Holiday Havoc

by Terri Reed

  Maria smiled, but didn’t say a word. As bidding started on the Christmas trees, Ben watched her carefully.

  From pink flamingos and feathers, musical instruments to oversize candies, if it could be imagined, a tree had been decorated with it. But there was one tree that made Maria’s eyes light up—the one that looked like an old-fashioned chandelier. Crystal teardrops hung from every branch, like an ice-gilded fantasy.

  Most of the trees were going for around five thousand dollars. Ben had promised a donation to the charity and, because he knew what it was like to have a sick child, he would do whatever was within his power to make a difference. He may not have been able to find a cure for childhood diseases, but he could write a check.

  “Bids for the tree designed by Crystal Carnival open at three thousand dollars,” Sailor Sloan said. “And remember, ladies and gentlemen, each tree is original and unique. The designers have assured me the tree they created will never be reproduced. So, do I hear three thousand for the Crystal Carnival tree?”

  A few hands went up.

  “How about five? I’ve got five here to my right. Thank you, John.”

  “Twenty thousand dollars.”

  A murmur spread around the room. Sailor didn’t blink. “From the back of the room, we have twenty thousand. Do I hear twenty-five?”

  Ben glanced around the ballroom with a smile. He’d be happy for the charity to make more money, but he was getting that tree one way or another.

  Maria elbowed him. “Way to stay out of the spotlight, Storm.”

  He shrugged. “I really want that tree. Besides, I promised a donation.”

  “And sold to Mr. Ben Storm. Congratulations.” Sailor moved to the next tree.

  A young woman arrived at Ben’s side with a clipboard. “Your signature, Mr. Storm?”

  Ben signed for the tree he’d won and turned to Maria. “I’ve got to do one last broadcast for Weather 24 and then I’d like to go home, if you don’t mind. It’s a little silly, but I promised myself that when I was done with this job I would always tuck Caden in at night. Do you mind if we go by there and then I’ll take you home?”

  “It’s not silly to want to tuck your child into bed. And I don’t mind at all.”

  Maria had the car brought around as Ben stationed himself front and center on the purple carpet. There were so many people. Some had gathered by the entrance to watch the broadcast, some were waiting around for their chance to be on national television.

  It was impossible to see everyone in the crowd. Maria hoped that the cops stationed outside were keeping a vigilant eye out for anything unusual.

  She snugged her wrap over her shoulders, for what little good it did her. Ben had donned an overcoat on top of his tux. He looked amazing, the breeze ruffling his black hair, his gray eyes shining in the television lights. It was no wonder he’d charmed the whole country, with his easy smile and natural charisma. He had the believability factor—important for a weather forecaster—and the smarts to back it up.

  Not only that, he was leaving a party where he could easily be the center of attention to go home and tuck his little boy into bed. He was the whole package.

  So why did she hesitate? The easy answer was also the right one. It was fear, plain and simple.

  She’d always depended on her intelligence, on science, for answers. Even though she was a believer, it wasn’t a huge leap of faith for her. There was evidence of God everywhere. Evidence in her own life that God was at work.

  Trusting God was easy.

  Trusting a man? Not so much.

  He could so easily break her heart.

  She stepped closer to the cameraman, so she could hear Ben’s final remarks. “So I want to say thanks for being with me for the weather every day—for taking this journey with me. I’ll be back for special events here at Weather 24, so instead of saying goodbye, I’ll just say, see you around. This is Ben Storm for Weather 24. Back to you, Charles.”

  He held his position, those clear gray eyes so direct on the camera lens, until the cameraman said, “We’re clear. Good job, Ben.”

  Ben shook hands with his cameraman, which led to a back-slapping hug. Then he was walking toward her.

  He wrapped his arms around her and lifted her off her feet. The crowd, clapping for Ben already, began to cheer him on.

  She slid to her feet, cheeks burning, as Ben opened the car door for her, which she still found to be amusing. None of the men in her life ever remembered that she was female, let alone opened the door for her.

