Christmas Under Fire Read online

  He heard the click of the patio door’s lock behind him as he left the house. It took only a few moments to call in the incident, and Aaron was still shaking his head in disbelief as Cally let him back indoors.

  “I don’t know what to say. Usually this area is incredibly safe. Our biggest issue for the past decade has been drug use and illegal weapons, save one incident earlier this year that had nothing to do with our town. It was an outside company’s interference, and—you know what, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re a guest in Fort Mason and we’ve done nothing but let you down at every turn, and you haven’t even been here a full day. Are you all right? Did the intruder harm you in any way?”

  His cheeks warmed at the look she gave him, a mixture of gratitude and skepticism. And here he thought he was too old to be embarrassed, but the events of the day so far made him, the town and by extension the entire province, look bad.

  That potential transfer just keeps getting more and more unlikely... If she complained and the reasoning was found valid, he was certain there’d be an investigation into his ability to run the detachment, not to mention a possible demotion. It also didn’t help that he felt a certain personal responsibility to ensure that she not only had a good stay, but an excellent one. It would make him happy to see her happy.

  Because it was his job. No other reason.

  She was attractive, yes, but she was also a perfect stranger.

  Still, his heart hitched a little when a crooked half smile appeared on her face. Why was she looking at him like that?

  “Your shoulder,” she said, pointing to his arm. “You’ve got something hooked over your shoulder.”

  It took longer than it should have for her words to register, thanks to the hit to his head—no other reason, he continued to rationalize—but when he patted his shoulder, he remembered.

  “Yes! That’s why I was on my way over here so quickly.” He pulled the strap of her purse over his head. “It was in my brother’s car, between the front seats. Good thing I found it easily, or else I wouldn’t have arrived as quickly as I did.”

  She took the purse and disappeared into the kitchen for a moment. Aaron checked and double-checked all the locks while he waited for her return. When she rejoined him, he couldn’t help but note the weariness in her expression.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I guess it was silly of me to think I could escape drama, regardless of where I go. I feel like it’s following me. Not that being attacked in an airport and a home invasion are the same thing, but here we are and it’s kind of feeling that way. Everything back home is so harried, everyone has things to say even when they should probably keep their mouths shut—” She paused with her mouth open, then flicked her gaze up to meet Aaron’s with a look of mild horror. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to unload—”

  “It’s quite all right. I’ve checked all your locks and they’re in good order. I wish I could explain why someone felt comfortable enough to waltz into this place unannounced, but I’m coming up short. My first thought was the person might be a squatter, but if that were the case, why not say something? And surely I’d have noticed some trash or disturbed blankets during my walk-through when we first arrived. I even checked the basement and didn’t notice anything unusual.

  “It’s possible he was a standard home invader, but there aren’t a lot of people in this town right now. We’re going to notice anyone new, and if it was a local, well...my team should have this solved in due course. Rest assured that either myself or another officer will be going door-to-door first thing tomorrow morning and asking if residents have observed anything out of the norm or seen any newcomers lately. Leo is planning to delay his trip to Fort St. Jacob by a few days until it’s dealt with.”

  She sighed and sank into the couch, resting her hands between her knees. “Thank you, but he doesn’t need to do that. I appreciate the attentiveness, though. I keep trying to think of a reason why someone would want to harm me, but I simply can’t imagine one. And like I said before, very few people know about my trip here.”

  Aaron pressed his lips together to think for a moment. “Would any of those people who do know be under the impression that they could get to the Amaran royal family through you? Either via abduction or otherwise?”

  She laughed, but it was a bitter sound. “They’d have to be well versed in Amar’s historical lineage, or have taken a close look at my passport. I mean, I suppose I’m in all the family tree information online, but someone would have to go looking for it. And to be quite honest, the connection is distant enough that I haven’t spoken to those relatives for years.” She paused, her voice growing soft as her gaze dropped to the floor. “Actually, that’s not quite true. The whole extended family came to Esai’s funeral, but it wasn’t exactly the grand catching-up affair that would prompt someone to think there’s enough of a relationship to matter. It was more a courtesy than anything. They’re not bad people—please don’t take it that way. The family is just very large, and that means the more distantly related, the more like strangers they are than family. Does that make sense?”

  It did. “Apparently I have a whole host of third cousins living in Manitoba whom I’ve never met. And my mother’s great-aunt has lived in south Florida for as long as I can remember, but I’ve never met her, either. So I understand. And I guess anyone who stopped to think about it logically would make that connection, too, but if I know one thing, it’s that you can never assume logic when it comes to criminals.”

