No Home for the Holidays

by Lillian Duncan

  *

  California sunshine. She’d missed it. A part of her was still terrified to be here, but Colton was right. She couldn’t live the way she had been forever.

  And she trusted him. He hadn’t shared his plan with her yet, but promised he would soon.

  She paced around the hotel room.

  He was talking to someone. Within minutes, he knocked on the door between their two rooms.

  She opened hers.

  “Come on—say it!” A smile graced his face.

  “Nope. You had your chance to sleep in the same room with me but no more. I’m back in tough girl mode. Being home will do that.”

  Colton’s expression turned serious. “That’s good. I have a feeling that will come in pretty handy.”

  A pit opened up in Chloe’s stomach. “God is with us. We will overcome this world, right?”

  “Now look whose quoting the Bible.” He grinned. “I love hearing you talk that way.”

  “Thanks, preacher. Is there something bothering you?”

  “We’re about to bring down one of the world’s most famous actors and apparently one of the most evil, as well. What could be bothering me?”

  “Yeah, well, other than that.”

  “Now that we’re back on your turf, you have to stay out of sight. We can’t take the chance of you running into anyone you know.”

  “What’s the plan?”

  Colton sat down on the easy chair. “It’s simple. Nothing complicated. Nothing dangerous.”

  Anything to do with Ramon was dangerous.

  “So what will we do?”

  “We are not doing anything. I will find our dear, sweet boy on my own, tell him that I have a special package for him, and make arrangements. I’ll record all of it. Give it to the FBI. Nightmare over and then you’ll be home for the holidays.”

  “It sounds too easy. Are you sure that will be enough to get him arrested?”

  “It’s not my first rodeo, Pink. I know what it takes to get an arrest and a conviction. Remember, I did work for the FBI.”

  “As if I could forget.” Christmas with her family. Her eyes filled with tears at the thought. “Do you think it will work?”

  He bumped his shoulder against hers. “’Tis the season for miracles.”

  15

  “I need a gun.” Chloe stood beside her bed, hands on her hips.

  Colton handed her a satchel full of clean clothes. He’d gone out to do laundry and some shopping.

  Apparently, she’d had too much time to think.

  “Excuse me?”

  “I said I need a gun.” Her chin went up and her eyes glittered with pent-up energy. Maybe even a little anger. “What part of that don’t you understand?”

  “You need no such thing.”

  “If you leave me here all alone, I need to protect myself.” Her mouth trembled. “I don’t mind admitting I was terrified while you were gone. I need a gun.”

  “Nobody knows you’re here. That means you’re completely safe. Besides, you told me you’ve been studying self-defense.” He mimicked a few karate moves of his own in an attempt to lighten the mood.

  She rolled her eyes, obviously not appreciating his humor. “I didn’t say I was good at it. That’s why I need a gun. To protect myself.”

  “Do you know how to shoot?”

  She tossed her satchel on the bed, then turned back to him. “How hard can it be?” A short pause, then an evil grin. “After all, you know how to use one. So, it must be easy, right?”

  “Very funny, Pink. But it’s plenty hard. Did you know that more people get killed with their own handgun during a home invasion than from the bad guys?”

  “OK, then let me borrow yours.” She glared at him as she plopped down on her bed.

  He stared at her.

  “It won’t be my gun, it will be yours. Therefore the statistics won’t apply.”

  “At least you still have your sense of humor. Sort of.”

  “My real point is I should be coming with you. You don’t know the party scene. You need me to help you. You probably won’t even be able to get into a club.”

  “Great idea. Let’s go out and have a good time at the clubs. It would probably take all of five minutes before someone recognized you.”

  “Not even my mother would recognize me after I’m done. I’m a master of disguise. Give—”

  “Not happening.” He touched her shoulder. “I can’t do this if I have to worry about you and me. Did you make me that list I asked for?”

  She held up a piece of paper. “But what if he’s not at any of them?”

  “Then I try again tomorrow.”

  “He might not even be in town.”

  “You sure do worry a lot.” He winked as he pulled his phone from his pocket. “According to his social media, he is. And speaking of social media, there is something else you can do.” He handed her a smart phone he’d just bought. His bank account would be zero when the bills came in.

  “What?”

  “Keep checking them and if he says where he’s at, let me know.”

  He handed her a piece of paper. “This is Robbie’s number. My ex-partner. If something comes up and you can’t get hold of me. Call him. He’ll help.”

  “Colton, I don’t want to put you in danger.” She stood up and paced the room. “This is not a good idea. Let’s forget the whole thing. I’ll just find a new place to hide. And you can go home.”

  “Stop worrying about me. He won’t do anything to me in front of his adoring public.”

  *

  Chloe stared at the phone.

  It would be so easy to press in the numbers she knew so well. To hear her mother’s voice or her father’s, or even one of her sisters. Would they know her voice? She could just say “Hello. I’m all right. Don’t worry about me.” Then hang up. She bit her lip as tears filled her eyes. She wanted to go home. Her mother’s arm around her…well, that would feel almost as good as Colton’s. She brushed that thought away.

  Colton had made it clear he had no romantic interest in her.