  As he drove away, he didn’t even look back in the rearview mirror. “I am so glad to be finished with that. I guess there was a time when I loved it, the excitement of being in a new place every few days, but after a while it got to be just another hotel room, just another weather report, you know?”

  Maria pulled the wrap around her arms. She’d gone back and watched video clips of him doing the weather, and it was so much more than a weather report. She could totally understand why he was so well-liked. “I don’t think the people who watched you saw it that way, Ben. I think they saw a little piece of the world through your eyes that they wouldn’t have gotten to see otherwise. And when you visited places that had been damaged, I never saw sensationalism coming from you, just stories of humanity, if that makes sense.”

  Ben’s throat worked and his voice, when it came, was husky. “I think I’d forgotten why I did the job in the first place. Thanks for reminding me.”

  “Anytime. So if you don’t mind me asking a personal question, it’s still going to be important for Caden to have therapy, right?”

  “Absolutely. It’s one reason I quit. I wanted to be able to be home in the mornings so I can do more of the appointments.”

  “So will you be able to afford to keep Julia on as your nanny on a local guy’s salary?” She didn’t know why she was asking, but something he’d said earlier was niggling at the back of her mind.

  “Yes. We’re really blessed that Caden’s grandparents on his mother’s side left him a trust fund. He’s basically set for life. The fund will pay Julia’s salary and, from here on out, my salary will cover the day-to-day needs.” His fingers clenched on the steering wheel. “I always kind of thought that my brother-in-law tried to gain custody of Caden just for the trust fund.”

  He slammed down on the brake pedal. “Wait. Do you think—”

  “Yeah, I do. There’s no proof that the assistant tampered with the chocolates. In fact, it would’ve been really difficult for him to do so, considering he was out of town at the time. Chloe is trying to track down your brother-in-law, but so far she’s had no luck.”

  Ben pulled into his driveway. “Something isn’t right. Julia’s car should be parked here.”

  Maria reached under the seat for her purse. “She wouldn’t leave Caden. Is it possible they went somewhere?”

  “Not likely. Our schedule is pretty regular, even when we’re away, like at the condo.”

  Maria texted Gabe to send backup and that she was going inside with Ben to check things out. When she looked up, Ben’s face was white, his phone open in his hand.

  “Julia. My brother-in-law Randy made her leave, threatened Caden if she didn’t. Maria, Caden’s all alone in there with him.”

  Maria gripped his hand. “Not for long. Let’s go.”

  At the stairs, she took off her high heels. She couldn’t move in them and they made way too much noise. “Okay, open the door.”

  Ben turned the key in the lock and pushed the door open. In the main living area, underneath the Christmas tree, a tall bearded man was seated on the floor with Caden. But what Maria saw was the gun loosely held in his hand.

  Ben let out an involuntary breath. The man’s head jerked up and he jumped to his feet.

  Before Ben could leap forward, Maria put a hand out, stopping him. “We’re gonna keep things cool, right, Ben?”

  Underneath her palm, she could feel Ben trembling with anger, but his voice was calm. “Maria, meet my
brother-in-law, Randy. Randy, this is Maria.”

  Randy’s eyes were red. He’d either stayed awake for days or had been on a bender. But either way, it made him unpredictable. The gun wobbled in his hand.

  “Why do you need a weapon, Randy? Do you think you’re in danger here?” Maria took a step forward, toward Caden, who hadn’t moved, just rocked back and forth on the floor.

  “Stop!” Randy pointed the gun at Caden. “Don’t make me hurt him.”

  Ben’s voice went low and hard. “You hurt one hair on his head and you won’t live to regret it.”

  “Ben.” The last thing they needed to do was freak this guy out more. Please, God, give me the words to say.

  “Randy, you know you don’t want to hurt Caden. He’s just a little boy.”

  His quivering hands turned the gun on her. “You think you’re so smart? You don’t know me.”

  Ben’s voice cracked through the air. “Randy, that’s enough. You can’t come in my home and threaten people I love.”

