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My Only Christmas Wish

Page 14

by J. M. Jeffries


  Cedric looked surprised. “So you’re telling me you’re not interested in Darcy.”

  Hell yes, he was interested, but that didn’t seem like the right thing to say at the moment. “She’s my employee and any relationship with her would be inappropriate.”

  Cedric’s eyes narrowed. “You Americans.” Cedric grinned and shook his head.

  Eli was uncertain what Cedric meant by his statement. This conversation was absolutely ridiculous. “If you’ve been after her for years and nothing has happened, maybe you need to move on.”

  Cedric’s lips tightened. “You are interested in her. I thought so.”

  Eli stiffened. He had to be careful what he said. Personally, he wanted to punch Cedric in his prim little mouth, but the check he would be writing shortly was enough to stay Eli’s words. “It’s hard not to be interested in her, but as I said earlier, she’s my employee and any relationship between us would be inappropriate.”

  The door opened and Darcy swept in wearing the scarlet gown. The gown left her shoulders bare and gave him a glimpse of the valley between her breasts, a valley he’d so recently explored. She’d swept her hair up to expose her neck.

  “Cedric,” she said and stopped to look at first Cedric and then Eli, “which piece would you like me to model first?”

  Eli realized he didn’t want to see the earl flirting with Darcy. He abruptly walked to the door. If the earl had been chasing after Darcy for so long and she hadn’t acted on it, she wasn’t interested in him. Eli didn’t need to see her modeling the jewelry. He didn’t want to say something he shouldn’t. “I’ve got work to do. If you’ll excuse me.”

  Cedric looked relieved and Darcy looked confused. Eli smiled at her and left, closing the door quietly behind him.

  He started for his office, and then stopped. He couldn’t contemplate his life in his office. He needed to be somewhere he wouldn’t be interrupted. He stopped in his office to get his coat, and then left, walking purposefully down the hall to the elevators and then to the ground floor. He stopped to stare at the empty space where the large wreath had hung. The rotunda looked empty without it hovering over the escalators.

  He looked around and realized the store was really crowded. Every clerk in the cosmetics department was busy. And the shoe department was filled with shoppers handling the display shoes and sitting in chairs waiting for service. He felt a thrill that maybe this week would be better than the last couple had been.

  He left, walking to his car and getting in. The only place he could think for the solitude he craved was the cemetery to visit his father’s grave. He usually visited on Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and the anniversary of his death. Dad would be surprised to see him today.

  The cemetery was a large rolling expanse of grass gone brown for the winter and trees lifting bare branches to the sky. The sky was overcast with the threat of snow hanging in the air. Not that Atlanta got much snow, but the winter was colder than normal and a storm had already hit to the north and had dumped a ton of snow.

  He parked and sat in his car for a few minutes staring at the monuments. Oakland Cemetery was one of the oldest in Atlanta and had its own history. As Eli walked down the paths, he saw a few other brave souls wandering around in the cold.

  He passed several large mausoleums dated from the late 1800s and passed the historic Jewish section before he finally arrived at his father’s grave.

  A sad-eyed angel stood guard over his dad, one hand raised toward heaven, the other clutching her gown. At the bottom, his father’s name was carved into the granite with the dates of his death. His mother’s name was carved on the other side with only the date of her birth.

  He sat on a bench and stared at the carvings. “Hi, Dad,” he said quietly. “Haven’t been here for a while. But I needed to talk to you. You were a miserable old bastard.” Eli paused letting his thoughts catch up with what he wanted to say. “And I’m sick and tired of your petty need for revenge messing with my life. If you had treated your employees like they were human beings instead of underpaid minions, Mr. Bennett would have given you the loan and could have expanded your empire. I’m done, Dad. I’m done. I thought I wanted what you wanted, but I don’t. I own Bennett’s now and can do whatever the hell I want with it. And it’s not enough to make up for what you felt Bennett’s did to you. Let’s face it. You were a crappy businessman, a crappy boss and let your crappy feelings spill over into your private life. You couldn’t find a minute of happiness if it slapped you upside the head.”