  She got the feeling he was attracted to her. Stop it, girl. No use thinking about him like that.

  He was a preacher. It was obvious his bride was the church. No room for her in that life. He was just being nice to her. Colton was a man who lived out his faith. Every day, in every way. Just like her father. Both were men of integrity. Both did what had to be done—even when it wasn’t easy. Both of them had been central in her journey of faith.

  Faith. It felt so good to reconnect with God—thanks to Colton for helping her through her moments of doubt and helping her to trust God again. For that she would be forever grateful. Reading the passage about the prodigal son had made her see the truth.

  God still loved her and hadn’t turned His back on her. He loved all of His children.

  A comforting warmth filled her. Whether she got back home to her family or not, she was glad she’d found her home with God again. If that was all she was to have, it would be more than enough.

  She flicked the phone. “Not going to happen.” Chloe wouldn’t do anything to endanger Colton.

  She hit an icon that took her to Colton’s new social media account. She scanned for posts from Ramon. The man loved to post about himself.

  And just maybe that would be his downfall.

  16

  Chloe opened her eyes. Light filtered in from the closed curtains. It was morning. She rushed over to the shared door and knocked.

  No response.

  She opened the door. The room was empty. The bed was still made up. A sick feeling took her to her knees. She prayed until she had no more words.

  On shaky knees, she stood up and called Colton’s ex-partner, Robbie. He could get the FBI involved. They needed to find Colton—alive. Her heart rate fluttered as she hit the numbers. Please let him be alive.

  “Robert…”

  “Robbie, this is Chloe Sullivan.”

  There was a moment of shocked silence
.

  “You’ve got a lot of people looking for you.”

  “I don’t really care. Colton’s in trouble.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He didn’t come back to the motel last night. I haven’t heard from him since I sent him the location of the restaurant where…” She stopped. Could she say his name out loud? “Where Ramon Rivera was. Something must have gone wrong.”

  “Colton can take care of himself.” The words were encouraging, but his tone didn’t match.

  “I know something’s wrong. We have to find him. What should I do?”

  “Let me handle it from this end. Colton wanted to keep you safe. That was the most important thing to him. He said you were sure that someone in the L.A. office is helping Rivera and he agreed with you.”

  Her heart pounded, just hearing the man’s name scared her.

  “I did some of my own investigating. Colton didn’t break your confidence. I’ll call the L.A. office and tell them what’s going on. They should be able to get a warrant to search Rivera’s house based on your testimony.”

  “Then hurry. They need to find Colton…before it’s too late.”

  “Only one problem.”

  “What’s that?”

  “The judge will either need to talk to you directly or one of the agents will have to talk with you and then vouch for you with the judge. Either way, you’ll have to talk to an agent—come out of hiding.”

  “I don’t care. Just do it before it’s too late for Colton.”

  *

  “Where is Chloe Sullivan?” Ramon Rivera stood in front of Colton. He held a gun in his hand, but it wasn’t pointing at Colton—yet. “I will kill you if you don’t tell me. Or you can tell me and you’ll be a rich man. Very rich.”

  Colton’s hands were cuffed to the rails of the chair he sat on.

  Goons stood on both sides of him.

  He closed his eyes and prayed for the strength to keep Chloe safe.

  The two men guarding him were quite different. The huge one seemed excited, energized by what was happening. The other one looked a little green around the gills.

  Maybe Colton could convince him to do the right thing if he had the opportunity. He had to stall for time.

  Ramon punched Colton in the stomach. “I don’t play games. Tell me where she is and you get to live, preacher. Your life for Chloe. Sounds like a great deal to me.”

  “Yeah, right.” Colton’s stomach throbbed from the blow. “The minute I tell you where she is, you’ll kill me anyway.”

  “No, I won’t. I’ll give you the money and let you go. Really.”

  The actor said it with so much sincerity, Colton could almost believe his lies. Almost. “Yeah, the same way we had a deal with the money.”

  “I had a deal with John Smith, preacher. Not with you. Lucky for me, John’s a fan. Even though you stole his treasure, he was kind enough to warn me that you might show up. You should never have come to California with her.”

  “You really think she’s here? In California. Chloe’s terrified of you. She’s safe and sound far away from here—and from you.”

  A flicker of doubt showed in the actor’s eyes. Ramon shook his head. “I don’t believe you. She’s close by. I’m sure of it. You’re going to tell me where she is or I’m going to kill you.” He aimed the gun at Colton.

  “Do what you gotta do.” Colton forced his voice and his gaze to remain calm. God, I know You’ve got my back. Your will be done. “Killing me won’t help you find Chloe.”

  Ramon brought the gun to Colton’s temple. “Maybe not. But you’re really getting on my nerves. Besides, I won’t be any worse off if I do kill you. And you’ll be out of my life.”

  Colton closed his eyes.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Frustration spewed from Ramon’s mouth. “I have a gun to your head. Tell me where she is.”

  Colton met Rivera’s gaze. “I’m not afraid to die. God is with me.”

  “You’re nuts.” His voice shook with anger. “Nobody wants to die.”

  “God is with me.”

  “Stop saying that.” He lifted the gun and hit Colton in the temple.

