Jack’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts. “Did you know?”
Holly turned sharply toward him. “What?”
Jack kept his eyes on the road, his jaw tight. “Did you know Simon was the attorney going after my inn?”
The question hit Holly like a physical blow. “No! Of course not!”
The words tumbled out before she could stop them, desperate and rushed. She told him about finding the pamphlet in Simon’s desk drawer a few weeks ago. Holly had found it when they were FaceTiming with Gabe, who’d just told them he wouldn’t be home for Christmas again. Both she and Trinity had been heartbroken, needing something to look forward to.
The pamphlet showed this beautiful historic inn, decorated for Christmas, promising magic and peace. Wanting to try and save some of the year and end it in a happy place, Holly had booked it immediately. She and Trinity needed an escape, needed somewhere far away from the memories and the pain. Then Charlie heard where they were going and wanted to join them.
She’d never told Simon where they were going and hadn’t even spoken to him except in the presence of her attorney in six months. “I never knew Simon had any association with the Christmas Inn or the developer who is after it,” Holly finished, her voice raw with emotion. “I swear to you, Jack. I had no idea.”
Jack nodded slowly, his attention returning to the road.
And that’s when Holly felt it.
The shift in the truck cab. The sudden space between them thathadn’t been there before. Cold where there had been growing warmth all week.
She watched Jack’s profile as he drove. His jaw was tight, his expression unreadable. The easy comfort they’d found together over the past week suddenly… uncomfortable.
Holly’s heart sank as realization crashed over her.
He doesn’t believe me.
Holly wanted to say something more, wanted to explain further. But what was there to say that would make a difference? The facts were the facts. Simon was here because of the inn. Holly was here because she’d found Simon’s pamphlet about the inn.
The words stuck in her throat.
The silence continued as they drove toward St. Augustine. Christmas lights decorated every storefront they passed. Families walked along the sidewalks, children pointing at displays, couples holding hands. It should have been magical and romantic. Their first official real date. It was supposed to be romantic, exciting, and enjoyable. Instead, it felt like something precious was cracking apart before it had even had a chance to fully form.
2
GABE
The compound was silent. Too silent.
Gabe moved through the darkness with his weapon ready, his team flanking him on both sides. The intel had said insurgents were using this building as a staging ground, but something felt wrong. The air had that quality. It felt empty, abandoned, like they were walking into a trap that had already been sprung.
“Clear,” Rodriguez whispered from the left.
“Clear,” Jenkins echoed from the right.
They swept through room after room. Nothing. Not a soul, not a scrap of evidence anyone had been here recently. Just dust and shadows and the growing certainty in Gabe’s gut that they’d been sent on a wild goose chase.
The radio crackled to life, and Gabe’s blood turned to ice at thepanic in the voice. “Base under attack! Multiple hostilities! All units return immediately!”
The world tilted. Abi was at the base.
Running. They were running back to the vehicles, but the desert seemed to stretch endlessly, making it impossible to cross the distance as quickly as they needed to. Gabe’s legs pumped, but he wasn’t getting anywhere, wasn’t moving fast enough, would never be fast enough.
They got back to the vehicles and floored it as they drew nearer to the base. They could see smoke on the horizon. The closer it got, the darker it got.
The compound was finally coming into view, but it was wrong. All wrong. Flames, debris, people running and screaming. Shock pounded through him when he saw that the rescue teams were already there. Emergency response was already in motion. But Gabe was too late.
He pushed through crowds of personnel, screaming her name. Someone grabbed him, held him back, and he was fighting them, trying to get to her, to find her, but he couldn’t.
Gabe jolted awake.
