Page 5 of A Colby Christmas Rescue

Him.The person behind this was a man. The information wasn’t surprising and wouldn’t narrow things down much, but it was something—a small piece of the bigger puzzle. “All right. I’m listening.”

There was silence on the line.

“Luke?”

The sound of struggling echoed in Victoria’s ear. She held her breath, fear tightening her throat like a snake coiled around it. “Luke, is everything all right?”

“Yes.” His answer was strained. “I don’t want to tell you but I...” A breath blasted across the line. “I have no choice.”

“It’s all right, Luke. Tell me what you need, and I will make it happen.”

“They want Jamie. She is the only one they will allow to do this. If anyone else tries...they say they will...killme.”

Panic rushed into Victoria’s chest. “Luke, I—”

“Wait for the courier, Grandmother.”

The call ended.

Terror slammed into Victoria, making her jerk with its impact.

“I’m calling Jamie now,” Lucas said. “As soon as I know where she is I will send the plane for her.”

Dear God.Victoria held tightly to the phone no matter that the connection to Luke was lost, her eyes closing in horror. Now they wanted her other grandchild.

Chapter Two

LosAngeles

8:45 a.m.

Jamie Colby watched the guy dressed as Santa stroll down Hollywood Boulevard. It wasn’t like there was much of anything open. Just a diner or a coffee shop here and there. A tourist trap or three selling tickets for bus tours to the homes of the stars and other popular sites.

Jamie climbed out of her rented car and stepped to the sidewalk. “Santa has a new follower at three o’clock,” she murmured for the microphone disguised as a necklace draped around her throat.

The guy in jeans and a torn T carrying a sign begging for donations had pushed away from the storefront he’d been holding up for about an hour and strolled after Santa. Both looked a little worse for the wear, like they’d slept in their clothes for a few days or a week. Not exactly a top-of-the-line Santa. More a low-rent version.Who wants their kids sitting on the lap of a guy that sleazy looking?

But Jamie wasn’t complaining. Working an op in LA around Christmas was way better than rambling around her apartment in DC. It was cold and wet in DC. Today in LA—Hollywood actually—it was a pleasant sixty-eight degrees with the sun shining. In a couple more hours the streets would be filled with tourists and life would be buzzing like bees in a honeycomb.

She liked the sunshine and the life beat of this place.

The only downside in her opinion was that after an entire month of hanging around the LA area, Jamie still hadn’t stumbled upon any big celebrities. A few unknowns and lots and lots of wannabes. The city was always awash with people who wanted to possess just a little bit of the magic that came from Hollywood. The problem was most would never know what it was like to be a celebrity. Most would work in the service industry or something not exactly legal until they disappeared into obscurity or went back home to Kansas or wherever with their tails tucked between their legs. It was not a journey for the faint of heart.

Jamie had to admit that she’d had the dream once—at fourteen. She’d been in love with the idea of a career on the big screen. What young girl hadn’t flirted with the idea? But her grandmother had known exactly how to change her mind. She brought Jamie for a weeklong stay in LA. They’d seen the sights and they’d also seen the parts that no one wanted to talk about—Victoria Colby had made sure of the latter. The reality of life in a big city that was really like a nation of its own with all the issues and ups and downs that went along with a huge population was not such a fairy tale. Bottom line—not everyone could be a star.

Jamie smiled when she thought of her grandmother. Victoria had a way of clarifying all things. She missed her so much. It was snowing in Chicago right now. Jamie wished she was going home for Christmas, but she was on assignment here and her parents had taken a long overdue vacation to Europe. Luke was staying in Nashville to be a part of a special program between semesters. The guy was always looking for ways to gain extra credit. Jamie didn’t get it. Anything beyond a 4.0 GPA was totally unnecessary in her view. But good grades had always come easy for her. Luke had to work for his.

“Heads up, Colby.”

The words whispered in her earpiece brought her back to full attention. Santa was still making his way along the sidewalk, crossing over Vine. The errant beggar had gained on him to the point of nearly overtaking him.

“It’s going down soon,” came the voice in her ear.

Jamie picked up her pace and made an agreeable sound for those listening, including her partner.

Every move she made—every move her team made—was under close scrutiny. No one wanted this new agency to fail. But the powers that be weren’t interested in throwing money after a new venture that on first look seemed too similar to the ones they already had. In truth there were already far too many government agencies—particularly secretive ones—in the opinion of some. For IOA to survive it had to provide something none of the others did and it had to be better...in every way.

Jamie wanted to be a part of making that happen. Like her grandmother, making a name for herself and a good career just wasn’t enough. She wanted to make her specialmark. A mark no one else had made.

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