Mistletoe Reunion Threat

by Virginia Vaughan

  He swooped up his gun and lunged at Ken, prepared to do whatever it took to get his son.

  The woman crouched, clutching Jacob to her while Ken squatted like a snake ready to attack. He glanced behind Garrett obviously hoping for some assistance from his friends, but Garrett knew Josh and Levi had taken care of those men.

  “They can’t help you,” Garrett told him. “Now put your hands in the air.”

  He saw Ken’s mind working, trying to figure out what to do. He grabbed Jacob from the woman, shoving her to the floor in the process, pulled his gun from his holster and pressed it against Jacob’s temple.

  Garrett’s chest clenched and all the air seemed to leave him. Jacob began to cry and squirm, but Ken tightened his hold on him.

  “I will shoot him,” he warned, and Garrett believed him. He was like a trapped animal that wasn’t going to give up without a fight.

  Now Garrett’s mind played through the scenarios and he couldn’t come up with one that could remove his son safely from Ken’s arms.

  God, please don’t let him hurt Jacob.

  He wet his lips, which had suddenly become very dry, and then pushed away a trickle of sweat on his brow. He couldn’t comprehend that this man might snatch his son from him before he’d even had an opportunity to get to know him. The thought sent ripples of panic through him.

  And Ken must have seen that fear in his eyes because he sneered and pressed the gun to Jacob’s temple again. “That’s right. Now I have the upper hand. Put your weapon down. All of you, put your weapons down or I’ll shoot the kid.”

  Garrett lowered his rifle and nodded at Josh and Levi to do the same. He knelt, his eyes never leaving Ken’s, and set his rifle on the floor.

  “Good, good.”

  “It’s going to be okay, Jacob. Everything is going to be fine.” Garrett kept his voice calm and smooth, hoping to reassure the boy whose cheeks and lips were red from crying and whose face was wet with tears.

  But Garrett’s words seem to anger Ken. “Don’t tell him that,” he insisted. “Don’t lie to the boy. It won’t be okay. After my mamma was arrested, everyone told me not to worry because everything would be okay. Only it wasn’t. She was murdered in prison, and it’s all Ashlynn’s fault for sending her there.”

  He wondered briefly if Ken held any ill will toward the others involved in sending his mother to prison, like Judge Warren who’d prosecuted her, but quickly realized he’d heaped all his bitterness and anger on Ashlynn’s shoulders. He was set on his revenge and nothing was going to stop him. Garrett quickly surmised there would be no reasoning with him and no peaceful negotiations for the return of his son.

  If Ken got out of the hotel with Jacob, the boy would be gone from them forever.

  He reacted on instinct, sliding toward Ken like he was sliding into home plate. He kicked his legs out from under him and Ken fell. He heard the crack of the wood beneath Ken’s feet and knew Josh and Levi were also on the move. But all his concentration was on Jacob, who rolled from Ken’s arms as he fell and hit the floor. Garrett swooped him up and quickly put some distance between him and Ken.

  But Ken wasn’t giving up so easily. Garrett heard the click of a safety and knew Ken had retrieved the gun he’d dropped. He froze and turned back. Ken indeed had the gun pointed at them.

  Garrett swallowed hard. His rifle was on the other side of the room and he had no way to protect them except by reaching the door. Ashlynn broke into his thoughts and he wondered if he would see her again. Ken fired and the bullet flew past him, but he quickly raised the gun to fire again.

  A second shot, this one fired from Levi’s rifle, went right into the back of Ken’s head. The man slumped, then hit the floor, the gun tumbling from his hand.

  The woman screamed when he fell. She raised her hands above her head in surrender. Levi quickly bound her hands as he had the rest of Ken’s men.

  Garrett looked at Levi, gratitude rushing through him, and nodded as a way of thanks. He would have much more to say later when he was able to speak again, but for now it would have to do. Levi returned his nod then began helping Josh round up the men who’d helped Ken.

