Page 6 of Stalked By Santa

Tuning out my assistant’s excuses, I rewind the feed, replaying the footage of Maddie fleeing the hotel. Even with the sound muted, her distress is undeniable. Tears streak her gorgeous face. She stumbles, then yanks off her heels and tosses them in a trashcan.

My heart sinks at the undeniable proof of how badly my plan backfired. The only thing I care about is Maddie. And I just fucking hurt her. Badly.

Yet what choice did I have?

The thought of allowing that slime ball to corrupt her innocence was intolerable. That's why I intervened, not jealousy. Not because I was terrified that she wouldn’t just ask him to fuck her but might allow him to indulge theotherfantasies she’s confessed…

I switch from the video back to the live feed. But it's still all static. Fuck.

Panic clawing at my chest, I open the location tracker, which mercifully is still online. Maddie's dot is moving rapidly out of the city. Zooming out, I examine the map.

“What's the sleigh's current coordinates?” I snap.

“Do I look like a reindeer?” Merryn asks, then sighs. “But we just left Manchester, so Dublin's next.”

“Who are we flying with tonight?” I ask as I do the mental math.

Judging by the route, my angel is heading to her parents' house in Scarsdale. That should be a safe enough location.

Shouldbeing the operative word. I've never seen Maddie this upset. And her parents already left town, which she very wellknows. It worries me that she's apparently planning to spend Christmas alone in an empty house.

But even if that weren't alarming enough, the fact that her live feed is suddenly pure static means that the location tracker will likely be the next to go offline.

I'm losing her.

“Don't do this, Nick,” my assistant says, voice weary. “The contract—”

“Who is fucking flying the sleigh right now, Merryn?”

She sighs. “Comet, but I don't see why—”

Cutting her off, I activate the radio link between the flight cabin and the cockpit and give the order to divert.

THREE

MADELYN

Coming homefor Christmas was a mistake. The silent front hall is as dark and empty as I feel. But it only took one miserable night alone in my apartment to know that I couldn't stay in the city. The thought of spending Christmas alone, surrounded by takeout boxes, was unbearable. Unfortunately, this might be worse.

My family is in the Caribbean on their annual Christmas cruise. I should be with them. But because Barry volunteered to play Santa at the charity gala on the 23rd, I stupidly stayed behind.

Mom and Dad were disappointed but understanding. Mom said she knew this day would come, that soon I'd be starting my own family and that of course that would come first.

I thought that too. I thought Barry wanted to be Santa because he knew how much Christmas meant to me. Turns out all he wanted was to spend time with the legal secretary he'd been having an affair with for weeks. I’m such a fool.

I wish I could bleach my brain. The image of him with those stupid red pants around his ankles is burned into my mind. If only that had been the worst thing I saw…

Shoving that horrid memory aside, I deposit my bags in my bedroom and change into my pajamas. Wide awake still, I head back downstairs and drift into the living room, not bothering to turn on any lights. The soft glow of the Christmas tree illuminates the space.

It's so like Mom to decorate a tree even though she wasn't planning on anyone being here. And of course she left the tree lights on a timer. Mom loves Christmas as much as I do. Or as much as Idid.

Christmas is ruined now.

No, not ruined. Cancelled.

Yeah, coming home was definitely a mistake. Fleeing the city was supposed to make me feel better, but being here is just a reminder that the life I’d dreamed of having since I was a little girl was never anything more than a stupid fantasy.

While I’m the last person on the planet who should judge someone else’s kinks, seeing Barry being dominated by a sexual partner shattered literally everything I thought I knew about both him and our relationship. The fact that he was desecrating both my favorite holiday and my favorite Christmas candy was just the cherry on top of the crap sundae.

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