Christmas Hostage (Christmas Romantic Suspense Book 1)

by Jane Blythe

  He wanted there to be a way for them to have a second chance.

  But he wasn't sure if it was already too late.

  Last night, as he’d sat in his car watching Hannah’s house, he’d known that he didn't want to walk away when this was done. He hadn’t slept much; his eyes had remained glued to the house, watching the light in what he assumed was Hannah’s bedroom remain on till the early hours of the morning, and he realized that he wanted to be there to support her.

  He never should have walked away in the first place. He knew that now. Believing it was what Hannah wanted was a cop-out. Even if he’d been right—and now, he wasn't sure that he was—that Hannah wanted to deal with what had happened on her own without him, he should have insisted on staying, on being there for her, on helping them both heal. Because he now admitted that he had needed to heal just as much as Hannah had.

  Even if it wasn't possible for them to find a way to reconcile, Tom knew he had to try. And step number one was finding who bugged Hannah’s office and if they were really targeting her.

  “Garry Smith?” he asked as he opened the door to the interview room where the man was waiting for them.

  “Yes. I was told this was about Hannah and the robbery. Is she all right?”

  Tom assessed the man. Garry Smith was thirty—the same age as Hannah and himself. He had thick blond hair, bright blue eyes, and no doubt a perfect six pack under his grey sweater. He looked like he could be a male model. Despite the fact that Tom knew he was in just as good shape, he couldn’t help the spear of jealousy he felt coming face-to-face with Hannah’s ex-boyfriend.

  There were so many things he wanted to know, and yet didn't. Had Garry and Hannah been intimate? And he didn't just mean sexually, although he wondered about that, too. But had Hannah confided in Garry? Had she shared her thoughts and feelings with him? How close had the two of them been? And were things really completely over between them?

  “Hannah is fine,” he answered, and he would make sure she stayed that way. “But the robbery wasn't connected to the others, and we’re looking into the possibility that robbery wasn't the prime motivation for the attack on her store.”

  “What else could it be?” Garry’s forehead crinkled in confusion.

  “Do you think there’s a chance anyone might want to target Hannah?” Chloe asked.

  “Hannah?” Garry repeated as though the very notion was preposterous. “Why would anyone want to hurt Hannah?”

  “It was her store; we have to look into that possibility,” he replied, deciding he didn't like Garry Smith. He was pretty sure that had more to do with hating the idea of this man with his ex-wife than because he thought the man was involved in bugging and robbing Hannah’s store.

  “How long did you and Hannah date?” Chloe asked.

  “A little over a year.”

  A little over a year? The longest he had ever dated anyone since the divorce was four months. Hannah had been with Garry for over three times that. Just how close had the two of them been? He was almost afraid to find out.

  “And who ended things?” Chloe asked.

  They already knew that Hannah had, but it would be interesting to see Garry’s take on things to gain some insight into whether he might have reason—in his mind, at least—to cause Hannah harm.

  “She did.”

  “Why?” Tom asked, pleased to have confirmation that it had been Hannah who had ended the relationship. He wasn't sure why that made him feel better. Maybe because it somehow meant that Hannah wasn't really over him. Which meant that maybe, somehow, there was hope for the two of them after all.

  “I guess she wasn't as into the relationship as I was.”

  “Is that what she said?” Chloe asked.

  Garry shrugged. His blue eyes had darkened a little, taken on a dismal gleam. “Pretty much. I started talking about our future, and whenever I would bring it up, Hannah would get uncomfortable and change the subject. The first few times I just let it go, thinking she needed a little more time, but when she continued to show no interest in taking our relationship to the next level, I confronted her. She finally told me that she didn't want things to get serious between us and that she was ending things.”

  “Did you try to change her mind?” he asked.

  “I tried to talk to her about it. I tried to find out why she didn't want to keep seeing me; I didn't understand. Everything had been going so well between us. I knew that I loved Hannah, and I thought she felt the same way.”

  “It must have made you angry when you found out that she didn't,” Chloe said.

  “Angry? No. Disappointed, sad, confused, let down, yes.”

  “How let down?” Chloe asked.

  Garry narrowed his eyes at them. “I know where you're going with that, and I know what you're thinking. But I would never hurt Hannah. I loved her.”

  “Do you still love her?” Tom asked.

  He hesitated for a moment. “If I say yes, it’s going to make me look bad. Like I haven't let go. Like I'm some kind of creep who might want to get revenge on her for breaking up with me, but it’s not like that. If Hannah gave me another chance, would I go back to her in a second? Yes. But I'm not angry with her. She didn't want to keep seeing me. There was nothing I could do to change her mind, and I’ve accepted that.”

  Garry claimed he had accepted it, yet he had admitted that the breakup was not his idea. He hadn’t wanted it to happen, and he had tried to change her mind. If Hannah would agree to date him again, then he would. It didn't sound like he was over Hannah at all. “How did you try to change her mind, Mr. Smith?”

  “I didn't hurt her, if that’s what you're implying. How many times do I have to say it? I would never hurt Hannah. Ever. For any reason. I loved her. Okay, I still love her. She’s beautiful and smart and strong, and any man would be lucky to have her. I know I was.”

