Epilogue
“Did you buy me a Christmas present? Seriously?” Hunter stared at Victor as if he had two heads. “Dude, you did not have to do that.”
It was Christmas Eve, and Victor was the happiest that he’d been in…
Ever.
Melody was in the kitchen. Baking more cookies. He could hear her singing, slightly off-key. He freaking loved her off-key singing.
Hunter opened the bright red box. “Sonofabitch.” He glared at Victor. “Did you give me a taser?” Then he laughed, the sound booming from him. “A taser and chocolate chip cookies.” More laughter. “Thanks, man.” He offered one hand to Victor.
Forget the handshake. Victor pulled him in for a hug. “You didn’t fire your gun at me.”
“Uh, why would I have done that?”
Victor let him go. “Because you walked into a damn murder scene where I’d just gunned down a detective. A bleeding woman was shouting that I was trying to kill her. And I was the one still holding the weapon.”
Hunter shook his head. “Yeah, but I know you.”
You know that I always intended to put the man who’d hurt Melody in the ground. “He used a knife on her. Chased her into the path of a car. Left her to die.” Victor paced toward the Christmas tree. Hatterson had done one fine job. That man was getting a big bonus.
“Now the detective is the one going in the ground.”
Victor glanced over at the Ice Breaker. At his friend.
“Funny how that worked out, isn’t it?” Hunter pulled out a chocolate chip cookie and took a bite. “Damn. That is delicious. Did Hatterson make these or did Melody?”
“Melody. But she was using Hatterson’s recipe.”
Hunter laughed again.
“You can stay for Christmas dinner, you know,” Victor told him.
“Sebastian and Hatterson will be here, too.” The person who hadn’t made the guest list?
Dario. The guy was still coming to grips with the fact that he’d been used and betrayed by Olivia.
The woman had been a master at playing with everyone around her. “You’re welcome to join us.”
“Nah. Got a plane to catch. Or, rather, one to fly. Have some friends at home who are waiting on me. But I do appreciate the offer.” He took another bite of the chocolate chip cookie and sighed in bliss.
He chewed a bit, then added, “Just wanted to come by and tell you that, as far as the Ice Breakers are concerned, the case is closed. Angus Clinton abducted Melody. He and Olivia were working together. The shots fired at the Mage estate? Benny Turner was the perpetrator.” He began to amble around the den.
“Turner’s prints were recovered inside the abandoned pickup.
Got that detail from your sheriff buddy, Jamal Wroth.
I think Angus had him watching the house. ”
“And Angus ordered Benny to shoot when Melody came back. Then, when he missed Melody, Angus had Benny waiting outside of the police station for another attack.” How had Benny gotten away from the scene of the pickup’s crash?
Hell, maybe Angus arranged a ride for the guy.
A ride. Some kind of damn pick up from the scene.
They’d learn more when the full investigation was completed.
Victor knew that all of Detective Angus Clinton’s call logs, emails, and case files were currently being thoroughly reviewed.
The Feds had already found the cabin up in Canada. The damn place where Melody had been held captive. Turned out, the place belonged to Detective Clinton’s great aunt. No one had gone to the cabin in years, so the bastard had known it would be the perfect spot to use.
Only Melody got away from you. She sliced you with the knife you wanted to use to kill her. She got away.
Now the detective was the one who was lying stone-cold in the storage locker of a morgue.
Hunter had finished one cookie. “I suspect the detective used Benny to do his dirty work plenty of times. In exchange, Angus went easy on the guy anytime Benny was tagged by the cops.”
Now Benny was dead. Angus was dead. And Olivia was locked away.
Finally, Melody was safe.
And singing off-key.
“Hope you enjoy Christmas,” Hunter told him. His gaze held Victor’s. “You know how lucky you are, right?”
“Fuck, yes.”
Hunter smiled. He turned to exit the den. But then he stopped. Glancing over his shoulder, he said, “Heard an interesting news story on my way here. Seems Maryland’s attorney general dropped out of the race.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yep, I say it. I also heard that Brant McKee might be under criminal investigation.”
“Huh.”
“You wouldn’t have anything to do with that, would you?”
Actually, Melody was the one who’d had something to do with that.
Thanks to Olivia’s tip-off, they’d found the PI that Melody had contacted in Maryland about Brant McKee before she’d vanished.
The PI had thought that Melody lost interest because he hadn’t heard from her.
But, he had turned up useful evidence. And Melody had never lost interest.
Now, Brant McKee would be paying. “Guess he made the naughty list this year,” Victor said.
“Guess he did.”
Victor followed Hunter to the front door.
When he opened the door, snow was falling.
A chill swept into the house. “So, what’s next?
” Victor found himself asking Hunter. “After Christmas, you got another case to work?” Because after searching desperately for a year, after seeing what so many families faced as they fought not to give up hope…
Maybe he might want to become a part-time Ice Breaker, too. He certainly had the money to invest in the cause. But it wasn’t just him. He and Melody were a package deal.
