Santa Baby - A Mistletoe North Pole Story

Chapter 17

Chris slammed his snowmobile to a stop at the base of the stairs leading to Jamie's apartment. Looking up, he saw the door standing wide open. Light spilled from the open door. He jumped from the still rumbling machine and sprang for the bottom step. Before he landed on the first step, he jerked to a stop. He looked down and saw a white gloved hand gripping his forearm. Chris turned his head, locking eyes with Sig Olson, commander of the North Pole Security Force. He pulled his face mask up to speak.

"What the hell Olson?" he growled, each word visible as puffs in the cold air. He hadn't heard Olson's machine come to a stop next to his.

"I know you're worried about Ms. Winter, Chris," the big man had pulled his mask up too. "But you need to let me do my job. We don't know what's waiting for us inside." He nodded his head once at the open door at the top of the stairs. "I'll go up and check it out first."

Chris scowled but nodded knowing Sig was right. A sound from the left caught both men's attention. Sig let go of Chris's arm, and both of them turned in that direction. They stood tense, ready for whatever threat was coming.

"Chr...Chris?" Kandy's voice sounded hoarse and broken. Chris relaxed at the sound of her voice, watching her walk toward him, stopping in front of him. She looked up, and he could just make out the tears that looked frozen on her cheeks. He opened his arms, and she fell into them, a sob escaping her.

"Ru...Rudy..." She stammered out looking up into his face. "I ne...need to kno...know if he's OK?" Chris sighed, What do I tell her?

"Rudy is just fine, Kandy," he started to reassure her, "He's tough-"

She pushed away from him. "Don't you da...dare try to bullshit me, Chris!" She glared up at him. "Whe...re is he? Is he hur...t?" Her teeth chattered in the cold.

Again he sighed, "I don't know where he is. NPSF has people out looking for him and a few others that are missing. I know he's not at the clinic." Chris looked up and over his shoulder to the open doorway. Kandy followed his gaze, drawing in a sharp breath of cold air.

"On God, Chris. Jamie...I'm so sorry. How could I forget she's missing too?"

He looked back down at her. "It's OK, Kandy. He's your mate, he should be the one you think of first. But I need to go-"

"Boss?"

Chris looked back, seeing Olson standing at the halfway point of the stairs.

"You need to come up here." He gestured to the open apartment. Chris nodded before turning back to Kandy. He started to say something, but she didn't give him a chance.

"Go." She took a step back, wrapping her arms around herself. The cold was biting, even though she had bundled up against the cold. She swiped at the traces of frozen tears still clinging to her cheeks. "Find Jamie, find them both." Chris nodded, his lips tightening into a grim line.

"Go home where it's warm. I'll let you know as soon as we find Jamie, Rudy, and the others." She nodded, turning and walking back the way she had come. The door to where she and Rudy lived was just a few feet away. "Kandy?" She looked back, "Lock your door." She gave him a wan smile before walking away.

Chris turned to the stairs, taking them two at a time until he reached the door, stopping just inside the room. Olson stood in the center, his eyes sweeping the surrounding room, taking in every detail.

"What did you find?" Chris asked looking around the room focusing in on the big man.

Olson walked toward him. "The room doesn't appear to be disturbed, except at the door. It looks like Ms. Winter's opened the door-"