  Tom knew he had been lucky to have Hannah, too. He just wished he’d been smart enough to remember that while he still had her. “If you didn't set up this robbery to hurt Hannah, then do you have any ideas of anyone who might?”

  “No, I told you everyone loved Hannah. No one would want to hurt her. She was so sweet, wouldn’t hurt a fly, and she’d . . .” Garry trailed off, looking thoughtful.

  “Did you think of something, Mr. Smith?” Chloe asked.

  He looked up at them, earnest now. “Her therapist.”

  Hannah was still seeing a therapist? He shouldn’t be surprised. She’d been very diligent with her therapy after the assault. He had met Dr. Langley and liked the woman a lot—thought she was great for Hannah. Tom couldn’t see her doing anything to hurt Hannah now. Why would she?

  “What about her therapist?” Chloe asked.

  “He’s creepy. I don’t like him,” Garry replied.

  He? Hannah must have stopped seeing Dr. Langley along the way and moved on to someone new. “What’s his name?”

  “Bryce McCracken.”

  “And what about him makes him creepy?”

  “His methods,” Garry answered quickly. “I didn't agree with them at all.”

  “What were his methods?”

  “He believed in this ‘exposure therapy technique.’ You know, where you take someone and expose them to whatever it is they’re afraid of until it doesn’t bother them anymore. I thought after what Hannah had been through she shouldn’t be letting anyone put her through that.”

  Tom stiffened. Had Hannah told Garry about the home invasion? He didn't like that idea. At all. He hadn’t told any of the women he’d dated. But Hannah had been with Garry for over a year, long enough for them to grow close and for Garry to start thinking that they had a future. “What had Hannah been through?”

  “I don’t know the details. Just that it was something bad. I tried to get her to talk to me about it, but she wouldn’t. All I know is, she is petrified of guns and most nights can't sleep in a bed.”

  Finding out Hannah still struggled to sleep in a bed was overshadowed by the fact th
at Garry knew that. If he knew that, then he must have spent the night at Hannah’s. Tom struggled to control his breathing as images of Hannah and Garry being intimate filled his head.

  He had to let go of the jealousy.

  He knew that.

  But he couldn’t.

  Nor could he stand to be in the same room as Hannah’s ex-boyfriend for a moment longer.

  “We need contact information for Bryce McCracken,” he said. Or snarled.

  “Yeah, sure.” Garry Smith looked confused by his sudden hostility. Which somehow only made him hate the man more.

  Tom stood, threw back his chair, and stalked out of the room.

  His feet knew where they were going even before his mind consciously processed it.

  He had to see Hannah.

  Now.

  * * * * *

  9:51 A.M.

  She was wandering aimlessly around her store. Although Hannah had been hoping to get it back up and running to make the most of the last few days before Christmas, she had to face the reality that it wasn’t going to happen.

  Too much needed to be done before she could reopen. The glass display cases needed to be rebuilt, and she couldn’t get anyone to come and do it until January. She still had to finish making a list of everything that had been taken. She was down one employee. And to be honest, she just didn't have the energy to face customers and long work days right now.

  But she also couldn’t just spend her days hanging around her house.

  So, she was here, pacing up and down her store and procrastinating the tedious and time-consuming task of figuring out what was missing.

  Part of her wanted to just give up. Declare it too much to handle and shove it into the “too-hard basket,” sell the store, cut her losses, and find something else to do with her life. But the other part of her knew that wasn’t an option. She couldn’t allow it to be an option. If she gave up, it would make the last three years one big pointless waste of her time.

  She couldn’t allow that. She had fought too long and too hard to get where she was to throw it all away. As tempting as it was some days to just throw in the towel, curl up under the covers in her armchair and never get up again, Hannah knew she wouldn’t do it. She would never give up. Not even if she had to struggle through every single day of the rest of her life.

  Some days she wished there was something that made it all worthwhile.

  Her job was important to her, and she loved it. She loved seeing her store grow, and she loved making jewelry that brought people joy and made their special occasions extra special, but she wanted something just for her. Something that made her eager to get up in the morning, that made her heart light, that made her forget about the horror of the past and be excited about the future.

  For a while, she’d thought it might be Garry Smith. He was sweet and funny and kind, and she had enjoyed spending time with him. But instead of the more time she spent with him making her like him more and start to fall in love with him, it had the opposite effect. The more time they spent together, the more she knew that nothing was ever going to happen between them. She didn't feel anything. Hannah knew she should have told him sooner, that it hadn’t been fair to let him think that they had a future when she knew they didn't, but she just hadn’t had the heart to tell him.

  She had worked so diligently on overcoming the assault that it seemed only fair that she get something that made her truly happy. Something that made her life full. Something—or someone—that made her live again.

  The door opened, and as she turned, she knew who she was going to see standing there.

  Tom.

  She didn't like the way her heart stuttered every time they were in the same room. He had made it perfectly clear that he was here only because it was his job. That even if she had asked him to stay three years ago, he would have left anyway.

  It was over.