“There’s always another case.” Hunter’s face darkened. “Always. Something I’ve learned since joining the crew.”
Victor took a deep breath. “I want to help.” No, change that. “We want to help. Melody and I are interested in doing whatever the hell we can to assist your team.”
Hunter had his red box tucked under his arm. “Thought you both might feel that way.” His head tilted to the right. “Changes you, doesn’t it?”
Yes. He’d never forget what it was like to lose the woman he loved. But Hunter was right. He was lucky. One of the very, very lucky ones.
He’d gotten her back. “We have resources to use. Mage Industries has a charitable arm. We have investments—we can help. We can make a difference.”
“I’ll call you after the holidays,” Hunter told him. “Welcome to the team.”
Victor walked into the kitchen.
“Dashing through the snow, in a one horse—” Melody stopped. Her dimple flashed. “Victor!” And she rushed toward him. She kissed him. A warm, sweet kiss. One that tasted of cinnamon.
Love.
She pulled back. A dash of flour marked her right cheek. “Where is Hunter? Is he staying for dinner?”
“He had to go. Said thanks for the cookies.”
“Aw.” Her face fell. “I was hoping to say goodbye. To tell him how grateful I am for all of his help.”
“He knows, baby, and it’s not goodbye. We’ll be working with him again.”
“We?” Delight flashed on her face. “So you told him that we want to work with him?”
Because it had been Melody’s idea for them to start helping the Ice Breakers.
“What did he say?” Melody asked.
“Welcome to the team.”
She threw her arms around him again. Did a little happy bounce.
“Merry Christmas, sweetheart,” he told her. I love you.
The Christmas music kept playing. The cookies kept baking. And Melody kissed him.
Finally. Finally. The kid who’d been looking through the windows and dreaming of a home like everyone else for so long—he’d grown up. He’d fought for what he wanted.
Melody was his family. His life.
“Merry Christmas,” she whispered against his lips.
Christmas morning…
With a smile already curving his lips, Victor opened his eyes and reached for Melody.
But she wasn’t there.
Unease slithered through him, but he blinked it away. Darkness surrounded him as he turned to face the bathroom doorway. He climbed from the bed. Crept for the door. Knocked lightly. “Melody?”
No answer.
He reached for the knob. Swung the door open. Darkness. Silence.
His heart began to beat faster. A glance at the clock on the bedside showed it was only four thirty. He’d woken early. Excited. Happy. Like a freaking kid.
But…
No Melody.
The unease inside of him grew stronger. He hit the switch on the wall, and illumination flooded through the bedroom. “Melody!” He hadn’t meant to shout. Had he?
He found himself racing out of the room. They’d fallen asleep in his bed. She’d been in his arms, and now she was just gone. His heart heaved in his chest, and fear bloomed because he’d just gotten her back.
He’d— “Melody!” He ran toward the front door.
“In here.” Soft.
From the den.
He stopped mid-run. Breath heaving, he spun toward the den. His feet pounded over the floor as he rushed to find her. Victor had a desperate need to see Melody.
And he did see her. As soon as he entered the den, soft lights from the Christmas tree spilled onto her.
Melody wore a red robe. Red was her favorite color, after all.
She had on reindeer slippers. He’d given those her, a present she’d opened last night.
Slippers that had been wrapped and waiting for over a year.
Melody stood near the stockings. His stocking, he noticed, was full. Chocolate candy bars peeked out from the top. A candy cane hooked over the edge.
“Melody?”
“Surprise.” She bit her lower lip. “I, um, thought it would be fun if I filled your stocking. A new tradition, you know, I wanted to do something nice—”
He scooped her into his arms. Ignored the pull of the damn stitches. His body shuddered against her as he buried his face in her neck.
“Victor? What’s wrong?”
You were gone. For just a moment, the whole world stopped again. Maybe he’d never fully get over the fear that she’d vanish again. Maybe he’d always be hyper protective where she was concerned. But maybe…
His head lifted. “I love you.”
She beamed at him. “Wait until you see what’s in your stocking.”
He didn’t really care what was in his stocking. The best gift of his life was right in front of him. In his arms.
But…
Maybe in a little bit, after he’d kissed her senseless and he’d made love to her underneath the Christmas tree, maybe Melody would take a peek in her stocking. It wasn’t empty. There was a small gift inside. A present he’d carefully tucked in before she’d gone to bed with him last night.
Olivia had stolen Melody’s engagement ring. The diamonds were evidence. That ring—even if they ever got the pieces back, it was tied up with pain in Melody’s mind. She deserved better. She deserved everything.
He’d gotten her a new ring.
A new ring. A new start. A new life. For them both.
She wasn’t the Ghost of Christmas Past knocking at the door. She was his present. His future. And he would spend the next fifty Christmases making every dream she had come true.
THE END