  Garrett heard sirens outside and knew Vince and the police task force had finally arrived.

  He carried his son outside as the police squad hurried past him into the building. He leaned against the building, taking a moment to relish the feel of Jacob’s small frame in his arms. The boy was still crying, but was now clinging to Garrett, his face pressed into his shoulder.

  Thank You, Lord, for this moment.

  He carried Jacob to a police cruiser and opened the back door, placing the boy on the seat. He found a blanket and wrapped it around his shoulders then knelt before him and rubbed a hand over his fine sandy hair. “Are you okay, Jacob? Did that man hurt you?”

  Jacob choked back sobs but shook his head no instead of answering. He looked small and frail, his big eyes wide with fear and his lashes wet. His chin quivered as he asked, “Where’s my mommy?”

  “She’s going to be fine,” Garrett assured him, rubbing his hand over the boy’s hair again. He knew in an instant he could spend hours looking into this child’s face and being mesmerized by his chubby cheeks and big, round eyes. This was his son, his child, and it would take months, maybe even years for him to wrap his head around that.

  But he couldn’t take that time right at the moment. He had to hand Jacob off to an officer to watch over him because five little words kept pulsating through his brain, words that could mean devastation for his and Jacob’s future.

  Have the charges been set?

  Ken Barrett had planted bombs inside the Royal Hotel.

  He ran back inside, fear igniting his steps. He had to get to Ashlynn. He had to find her. She hadn’t come when she’d heard the gunfight which meant she was either tied up, unconscious, or...

  He grimaced. He couldn’t even go there.

  He pushed back through the revolving doors and saw officers hovering over Ken’s body. Josh and Levi were speaking with Vince and the other detectives, obviously unaware of the bombs. They must have been too far away to have heard Ken ask about the charges.

  “There’s a bomb in the building!” Garrett hollered and everyone’s head popped up. “Ken asked his men if they’d set charges. That must mean there’s a bomb in the building, or possibly several.”

  Josh motioned outside, toward the group of men who’d been Ken’s accomplices. “That’s why those guys were so eager to be taken out of here.”

  “Everyone out!” Vince shouted, waving his hands. “I’m calling the bomb squad.”

  Garrett headed for the stairs but Levi gripped his arm. “Where are you going?”

  “Ashlynn is still missing and probably somewhere in this building. I can’t leave her.”

  He nodded. “Then I’m coming with you.”

  “Me, too,” Josh said.

  Garrett didn’t bother trying to talk them out of it. In truth, he was glad for their decision.

  “I’m going to question those guys,” Vince called to them. “Maybe they’ll tell me exactly where they hid those bombs.”

  Garrett nodded then headed up the steps, wondering how much time they had. Had the bombs been on a timer? He hadn’t seen one. If they’d been on a timer, there was no telling how many precious minutes they had before they detonated.

  As he reached the stop of the stairs, he heard the boom of an explosion then the crack of wood as the ceiling above him collapsed.

  Time was up.

  * * *

  Ashlynn coughed, smoke choking her as she regained consciousness. It was billowing in beneath the door. Dread filled her and she felt physically ill. Ken had started a fire...and he had Jacob. She crawled to her feet and stumbled toward the door but felt the heat of the fire outside through the wood. She g
rabbed a piece of cloth and tried to turn the doorknob.

  Locked.

  He’d locked her inside to die in the fire. She hadn’t seen a room with a door anywhere in this hotel when she was searching for Jacob, but one look at the shiny new hinges and she knew Ken had hung it just for this purpose.

  Without her cell phone, she had no way to call for help and her only way out was blocked. She hurried to the window and looked out. She was on a high floor, too high to jump, but she had no choice. Her only chance of surviving and getting Jacob back was getting out of this room. She would take everything else step by step.

  Oh, Lord, please guide my steps. Keep my son safe. And please bring me through this safely.

  She pulled at the window but it wouldn’t open. In her fear, she wanted to break down and cry but that wouldn’t do any good and it would only use up valuable time and energy. Ken had planned well. This was probably the only room in the entire hotel with a working door and glass in the window.