  Eli stared at the grave. “You cheated me. You cheated Mom. You cheated a whole lot of people because you didn’t know what you wanted. I didn’t get what I wanted, either. I’m not happy. I thought I would be taking Bennett’s from the Bennett family, but I’m not.” He thought about Darcy and the way she had clung to him in the dark of the night. “I don’t want to be like you. I don’t want to be consumed by bitterness over something you couldn’t control. I want Darcy Bennett.”

  Shocked, Eli stopped his rant and frowned. Where had those words come from? “I don’t know how I’m going to get her, but I am. And you know what, you old bastard, that’s my revenge on you. I’m going to be happy.” Dammit! He was.

  Eli stood just as the first couple of snowflakes drifted down. They landed on the sleeve of his coat. He felt suddenly lighter. Yes, he was going to be happy. He was going to go back to Bennett’s and start working out a way to win over Darcy Bennett. He realized he was the one who had to change. And if it meant winning her love, he would change.

  Chapter 11

  Eli took his time returning to Bennett’s. He called his lawyer and told him to forget about finding a way to get rid of Darcy. He stopped for lunch at Goodies and sat at a booth with his iPad in front of him. As he ate, he laid out his plan. He would find someone to run Dollar Bin. He would leave Bennett’s in Darcy’s hands. Then he was going back to school.

  While he surfed the internet looking at the local schools, he made notes about his future. He was determined to go after his goals. He didn’t have to work anymore. He could afford to take the time off and just keep enough of a finger in things to make sure they didn’t go wrong because of his inattention.

  He studied the applications for several local universities. He was a little old for heading back to school, but he didn’t care. He’d come to a major fork in the road toward his future he was determined to make the right decisions.

  After lunch he drove back to the store and as he approached the street he found it cordoned off by a barrier of police cars. He found a place to park and got out.

  “What’s going on?” Eli asked a uniformed officer leaning against his cruiser.

  “Sorry, sir, no one goes in or out for the moment. We have a hostage situation in Bennett’s.”

  “I’m the owner. Let me through,” Eli demanded, his throat going dry.

  “No, sir.”

  Eli spotted Darcy. She had her arm around another woman who held a towel to her face. Blood seeped down her cheek. The front of Darcy’s suit was dotted with blood.

  “Darcy!” Eli yelled.

  She looked up. After handing the wounded woman off to a paramedic who led her to an ambulance, Darcy rushed over to Eli and flung herself into his arms.

  “I tried to get her out. I tried to get her out,” Darcy half screamed.

  “Who?”

  “Sophia,” Darcy cried. “She’s still in there.” Huge tears rolled down her face, smearing the streaks of blood on her face.

  Elli grabbed her by the arms. “What is going on?” Fear clogged his mind.

  “Thieves,” she said. “They want the jewelry on the wreath. They have hostages. They have Sophia. They said they’d exchange the hostages for the jewelry on the wreath.” She broke into soul-heaving sobs.

  Eli grabbed the officer standing guard. “Who’s the offic
er in charge? I need to see him now.”

  The young officer looked startled and finally nodded. He took off. A few seconds later, the officer returned and beckoned to Eli.

  Eli, his arm around Darcy, followed the officer to a knot of other police officers, which was obviously the command post. Surrounded by vans and SWAT-team personnel, the area looked like a war zone.

  “Captain Simmons,” the young officer said to a man with dark hair going gray at the temples, wearing full SWAT gear.

  “Mr. Austin,” the captain said, “we tried to call your phone. You didn’t answer.”

  Eli pulled out his phone. He’d forgotten to turn it back on after visiting his dad. He saw nine phone calls that had gone to voice mail. “What’s the situation?”

