Page 24 of Snowed in with Scrooge

He hasn’t noticed me yet so I don’t move a centimeter, not even to load the gun. I’ve got my rifle in one hand and bullets in the other but I’ll take this guy down with my bare hands if I have to.

Then I realize the light by the back door is blinding so since it’s pitch black in my living room, he can’t see shit. His eyes haven’t adjusted to the dark, so I decide to introduce him to the fuck around and find out portion of his evening.

As quietly as I can, I load the bullets into the chamber then reach for my cell. I keep the screen hidden from him as I dial the number and then put it back in my pocket.

It takes him a second, but when he turns in my direction, I cock the firing pin on the rifle and point it right at his chest.

“You must be Cole,” I say and then turn on the lamp beside me.

The room is bathed in light, and he blinks for a second then assesses his situation. He’s not scared shitless, so that means he’s used to having a gun trained on him. That’s not the kind of man I want anywhere near my girls.

“So you’re the man stealing my family?” He looks over my shoulder, and it’s all I can do not to shoot this fucker in the head.

I need to stay calm and get him out of here. I can’t kill him in my living room or I’ll scar Mina and Nyah for the rest of their lives. It will haunt those girls and give them nightmares, which is something I’m working to erase.

“Your family left you. I think it’s best you let them stay gone and get the fuck off my land. I’ve already got cause to shoot to kill since you broke into my home.”

“There’s no need for that,” he says with a cool smile as he holds his hands up in surrender. “I just want to talk to my baby girl.”

“Mina is sleeping.”

All I have to do is stall him a little longer and give the sheriff time to get here. I just have to keep him talking and not kill him.

“Oh, that’s sweet, but I meant my Nyah,” he says, and then his smile turns sinister.

So much for not killing the guy.

CHAPTER 17

NYAH

When I hear Cole’s voice, my blood runs cold. I knew it was only a matter of time until he found us. Pulling the cover snug over Mina, I press a kiss to her cheek. I won’t let him take this from us. We can’t spend our lives running, and no one should have to live that way.

Slowly, I slip from the bed as my fear for Fraser takes over. I don’t think Cole would kill me, but I can’t say he wouldn’t harm Fraser, and I’m not sure that’s something I can live with.

Creeping out of the bedroom, I go back into the other room Fraser and I were sharing. The safe in the closet is still open, and I look inside. From the closet, the sound of them talking is muffled. When I sneak to the end of the hallway, I see Fraser standing there with his gun pointed toward the kitchen. I can only assume Cole is at the back door.

“Nyah isn’t yours.”

“She’s been mine since I laid eyes on her. Why else would I put up with her mother for all those years?” My stomach turns thinking about how old I was the first time I met Cole. He married my mother quickly and had us both under his roof in record time. Had this been his plan from the start? He really is a sick man. More than I even knew.

“She didn’t feel like yours while I was inside her,” Fraser says, and my mouth falls open. What the hell is he doing?

“You had her?” My spine stiffens at the possessive tone in Cole’s voice.

“Every which way I could. Matter of fact, I probably put a baby in her too.” I can see Fraser licking his lips. “Can still taste her.”

“You motherfucker,” Cole grits out, and the sound of boots hitting the ground has me frozen in place. All I can do is watch Fraser as I anticipate a shot from the gun. But it never goes off.

I step back when I see Cole running full force toward Fraser. At the last second before Cole connects with him, Fraser flips the rifle around and nails Cole in the head with the butt of the gun. The crack is loud, and all I can do is watch as Cole almost goes down to his knees but manages to somehow stay on his feet. Blood drips from his forehead, and it’s then I see the knife gripped in his hand.

“Had enough?” Fraser’s tone is smug, and it’s then I realize he’s been baiting him. “Go back to our bed, beauty.”

Fraser doesn’t so much as glance in my direction before giving me the order, and I’m kind of surprised he knew I was there. Cole’s head snaps my way, and then his eyes meet mine. They are wild and darker than I remember. I swear they’re almost black because of how big his pupils are.

“Eyes on me, asshole, or I’ll put a bullet through that thick head,” Fraser tells him, and that’s when Cole charges again.

“He has a knife!” I shout right as Fraser sidesteps Cole.

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