  She coughed as the smoke started getting to her. How she wished Garrett was here. She should never have been so hard on him. She shouldn’t have said those terrible things to him because she knew they weren’t true. It had only been her own insecurities surfacing. She could trust him. Ironically, she knew that now when she couldn’t even tell him. Was she going to die with him believing she never loved him?

  Despite what she’d told him, she knew Garrett would come for her. Yes, he had let her down once before, but she realized she’d allowed that anger and bitterness to color her judgment. She’d wasted her life worrying about being hurt so much that she’d closed herself off to truly loving someone...and from allowing God to work in her life. In her heart, she knew Garrett wouldn’t stop searching until he found her and that gave her comfort. The question was would he make it in time to save her? Or to save Jacob?

  Anger ripped through her at the thought of all that Ken had taken from her. She thought of her son and of Ken carrying him out. Jacob had been crying for her and that riled her up even more. She needed that adrenaline kick. She picked up a piece of wood and rammed against the window this time calling on that extra boost of energy. The glass shattered.

  She brushed away pieces of broken glass from the sill and stuck her head outside, taking in a big gulp of fresh air. She could see police cars with their flashing lights on the street below and hope filled her. They’d found her. They were coming for her. But when she looked down she realized the fire truck’s ladder was extended but wasn’t long enough to reach the floor she was on. She was on her own unless she could make it down a few flights of stairs.

  Suddenly the door exploded behind her sending fragments of wood and metal into the room. She screamed and hit the floor, but a piece of something sharp sliced into her back. She cried out in pain and very nearly curled up to die.

  But she didn’t. The police cars were outside which meant they had found her. Garrett had to be down there and he would not let her die here in this hotel. He would come for her just as she’d known in her heart he would. She had to stay alive for him, for a second chance to tell him she loved him and to introduce him to his son. More than anything, she wanted to be a family with him.

  She thought of how he’d told her that terrible things happened to people but that God was always with them. She believed him now. She felt God’s presence here in the room with her, providing her comfort and reassurance that she wasn’t alone.

  That had been the worst part of her life, she realized. Not that unspeakable things had happened to her, but that she’d been forced to endure them alone. She’d never been surrounded by people who loved her enough to stand beside her during times of distress. She realized now she hadn’t needed anyone besides Jesus. He’d always been there for her and with her, whispering His love to her and asking for her trust. He didn’t hate her. He’d loved her so much that He’d died for her on the cross.

  And suddenly she knew He was someone she could absolutely trust with all her heart. She was going to get through this because of Him.

  She edged nearer the window again, wincing against the heat of the fire that was now pressing into the room. She climbed through the window, shards of hot glass digging into her hands and knees. She dangled her foot until she felt something solid beneath her then carefully stood and moved along the ledge, pressing herself against the building for support. She was afraid to look down, afraid of losing her balance and falling or just being paralyzed with fear. But she wasn’t giving up. She needed to reach another room where the fire wasn’t raging so badly. If she could get there and make it down to a lower floor then the fire department could reach her. It was her only chance of surviving this.

  Guide my steps, oh Lord. Guide my steps.

  She inched along the ledge until she came to the next window. This one had no glass, but one peek inside told her she had to keep going. The flames were already inside this room and swiping at the walls. She moved back the other way but the same thing was happening in the window of the room she’d just left. She was trapped. She couldn’t go back inside and she couldn’t move past either window. She was stuck on this ledge on the eleventh floor of the Royal Hotel.

  She only thought things couldn’t get any worse until she heard a loud noise and looked down at her feet.

  The ledge beneath her was cracking.

  * * *

  Levi grabbed Garrett’s collar and pulled him backward as a chunk of ceiling nearly fell on top of him.

  He started digging through the wreckage, trying to clear a path, but Josh grabbed his arm. “We can’t make it up that way.”

