Page 4 of Fourth Heartwarmers Trilogy
Feeling slightly foolish because he wasn’t even sure he believed an angel named Clarence had spoken with him, his instincts flared when those words beckoned. He meant to see where they led.
In the next block, he saw the small sign lit in the window of an older building that looked like it might have been a hotel in its past. In Need of Help? He imagined that to any youngsters who had nowhere else to go, this would be like a lifeline. Seeing as how the wind had picked up, shivering, he stepped up the stairs and opened the door. Chimes echoed and made him smile.
Inside, he saw a narrow counter with a green desk lamp on one side. It reminded him of an old hotel entrance from when he wasa boy. Cubbyholes where keys with plastic room tags decorated the wall behind.
A spruce smell wafted towards him from where a giant Christmas tree stood in the corner. It had been decorated with tiny white lights and loads of colored balls, ribbons and mounds of fluffy white softness that resembled snow.
A woman with her head down, cradled by her arms, sleeping, stirred when the bell tinkled. As she lifted her head, he could see her desperately shaking off the drowsiness that must have overwhelmed her to the point where she’d dropped off.
“I’m sorry, I guess I fell asleep.” She shoved her thick hair to the back where the golden mass flowed. “Can I help you?”
Noel saw the exhaustion imprinted on her lovely face, and his heart came to a complete stop. Everything in his body hit a wall of incredulity. This pretty – no gorgeous – woman mattered. Why, how… hell, he had no idea. Floored beyond any reasonable understanding, he just knew he could no more walk away from her than he could stop aching with sorrow for his lost family.
Before the shock cleared, the bells pealed when the outer door flew open. He found himself pushed back behind the offending obstacle.
A pretty young girl rushed in, her face bruised and swollen. Obvious to anyone with eyes and a heart, the terrified teen was in a heap of trouble. Muttering incoherently, blood pouring from a cut over her left eye, she voiced her panic.
“Help me, Mary. Ralph’s coming. Hide me. Oh God, he’s crazy tonight.”
Gesturing wildly, waving the girl to hide under the counter, Mary’s steely expression highlighted the determination in blue eyes full of shimmering ice. “Quick. He’s coming.”
Being ignored didn’t bother Noel as much as seeing the panic and fear the females displayed. Again, before he could calmtroubled waters, he jumped aside just as the door flung open so brutally that it crashed against the wall, cracking the window.
“Where is she, Mary?”
“Go away Ralph. She’s not here.”
“You’re lying. I saw her come this way. She’d better get her ass out here right now, or I’m gonna—”
“You’re gonna do nothing, my friend, other than leave.” Noel had never felt anger like he did at this moment. It was like all the pain he’d experienced recently, the disbelief of learning about his family, the knowing he’d have to live the rest of his life alone; all that anguish gave him the strength to take a stand against such obvious tyranny. “Leave.”
The thin, well-muscled youth in front of him sneered. His wild eyes were glassy and unfocused. “You gonna make me, old man?” He pulled a gun from the back of his jeans, aimed and pulled the trigger.
Click!
Not knowing who was more shocked, Noel or the idiot wearing a WTF expression, Noel slapped the useless weapon out of the other man’s hand. He’d never been in a fight and had no idea what to do, other than what he’d seen in the movies. And that wasn’t reality.
While the other man’s astonishment remained, Noel tried to push him out the door only to have the younger man retaliate with a punch to his face. Shaken but not finished, Noel knew he had to retaliate or Ralph would win, and that was unthinkable.
Ducking a fist coming his way and using his feet like he’d been taught years before in Taekwondo, Noel’s kick to the stomach put the intruder on the floor. The next one, aimed to his head, put him out cold. Thanks to his mother taking action when her young boy came home crying from being bullied, she’d marched him down to self-defence classes and made him stick it out. Tonight was the first time all that training had paid off.
Breathing hard from the unfamiliar exercise, Noel grabbed the lifeless body and dragged it over to the staircase. “Quick, get me a rope, something to tie him to the railing with, and call the police.”
Within minutes, Mary handed him a large plastic tie and lifted Ralph’s arm so Noel could imprison it.
“Thanks.”
“No. Thank you. I don’t know what we would have done if you hadn’t been here. The maniac tried to kill you. I called the police.”
“Good, this crazy punk needs to be in prison.”
The young girl, cowering behind Mary, spoke - her tone fearful yet defiant. With tears pouring through the trembling fingers she held to her face, she begged, “No, you should just let him go. He’s high from some crap they were using earlier, and he’s lost his mind. That’s why he pulled his gun, he’s not thinking straight. If you send him to jail, there’ll be major payback from his brother, Duggan. Mary, you know that.”
Mary stood, her slenderness covered in tight jeans and a red Christmassy sweater that showed off her luscious curves. “It’s time to end this, Josie, once and for all. You’ve been pushed around for the last time by this lunatic. Ever since Ralph decided he wanted you, your life has been pure misery. No more.”
“God, Mary. You don’t know what you’re saying. They own half the businesses in town and quite a few cops. His brother is a big shot. We can’t win.”
“Maybe, but that idiot busting in here tonight with a gun makes it a game-changer. Now we have to try. It’s against everything I believe in to just let them walk all over the good and decent people in Bedford Falls and what they stand for.”