  Cally groaned and flopped back against the couch cushions, covering her face with her hands. “What am I going to do? I’ll be honest, I’m wary about staying here at all. What if that person comes back and tries to get inside again? What if he gets desperate and breaks a window? Or for all you know, he could be out terrorizing another family right now, looking for things to sell for drug money or guns or—”

  “Hey.” Aaron joined her on the couch and tapped her elbow. When she pulled her hands away from her face, several tears rolled down her cheek, leaving small streaks in her light pink blush. Her eyes, however, blazed with ferocity. “I have an officer out on patrol right now, keeping an eye on the town. Tonight, I’ll be right outside your door. No one’s getting into this house tonight, not even me.” She began to protest, but he held up his hand to stop her. “I realize it’s freezing out there, but we do have protocol for this type of thing. I have a portable, battery-operated heater in the car, someone is bringing coffee over and there’s special gear I can wear to conserve heat. Tonight, you can sleep soundly knowing you’re being watched over. What happens tomorrow, well, we should probably talk now about how that’s going to go. What were your plans?”

  She grabbed one of the pillows beside her and clutched it to her chest as she drew her knees up to sit cross-legged. “I was supposed to spend a few days here getting settled, and then Ellen was to come and take us up to the Rocky Mountain Spa for a pre-wedding pampering retreat. I was sort of hoping to put up a little Christmas tree in the house and try stringing lights like you do here. We have different traditions back home—we do streamers and use other types of plants for decorations—so I thought it would be nice to experience something new.”

  Aaron had experienced quite enough new things today, compared to the typically calm and quiet Decembers of Fort Mason and the surrounding area. And as much as he wanted to give Cally the chance to take part in North American Christmas traditions right away, he felt uneasy about leaving her to her own devices, particularly after the home invasion.

  “Here’s an idea. Would you be willing to head up to the spa a few days early? I’ll take care of the arrangements, and I’m sure Ellen wouldn’t mind accommodating. I know she’s busy with wedding prep, but maybe you can work on it together at the spa. It’s a huge facility, really nice.”

  Cally’s eyes brightened as she sniffled away the tears of moments ago. “You’ve been there?”

&nb
sp; “I worked a few functions there, and have policed some community events. It’s basically an all-inclusive winter resort.” Not to mention he used to date the spa’s owner, many years ago. Tricia had been a lovely woman, but they weren’t right for each other. The breakup had been messy and difficult, and these days he often went out of his way to avoid policing spa functions or interacting with Tricia at all. The woman was a master at tracking him down, however. Maybe he could just drop Cally off without going inside.

  Cally raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Then it’s good for me and Ellen that she knows the owner, because I’ve seen the price we’re paying and I’m quite certain it’s far less than what a resort would charge. Yes, I’ll go up early if it’s in our best interest, for safety’s sake.”

  He stood and adjusted his coat, mentally taking stock of the supplies in the patrol car he’d borrowed. He planned to double-check when he got outside, but as long as another officer brought him a thermos of piping hot coffee, he’d be all right until morning.

  Cally gently brushed his sleeve before he could walk away. “Aaron, I do appreciate everything you’ve done for me so far, but if you get cold or tired, please come inside and use the couch. I’ll give you the house key so that you can come and go if you want, all right?”

  “That’s quite thoughtful, but I won’t need it.”

  She frowned and grabbed his hand, pushing the key into his palm. His skin felt warm and electric where she’d touched him, and he pulled away quickly. She blinked in surprise.

  “Sorry,” he said. “Tickles.”

  Her smile was gentle but sincere as she pointed at the door. “Go if you must, but if I find out in the morning that you needed to come inside and didn’t, I’m going to be very cross. Don’t even try to fool me.”

  He laughed gently at the sternness in her voice. “Okay, okay. I promise to take you up on your offer if it’s needed. In the meantime, get some rest—I have a feeling you need it.”

  As he closed the door behind him, his smile slid from his face. He had no qualms about spending the night on watch outside the house—he was happy to do it, if it meant keeping someone safe. He’d do it for any of the townsfolk in a heartbeat.

  What worried him more was the seemingly deliberate actions of the home invader.

  The intruder hadn’t been there to rob the house, or to retrieve items after squatting there while the place was unoccupied. No, the way he’d slammed his shoulder into the bedroom door had looked intentional. As if he was there to specifically harm Cally.

  And combined with what had happened at the airport earlier that day, Aaron had a very bad feeling about the entire situation. The question to which he needed a fast answer, however, was whether he could find the attacker and take him down before he struck again.

  FOUR

  Cally had no idea how Aaron was still awake and able to safely drive after spending the entire night outside her rental cabin, watching over her. She’d had a difficult time falling asleep, despite trusting that he’d keep her from harm. Being in a new place for the first time was always a little disorienting, hence the melatonin in her suitcase, but worse were the flashbacks to the moment the man in the airport had dropped the covering over her head, thrusting her world into darkness and stripping her of control. She didn’t want to think about it. It was bad enough that the car accident on the way into Fort Mason had surfaced old fears and grief about her late husband’s death.

  At least the RCMP officer assigned to her seemed kind, gentle and thoughtful. Aaron had understood her concerns right away and was going out of his way to help her recover some semblance of normalcy after yesterday. She had a feeling he was taking the attacks personally—the way he spoke into the police radio as they drove made her wonder if there was another reason behind the handsome officer’s kindness, beyond the requirements of the job.