  “I have to get to her,” Garrett insisted, fear and adrenaline propelling him.

  “It’s too heavy,” Levi insisted. “The staircase is about to collapse.”

  As if in response, the wood of the staircase creaked and gave way, sending all three of them falling. A thick coat of debris landed on top of them, threatening to bury them again. Garrett gathered his senses as quickly as he could and crawled out of the rubble. The staircase was no longer connected to the floor above them. The head of it lay in a heap on the lobby floor. It was gone along with his best chance of reaching Ashlynn.

  Coughing brought him back to the situation. Levi pushed aside several pieces of rubble and climbed to his feet. Josh did the same. They both appeared to be unhurt.

  “We have to find a way up there,” Garrett told them. “I can shimmy up a rope to reach the next floor.”

  “This whole building is about to collapse,” Josh said. “If you try to anchor a rope up there, you’ll bring the whole second floor down on top of you.” He coughed and looked around at the garbage surrounding them. “What’s left of it, anyway.”

  He shook his head, waving off their concerns. “I have to try.”

  “It’s too dangerous,” Josh hollered, then both he and Levi took one of Garrett’s arms and pulled him towards the exit.

  “I can’t leave her,” Garrett insisted, struggling to break their holds.

  “We’ll find another way,” Levi said. “This isn’t over.”

  But all Garret could see was the image of Marcus’s body as Garrett left him. He wouldn’t leave Ashlynn behind as he had Marcus. He wouldn’t!

  They dragged him outside and Garrett saw the men who’d been working with Ken. He hurried over and confronted one, pulling on his shirt. “Where’s Ashlynn? What did Ken do with her?”

  The man shook his head. “I don’t know,” he said, but his tone implied that he did know but didn’t care to share it.

  “Where is she?” Garrett screamed, seriously on the verge of losing control of himself. He was glad Josh and Levi were there to pull him back.

  “Mama!” Jacob cried, his scream carrying over the sound of the sirens and the fire hoses.

  Garrett had heard the boy’s shrieks ever since leaving the hotel, but this one, t
his cry for his mother, sounded different. He glanced at Jacob, who was squirming in an officer’s arms and reaching out, pointing back up at the hotel.

  Garrett turned to look and felt his blood go cold when he saw a figure move on one of the top floors where the fire was raging. But she wasn’t inside the hotel. She was outside on the ledge and fire was bursting through the open windows around her.

  “Ashlynn!”

  He was about to bolt back into the building when several hands stopped him.

  “You can’t go in there,” Josh told him. His face was covered in dirt, but his expression was firm.

  “I have to. Ashlynn is up there.”

  “We’ll find another way,” Levi said. He, too, was covered in dust, but his eyes were locked on Garrett’s determinedly. “We’re not giving up on her, but you can’t get up to that floor that way. We’ve already tried, remember?”

  Garrett nodded his understanding. He heard them. He knew what they were saying was right, but he had to get to her. He couldn’t stand here doing nothing and watch her die. Their hands didn’t move from his arms until he relented and turned back. He raked his hands over his face. There had to be a way to reach her. Oh, God, please help me save her.

  He lifted his eyes upward. He wasn’t alone, but he knew he needed more help than the rangers or even the police could give him on this one. He needed God’s guidance. He lifted his eyes upward and noticed a cross atop the building beside the Royal. It was lit up bright with Christmas lights. That’s what he needed to see—something to help his mind focus. He wouldn’t hear God’s wisdom if he allowed panic and fear to guide him. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, concentrating only on the image of the cross. But when he opened his eyes again, he saw something else.

  The building with the cross matched the Royal in height and the side facing the old hotel had windows. If he could get inside that building, up to that floor, he could crawl across to where Ashlynn was trapped on that ledge.

  “I need rope,” he said, causing both Josh and Levi to look up. He knew Josh was going to remind him that roping up wouldn’t be possible, but before he spoke, he followed Garrett’s gaze and instantly seemed to reach the same conclusion.