Page 54 of Holding Out For A Holiday Hero

“Yes,” Jake said. “Some things are damn important in this world. I realized that last night when True vanished.” Jake’s voice hardened as he added, “Made me understand the full meaning of rage. When I find the creep who put her in that coffin, I am going to make him pay.”

Robert swallowed. “I used to be a cop.”

“You don’t say?” Jake’s bland voice.

Robert nodded. “Over in Atlanta. Saw things that made me sick. People can be evil. They’ll lie and pretend, and you never know what you’re dealing with until it’s too late.” His hands went to his hips. The keys bounced. “But it’s not our job to make others pay. Courts decide who is guilty and innocent.”

“He came after True.” Flat. “He’s guilty, and he’ll pay.”

Robert’s eyes widened as he stepped to the side. “That’s some dangerous talk.”

“I’m a dangerous man.” His hold tightened on True. “Come on, sweets. Let’s go pick up the item you forgot.”

She hurried away with him but had to glance back over her shoulder. She found Robert’s gaze on them. Whispering, she asked Jake, “He wasn’t threatening us, was he?” Robert’s words replayed in her mind. People can be evil. They’ll lie and pretend, and you never know what you’re dealing with until it’s too late.

“Hard to say.”

They paused in front of her office. “You were threatening him, though, weren’t you?” True asked.

He shrugged. “I was making sure my intent was clear.” He leaned closer. “You won’t be hurt again.”

She wanted to push up onto her toes. To kiss him. But…

Not here.

They had a job to do. Jumping Jake’s bones was not the job. Finding out who’d been terrorizing her was the plan. Turning away from Jake, she fumbled with the lock. After a nervous moment, True managed to open the door and step inside. Automatically, she flipped on the lights when she entered her office, and True hurried toward her desk. She yanked back her chair and she?—

Crunch.

True looked down. She’d just stepped on a shattered piece of plastic. There were lots of shattered chunks of plastic and metal on her floor. And wires. Brackets.

“Hell.” Jake’s hands closed over her shoulders as he carefully pulled her back. “Someone beat us to the backup.”

Because her computer had been smashed to pieces in her office.

A knock sounded at her door. Her open door.

Her head whipped up. Robert stood there, frowning. “Did you find what you needed?”

Not even close. “My computer is broken.” The files she’d needed had been on the computer. Not saved to some cloud. On the hard drive.

Robert edged closer. “How’d that happen?”

Her stomach twisted. Someone came in and smashed it to pieces. Someone with access to the museum.

The keys jingled at his waist.

“No worries,” Jake said, sounding not even a little bit put out. “I know a guy who can fix this.”

He did?

Her head swung back to him.

“My guy is a tech genius,” he assured her. “When it comes to computers, there is nothing that he can’t recover. He’ll get all your files for you.” His gaze flickered to Robert. “No problem at all.” A brief pause then, “Let’s box it up. He’ll have it working for you by Christmas.”

Jake shut the SUV’s passenger side door. As he walked around the vehicle, he saluted a watching Robert and whistled as he made his way to the driver’s side. He climbed in. Cranked the vehicle.

And was actually prepared when the Christmas music blared at him this time. Jingle Bell Rock.

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