  “Five armed men stormed the rotunda,” Captain Simmons said. “Their intention was to steal the wreath and any jewelry they could grab from the counters. When things didn’t work out, they took hostages.”

  “In the middle of the afternoon?”

  “These guys are pros. They had no choice but to attempt this during the day since the wreath goes up into the ceiling vault at night,” Captain Simmons said. “If not for Ms. Darcy having trained her security details with my SWAT team, this situation could have been a lot worse.”

  “My daughter is in there.”

  “We’re going to get her out, sir. No one’s been hurt, and all the injuries we’ve had so far are from people trying to get away. The hostage negotiator is on her way.” Captain Simmons gestured at the open doors of a black van. “Come take a look.” Eli climbed into the back of the van with Darcy on his heels. She’d calmed and wiped the tears from her face.

  All the monitors showed different areas of the stores.

  “Ms. Darcy’s security team did everything by the book. They contained the situation, then went on lockdown and started evacuating the upper floors. The top three floors are now empty and they are working on the second floor. We’re coordinating efforts with your security people. They’re still staffing the security office and have their people positioned at all egress points.”

  Eli watched the monitors. After a few seconds he could pick out Sophia sitting on the floor next to the floor manager. They leaned against a smashed jewelry case and shards of glass sparkled on the floor. The floor manager looked shaken, but Sophia patted her hand and talked to her. “Everything will be all right,” he heard Sophia say over the speakers.

  Standing a few feet away were two men with guns. They looked like small automatic pistols, deadly and lethal. They both wore ski masks that obscured their features.

  Other men in ski masks moved restlessly in and out of the range of the cameras.

  “How many hostages are there?” Eli asked, unable to take his eyes off his daughter. She was okay for the moment, but for how long? She looked calm as she watched the gunmen with serious eyes even as she continued to pat the floor manager’s hand.

  “We calculate twelve, maybe fifteen. Your people are cooperating and working to keep these men calm,” Captain Simmons said quietly.

  Eli tried to keep his fear contained.

  Darcy spoke for the first time. “We need to get the hostages out.” She had a determined look in her eyes.

  Eli tried to hold off his fear, but it wove its way through him until he started to shake. Sophia, he thought, stay safe.

  He wanted the hostages freed, but more than anything he wanted his daughter released. He stepped out of the van, his sweaty hands clenched, his stomach a knot of tension so tight he could barely breathe. Sophia was the only person in the world he could let his guard down with, until he’d met Darcy. She had to stay safe.

  First, he needed to call his mother. If she heard about the situation before he told her, she’d be in a panic. He opened his phone and hit the speed dial. Even though she took the announcement calmly, she kept her panic at bay for his sake.

  News vans had set up on the perimeter. Reporters stood with microphones trying to grab officers as they milled around the barriers being set up. One reporter gazed at Eli, a hopeful look on her face.

  Darcy’s hand crept into his. “We’ll save them all, Eli,” she said softly.

  He just stood there, unable to think beyond how precious his daughter was to him. “Why was Sophia in the jewelry department?” He couldn’t look away from the front doors or the cops with weapons trained on them.

  “She wanted to try on one of the pieces of jewelry and I was arranging to have the wreath lowered for her to choose a piece, when the thieves burst into the rotunda waving their guns.”

  Guns, he thought. These people were armed! The father in him wanted to run into the store and grab his daughter. But the logical part of him knew that he would be putting her in more danger and making the cops’ job harder.

  “I was going to let her wear the little diamond heart. She saw me modeling for Cedric and wanted to model, too. I was with her, but when everything started happening, we got separated. I couldn’t find her.” Darcy’s eyes misted over again. “I didn’t want to leave, but security forced me out.” She swiped her hand over her eyes. “It’s my fault. I have to do something.”

  Eli slid an arm around her and pulled her close, even though his own fear pounded at him. “What do you think you could do? Those men are armed and they’re dangerous.”

  “I don’t know. I need to think.” She shrugged him away and pushed through a knot of SWAT team people speaking into walkie-talkies.

