.

  "His head is bleeding."

  "Okay. Just stay calm, sir. Help is on the way for your

  friend."

  Heath didn't bother to point out that he wasn't un calm, or

  that Jerome wasn't his friend.

  Jerome moaned, and his eyes fluttered open.

  "Jerome?" Heath said.

  Jerome's head moved until he looked at Heath. "What

  happened?" He blinked rapidly then squeezed his eyes shut.

  "You were in an accident. Where does it hurt?"

  "Ah, hell, man. Everywhere. My head." A low wail came

  from him. "My legs. Oh, God. Hurts."

  "You're gonna be okay. Help is on the way."

  "Sir, is he awake?" the operator said.

  "Yes," Heath told her.

  "Don't move him. An ambulance will be there soon."

  203

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "How long?" Heath asked.

  "It may take a little while."

  It was difficult to hear the operator with Jerome's

  whimpering punctuating their conversation.

  "What are you doing here?" Jerome asked. He was

  breathing fast, his face scrunched in agony. "How did you find

  me?"

  "I was behind you. I saw your car go off the road." Heath

  shifted his feet, noticing for the first time that the floorboard

  was littered with wadded up fast food wrappers.

  "Thanks, man." Jerome reached out a hand. Heath

  hesitated a second before taking it. Jerome's hand closed

  over Heath's, then his grip tightened, and he stiffened. "Oh,

  God. Hurts so bad. Please. Help me."

  "Calm down. You're going to be fine." Heath made an

  effort to keep his voice low, soothing.

  "Get me out of here!" Jerome cried.

  "I can't move you. Just stay still and try to be calm. Help is

  on the way."

  Jerome's en
tire body shook, tears and blood mingling as

  they poured down his face.

  "Take it easy," Heath soothed. "You'll be fine."

  Jerome's terrified gaze darted around the car. "When will

  they be here? I have to get out."

  "They're on their way."

  "Am I going to die?"

  "No," Heath said, although he realized that he couldn't be

  sure. "You'll be fine. Just breathe and try to relax."

  204

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  Jerome nodded. "I shouldn't have been out in this. I knew

  I shouldn't."

  "Where were you going?" Heath wasn't particularly

  interested, but he wanted to keep Jerome's mind off his pain.

  "I had a date," Jerome bit out, then laughed. "Met her on

  the internet. Stupid to risk your life over a woman, huh?

  Especially one you don't even know."

  Yes, that was stupid, all right, but it wasn't stupid to risk

  your life for the woman you loved. He thought of Nicolette

  waiting for him. Would they make love again tonight? The

  thought sent a warm tingle through him, and he immediately

  felt guilty. Now wasn't the time to be thinking of his own

  pleasure.

  "Is there someone I can call for you?" Heath asked.

  Jerome shook his head. "No one."

  "No family or friends who'd want to be there?"

  For a brief moment, Jerome looked sad instead of just in

  pain. "No. My sister might be there. She's a nurse."

  If his sister wasn't there, how could Heath leave Jerome

  alone and injured in a hospital? But, Nicolette was waiting for

  him...

  Damn.

  A siren's wail rose, followed by flashing lights.

  "They're here," Heath said.

  "Thanks for staying, man," Jerome choked out.

  Heath nodded and climbed out of the car.

  Two EMT's rushed over, and Heath moved back to let them

  work. His phone rang, and he looked at the display. Nicolette.

  205

  A Knight Before Christmas

  by Alicia Dean

  "Heath?" she said when he answered. "What's going on—

  are you okay?" Her voice rose hysterically.

  "Yeah. I'm fine. Is everything all right there?"

  "Where are you? It's been nearly an hour since I talked to

  you. I've been trying to call. What happened?"

  He puffed out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry

  you. A car ran off the road, and I was on the phone with

  911."