Page 13 of Lone Star Christmas Mission

The camera that Harvin was using appeared to be stationary, either sitting on something or on a tripod. The angle didn’t shift even a little, an indication that no human was holding it. But clearly a human had focused it—Harvin—and he had aimed it right at him and his stupid grinning face.

The man in the Santa suit sure as hell wasn’t smiling. Even with the thick white wig and fake beard, Cash could see the terror in his expression. He was on his knees with Harvin behind him. Like victim one, Harvin had put a gun to this guy’s head as well.

The Santa’s wrists had also been zip-tied. Probably his feet, too, though Cash couldn’t see them. He also had a swatch of duct tape covering his mouth. Had Harvin done that to make sure the guy stayed quiet and wouldn’t alert anyone if he started yelling? Or maybe Harvin had known what his father had done to Kayla and was mimicking that.

“Ah, is that the murdering bitch and Maverick Ops’ fucker who keeps saving her? Hard to tell since I’m looking at a big-assed blank screen.” Harvin taunted. “Tell me if you can hear me.”

“We can hear,” Cash replied.

Harvin’s mouth twisted into a sneer. “And the bitch? Speak up, killer, so I know you’re not tucked away in some corner, boo-hooing your eyes out or pissing your panties ’cause you’re too damn scared.”

Kayla hiked up her chin, and Cash saw the fire in her eyes. Hell. This was better than tears or panic. Even better than fear. But Cash didn’t want the anger controlling her emotions now. They both needed to keep a cool head.

“I can hear you,” she said, enunciating each word as if chewing them up and spitting them out. Her fury came through loud and clear.

Probably aware that he had pushed her buttons, Harvin laughed and just kept on pushing. “Cowards, both of you not to even show your faces when I’m showing you mine. And his.”

Harvin gave the Santa a hard jab in the temple with his gun, causing the man to make a muffled cry in pain.

“Focus on us, not him,” Cash insisted. “He’s just a tool you’re using to get our attention. Well, you have our attention so you don’t need him.”

Harvin laughed again, but there wasn’t a drop of humor in it. “I need him and others like him to get you two to fully cooperate. Yes, this is a start, and we’re nowhere near the finish line.”

“Get to the point,” Kayla snapped.

The laughter stopped, and Harvin’s eyes narrowed. “The point is I’ll be burying my father before New Year’s, and you, bitch, are responsible for that.”

“I don’t have to remind you that your father tried to kill Kayla,” Cash was quick to respond.

“Noooo,” Harvin said, stretching out the response. “He tried to avenge his brother. My Uncle Virgil died in prison.”

Kayla huffed. “Here’s a history lesson. Your Uncle Virgil murdered my sister while he was trying to abduct us.”

Harvin muttered a “Yeah, right” as if he didn’t buy any of that. “Bitch, if you hadn’t teased my uncle and led him on, he would have never made a play for you.”

Shit. What a warped sense of logic, but there was no telling what stories Alvin had spun to his brother and what had gone on that horrible night.

“I didn’t tease your uncle,” Kayla insisted, the fury in her voice. “He was a dangerous piece…” She stopped, no doubt realizing that if she pushed Harvin’s buttons, then he might just pull the trigger.

Kayla took some deep breaths, making a visible attempt to rein in her emotions. Hard to do with this delusional asshole, but she managed it.

“What do you want?” Kayla asked instead. “How do we stop you from murdering innocent people?”

Harvin got a flash of anger, too. Probably over thatmurderingcomment, but he stared right into the camera.

“We’ll get into specific location later,” he said. “I need to set a few things up first before I’m ready for you two. For now, here are the rules.” He held up one finger on his left hand. “Wherever I tell you go, you two come alone. A-l-o-n-e,” he spelled out. “If I get a whiff anyone is with you, then you’ll get to witness a blood bath. In fact, you’ll be a central part of that.”

Cash’s gut twisted. This SOB was going to involve more than just this one unlucky Santa.

Harvin held up another finger. “Rule two. Bring no guns, and I’ll know if you’re carrying because I have some nifty equipment to detect that sort of thing.” He paused. “But I want the bitch to bring a knife. One big fuckin’ knife.”

“Why?” Kayla wanted to know.

Harvin grinned. “That’s for me to know and you to find out. Oh, and FYI, you’ll be finding out the hard way, bitch.”

Cash silently cursed. Harvin was going to try to kill her the way his father had died. Of course, he wouldn’t let that happen, but without details of the location and the set up, he wasn’t sure how he was going to stop this sick game that Harvin had set into motion.

“Gotta go for now,” Harvin said in a syrupy sweet voice. “I’ll be chatting again with you very, very soon.”

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