Page 51 of Sleigh Bells and Snowstorms
With my heart beating hard, I opened it and read.
Darling Natalie,
It is with deepest regret that I depart. Please accept my apologies for not saying goodbye in person. I’ve been called away to another job, and time is of the essence.
Jensen
Well, there it was. He was off, probably to chase another thief. A bigger one, if I had to guess.
It was better this way. The longer he stayed, the more tangled my emotions would have become. I’d have started daydreaming about a different life—a life I could never have.
A life that had him in it.
Which was as stupid as it was impossible. It had been fun, but he and I were from different worlds. And no matter what I’d imagined in his eyes, he’d only been doing his job. The touches, the looks, the dancing—none of it had anything to do with me.
I took the note with me and went back to the house. The picket line sounded like an even better way to spend my morning. That was my life. I was a nurse who happened to be on strike, and I needed to show my support. Eventually—hopefully soon—I’d be back to vampire hours, treating patients in the emergency department.
Nina had been right, I did need to bundle up. I put on some layers—a wool long-sleeve shirt, sweater, jeans, and thick socks. I donned my snow boots, then grabbed my knit hat, scarf, gloves, and winter coat, and headed out.
I gave the driveway a quick once-over with the snow shovel before I left so too much wouldn’t accumulate. I’d been dreaming of an electric snowblower for years, but it never made it into the budget.
If only Santa Claus were real. I’d work pretty hard to stay on the nice list if a snow blower was the prize.
The side roads were bound to be slick, but the main roads would be plowed regularly. And I’d grown up in the mountains—I was used to driving in the snow. I left my house, taking it easy around the corners, and headed toward the hospital.
I’d tucked Jensen’s note in my purse. Maybe that had been a mistake. I was so aware of its presence in my car as if I carried a piece of him with me. Was I feeling the sharp pang of regret, or did I just miss him?
I couldn’t miss him. I barely knew him.
But I did. In the short time we’d known each other, he’d opened a piece of my heart that I’d firmly closed. And no matter how many times I told myself none of it had been real, the emptiness he’d left behind still ached.
I turned on my Christmas playlist, hoping for a cheerful distraction. “White Christmas” came on.
Because of course the song we’d danced to would shuffle in first.
I slowed to a stop at an intersection, then pulled forward to turn left. And out of nowhere, all hell broke loose.
Another car slid down the hill opposite me. I saw it coming—going too fast and clearly not stopping. But there was nothing I could do. My car was in control, but theirs was not, and I didn’t have time to get out of the way.
And in the split second before the other car slammed into me, I wondered with horror what Nina and Annabel were going to do if I died.
CHAPTER 13
Jensen
Frustrated and brooding, I drove toward Seattle.
Snow chased me until I crossed the mountain pass. Then it turned to rain. Heavy gray clouds hung low, and my windshield wipers had a hard time keeping up.
The oppressive sky matched my mood.
Maple called to update me on the intel we’d gathered. The information was solid. There was a good chance I’d be able to intercept Archer in Paris before he did the deal. I’d be a fucking hero—the one to take down a notorious criminal and restore a priceless work of art to its rightful place.
It made sense to go. I followed jobs wherever they took me, all around the world. And I’d been waiting for the right opportunity to confront Archer Prince for years.
So why did I want to turn around?
Torrents of rain beat down on my car as the elevation descended on the west side of the mountains. Endless forests of evergreen trees stretched out on either side of the freeway and tendrils of fog snaked through their branches.
