Page 10 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

Rather than bend over to do as she asked, he did what she would have done, he began to lower in the knees.

Oh well, if that was the way he wanted to play it.

Just when he would have twisted to put one between her eyes, she squeezed her own trigger, sending a bullet into his right wrist and sending the weapon he’d been holding flying toward the floor.

He swore. Grabbed for her.

She pressed the muzzle between his eyes. “Don’t make me shoot you again. I won’t be so nice about it this time.”

He glared at her, but his hands went up, blood running down from the right wrist.

The door flew inward again, but this time it was Poe.

“Well, hello,” he said to the guy with the bullet wound. “I see you met my partner.”

Five minutes later, their pickup crew had arrived, and Santa was on his way to safety.

Jamie had no idea why the man had needed assistance or even who he was. She had no need to know, any more than Poe did. Their mission was to provide him with an exit strategy from his planned engagement and to get him to this church.

They might never know what value he represented, but they had accomplished their mission and that was all that mattered.

Once they were in the rented car, headed away from Our Lady Queen of Angels, Poe said, “You hungry? I’m starving.”

Completing a mission was a big rush and it always left her hungry. “How about we get out of LA before we stop.”

He hitched his head in acknowledgment. “How about we drive down to the Santa Monica Pier and find something to eat and listen to the ocean roar.”

“Somewhere in Malibu will be quieter,” she argued. “Too many tourists on the pier.”

“Works for me.”

Like her, her partner wore jeans and a pullover. His was a UCLA sweatshirt. He was a year older than Jamie and had darker features—brown hair, brown eyes—that sharply contrasted her blond hair. They had been friends for almost two years now. He was a good friend. They teetered on the edge of something more, but work always got in the way. Probably for the best. Who had time for romance?

Her cell started vibrating again, and Jamie reached beneath her sweatshirt and pulled it free of its hiding place.

Gflashed on her screen.

She smiled. Her grandmother. “Hey, Grandmother,” she said. “Is it still snowing in Chicago?”

“Jamie, we have a problem.”

Fear trickled into her blood. “What kind of problem?”

“It’s Luke. Someone has taken him, and he needs our help.” Victoria’s voice trembled on the last word.

There were things she should say. Like how terrible it was to hear this news and why would anyone target Luke? But her throat had closed, and she couldn’t seem to make her jaw work.

“Jamie.” The male voice she knew as well as her own underscored just how serious the situation was. If her grandmother was so upset...

No jumping to conclusions. Her heart stuttered again, and she managed a breath. She had to listen carefully. “Yes, Grandpa.” She swallowed at the lingering tightness in her throat. “What’s going on?” Calling Lucas Camp “Grandpa” was like calling a grizzly bear a kitten.

“Colby One will pick you up at the Van Nuys Airport at one. We’ll meet you in Nashville.”

Poe was splitting his attention between her and the road. He couldn’t hear the conversation, but he obviously saw the terror on her face. “What’s going on?” he urged.

Jamie made a decision then and there. They had completed their mission. Time off was a given. It was only a matter of how much. “Inform the pilot I’m bringing a friend. I’ll see you in Nashville, Grandpa.”

She ended the call, and Poe’s gaze locked with hers. She explained the situation, the need to scream crawling up her throat. She had to stay calm. Focused. “We have to find him. I...can’t...” Big breath. “I can’t let him down.”

---