  Eli watched her leave. He had the feeling he should go after her. He didn’t trust whatever she was thinking. She skirted the edge of the building and the minute she disappeared around the corner, Eli jumped into action. She was going to do something stupid. He ran after her, but Captain Simmons called out to him.

  “What the heck is she doing?” Captain Simmons said in an irritated voice.

  At first Eli thought he meant Darcy, but he realized he was talking about Sophia.

  Sophia stood in front of one of the gunmen. She stood very straight. “Don’t you think this is wrong?” she said. “All those pretty things are for charity.”

  The gunman gazed at her in surprise. “Go sit down, little girl.” He gestured at the knot of people huddled in front of the counters.

  “A lot of poor children aren’t going to get Christmas presents because of you,” Sophia said.

  Stop talking, stop talking, Eli thought. Stop talking, Sophia, and sit down with the others. You need to stay safe.

  “How can you do this to Ms. Darcy?” Sophia continued. “I love Ms. Darcy. Everyone loves Ms. Darcy. She would have helped you if you just asked.”

  A second man joined the first and they both stared at Sophia, looking a little confused.

  “You need to shut up and sit down,” a third man growled. He shoved Sophia away.

  Eli’s fists clenched with tension. What was his daughter doing? These men were dangerous and she was scolding them like they were in kindergarten.

  “Don’t you hurt her,” came a voice.

  Sophia looked up and smiled. “Ms. Darcy!” She ran toward Darcy and threw herself into her arms.

  Eli almost shouted for Darcy to get out.

  “What the hell!” Captain Simmons screamed. “What the hell is she doing?”

  * * *

  Darcy held Sophia. She could feel the little girl trembling.

  “What do you want?” A man stepped forward, pointing his weapon at her.

  “Let all these people go and take me as a hostage,” Darcy said.

  “We don’t have to let anyone go and you’re here, so you’re a hostage, too.”

  Darcy stepped back. “You don’t have me yet.” She pushed Sophia behind her. “Let these people go. I’m worth more to you then they are.”

  “How are you worth more?”

 
“I’m Darcy Bennett. And I can get you out of here safely. Right now, SWAT has this building surrounded and my own security staff has every exit covered. You won’t get out without a fight. And I think your lives are just as important as anyone else’s. Besides, it’s easier to deal with one than with fifteen people.”

  The men grouped together speaking in low, murmuring tones. One glanced at Darcy curiously.

  Sophia gripped her hand. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “You have to go. I don’t know how this is going to turn out and someone needs to take care of your daddy.”

  Tears gathered in Sophia’s eyes. “But someone has to take care of you, too.”

  Darcy knelt down. “I’m going to be fine.” She stroked Sophia’s face. This little girl had become so important to her. As important as her father. Eli must be busting a gut by now. She knew he could see her on the monitors. Losing her wouldn’t hurt as much as losing Sophia, and Darcy wasn’t going to let that happen.

  One of the men grabbed Darcy by the arm and jerked her to her feet. “We’re letting the others go.” He pulled her back from Sophia. Sophia screamed, but the floor manager gathered her up and tugged her toward the escalator.

  Darcy watched the fifteen people move rapidly up the escalator. At the top, two security men waited, grabbing each one and hustling them out of sight. When all the hostages were safe, the security detail melted back out of sight as well.

  Darcy turned to face the five gunmen. Now it was just her. What they hell had she just done? Eli would be furious with her.

  Her phone rang. She glanced at one of the men she thought might be the leader. “Can I answer my phone?”

  “Sure, why not?”

  Darcy glanced at the display. Eli was on the other end. Did she want to talk to him?

  She flipped open her phone. “Sophia’s safe. She’ll be with you in a few minutes.”

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  “I saved your daughter.”

  “Darcy, you’re the most foolish, pigheaded, egotistical, arrogant and the bravest woman I know.”

 

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