Page 9 of A Not So Casual Christmas

Fumbling for her phone, she called 911. “Please, Ben. Please.”

“I’m okay,” he croaked. “Tis but a flesh wound.”

That would have been comforting that he felt well enough to quote Monty Python. But then he passed out.

Chapter Four

Tessa sat on her mother’s couch with an untouched mug of eggnog dangling from her fingers. Mari and Leo were canoodling upstairs and Becca’s phone was blowing up on the coffee table. Some guy named Justin. It seemed imperative to him that she call him back. Becca was out with her parents doing some last minute Christmas shopping.

She watched the lights on the tree flicker until they blurred together with unshed tears. She was out of a job. Out of an apartment. And she hadn’t heard from Ben in over a week. Luckily, he had been right. The gunshot would had been just a flesh wound and the big dummy had passed out not from blood loss, but the sight of his own blood.

He had been taken to the hospital and then several men and women in Men In Black outfits came in and out of his room, politely asking her to leave each time. Then, she had barely the time to kiss him goodbye before they whisked him away for a debriefing.

The only thing she knew was Wilson was in big trouble and Starrett had fired everyone in the company the next day. So, it wasn’t just Tessa who got to start the new year looking for work. And she still didn’t know what was going on with that. What she did know was Ben promised her a future and walked away—again.

Becca’s phone buzzed again. God, Tessa couldn’t even brood in peace. She snatched up the phone and shamelessly read the texts.

This isn’t funny. Call me.

Becca, we need to talk.

Don’t do anything rash.

Tessa snorted. He obviously didn’t know her youngest sister. Rash was her middle name.

Running away never solved anything.

You need to come back.

“Dude, she’s just not into you,” Tessa said.

The car you stole has valuables in the trunk.

Well that was different. Tessa got up and grabbed her sister’s keys. She had said it was a rental car. Walking outside, she squinted at the candy apple red muscle car. It didn’t have dealer plates. She wished she was surprised. Clicking the trunk open, Tessa slowly approached it. She hoped it wasn’t drugs, money, or a dead body. But after the week she had, she wasn’t taking anything for granted. When nothing popped out, she peered inside.

There was a large black suitcase. It was locked, of course.

What’s in the suitcase? Tessa texted back.

Pick up your phone, Becca.

It rang.

She answered it and coughed out, “Yeah?”

“Are you out of your fucking mind?” An angry man with a British accent snarled out. “It’s bad enough that you embarrassed my mother by wearing that stupid dress, but you stole my car.”

“Why didn’t you call the police?” Tessa asked.

“Who is this?”

“I’m Becca’s sister and while I don’t want to have my sister sitting in a jail cell for grand theft auto over Christmas, I’m worried about this cargo you mentioned.”

“Where is the car? I’ll come and retrieve them.”

“Give me the luggage combination so I can make sure it’s not a bomb or something.”

“Lady, if it was a bomb I could have detonated it remotely.”

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