  Maria’s heart stopped only to pick up the beat a tick later twice as fast when Randy pointed the handgun at Ben. “You’re in love with her? That’s rich. If it’s so easy for you to forget my sister, I should’ve killed her years ago.”

  The color drained from Ben’s face. “You killed Lindsay?”

  “It’s either get my hands on the trust-fund money or let the drug dealers kill me. I messed up some of their product and, let me tell you, those guys know how to hold a grudge.” He laughed, on the edge of hysteria, and the muzzle swung around toward Caden again.

  Maria took one step forward.

  Randy’s face purpled. “Don’t do it. Don’t come any closer.”

  Caden rocked on the floor, his favorite car clutched in his hand. He hadn’t made eye contact. She prayed that the progress Ben and Julia had made with him hadn’t been completely reversed by the trauma of this conflict.

  “Randy, think this through. If you hurt Caden, you don’t get the money.” Maria took another step forward and the gun turned back to her.

  She saw his finger move on the trigger. She braced herself for the impact, but Ben lunged in front of her.

  He hit the floor, blood blooming on his shirt.

  Shock leached the feeling out of her fingers. She moved toward Ben, but Randy shook the gun at her. “Don’t.”

  Tears rolled down Caden’s face, but he didn’t cry out, just increased the rhythmic rocking, back and forth.

  In that second, a red laser dot appeared on Randy’s shirt. Yes.

  Somewhere outside, there was a sniper on her side. She held up a hand, signaling whoever it was to give her a minute more. “Randy, you do realize that you’re holding us hostage, don’t you? There are police outside who are not going to let you walk away. Your only chance is to put your weapon down and walk out of here with your hands up.”

  “What? The police aren’t here. You’re lying.” He pitched toward the window. Blue-and-red lights flashed on outside.

  In that second of inattention, Maria pulled her 9mm from her evening bag and leveled it at Randy. He whirled around, fear on his face. His eyes opened wide when he saw her holding her handgun.

  “Put your weapon on the floor,” she ordered him. “Do it now.”

  Ben pushed to his feet beside her, swaying as he stood, his arm dangling, useless. “Randy, listen to Maria, please. Don’t make this harder.”

  The pistol wavered in Randy’s hand. He looked at Caden, his face turning red. He lurched toward the boy.

  Maria shot. She hit his shoulder and he pitched backward—away from Caden. Randy’s gun hit the floor and skimmed away harmlessly.

  The door slammed open. Gabe had his weapon drawn, a bulletproof vest over his tux shirt. Cruse Conyers stood behind him, his own tux shirt covered by a vest, as well.

  “It’s about time y’all got here.” Maria had her knee in Randy’s back, his arms tucked up behind him.

  Ben gathered his little boy in his arms. Caden didn’t move, but buried his face in Ben’s neck. “It’s okay now, bud. You’re safe.”

  A couple of uniformed officers came in behind Gabe and Cruse to handcuff Randy and haul him out, which they did, as he wailed about police brutality.

  Ben left the room with Caden, not even meeting Maria’s eyes.

  She watched him leave, knowing he was right to walk away from her. If she’d been able to figure out sooner who’d been stalking Ben, she’d have been able to keep Ben from being hurt, to keep his little boy from being traumatized. As it was, she wouldn’t be surprised if he never wanted to see her again.

  EIGHT

  Ben found it hard to sit still in the dark in Caden’s room, his mind reeling with the consequences of what had just happened. But right now Caden needed to know that Ben was right here and that he was safe. As the little boy’s breathing evened out and his body relaxed, Ben eased out of the room.

  Where before there had been chaos, little evidence remained that anything had happened. There was a shadow of a stain on the floor, but all the cops were gone. The lamps were low, the tree lights and the fire lending a soft glow to the room that had seemed so stark and violent a short while ago. Quiet Christmas music played from the surround sound.

  Caden’s cars were lined up in exact order under the Christmas tree. Ben’s eyes pricked. He blinked and blew out a breath. He needed to get hold of himself.

