Twin Threat Christmas (19 page)

And he couldn’t recall when he’d felt so acutely alone. He wanted to be part of Alyssa’s life, but he’d known her such a short time. If the smugglers were all captured, would he ever see her again?

* * *

Alyssa sat with her ankle in the most comfortable position and tried to catch her breath. She could have kicked herself for the words she’d said. But frankly, she hadn’t known how to respond when Chris said he couldn’t leave her behind. He’d risked his life to stay by her side. True, it had been a stupid move on his part, but it was also incredibly chivalrous.

She couldn’t leave things the way she had. He’d done too much for her. “Chris, can you stop a second?”

The Jeep slowed immediately.

“Oh, I didn’t mean literally.” Alyssa started to apologize but then decided she had to plow ahead with what she needed to say if she was going to have the confidence to say it. “I just wanted to tell you, that was actually really cool what you did back there, coming back for me. I mean, it could have ended badly, but you did it, anyway. And helping me with the baby and everything. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

The Jeep rolled to a stop, and Chris turned to face her, his dimple winking at her from his cheek as he spoke. “I enjoyed getting to know you. I’m glad I was able to help.”

Alyssa looked into his eyes for a long moment, a giddy happiness rising inside her. Then, self-consciously, she looked past him out the window. Her mouth fell open.

“You can see everything from here. They’re here. They’re moving in!” She realized she’d interrupted Chris at a terrible moment, but there was nothing else for it. They’d driven past the woods to a place where an open field rolled between hills, giving them a perfect view of the house and the battle that was going on in the driveway and yard. Agents tackled smugglers, subduing them on the ground and cuffing their hands behind their backs.

“Oh, wow. There were a lot of them, weren’t there? I had no idea.” She watched, fascinated by all that was unfolding little more than a mile away. “Uh-oh. One of them is getting away.”

“I see him.” Chris raised his field glasses and zeroed in on the man who’d burst from the patio doors of the walkout basement, riding a four-wheeler. For a moment, he seemed to go unnoticed by the agents. One tried to chase after him on foot but was quickly outdistanced. Two others ran for their vehicles, but the cars were parked on the front side of the house. They’d have to go around by way of the road. It would take them a while to catch up—assuming they were even able to follow the ATV before it sped out of sight.

“He’s going to get away!” Alyssa realized aloud.

Chris made a face into his binoculars. “It’s Edwards.”

“Dick Edwards?”

“Yes.” Chris set the binoculars back in the console and put the Jeep in gear.

ELEVEN

A
lyssa held on to the door handle as the Jeep churned across the ditch and chugged into the open field, picking up speed. She glanced toward the house and saw that a couple of DEA cars had taken off down the road, presumably to come around after Edwards. But he’d gotten too much of a head start. They’d have to go around the long way on the road—she doubted the vehicles could handle the uneven off-road terrain.

Fortunately, Chris’s Jeep was accelerating quickly in spite of the rugged field. Chris set a course to bisect Edwards’s path.

They were close enough now that Alyssa could see the former police captain clearly. He reached inside his jacket and pulled something out. “Careful! He’s got a gun.”

“He’s going to have trouble firing
and
outrunning us,” Chris predicted. Nonetheless, he adjusted his course so they were slightly behind the ATV, which was headed for the smooth road ahead. Even from that position, they continued to gain on the escaping criminal.

Knowing Edwards would be in a better position to fire the gun once he reached the level surface of the road, Alyssa looked around frantically for something to use against him. There were handcuffs in the center console, but those wouldn’t be much use yet. She looked in the backseat and spotted a couple of cans of tennis balls next to Chris’s racket.

Grabbing the cans, she rolled down her window. Ahead of them, Edwards rocketed the ATV up the ditch and onto the road. The Jeep lurched as it followed the same path.

“Careful!” Chris warned her as Alyssa leaned out the window. “He’s going to try to use the gun now that he’s on the road.”

Alyssa understood the risk she was taking, but she couldn’t let the former police captain get away. Not only had he been working with the kidnappers who’d taken her sister, but he’d also deliberately hindered the search efforts to find her. And if he got away, Vanessa and her children would never be able to come out of hiding.

No, Alyssa had no intention of letting the crook get away or even shoot out their tires. She popped open a can of tennis balls, dumped the first ball into her hand and swung. The ball flew past Edward’s head, startling him. For an instant, the ATV slowed, but then surged forward again.

“He’s right-handed,” Chris informed her as the Jeep accelerated. “I’m going to try to come up on his left side. As long as I keep you behind him, he won’t be able to hit you.”

“Good plan,” Alyssa agreed. She saw one of the DEA cars coming up behind them, over a mile away, having had to drive around via the road to reach them. She prayed the car would catch up quickly.

Dumping another ball into her hand, she waited a moment for Chris to pull up closer to the ATV and then took aim.

