Page 18 of Lone Star Christmas Mission

“All the way at the back of the building. My guess is it’s some kind of storage area.”

That made sense. Being out of sight was better protection for Harvin and the hostage. Well, it was if the building itself was secure enough. It looked ready to fall down with a gust of wind.

“How the hell did Harvin know about this place?” Cash asked, still keeping watch.

“His grandparents used to own a hunting camp near there,” Ruby supplied. “He spent a lot of time in this area as a kid.”

So, Harvin would know the terrain. Which gave him a huge advantage, especially with all the hired guns he’d brought with him.

“Jericho and Rafe are still six minutes out,” Ruby added a moment later. “They’ve parked just off the main road and are on foot now.”

Ruby had barely finished that update just as there was some movement in the doorway. Cash spotted the man in the brightred Santa suit, and he saw the same terror on this one’s face as he had from those in the live feeds.

Cash also saw Harvin.

The SOB was behind his hostage and had a gun to the man’s head. Harvin was also grinning in triumph, and Cash had to choke down the rage that shot through him.

“Come on and join us,” Harvin called out. “Oh, and that’s not an invitation. It’s an order. Move now.”

Shit. Jericho and Rafe weren’t nearly close enough, and Cash was trying to figure out how to stall. But he didn’t get the chance.

The sound of the gunshot blasted through the air. And the Santa yelled in pain.

“He shot him,” Kayla blurted. “Harvin shot him.”

Yeah, he had but not in the guy’s head. Not a kill shot. Instead, Cash saw the blood spread over the shoulder of the suit.

“For every second you piss around and don’t get out, I’ll keep putting bullets in him,” Harvin shouted. “Message received?”

“Message received,” Cash spat out, and he opened his door and stepped out. “Get out on this side behind me,” he whispered to Kayla.

She nodded and crawled across the console and driver’s seat to get out. Thankfully, she stayed behind him.

“Oh, I can see you wore Kevlar just for me,” Harvin announced in that mock sappy voice. “Well, don’t just stand there. Come on in. My trigger finger’s getting itchy, and I might put another shot in Santa if you drag your feet.”

Cash started walking, but since Harvin hadn’t ordered him to put up his hands, he kept them by his side so he could better reach the flares and the slingshot.

“All right, stop for a sec,” Harvin instructed when Kayla and Cash were still about ten feet away from the doorway.

There was the sound of someone moving on the side of the building, and a man wearing all black and wearing a ski maskscurried out. He used a handheld metal detector wand on Cash. Then, on Kayla.

“She’s got the knife,” the thug told Harvin.

“Good. Then, she’s obeyed the rules,” Harvin said. “Now, go back to your post since I suspect Ruby Maverick will have some of her operatives coming along shortly. The second you spot them, shoot to kill and go for the throats or thighs. Kevlar won’t do shit to protect them there.”

No, it wouldn’t, and that knotted every muscle in Cash’s body. But he had to hope that Jericho and Rafe would see the threat and neutralize it.

“Come on in,” Harvin went off, his attention going back to Kayla and him after his thug had run back to the side of the building.

Keeping the bleeding Santa as a human shield, Harvin backed up enough so that Kayla and he could enter. They stepped in, and Cash immediately did a sweeping glance around the place.

There was debris everywhere. Old boxes, wood and shingles from the roof, and some trash. The fast food bags and the remains of a campfire let him know that the store had gotten some visitors over the years.

“That way,” Harvin ordered, tipping his head to the back of the building.

As Ruby had speculated, it appeared to be a storage room. One without a door. Probably not a window either. There was no sunlight coming from there, but the area was lit up, maybe with flashlights since there was no electricity.

“Keep walking,” Harvin snapped, the sickening glee still in his voice.

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