Yuletide Defender by Sandra Robbins

themselves.”
    Rachel nodded. “Thanks for the information. When will I hear from you again?”
    Only silence greeted her question.
    â€œAre you there?”
    No answer.
    She counted to ten before she turned around. No one stood behind her. If he was watching her from the forest behind, the trees guarded his whereabouts. She clutched her purse against her body, jumped up from the bench and ran as fast as she could toward her car.
    The car sat alone in the parking lot underneath a streetlight. The thought of Matt waiting inside spurred her to run, and she raced toward safety. Rachel mentally counted the steps as her feet skimmed the surface of the asphalt—ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen.
    Just a few more steps and she’d be with Matt. Fourteen, fifteen, sixteen. With a sigh of relief she reached out, grabbed the door handle and tugged.
    Her heart pounded in her ears and a scream froze in her throat as strong fingers wrapped around her wrist.
    Rachel clenched her fist and whirled to strike at her attacker. Then she sagged against the car in relief. “Matt, what are you doing? You were supposed to stay in the car.”
    He released her arm. “I know, but I got worried about you. You’ve been gone too long.”
    Rachel placed her hand on her chest and felt the thump of her heart through her coat. “He was late.” She glanced past Matt and frowned. “But where were you? I didn’t see you near us.”
    â€œI stayed in the trees. I couldn’t get close enough to see his face. He was wearing a coat with a hood that hid most of his body.” He chuckled under his breath. “I’m sorry I scared you. When I saw you running back to the car, I thought something had happened.”
    She shook her head. “No, I was in a hurry because I was cold.”
    In the beam from the streetlight, she watched a skeptical look spread across Matt’s face. “And you sure you weren’t a little frightened?”
    Rachel started to deny it but she knew it was no use. She straightened her shoulders and raised her chin. “Well, maybe a little, but I thought there was a policeman waiting in my car to protect me.”
    He laughed. “Don’t worry. I had your back.” He pointed to the car. “Do you want me to drive?”
    â€œNo, thank you. I’m quite able to drive, even if you did scare the life out of me.”
    She climbed into the car and waited for Matt to get in the passenger seat. When he was settled, he buckled his seat belt and glanced at her. “Well, are you going to tell me what happened?”
    As she guided the car into the street, she related what had taken place at the park bench and waited for his reaction. Hestared ahead through the windshield, a thoughtful expression on his face.
    She took a deep breath. “So, what do we need to do about tomorrow night?”
    He directed a wide-eyed stare at her. “What do you mean we? This is a matter for the police.”
    She shook her head. “Why? My source said they were going to meet to talk. That’s not against the law. What would you tell the police—that there are gang members sitting together in a bar? No. I think it would be better if we checked this out ourselves.”
    Matt sat silent for a moment before he responded, “I see your point. If anything happens, I can call for backup.” He swiveled in his seat to face her. “But there’s no need for you to be there.”
    She gripped the steering wheel tighter. “Oh, yes there is. This is my story and you’re not going to cheat me out of it. You wouldn’t even know about the meeting if it wasn’t for me.”
    He sighed. “Okay, have it your way. We’ll stake out the bar together.”
    She smiled. “I’m glad you see it my way.”
    â€œAs if I had a choice. If I said no, you’d just show up anyway. At least this way I can keep an eye on you.”
    Rachel