The ball glanced off Edwards’s shoulder. He glared back at them. But, as Chris had predicted, he couldn’t get a shot off as long as they stayed on his left side.

She dumped the last ball from the can into her hand and aimed for Edwards’s right arm—the hand that held the gun.

The ball just missed.

At the same time, she saw the second DEA car pull onto the road less than a mile ahead of them. Hope rose inside her. They were going to cut him off!

But Edwards clearly saw the car, as well. He swerved madly as he turned his head, looking this way and that for an escape route. Thick woods on his right. The sprawling construction site of an expanding subdivision on his left.

He went left.

Chris followed.

Alyssa opened the second can of tennis balls.

Just ahead of them, Edwards swerved to avoid the excavated pit of what might soon be a basement or swimming pool. Chris took the tight corner, coming up on Edwards’s right side.

Knowing this might be her best chance to knock the gun from the criminal’s hand while he was too distracted to shoot, Alyssa let fly a well-aimed ball. It flew past the man’s knuckles.

She grabbed another ball as the ATV swerved onto a paved street.

The Jeep accelerated as Chris stayed on the criminal’s trail.

Alyssa glanced back. She could only see one DEA vehicle now. It had turned back to reach a road that would bisect Edwards’s path—assuming Edwards continued on in the same direction. But with every change of course, the fugitive came closer to effectively evading the agents who’d arrested so many of his associates. Alyssa couldn’t stand the thought that he might get away.

She had two balls left. She needed to make them count. “Can you get me closer?”

Chris gunned the engine. “We’ve got to stop him soon—there’s a shopping district up ahead. I’d hate to lose him in the crowds.”

Alyssa could see the cluster of stores a mile or two ahead of them. She hated to think of Edwards using his gun among so many people. Innocent people could be injured or killed—and from what she knew of Edwards, he wouldn’t let the risk of that stop him. He’d probably use it to his advantage.

As Chris pulled even with the ATV, close enough for her to see the gun clearly, she threw one ball and then the other, smacking Edwards roughly on the forearm both times.

But both times, he clung to the gun.

Alyssa glanced back. She couldn’t see any sign of the DEA vehicles, but they were within half a mile of the first sprawling parking lot, crowded with vehicles, shopping carts and people.

She couldn’t let Edwards get away. There was only one other thing she could think to do. As Chris steered the Jeep into the ATV, bumping tires, trying to shove the four-wheeler from the road, Alyssa pulled herself free of the window, swung one leg out, pulled the other foot onto the door’s armrest and then planted one shoe onto the seat behind Edwards’s back.

Chris must have realized what she was doing. He kept the Jeep tight with the vehicle as Alyssa pushed free of the window, landing hard on Edwards’s back, punching madly against his right arm with all her strength, little caring if they crashed or what happened.

Because of this man, she hadn’t seen her sister for the past eight years. No way was she going to let him get away.

Hooking one leg around the man’s back, she got her right leg free and kicked his arm—hard. The gun dropped onto the concrete with a clatter, quickly falling behind as the ATV careened forward, out of control now as Edwards tried to fight her off his back. She ground her foot into his hand, as much to keep her balance as anything, though it had the added effect of disabling his grip on the throttle.

The ATV slowed to a stop.

Chris stopped the Jeep beside her, leaped out with the handcuffs in one fist, ran around the front of the vehicle and jumped on Edwards.

“Jensen? You’re way out of your jurisdiction!” Edwards yelled at him. They struggled for a few moments, but Chris was clearly the stronger of the two.

Chris slapped a cuff on Edwards’s right wrist and wrestled him against the seat of the ATV while Alyssa helped hold him down. Cuffing the other wrist, he pulled him upright and turned him to face the approaching DEA vehicle. “They’ve got jurisdiction,” Chris said as he shoved him toward the approaching agent.

Alyssa slid down, panting from effort and relief. She heard Chris talking to the DEA agent, but she didn’t look up, simply stared at her trembling hands in wonder. Had she really dived out the open window of the Jeep to subdue the former police captain? More important, would her sister now be free to come home?

* * *

Chris made sure the agent could handle the former police captain, before he turned his attention to Alyssa. She had her head down and appeared to be shaking. Probably shock from all that had happened. He could hardly believe she’d jumped out the window—but he doubted they could have caught Edwards if she hadn’t.

He ran to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up at him with moisture pooled in her eyes, he pulled her into his arms. She held him tight, burying her face against his shoulder.

“Is it over?”

“I spoke to the DEA agent. He said everyone else at the house was captured.”

“So, Vanessa can come out of hiding?”

“I think so.” He didn’t want to raise Alyssa’s hopes too much, but from what he could tell, everyone had indeed been arrested. “Everything is going to be okay.”

“Is it? I gave up hoping a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t find your sister for you,” Chris confessed.

