Page 93 of Run, Run Rudolph
Hugo did a hop, then with his legs a blur, zipped to the old sleigh. He flicked a lighter under the rails, and sparks and the odd flicker of flame appeared in the darkness.
In a panic, Tamara and I moved as one unit, heading straight to the reindeer, our concern over hiding out from the witch forgotten. I hadn’t needed to worry though, as the two women began screeching at each other.
Tamara and I scrambled to unhook the massive harness system holding the reindeer to the old sleigh. The herd watched us while Hugo studiously obeyed his orders and tried to light their sleigh on fire.
As soon as the reindeer were free of the sleigh, I grabbed Tamara’s freezing hand, ready to make a beeline for the safety of the barn. But before we could move, the fighting women turned to face us. Mrs. Claus’s eyes were a burning red, and as she lifted an arm, Tamara froze, her breathing stilled, eyes squeezed shut.
Chapter 27
~ Tamara ~
“TM? Are you okay? Where are we?” Haden was still holding my hand. He pulled me into his arms and patted me as if he was checking for injuries.
I let out a breath, realizing where we were, and that we were safe.
“We’re in Justin’s hardware store,” I said.
“What? No, we’re not. Wait. How did we get here?”
I’d never been in this back room before, and the faint glow of the few security lights left on in the store filtered into the storage area where we stood. Still, I recognized it.
I looked down. We were wearing our winter coats like we’d bundled ourselves up and driven here. There was even snow under our boots. But we hadn’t driven here. And we hadn’t gone into the barn to retrieve our winter gear.
We were here because I’d made a wish.
I closed my eyes, realizing I’d panicked and done the one thing I’d promised I wouldn’t do during this whole fiasco. But when Mrs. Claus turned toward us with her terrifyingly empty, burning eyes, and with rage coming off her in waves, I’d feared for Haden and wished us away.
Thank goodness Estelle had instantly granted my wish. There was probably a smouldering crater outside my barn where we’d been standing moments ago, thanks to the angry Mrs. Claus.
The reindeer had been right to fear her, and to choose Santa’s side. Mrs. Claus made me want to wet my pants.
Haden, assured I was okay, released me, taking in our surroundings.
“How did we get here?” he repeated. He reached out, tentatively touching a wall with chipped paint and layers of scrub marks. When it didn’t give way, he turned to me for an answer.
Inhaling slowly, and very aware that my sensible new boyfriend—Could I call him that already? I think I could—might really lose his mind over this one. I could, too, if I paused to think about it. So, it was probably best not to.
“I made a wish. Estelle sent us here.”
“You wished to come to the hardware store?”
I nodded, wondering if Mrs. Claus would be able to follow us. “I wanted to get somewhere safe. I was thinking about ways to help while lying low, and I thought about your plan to get night vision goggles. I thought about coming here.”
Hearing the quiver in my voice, Haden tucked me into his arms. He pressed a kiss into the crown of my head. “Good thinking.”
He released me, moving to the back door and opening it wide. “My truck’s out there.” His voice was mystified. “How did I… Did I drive it?”
“I have no idea.” My legs were getting a bit shaky. The more I thought about the details and what we’d possibly just avoided back at the barn, the more worried I became. “I’m sorry I got you wrapped into this whole mess, and then wished you here without permission.”
He turned to me with an expression of disbelief. “Are you kidding? That was really quick thinking. Any time I’m about to get zapped by a black witch, feel free to send me somewhere else!”
Then he swore under his breath and jogged past me to a box on the wall containing the store’s security system. He punched in a code, then another as the light began blinking faster. It went out with his second attempt, and he sagged in relief.
“Security system,” he said.
“How do you know the code?”
“Justin uses our grad date for everything.”
