Chapter 26

 

A burst of gunfire sent Rye diving to the ground behind an air conditioning unit. Shit. His radio crackled as other officers reported in, yelling over the sound of shots being fired from the house they had surrounded a few minutes earlier.

Information led them to believe the storage facility for a large amount of cocaine and the place where sales transactions took place would be empty for another hour. Just their luck the thugs decided to change up their normal schedule tonight, leaving the cops out of position and in a gunfight with drug runners both inside and outside the house.

What was supposed to be an easy cat and mouse game turned into a small war zone.

A bullet whizzed by Rye's head only to bury itself in the metal currently serving as his only protection. Coming to a crouching position, he leveled his revolver in the direction the shot came from and fired. A hail of return ammo hurtled back.

Curling into a ball, he scanned the darkened area for another position, anything that might serve as better cover and get him out of the middle of no-man's land. Nothing within a thirty foot circle, save a skinny tree. Fuck. Pinned down, he couldn't shake the feeling of being a sitting duck, just waiting for one of those high-powered shells to hit home.

He quickly spoke into his communication microphone attached to his shoulder and ducked as more shots came his way. Others answered in a barrage of chaotic statements from adrenaline-charged officers. No one offered up suggestions on how to escape the certain death trap he waited in now.

For a split second, his thoughts turned to Brie. To the Christmas present he'd stashed inside their first tree. If he didn't get out of this mess…

A smaller body bumped into his as if he were a catcher defending home base and a runner had slid in just under his tag. "What the…?" He'd not even seen anyone close.

The man quickly righted himself and grinned in the dim light from numerous squad cars, pole lights, and flashlights. His green outfit said it all. "Jingle! Get out of here!"

The self-proclaimed elf shook his head, the ever-present bell on the end of his hat ringing, though the high-pitched sound proved hard to hear with all the guns being fired. "Come on. I know a way out."

Rye blinked. "We're pinned down, in case you haven't noticed. Although, how you got here, I don't have a damn clue."

Jingle crawled to the far side of the air conditioner. "Are you going to sit here and bitch or follow me out of this hellhole?"

Rye quickly did the math, figuring out his chances one way versus the other. "Lead the way."

Jingle peeked around the makeshift cover, then whistled sharply. Silence reigned where loud barks from weapons ruled before. "Now!" Grabbing Rye's sleeve, he tugged hard.

Leaping to his feet, Rye sprinted behind the smaller man, not stopping until he slid behind a parked police car, nudging in beside Jingle, well out of the middle of the gun battle. Breathing hard, he studied the elf for a long moment. "How? Why?" For the life of him, he didn't have a clue how Jingle had made his way to him in the first place, let along got them out without a single wound.

"Like I said. I'm an elf. Your guardian angel elf." Jingle grinned wide enough to show even, white teeth and scratched at his forward slipping cap.

Rye shook his head. "I…thank you." While he didn't believe in elves or Santa Claus, he didn't understand how he'd just escaped unscathed. Maybe, just maybe, something magical did exist.

"Welcome." With a quick wave, the elf darted behind a large tree away from the action, then disappeared.

Ten minutes later, the standoff ceased as all the suspects ran out of ammo, grew tired of breathing clouds of tear gas, threw down their weapons, and exited the house with their hands up. Despite the hundreds of shell casings strewn about, no one suffered even a broken fingernail in the entire exchange. A miracle if there ever was one.

 

* * * *

 

He replayed the whole situation numerous times in his mind on the drive home. Yet no matter how many times he saw the event in his memory, he came up empty-handed in answers. Where Jingle had come from, he didn't have a clue. Even odder, the elf had whistled and all shooting came to a halt, long enough for them both to escape their pinned-down position and rush to safety. He'd never seen anything remotely similar in his years as a cop. Probably never would again.

He owed his life to the man.

Turning onto his street, he noticed two men working in a front yard, wearing pine green suits identical to Jingle's and sporting the same silly hat. One plugged in a huge snow globe containing a snowman family, watching as the decoration first stood, then began to blow fake snow around inside to rival a blizzard. His partner in crime hung large round colorful Christmas bulbs on an evergreen tree growing just left of the center of the yard.

Just what I need tonight, invasion of the Christmas decoration elves.

Slowing to a halt, Rye rolled down the window and motioned the snow globe guy over. Red curls peeked out from under the man's cap, somehow adding to the holiday suit. "What are you doing?"

"Decorating."

Rye rolled his eyes. "You are going to take all this down after Christmas, right?"

"Maybe." The elf shrugged as if unconcerned.

"Make that an 'absolutely'." He gave the elf a stern look. "I would hate to have to track you down because some elderly resident tried to get those decorations off her tree, fell, and broke her hip."

The elf's eyes widened as if he'd never considered the possibility. "We'll make sure they get taken down. Promise." He raised a hand covered in green mittens.

"Good."

Only then did he drive forward, eager to put the physically and emotionally draining night behind him.

Twenty minutes later, he tossed his damp towel aside and slid under the covers. Wrapping his arms around Brie, he tugged her against his body, her back to his front. Resting his chin on top of her crown, he thanked his lucky stars he was able to once more hold the woman he loved.

Brie sighed and stretched. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Just really glad to be home," he whispered against her ear, and rubbed his hands over her bare belly.

She flipped over and studied his face in the light provided by the street lamp pouring through the window. Cupping his cheeks with her hands, she kissed him gently. "Did I tell you how much I love you today?"

Tension ebbed from his body. "I don't think so."

"More than life itself." She hugged him close and snuggled in.

Her profound words cascaded over him. Pulling her flush, he found peace and happiness in simply cuddling with her. "Ditto." Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep with more questions than answers. However, one thing he knew for certain. He wanted to spend the rest of his days with Brie.