Page 14 of Lone Star Christmas Mission

A split second before he shut down the feed, Cash heard something that he sure as hell hadn’t wanted to hear.

A gunshot.

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Chapter Six

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Kayla sat at Cash’s dining table and waited for him to finish his latest call with Ruby. She didn’t mind the flurry of calls and texts that’d been going on because getting info was vital. Plus, she was using the time to try to settle all the raw nerves zinging through her body.

Even now, a full hour after the live feed with Harvin had ended, the sound of that bullet being fired was echoing in Kayla’s head, and it showed no signs of fading. The images were staying with her, too.

She hadn’t actually seen the shot blast into the man in the Santa suit, but she had no doubts that Harvin had murdered him.

And for what?

To prove he was a cold-blooded killer and that he meant business? He’d already accomplished that with the first man he’d shot. So, either Harvin just liked killing innocent people or else he wanted to torture Cash and her before the big finale. Perhaps both.

Since that big finale would likely happen soon, she’d changed back into the scrubs that she’d gotten in the ER. Hardly showdown garments, but they would have to do since she didn’t want to go back to her place and get her own clothes. Still, thatwas something she would need to do if this ordeal with Harvin dragged on.

Cash finished his latest call, but he stared at his phone for a couple of seconds before putting it away. Kayla guessed he also needed a moment to settle himself before he relayed anything to her.

“Still no contact from Harvin,” he said, making his way to a coat closet.

Except it wasn’t an ordinary closet, she realized when he opened the door and she got a look inside. It was more like a mini arsenal with weapons and all sorts of gear. Stuff that he would need for his usual Maverick Ops assignments.

Cash took out two bulletproof vests and some other equipment. Not guns but what appeared to be mini flares.

“These won’t show up on a metal scan,” Cash said, donning one of the vests and slipping some of the flares into the pockets of his cargo pants. “These produce diffused red light that looks like thick smoke.”

That could come in handy to conceal themselves or distract Harvin, and her mind began to spin with all sorts of possibilities for a showdown with a killer. Harvin wasn’t going to make this easy for them, but she also believed he’d want to toy with them first. He would want to dole out more of that mental torture. Hopefully, during that, Cash and she could figure out a way to stop Harvin from going after anyone else while Cash and she got out of there alive.

Cash added a communication earpiece to his gear stash before he took something else out of the closet. A slingshot.

“It’s from my friend, Jericho,” Cash said when he saw the look she was giving him. “He puts it to good use in ops, and again, it won’t show up on a metal scan.”

“Neither will rocks,” she said. “Got any of them in the closet?”

“Something better than rocks.” He took out stone arrowheads. They were rounded on the bottom but had two-inch long pointy tips, and he shoved some of those into his pockets as well. So, Cash wouldn’t be bringing in any guns, but he would have weapons.

And so would she.

Cash took out a knife. A big one. In fact, it could have probably qualified as a machete. Carrying it, the second vest and what she thought was a neck guard to protect that area of her body from a bullet, he went to her, setting the items on the table as he sank down in the chair next to her.

“Once we know what Harvin has in mind, we can come up with a plan,” he muttered.

Kayla thought of the rules that Harvin had laid out. Cash and she had to come alone, and she had to bring a knife. Since Harvin would have a gun, a knife wouldn’t be an ideal weapon, but she had no doubts that Ruby and Cash could come up with something to make the situation survivable.

She hoped so anyway.

“We need a plan that doesn’t include you going in,” Cash amended.

Their gazes locked, and in his eyes she saw the intense determination to keep her safe. “Harvin isn’t going to allow any scenario where we’re both not there,” she spelled out. “I’m the one who killed his father, and he blames both of us for his uncle being in prison.”

His jaw went tight, and he cursed under his breath. What he didn’t do was admit she was right, which meant he was going to try to keep her out of harm’s way while he walked straight to a killer.

Sighing again, she shifted the subject a little. “Have they found the second dead Santa?” she asked.

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