  Maria padded out of the kitchen in SBPD sweats that were about four sizes too big for her. She stopped short when she saw him. “I hope it’s okay. I didn’t want Caden to wake up to reminders of what happened here tonight.”

  He nodded. “What happened to your dress?”

  “Blood spatter evidence.” She laughed—a careful laugh, unlike herself. “Strange for someone to be collecting evidence from me when it’s usually the other way around.”

  “Maria—”

  “You probably need stitches in that arm, Ben.”

  “I’m not going to get stitches in my arm—it’s fine.” He walked toward her. “Maria—”

  “Sit down and let me clean it up if you’re not going to the hospital. I found your first aid kit in the kitchen.” She walked ahead of him to stand by the fireplace.

  He followed her and when she pointed at the chair, he grabbed her hands and pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin and holding her. She went rigid.

  “I was so scared, Maria. My whole life was in this room, in the hands of a crazy person.” His voice cracked.

  He felt her take a breath and wrap her fists into his shirt. And for the first time since they’d gotten home, he relaxed just a little.

  “I’m sorry I didn’t put it together sooner.” Her voice was muffled against his chest, but he didn’t want to let go of her, even long enough for a conversation.

  “It’s my fault. I should’ve realized when Randy tried to gain custody of Caden that he didn’t have Caden’s best interest at heart. But I tried to convince myself that he was attempting to hold on to his memory of Lindsay and do the best he could for her son. I was wrong. And I came so close to losing everything.” He leaned away so he could see her face. “I just found you. I couldn’t take losing you.”

  She stepped out of his arms and hitched up her pants, making him smile. When she pushed him onto the ottoman and pulled his shirt sleeve off at the seam, he decided he might want to do what she said tonight.

  A stream of something cold hit his arm and he yelped. “That hurt! Maria, what is that stuff?”

  “Antiseptic, Ben. Be a big boy now. It won’t be long.” She opened a package of butterfly bandages with her teeth and applied them to the four-inch-long gash in his arm, muttering the whole time, something about evidence and bullets being dug out of the wall.

  He didn’t want to know what she was saying, but got a good idea where her thoughts were leading when she said, “You really should go to the E.R.”

  “No. If Caden wakes up, I want to be here.”

  Another paper package lost to her t
eeth and landed on the floor by her feet. She began wrapping gauze around the wound on his arm. “Hold this.”

  He held the spot she’d told him as she tore a piece of tape and secured the ends of the gauze. Before she could move away, he grabbed her hands and pulled her down on the ottoman beside him.

  When he saw the tears pooled in her eyes, his heart made a painful thump. “What’s all this?”

  “Ben, you’re an amazing guy. And Caden is so precious. It makes me so happy when you say that you care about me.” She shrugged. “But I think you both deserve more than an emotionally stunted scientist.”

  He slid his hands along the sides of her face, and as her eyes drifted closed, tears clinging to the lashes, he brushed his lips over hers. She leaned forward, into the kiss, into him.

  Ben eased back, still with his fingers tangled in her hair, and just looked at her, firelight playing on her face, gold sparks shimmering in her eyes. “You underestimate yourself, Maria.”

  For a man who hadn’t known that he needed her, he craved her presence in his life like the next breath.

  A horn honked outside. She jumped away from him, landing on her feet and grabbing at the sweatpants again. He was so in love with her. “My ride. I knew you wouldn’t be able to leave Caden.”

  She reached for the door handle.

  “Maria.”

  She turned her face toward him, light catching on the golden highlights in her hair.

  He wanted to go to her, but could see she needed space. “Science is easy, sweetheart. An answer for every question, given enough time to sort it out. People are different—unpredictable. There are no fundamental laws. But you know that feeling when you finally solve a problem?”

  She nodded.

  “Working things out with someone you love is a thousand times better.”

  “Harder.”

  “Worth it.” He meant it.

  “I—need some time, Ben.”

  He nodded, his own throat full. She’d saved his son’s life. He owed her so much more than thanks, but it was all he had right now. “Thanks for being here. For choosing to be here when you didn’t have to. You saved Caden’s life and mine.”