Page 65 of Christmas in the Shadows

He lunged for it at the same time.

Chelsea grabbed it mere seconds before he did. But then he lunged forward, his fingers grasping the barrel.

Before anything bad could happen, police cars surrounded them. Officers appeared, guns drawn.

They took over the situation, and Chelsea was more than happy to let them do that.

But how had they known to come?

That was when she saw a figure step from the shadows.

Regina, she realized.

Her cousin Ryan’s wife. The one who didn’t like Chelsea or appreciate her help. Who’d told Chelsea to stay out of their lives.

Chelsea sent her a questioning look. “What are you doing here?”

The woman stepped closer. “Ryan told me that you’ve been helping us. At first I was angry. But then I realized that you didn’t want anything in return. You were just trying to be a good person. And I came over to tell you thank you. But when I got here, I saw that woman pull the gun on you guys. And I knew the biggest way I could say thank you was by calling the police.”

Chelsea threw her arms around the woman. “Thank you. You may have saved our lives.”

“No, you’re the one who saved our lives.”

As she pulled away from the hug, she saw that the police had arrested Anna, and she was being led away in their custody. Another officer was having a serious conversation with Gilbert.

Chelsea turned to Tex.

The two of them exchanged a look that spoke volumes.

There were still conversations that would need to be had.

But they couldn’t happen until they were alone.

Finally, everything was wrapped up. Tex had been counting down the moments.

The police had arrested Anna. They had taken Gilbert in for questioning. Meanwhile, they taken Tex’s and Chelsea’s statements.

One of the cops had suspected something had been going on, ever since a football player had gotten into a fist fight with one of his colleagues. They’d started looking into things, but they’d never been able to prove anything.

Maybe this was over. Maybe the school wouldn’t win anymore state championships. But that was okay as long as everyone stayed healthy.

A lot of corruption had erupted in such a short amount of time. It remained to be seen what all of those repercussions would be. Would Patrick be arrested? What about Steve Strober?

There were probably other things that had taken place that they still didn’t even know about. But the police would uncover those details with time, and justice would be served.

With everyone gone, Tex and Chelsea had returned to her house. She’d made them some peppermint tea to warm them up.

“Chelsea . . .” Tex started as he stood in the kitchen, Chelsea in front of him.

She lifted her gaze. “We should probably talk.”

“I’ve been wanting to explain myself.”

“And I’ve been too prideful and stubborn to ask you for an explanation. I decided I would rather be angry and resentful toward you.”

He hated to hear that. But he hoped he could at least start making things right.

He put his half-drunk tea on the counter and shoved his hands deep into his pockets. Being vulnerable wasn’t one of his strengths. But he had to say this.

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