  She had to keep reminding herself of that; otherwise, she was going to get her heart broken all over again.

  Tom stood still for a long moment, staring at her with an inscrutable expression on his face—so intently, she squirmed.

  Then he was walking toward her.

  Hannah felt like she should back away, unsure what he was going to do.

  But she didn't.

  She just stood there and watched him.

  When he reached her, he paused for barely a moment before wrapping one arm around her waist, yanking her up against his body. His other hand curled around her neck. Then his mouth was on hers.

  The kiss was hot and fiery and over before she even knew if she’d kissed him back or not.

  Tom released her, and Hannah just stood there staring at him.

  Had that really just happened?

  If it weren’t for Tom’s heavy breathing, echoed by her own, she would have thought she just imagined the whole thing.

  Why had he done that?

  They were divorced. It had been over between them for three long years. He had been the one to walk out on her. And she had collected up the scattered pieces of her heart and her life and put them back together again. Who did Tom think he was to come back into her life, repeatedly tell her he was here only because it was his job, and then kiss her?

  Angry now, she glared at him. “What are you doing here? Again.”

  “I came to see you.”

  “You can't just kiss me, Tom. We’re not a couple anymore.”

  He ignored her and instead said, “You’re still seeing a therapist.”

  She shrugged. What she was or wasn't doing was none of his business. He had made it very clear that she either did her recovery his way or he wasn't interested. Since she hadn’t, he’d walked out the door. Why did he care now? What difference did it make to him if she still needed the help of a professional to deal with what had happened?

  “You didn't mention that,” he continued.

  “Why would I?”

  “Because I asked you if there was anyone who might want to hurt you.”

  She wasn’t understanding what he was getting at. “Why would my therapist want to hurt me? I see him so he can help me.”

  “He believed in exposure therapy.”

  “You spoke to Garry.” There was no other explanation. Garry was the only one who knew she saw a therapist and what treatment methods he used.

  “Did Bryce McCracken talk to you about helping you with your phobia of guns?”

  “No. Why?” She still didn't know where this was going.

  “Could he have set this up? Thrown you into a situation where you’d have to be exposed to a gun so you could work on your fears? Did you know he was going to do it?”

  Furious, she responded, “If this was all a setup to help me overcome my phobia, then wouldn’t I have told you that? And Jeff was shot. If this was a game, then why would he have been hurt?”

  “Maybe that wasn't part of the plan. Maybe you thought you’d just make the most of the spate of jewelry store robberies. Maybe you thought no one would get hurt. Maybe you got scared when Jeff was shot and didn't want to admit the truth.”

  She slapped him.

  It happened before she could even register what she was doing.

  Hannah had never struck another living being in her life, but no one had ever made such a repulsively ridiculous accusation toward her before.

  Tears burned the backs of her eyes. How could Tom, of all people, suggest such a thing? He knew her. They’d been married. He’d lived through the horrific home invasion with her. He knew better than anyone how she’d suffered. To know that he thought so little of her, that she would purposely expose her employees to a traumatic experience where they would be psychologically scarred for life just to work on her own problems, was devastating.

  “How could you even ask me that?” she demanded.

  Tom’s eyes remained cold and empty as he examined her closely, trying to gauge whether she was lying. Apparently, he decided that she wasn't because his face grew sad. “I'm sorry, Hannah. I didn't th
ink you really did, but I had to ask. I needed to see your honest reaction. I was just doing my job. If it hadn’t been me who asked, my partner was going to, and I thought it would be better if it was me.”

  “Well, it wasn't,” she replied sullenly, feeling only marginally better to know that Tom didn't really think she would fake the robbery.

  “I'm sorry.”

  “Tom, why did you kiss me?”

  “Why did you choose the name Sunkissed Jewels for your store?”

  Not going to be distracted, she asked, “Was kissing me just part of your plan, as well? Was that just you ‘doing your job’?”

  “No.”

  “Then why did you do it?”

  His gaze squarely met hers. “Because I wanted to.”

  Talk about mixed signals. He kissed her, then accused her of setting up the robbery. Why didn't he just leave her alone? He was working the robbery, but that didn't mean he had to keep seeing her. His partner could always come if they needed some information from her. Having him constantly around made everything too confusing. Her heart wanted Tom back while her head wasn't sure it was a good idea.

  “Hannah, why did you use my nickname for you as the name of your store?”

  He was staring at her so intently. As though the answer she gave could change things. But change what? They were divorced. It was over. That was what Tom had wanted. She was tempted to lie to him, but she had never been dishonest with him before, and she couldn’t start now. “Because it reminded me of happy times. Of the life I had before. Because it reminded me of you.”

  * * * * *

  12:21 P.M.

  He had kissed her.

  Tom still couldn’t believe he’d done it.

  What had he been thinking?

  That was not the way to win Hannah back.

  Neither was accusing her of putting her employees in danger by faking the robbery as part of her therapy. He hadn’t wanted to ask her. He hadn’t seen the point. He already knew what the answer was, but Chloe had said if he didn't ask her about it, she would, and he had honestly thought it would be better coming from him.