“But she’s back.” Alyssa looked confused.

“I know she’s back now—but I mean we should have found her eight years ago. If I’d followed my instinct and pushed to interview The Flaming Pheasant employees, instead of following Edwards’s orders—”

Alyssa cut him off. “He was your boss. Chris. It’s not your fault she was gone for eight years. You did more to bring her back than anyone I know. If we hadn’t caught Edwards just now, if he’d gotten away, she’d still have to be in hiding. She can come home now because of you.”

Chris held Alyssa tight as the truth of her words sank in.

“Thank you.” She pulled away from his embrace and looked into his eyes. “Thank you for everything you did. Thank you for driving like a madman across fields and a construction site—”

“It was kind of fun,” Chris admitted with a chuckle.

The distress fled from Alyssa’s face, and she managed a smile. “It was a little fun, wasn’t it? I mean, now that it’s over and no one got hurt.” She looked up and noticed movement near the Jeep. “A sparrow.”

The little bird hopped along the Jeep’s bumper, looked at them a moment and then flew away. The bird reminded her of the Bible verse Eric had read. But more than that, it reminded her that they had places to go. She looked back toward the DEA car, where the agent had placed Edwards in the backseat and was ready to drive away. “Do you think it’s okay for us to head home? I want to see my sister, and your shift starts in less than an hour.”

“Let me clear it with the agents. Then we can go.”

Chris made sure the Drug Enforcement Agents knew how to contact them for the questions they’d inevitably need to ask to complete their investigation. Then he and Alyssa headed home. It was a short drive, and Chris knew he wouldn’t have much time. He also knew that once he dropped Alyssa off at home, he’d need either a good excuse or an invitation if he wanted to see her again.

He hoped he could get both.

“I know you’re going to want to spend a lot of time with you sister,” he began.

“I can’t wait,” Alyssa confirmed. “We have so much catching up to do.”

“And I’m sure you’re going to be busy with your statues and your art. But I was hoping maybe, even with all of that, maybe I can see you again. Take you out to dinner, or—”

“Like on a date?” Alyssa sounded surprised, but not offended.

“On a date,” Chris said with certainty, “a romantic date, with no wailing babies or drug smugglers. Just you and me, maybe some candlelight and good food.”

“That sounds completely amazing.”

Chris risked a glance her way and then looked back at the road. He’d seen enough of her smile to know she meant the words sincerely. “You’re completely amazing.” He met her gaze just long enough to see in her eyes the same affection he felt, and his hope soared. If Alyssa’s feelings for him were anything like his growing love and admiration of her, he knew the best was yet to come.

EPILOGUE

T
he cabin echoed with laughter and the warmth of the fire as the snow fell gently outside. Chris and Eric helped Abby and Emma build a long lineup of dominoes to knock down, causing them to squeal with delight every time the game pieces fell with a clatter. Alyssa helped her sister finish washing the last of the dishes from their Christmas Eve dinner, then turned her attention to the eager children who wanted to unwrap the gifts under the tree.

“You can each pick one gift to unwrap tonight,” Vanessa explained. “We’ll open the rest tomorrow.”

Abby and Emma unwrapped the dolls they’d been asking for, and Vanessa was trying to decide which shiny package to unwrap, when the sound of pounding at the door drowned out the laughter and background Christmas music.

“Who would be coming out here on Christmas Eve?” Chris asked.

“Debbi was going caroling with our parents tonight.” Eric’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know who else it could be.” Nonetheless, as the technical owner of the cabin, Eric leaped up and answered the door.

“Merry Christmas!” A snow-dusted man stepped in, stomping his boots on the rug.

“Mitch?” Alyssa hadn’t seen the DEA agent in weeks, not since the last time he’d met with her to ask some final questions about the statues that had gone missing. After capturing the drug smugglers, Mitch had come back and taken footprint casts near the ravine where the smugglers had tossed her lamb form, and confiscated the broken form as evidence. But she certainly hadn’t expected to see him on Christmas Eve.

“Sorry to interrupt your holiday,” Mitch apologized, “but I have something here I thought might make your Christmas even brighter. As you may or may not know, there was a hundred-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to the arrest of the drug smugglers. Because of the testimony you were able to provide for us and the evidence you supplied us with, it’s been decided that we couldn’t have solved the case without either of you—Vanessa and Alyssa.” He pulled out an envelope.

Alyssa watched him in disbelief. Vanessa had been told she’d probably be awarded a large damage settlement from her kidnappers, but due to the lengthy legal process involved, she couldn’t expect to see any money for many months, possibly years. In the meantime, she and the girls were staying with Alyssa in the tiny cottage while they got their lives sorted out, and money had been tight.

Mitch lifted the flap on the envelope, and Alyssa saw a check with more zeroes than she’d ever seen on such a document before. “We get to split the reward?” she guessed.