  “This is the place,” he said, slowing the car to turn down a long, snowy driveway. They’d woken up this morning to a world covered in massive swaths of fresh, white snow. It had taken Aaron an hour and a half to dig out the driveway so the patrol car could even make it onto the road, and by the time he’d finished, several new centimeters of snow had accumulated over his hard work.

  This is normal for this time of year, he’d said. Look at it this way—you’re getting the quintessential Canadian experience!

  At the end of the long drive, an enormous, wood-exterior building came into view. It looked like a ski lodge, with giant windows, porches and a peaked roof. It evoked anticipation of a relaxing, luxurious experience, and Cally was ready for it. She’d never been to a place like this before. The most pampering she’d ever given herself, including before her own wedding to Esai, had been a manicure and a pedicure at the salon run by her cousin’s best friend. She only got her hair cut once a year at most.

  “This place looks far too fancy for me,” Cally murmured, her sense of intimidation increasing as Aaron pulled up to the front doors. An attendant immediately bustled out to their car to take her bag and escort them inside, and once they were out of the cold and standing in the elegant interior, nerves flared in Cally’s stomach. What on earth was she doing here? Why had she taken off from her family without telling them where she was going?

  That wasn’t entirely accurate—she’d left her mother a message explaining she’d decided to attend Ellen’s wedding after all, and her mother had read the invitation. Still, Cally had received four emails and missed seven calls from various family members since arriving in Canada, but she’d answered only one, to let her mother know that she had arrived safely and that yes, she would return home eventually. While that might have been enough to pacify her father, her mother had grown even more protective since his passing several years prior. It didn’t help that she was an only child, too.

  She waited while Aaron spoke to an attendant, probably confirming whatever arrangements he’d made the day before. When he finished, he joined her where she waited, mild disappointment in his eyes—or was that annoyance?

  “It shouldn’t surprise me given the snowfall we had last night, but Ellen isn’t going to make it up to Fort Mason today. The area south of us got hit even worse than we did, so they’re still working on getting the roads plowed both inside and outside of town.”

  That was disappointing, but she’d already wondered if Ellen would make it, based on the size of the drifts she’d seen on their way to the spa. Some of the snow piles had been nearly as tall as her.

  “Did she have an estimate of when she’d get here?”

  Aaron shook his head. “Not specifically. It’ll be when the local weather service and the RCMP give the all clear to get on the main highway. It’s too cold to risk driving in conditions like this—sliding off the road could mean waiting for help in dangerously freezing weather for hours, depending on when help can come and how easy it is for them to find you. Leo found our car quickly last night because I had flares in the trunk, but not everyone has them in their emergency kit—despite how often we recommend it to the public.”

  Cally shrugged. “I can wait. I have this lovely spa to relax in, so I’m sure I’ll find something to do. Are you heading back to the station?”

  “Leo’s going to relieve me so I can get a few hours of rest. If you need anything, however, don’t hesitate to call. Like I said yesterday, I’m happy to assist in any way I can.”

  She thanked him again for his help and watched through the window as he returned to the patrol car and pulled back down the long driveway. And while she was relieved to be in a beautiful facility dedicated to ensuring her full relaxation, a most peculiar thing happened. As the car drove farther away, Cally’s shoulders tightened.

  And she began to wonder whether, without Aaron present, she’d be able to relax at all.

  * * *

  Once the spa building’s exterior was no longer visible in his rearview mirror, Aaron stopped the car and got on the radio.
With Cally securely ensconced for a few days of pampering with her friend, it was as though Aaron’s body knew he didn’t need to be on high alert anymore. His eyelids flickered, sleep threatening to finally overtake him. His mind fought against the tug of oblivion, however, because no matter how he’d tried to puzzle over the events of yesterday, it still didn’t make complete sense.

  He’d called the airport in the morning and followed up with the Fort St. Jacob RCMP who’d checked out the scene. Security camera footage was currently being combed through, but initial suspicions from the other town’s team matched his own—that the individual had hidden inside the airport until closing, possibly seeing Cally go inside the washroom and not come out. It was also possible the individual had orchestrated some kind of distraction to ensure that the washroom wasn’t checked, but either way, the employees working the terminal last night were in hot water for sure.

  But Aaron doubted the individuals would get more than a slap on the wrist, unlike at a large, national airport. Rocky North Regional was an unsecured airport, meaning that it was too small to offer security screening of any kind. Anyone flying into Vancouver or another major center in the province was forced to go through security before entering the main terminal, just like any other passenger, but not here.

  Things worked differently in the remote north, and Aaron understood that. He just hoped that Cally and the Amaran consulate did, as well, if she chose to report the incident.

  He called his brother, hoping for an update. Leo picked up almost immediately.

  “Hey,” Leo said, “how are you holding up? The western road out of town is clear and the trucks are making good progress south, but apparently a bunch of folks tried to drive this morning, so there are at least three stranded vehicles between here and St. Jake’s. Emerg is trying to reach them before the frostbite does.”