  Stars floated before Colton’s eyes.

  A phone rang.

  Ramon moved away from him. “Yeah.” He listened for a moment. “Thanks for the heads up.” He turned to the goons. “We need to move him. Now.”

  “Why? What’s going on, Mr. Rivera?”

  “Got a problem, do we?” Colton couldn’t help grinning.

  “You’re the only one with a problem.” Ramon lifted the gun and slammed it into Colton’s head again.

  Instead of stars, darkness took his breath away in a burst of pain.

  17

  Someone knocked on the door.

  Chloe’s pulse raced. Her mouth was dry with fear, but she pushed it away. This was for Colton. After turning the deadbolt, she opened it a crack. The chain lock was still engaged. “Yes?”

  A man stood in front of the door. “I’m Agent Buckley, ma’am.”

  “Let me see your ID.”

  He slid the ID through the opening of the door.

  Chloe stared hard. It seemed legitimate enough. Looking back at the man, he matched the picture on the ID. One more test. “What do you want?”

  “I have orders to take you to headquarters, ma’am.”

  “Why?”

  “They didn’t tell me, ma’am. Just that you were needed there.”

  Undoing the latch, she prayed she was doing the right thing. The judge wanted to talk to her. Which was fine, if it meant they’d start looking for Colton. “Come in.”

  The agent walked in.

  She picked up her purse. Maybe she should call Robbie, so he’d know what was going on. “Let me make one phone call before we go.”

  “They told me they really are in a hurry. Something about a warrant.” He shrugged. “But whatever you want is fine with me. If you need to make a phone call, they’ll just have to wait. It’s up to you.”

  Five minutes might mean the difference between life and death for Colton.

  “Let’s go.” She walked out.

  Agent Buckley held the car door for her, then slammed it shut. They drove in silence as he headed out of town.

  Her stomach fluttered. “I thought we were going downtown.”

  “The judge wanted to see you at his house.” He turned and smiled. “Easier for him and faster for us.”

  Hadn’t he said they were going to headquarters back in the hotel room? She was sure he’d say that. Probably no big deal, just a slip of the tongue.

  “Never thought I’d see the day when you’d come back.”

  Her pulse spiked. “You know me?”

  “I guess I could pretend I didn’t. But your face is pretty well-known around here. It’s very brave of you to come back. From what I’ve heard, you’re a lot safer hidden than out in the open like this.”

  He sure knew more about her than he’d acted back at the motel. But many people in the movie industry loved to gossip. Maybe he wasn’t a real agent.

  Somehow Ramon had found her.

  A spike of panic caused her to physically flinch.

  Colton had quoted a Bible verse for her. Be strong and courageous.

  This driver’s badge was real. Everything was fine. She could do this. They had to get that search warrant so they could find Colton.

  The streets of L.A. were still clogged with cars. It had never bothered her before. But after three years of being away, her hand clenched the door handle.

  “Relax. I’ve never had an accident yet.”

  “Yet.” She smiled and took a deep breath. “I’d forgotten how crazy the traffic is in this town.”

  “And it never seems to get any better.”

  “That’s for sure.” She closed her eyes, praying for Colton’s safety. A strange feeling overwhelmed her senses. She needed to get out of the car. Right now. Don’t panic. It’s just nerves. “I’m surprised the judge wanted
me to come to his house.”

  “It’s Saturday.”

  Foreboding swamped her whole body.

  *

  Colton regained consciousness, but didn’t open his eyes. Something wrong…he floated back to the darkness. Awareness came back as the darkness receded. Needed to…Colton tried to move his feet but they were stuck. Needed to…what?

  Chloe. Get back to Chloe. The memories slammed into him. Chloe. Ramon. The garage. The phone call. Who had called Ramon? He’d said thanks for the heads up.

  Was the FBI looking for him?

  He’d been gone a long time.

  Chloe had probably called Robbie. Chloe—so beautiful.

  Colton squeezed his eyes shut. He had to find a way out. Had to keep sweet, beautiful Chloe safe. Sorry, Chloe. I failed you just the way I failed Catherine. It was unlikely Chloe would get home for Christmas. Even more unlikely that he’d be alive to see Christmas at all.

  He didn’t mind celebrating Christmas with the birthday boy Himself…and with Catherine. His sweet Catherine. Dead because of him.

  An undercover assignment gone wrong—horribly wrong. Somehow they’d found his house. When he’d walked in for a short lunchtime visit, there they’d stood. With a knife to Catherine’s throat. She’d screamed out for him to run, but he’d stayed. In the end, the bad guys were dead, but so was his Catherine. Injured, he’d laid down by Catherine and waited to die.

  But God had other plans for him.

  When he was released from the hospital he’d resigned from the FBI.

  His heart was filled with anger and hatred. Life held no peace or joy for him. For months, he refused to talk or even see his family or friends. But with God’s help, he’d survived the darkness wanting only to serve God.

  And now here he was amongst the hatred and ugliness again. And he’d failed yet again. He slipped back to the darkness.

  A woman stood there—in spite of his eyes being closed. He could only see the back of her. She turned around. Catherine. Must be the drugs. He opened his eyes. She was still there. Definitely the drugs.