“No,” Mitch corrected, struggling to pull the check from the envelope. He tugged the glove from his right hand, then removed the check. As he held it out toward them, his fingers fanned the papers. There were two checks. “You each get the full reward.”

Alyssa could only stare, unbelieving, as Vanessa accepted the checks and carried one over to her sister. “Seriously?” Alyssa looked at the document, then to Mitch. “Don’t you deserve some of this?”

“I’m an employee.” He held up his hands in an innocent gesture. “It’s my job.”

“Well, thank you!” Vanessa found her voice first. “I didn’t expect anything.”

“Merry Christmas,” Mitch told them again. “I need to get going.”

Everyone thanked him heartily again, and he went on his way. For a few moments they simply stared at their checks in wonderment, while the little girls giggled gleefully. Then Eric pulled a large gift-wrapped box out from under the tree, holding it out to Vanessa. “This may seem slightly anticlimactic now, but I’d like you to open this one first.”

Vanessa carefully removed the shiny paper to reveal a beautiful nativity set, complete with shepherds and wise men.

“Open it up. Take a look,” Eric encouraged her as she thanked him for the lovely gift.

Removing the Styrofoam packing forms, Vanessa opened each in turn, delighting over the lovely figurines. When she opened the section that contained the wise men, she paused. “That’s not frankincense.” She set the lid to the side and held out the wise man so everyone could see what he held in his hand. Unlike the two other wise men, who held small chests, this one held a round container. Encircling the decorative jar was something Alyssa guessed hadn’t come with the set.

A diamond ring.

Eric beamed at Vanessa. She looked up at him and blinked back tears. He lifted the ring from the wise man’s offering and held it out toward Vanessa’s left hand.

“Will you marry me?” he asked.

For a moment, Vanessa simply stared at his face in wonder.

“Oh, Mommy!” Emma spoke up. “Say yes!”

“Yes, Mommy! Say yes!” Abby chimed in.

Vanessa laughed—the kind of laughter that sounded like happiness bubbling over. “Yes, yes!”

Eric slid the ring on her finger and kissed her, then pulled her into his arms and whispered, “Merry Christmas.”

Alyssa wiped happy tears from her eyes as she watched the pair. Finally, she glanced at Chris and saw him crouching by the tree, bouncing on his heels, his hand pressed to his mouth in an indecisive pose. “What?” she asked him quietly.

“I don’t know.” He laughed an uncertain laugh and shook his head. “I don’t know. I was going to wait until Christmas morning, but now feels like the right time.” He stood, picked his way across the gifts and wrapping paper that cluttered the floor, and pulled Alyssa’s Christmas stocking from the mantel.

For the first time, Alyssa realized there was a squareish bulge in the toe. Her eyes went wide as she watched Chris cross the room toward her. They’d been seeing quite a lot of each other since the smugglers had been caught. Their first date had led to many more, and she couldn’t imagine life without him.

But she hadn’t been expecting the small, square box that she pulled from the toe of her Christmas stocking as he held it out to her, watching her face expectantly as she freed it from its hiding place and opened the lid.

A diamond ring twinkled inside.

“I thought about trying to hide it in one of your statues,” Chris confessed, “but then you’d have to break it to get it out.” He looked over at Vanessa and Eric. “The nativity scene was brilliant. I wish I’d thought of that.” He met her eyes. “It’s not anything too special. Just a ring and my promise to love you forever. Will you marry me?”

Alyssa’s hands trembled as she stared at him past the ring, hardly believing that this great guy—whose amazing dimples kept winking at her—wanted her to be his wife.

“Say yes!” Abby and Emma cheered, doubly excited now. Even little Sammy, who was too young to know what was going on, babbled encouragingly.

“Yes,” Alyssa whispered, then found her voice and spoke again. “Yes!”

Chris slipped the ring onto her finger and pulled her into his arms. “Merry Christmas,” he told her and kissed her, causing her nieces to squeal happily.

Then Alyssa looked down at the ring and into the face of the man she loved and at the family she never thought she’d have. The room was just as cluttered as her statue room. The people in it even looked like her statues. But these were living, breathing people who made her life infinitely richer, not just with their presence, but with their love.

She looked over at the sister she thought she’d never see again and thanked God for bringing her home again. Then she looked into the face of the man she loved and leaned forward as he leaned toward her. He kissed her softly, slowly, then whispered, “I love you.”

“I love you,” she whispered back, as though the words were too precious to speak aloud.

“Merry Christmas!” Abby squealed, her happiness bubbling over.

“Merry Christmas,” Emma chimed in.

Alyssa held Chris’s hand and met his eyes again. “Merry Christmas.”

* * * * *

Keep reading for an excerpt from SILENT NIGHT STANDOFF by Susan Sleeman.