Page 101 of Run, Run Rudolph
The overhead lights flashed on, blinding me as the night vision goggles bloomed out in a sea of greenish white. Footsteps. Scuffling. Hands spinning me, pushing me to the floor. I didn’t resist, letting out a grunt as my stomach made contact with the cold, gritty floor. There was a clink of handcuffs, and I was bound.
“Hands in the air,” a female hollered.
“Tamara!” I shouted, imagining the worst.
“Hey, Stacy. Um, sorry?” Tamara said sheepishly. I turned my head, the goggles twisting off my face, and saw Tamara, hands raised, looking embarrassed.
Stacy, a member of the local police who also acted as the school resource officer, had her taser trained on Tamara, feet planted far apart.
“Is it just you and Haden?”
“Yes.”
Stacy relaxed, looking around the store, her weapon still raised. She studied me, and I smiled apologetically. She took in Tamara from head to toe.
“Stand down,” Stacy said to the officer behind her, placing her taser back in its holster on her belt.
“We got a call about the alarm. That you?” Stacy asked.
“Does Lady MacBeth ever sleep?” Tamara grumbled.
“We didn’t break in,” I said, wondering how we were supposed to explain our situation. It was true, though. We technically hadn’t performed a break and enter.
“Right,” Stacy said, clearly unconvinced. “It’s the middle of the night, and all of the security lights are off. Justin called us about an unexpected, de-armed alarm.”
Of course he did. He got notices for that, but no cameras to see it was just me?
“We were Christmas shopping,” Tamara said lamely.
“Christmas shopping?” Stacy’s tone made it clear she knew it was a lie. She kept eyeing Tamara like she didn’t quite know what to believe. I understood the feeling. She’d thrown me for a few loops tonight, too.
Everyone said she’d changed, but I didn’t think so. It was more that she was finally showing people who she truly was—fun, adventurous, bold, and yet also still that loving, quiet, unassuming woman. And now they could actually see her, since she wasn’t being overshadowed by my brother and his large personality.
“Stuff for a Christmas stag party,” I said from my spot. My cheek was getting cold from the floor, but at least they hadn’t cuffed Tamara. “I have the security code. I didn’t want to wake Justin.” Truth, truth, and more truth.
The officers were staring at us. Then Stacy eyed Tamara again, her eyes drifting to the discarded bright orange plastic gun. “Nerf gun war?”
Tamara nodded.
“Ever go paintballing?”
“Yeah. Char likes to go.”
“We need someone for our team.”
“I like to play,” I said from my spot on the floor.
Stacy held out a hand to shush me.
“We need a female.” She was still watching Tamara. “I didn’t ask you before because you’re so sweet with the kids at school. I didn’t think you’d want to shoot people with paint.”
She glanced at me for a second before returning her attention to Tamara, like she was sizing her up anew.
“But if you can actually hit someone with bags of chips, and like to sneak into stores in the middle of the night to have toy gun wars, you might be the kind of woman we need on our team.”
“I’m really not very good,” Tamara said. “Char always nails me, and Haden got me more than I got him tonight.” She gave Stacy a hopeful look. “Can we go home?”
“Hm. Shopping, was it?” Stacy asked. She looked between the two of us, and I swear she could tell we’d spent most of our time in here goofing around and making out. And basically having the best night I’ve ever had with a woman. No exceptions.
