Page 51 of Holding Out For A Holiday Hero

His hand pressed to his chest—where Jake could have sworn he felt an ache. Or maybe a thawing.

Hell, is this how the Grinch had felt?

Because being with True made him think that just maybe…his freaking heart was growing.

Growing. Thawing. Melting.

For her.

Son of a nutcracker. He was going to have to save Christmas for True. Some days, a bounty hunter’s work was just never, ever done.

Chapter Eleven

“Who cares about the nice list? Being naughty is way more fun. True story.”

– Jake Hale (Ahem, True story…see what I did there?)

* * *

“Perry, Perry, slow down and listen to me, would you?” Jake snapped into his phone as he made his way to the back door of True’s house.

“I can’t find him,” Perry informed him, voice miserable. “I can’t actually get anyone near Richard’s cabin to confirm that they’ve seen him. I am not giving up, boss, I will continue until I have proof?—”

“Yeah, give up.” Jake frowned when he saw the back door. The open back door. Had the cops really left her house unsecured that way? Jake reached out a hand and pulled the door toward him.

The lock had been smashed to hell and back.

That explains how the killer got inside. Jake would make immediate arrangements for a new lock to be installed.

“Did you just ask me to give up?” Perry’s voice broke. “Are you—are you firing me, sir?”

“No.” Jeez. The kid was such a worrier. “But you aren’t going to get proof that Richard Wells is in Colorado because he’s not there. The jerk is right here in Rosewood. Just got his ass dragged down to the police station because he was being a drunk and disorderly fool.” He studied the shattered lock. A professional would have left minimal signs of intrusion. But her door looked as if someone had just shattered the lock. Burst inside. With no care about leaving evidence or destruction behind.

You wanted in awful badly, didn’t you?

“He’s there?” Perry’s voice cracked.

“Yeah. So stop trying to locate him. Harris is gonna grill him at the station.” Time to shift Perry’s focus. “Got a new job for you.”

“Uh, I’m still running financials on everyone at the museum. Not seeing any red flags, but sometimes you just have to dig really deep.”

“Yeah, yeah. Dig deep. Keep doing that. But, also, I need a Christmas tree.”

Silence.

“You heard me, didn’t you, Perry?” Jake peered beyond True’s back patio. Thick trees surrounded the rear of her property. It would be too easy for someone to hide in those trees.

“I-I think I heard you. You said you wanted a-a Christmas tree.”

“A really big one.” It would need to be bigger than the one True had lost. “Maybe twelve feet? Fourteen? And can you get it delivered to my place? As soon as possible?” Was that too much to ask? Maybe. Probably. Whatever.

“Who is this?” Perry suddenly demanded in a rush. “And what have you done with my boss?”

“Cut the humor, smart-ass.”

“Yes, sir, Mr. Scrooge, sir.”

Hadn’t he told the kid to cut the humor? Jake tightened his grip on the phone. “I don’t want some sad-ass tree like the one in our office.”

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