Page 62 of Hot Chocolate & Hitmen

“Hey!” I shout, scrambling backward. “Two against one isn’t fair!”

Key grins, his brown hair flopping messily over his forehead. “Who said anything about fair? This is war.”

I crouch down, frantically scooping up more snow as Key ducks behind a tree, already gathering more ammunition. “Oh, you want war? You’ve got war!”

Teddy’s been watching from the sidelines, looking all calm and collected, but now he steps forward, snow crunching under his boots. “Do we really need to do this?” he asks, sounding like aparent about to break up a food fight. But there’s a smirk playing on his lips, and I can tell he’s tempted.

“Don’t even think about it, Teddy,” I warn, pointing a finger at him as I pack another snowball. “You’re either on my side, or you’re going down with them.”

He chuckles softly. “I don’t think you want me as an enemy, Grace.”

“Oh, I know your type,” I tease, readying myself. “All calculated, slow and steady, like a general. But guess what? I’m sneaky. And I fight dirty.”

I don’t give him a chance to respond before hurling a snowball straight at him. Hitting him right in the chest, it disintegrates, sending a puff of snow into the air. Teddy looks down at the white patch on his coat, and for a split second, I think he’s going to retaliate. But instead, he just smiles, shaking his head.

“You really don’t know what you’ve started,” he says, his voice low and ominous. And that’s when I know I’m screwed.

Atlas, who’s been silently gathering snowballs this whole time, finally makes his move. He stalks toward me with the patience of a predator, his hands full of perfectly formed snowballs. His green eyes lock onto mine, and I freeze, realizing just how outmatched I am.

“Now, now,” I say, backing away slowly. “Let’s not do anything hasty, okay? We can talk about this.”

Atlas doesn’t say a word. Instead, he lobs a snowball at me. I barely dodge it, the snow exploding against the ground where I was standing. I yelp, my laughter turning into a full-blown escape attempt as I dash toward the trees, my boots slipping on the snow.

“Retreat!” I shout, but Key’s already on my tail, his snowballs flying past me like tiny missiles.

I dive behind a tree, gasping for breath, my heart pounding in my chest. Okay, this is serious. They’ve formed an alliance, and I’m out here alone, underprepared, and–let’s face it–totally doomed. But I’m not going down without a fight.

I peek around the tree trunk, spotting Key crouched behind a snowbank, his amber eyes sparkling with mischief. Teddy’s standing a few feet away, snowballs in both hands, looking way too calm for someone in the middle of a snowball war. And Atlas? He’s circling the area, eyes scanning the trees like he’s hunting prey.

Perfect.

I quietly gather as much snow as I can, forming a small arsenal of snowballs at my feet. My breath fogs in the cold air as I crouch low, waiting for the right moment. Teddy steps forward, his attention focused on where I was just moments ago, and that’s my cue.

I spring from behind the tree, hurling snowballs as fast as I can. “Surprise!”

Teddy, caught off guard, takes two hits–one to the arm and one to the chest–before he ducks for cover. Key lets out a whoop of laughter, launching a counterattack as I dive back into the trees.

“You’re a little sneak!” He shouts, but I can hear the grin in his voice. “Where’d you learn to throw like that?”

“Years of throwing cookies in the oven,” I call back, laughing. “I’ve got impeccable aim!”

I hear Atlas moving behind me, his boots crunching through the snow, and I know I don’t have much time. He’s too strong to take on head-to-head, so I’ll have to be smarter. I grab two more snowballs and slip through the trees, keeping low. My heart’s racing, but it’s not from fear–it’s from exhilaration. This is fun. This is chaos. This is what Christmas should be like.

Suddenly, a snowball hits the tree next to me, and I spin around just in time to see Key grinning like a maniac, preparing another one. “Gotcha now, Sugar!”

I duck and roll, narrowly avoiding his next shot. My hands fly to the ground, packing another snowball as quickly as I can. I pop up, launching it at him, but he sidesteps with an obnoxious laugh.

“Oh, you’re gonna pay for that, Key!” I shout, determined to wipe that smug look off his face. I lunge forward, scooping up snow as I run, trying to get closer to him. But he’s quick, darting behind trees and snowbanks, making it nearly impossible to land a hit.

I glance back, spotting Atlas still closing in, his massive form moving steadily through the snow. Teddy’s regrouping on the other side, and I realize I’m caught in the middle of a pincer attack.

“Uh-oh,” I mutter under my breath. “Time for plan B.”

What’s plan B, you ask? Pure chaos.

I grab a snowball and throw it high in the air, aiming for nothing in particular, just to confuse them. Then, I take off in the opposite direction, zig-zagging through the trees as fast as I can.

“Where’s she going?” I hear Key shout from behind me.

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