Page 57

“Right,” he says, looking around. “Rest assured, everyone’s getting a different route, all equal and fair in distances, of course. Happy to share Agent Lambros’s route with you now.”

“I appreciate it, Todd,” I say. “And the toys. We’re delivering the ones we wrapped?”

Todd shakes his head as he taps at his phone. “All those toys are being divided up among our volunteers. They’ll be delivering the packages to multiple locations throughout the city while you and the remaining Santas deliver professional-looking presents. We wanted everything to look picture-perfect on camera.”

I’m half listening at this point because one word has snagged on the corner of my brain.

Packages. Ones that we just wrapped. Ones that Sadistic Santa also just wrapped.

Something about this feels… off.

“Okay, sent!” Todd says.

I refresh my email. Nathan’s specific route lands in my inbox, taking us to five different spots around the city. “Thanks.”

I head back to the table, singing along to the Bing Crosby song playing over the store speakers. It’s familiar. Too familiar.

Then I realize why, and my blood turns to ice.

What’s it beginning to look like? Christmas.

What’s in every store? Toys.

Toys… in every store.

I run over to Nathan, who’s crouched next to our table. “Someone messed with the legs,” he says, frowning. “A few minutes longer and it would’ve collapsed—”

“It’s here,” I blurt out.

“What’s here?”

My stomach twists itself into a bow. “The bomb.”

He’s alert and paying full attention. “Where?”

“I don’t know,” I say, my voice dangerously calm. My eyes jump over to the elevator where the Con crew has loaded up the last of the toys. “But we just wrapped it.”

PennyThoughts Feed

@RoxyNolanCityDaily

That makes two competitions done and dusted at #TheSantaClausCon! Only fifteen competitors remain. Remember, you can find a minute-by-minute play-by-play on @thecitydailynyc!

@LorettaMichaelsonDC

Wow… Who else just got inspired to rewrap their presents, but better?

@MerryMayaTakesNYC

Inspired? That was intense and dangerous AF. This is clearly a no-holds-barred competition. [attached image of Sean Monroe stealing ribbon from Freddie Lee]

@SantaBaby77

I can smell #FootballSanta’s desperation from here. Cameron wrapped those gifts so fast, and she didn’t even have a helper.

@NikkiBlue22

Think it’s true Cameron blew through all her sponsorship money already? Sounds like she really needs this win.