Page 29 of The Grinch Who Stole Orcmas

They emerge from behind the filing cabinet, their faces pale with fear. Joy’s eyes widen as she sees the blood staining my shirt. “Grum! You’re hurt!”

“It’s just a graze,” I grunt, though the pain stings. “We need to move. Now!”

“Kam, Thornn, are you okay?” I project my voice into the warehouse.

Kam emerges from the shadows of the stacks looking rough and bruised but not bleeding. “Besides this piece of shit…” he looks at the tied-up guard with disgust, “there were two other thugs in the main room. Thornn took one down and I got the other guy by surprise. Thornn ran to get snap ties and duct tape from the toolbox in his vehicle. Those fuckers are secured and unconscious at the entrance. They weren’t able to make any calls out.”

“Good,” I say, already pulling out my phone. “Because we’re calling the cops. Right now.”

Joy looks at me, startled. “Will we get in trouble for breaking in?”

I’m just about to dial 911 when I’m hit with inspiration.

“Nope! Kam get Thornn and drag your two scumbags back here. Sarah, keep looking out for us in case we get any more surprise visitors. Joy, I saw a box of Christmas decorations in the back of the SUV. How about you bring those in here and we can wrap these guys up as a Christmas present for the cops?”

Joy’s face lights up and she dashes out of the office.

“Emma, choose something incriminating and send a message to every news station in L.A. Get ready to send it as soon as we make these guys pretty and I call the cops with an anonymous report of shots fired.”

“Yes, sir!” She salutes with a huge smile and gets to work.

Kam and Thornn drag in the two trussed-up and unconscious thugs just as Joy returns with the box of decorations.

The four of us make quick work wrapping a long string of lights around the three that we sat up with their backs together. Colored balls and ornaments are hung from their ears and collars and pants. Joy throws handfuls of tinsel with gleeful abandon.

We take pictures and leave all the hard evidence where we found it. Emma wipes all surfaces with some handy wipes from her purse, removing any trace of my blood. We’re all wearing gloves so prints shouldn’t be a problem. We all do a final survey and agree that it’s perfect.

“If the police are in on the coverup,” Emma holds up her jump drive, “we have this as backup. We can send it to the FBI.”

I call 911 and Emma sends pictures to the news stations.

As dawn breaks, we finally stumble out of the warehouse, exhausted but triumphant. The timing is perfect—we hear sirens wailing in the distance.

“Get some rest, everyone,” I say, my voice gruff with exhaustion. “We’ve still got a big day ahead of us.”

As the others make their way down the block to where we left the SUV, Joy lingers behind. She looks as tired as I feel, but there’s a spark in her eyes that makes it clear she needs to talk.

“Hey,” she says softly, stepping closer. “Thanks for having my back in there. You were… amazing.”

Before I can respond, she rises on her tiptoes and presses a soft kiss to my cheek. The touch of her lips sends a jolt through my entire body, leaving me speechless.

“Should we get you to the hospital?” The concern in her expression makes something in my chest tighten.

I pull my shirt off to reassure her. “Orcs heal faster than humans.” The wound is already healing.

“That’s amazing!” By the tone of her voice, I’m not sure if she’s amazed by how quickly I’m healing or by the size of my muscles. She makes it clear when she purrs, “I’ve got a long ride home. How about I stay at your place tonight?” Her little lie is obvious. She lives above her shop, right across the street from the Zone.

Her proposition feels as though I was zapped by lightning. Despite my fatigue, my cock rises to attention. Although her offer to stay at my apartment seems pretty blatant, I scan her face to make sure I got her meaning right. When I’m still not sure, I add, “Sure you can stay. I have extra blankets, and I can take the couch.”

“Perhaps rolling on the floor with that thug rattled your brains, Grum. We’re both going to be in your bed. Though I doubt much sleeping will happen.” The blazing look she gives me could turn tempered steel into a melted puddle of molten goo.

If there weren’t several cop cars speeding toward us, I think I might mount my little jingle bell sweetheart right here, right now.

“I don’t know when you got so bossy, Sleigh Belle, but aye-aye.” I give her a snappy salute and use every ounce of my self-control to not throw her over my shoulder like a caveman.

Chapter 17: A Christmas Miracle

Joy

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