Twin Threat Christmas by Rachelle McCalla Page A

long before I ever made it home. We’ve got to cut off the head, Eric. And we’ve got to do it now, as soon as possible. I am not getting caught again.”
    Eric felt her desperation. He wanted to slay the monster for her. He really and honestly did. But he couldn’t bear the thought of her facing her enemies again, even if it was only to defeat them. He studied her face, wishing he knew what to say to make her see reason, to make her understand why she couldn’t face Arthur in person. Finally, he admitted, “I don’t want you to be here.”
    “Why not?”
    The question forced him to analyze how he truly felt. Sure, Vanessa was probably right—they needed to catch Arthur before he went into hiding. They needed to act quickly, and to be honest, he probably wouldn’t show his face for anything less than a meeting with her.
    That wasn’t why Eric didn’t want her to stay. His hands fisted at his sides as Vanessa hugged herself. He wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but he hadn’t been there for her when she’d needed him eight years ago, so why would she want him near her now?
    “Why can’t we be here?” she asked again, sounding a little impatient this time.
    “Because I already lost you once. I vowed to God, if He brought you back, I’d make things right. I’d keep you safe. I can’t lose you again.”
    * * *
    Vanessa’s heart, already flighty with fear and lack of sleep, gave an odd heave, a kind of gasping sensation almost like a sob. She sucked in a breath.
    Eric had looked so angry as they discussed Arthur’s involvement and how to catch him. Anger, she could handle. Jeff had been angry all the time. But this confession, this caring?
    She wasn’t used to those things. Much as she wanted to deny the depth of his feelings, she also wanted them to be true. For so many years, she’d figured she’d never see him again. But now here he was, holding her in his arms as though she belonged there. Did he really care about her, as he said? She wanted him to. She certainly cared about him, so maybe it was possible.
    Vanessa was pulled from her thoughts when her stomach growled audibly. She glanced toward Deputy Perez, who stood by the window, deep in conversation with the officers at the station.
    As her stomach grumbled again, Vanessa clutched at her midsection, glad for an excuse not to acknowledge Eric’s words or the feelings they awakened.
    To her relief, Eric seemed equally willing to drop the discussion. For all they knew, Arthur and his men might not arrive for a long time, if at all. But the longer she stalled Eric, the longer she’d be there in case they did show up—even if she wasn’t sure what she was going to do then. “You must be hungry,” Eric said. “Come on, there’s food in the fridge.”
    “Sure.” She followed him to the small kitchenette, where Eric produced a loaf of bread and some cold cuts, pickles and mayonnaise—clearly the sandwich ingredients he’d brought with him for a weekend at the lake. He asked her what she wanted on her sandwich and quickly assembled the meal, including a small bag of chips.
    Vanessa felt a little guilty eating Eric’s food, but she thanked him, realizing he’d done far more than share his lunch, putting his life on the line as they’d outrun the shooting criminals.
    “How about some caffeine to go with that?” Eric asked, pulling a couple of sodas from the fridge.
    “It’s that or fall asleep standing up,” Vanessa acknowledged. Sammy had only recently begun sleeping through the night, but she still wasn’t used to being awake for so long at a stretch. And if she was going to be of any help in catching Arthur, she wouldn’t likely have a chance to rest anytime soon.
    As she gulped down a cool Mountain Dew, Deputy Abbott came back inside. She and Perez joined them in the kitchen.
    Perez filled them in on what he’d learned. “Just as I suspected, four different missing-person females in three different states have ties to the Flaming