Her Mistletoe Protector

“Wait! You do have a choice. What if I promise not to press charges against you?” Rachel asked in a desperate tone. “Then will you put the gun down? I promise I won’t turn you in to the authorities. All I want is to go home with my son.”

For a moment Nick thought she may have convinced Errol with her heartfelt plea. But then Karl slowly brought the rifle up to shoulder height and bent his head forward as if to take aim.

“No!” Joey came charging out from the back end of the car carrying a thick tree branch. His shout startled Karl enough that he jerked around toward Joey’s direction, shooting wildly.

“Joey,” Rachel shrieked.

The boy didn’t stop. He must not have been hit by the wild shot, because he swung the tree branch with all his might, aiming at Karl’s knees.

Nick made a split-second decision, gathering every ounce of his strength to propel himself across the small clearing toward Errol. As the guy fell down, howling in agony, Nick kicked the rifle up and out of the way and threw himself on top of the researcher.

Within moments, Rachel had the rifle safely in her hands. “Get out of the way,” she shouted.

Nick rolled off Errol and she quickly brought the heavy stock down on Errol’s head, knocking him unconscious.

The sound of sirens, hopefully from both ambulances and fire trucks, echoed through the night. Finally, there was hope that help was soon to arrive. He didn’t have the strength to move, so he stayed right where he was.

“Joey, are you all right?” Rachel asked.

“Yes. I was afraid he was going to shoot you.” Nick heard the boy’s footsteps creeping forward. “Nick? Are you okay?”

He tried to crack a smile. “Fine, buddy. Just tired. I’m going to rest for a minute, okay?”

Rachel dropped to her knees beside him. “Come on, Nick,” she pleaded. “You can’t stay here—you need to get up! Karl isn’t dead and we can’t be here when he wakes up.”

The panic in her tone pierced his soul, so he pushed himself upright with his good arm, biting back a groan of pain. He was still dizzy and knew he’d already lost too much blood. The artery in his arm must be nicked.

Somehow, with Rachel and Joey’s help, he managed to get back on his feet. The three of them staggered toward the car and he leaned against the frame gratefully. There was no telling how long Errol would remain unconscious, so he knew they had to get out of there, and quickly. “Rachel, do you still have the car keys? Let’s see if we can drive out of here.”

“Good idea.” Rachel slid behind the wheel and jammed the key into the ignition. He closed his eyes in despair when he heard a click-click as she attempted to start the car.

“I’m sorry, Nick,” Rachel lamented, and got out of the car. “Either Karl or Gerry must have done something to the engine.”

He opened his eyes and nodded wearily. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Guess we’ll have to try and make it to the highway by walking.”

“Nick, you’re bleeding!” Joey exclaimed.

He glanced down and winced when he saw the dark stain of blood smeared across the palm of Joey’s hand. “Yeah, but it’s just a scratch,” he said, downplaying his injury. “I’ll be fine as soon as the ambulance gets here.”

Joey still looked horrified, and he hated knowing he was causing the child to be afraid again. Hadn’t the poor kid been through enough? He’d never forget the way Joey went charging after Errol with the tree branch. The kid was a true hero. “Listen, Joey, can you hear the sirens? The police will be here soon. Everything’s going to be all right.”

“Let’s go, Nick.” Rachel slid her arm around his waist, putting her shoulder under his arm to help support him. He silently prayed for strength as they made their way down the rest of the gravel driveway. The hazy smoke made it difficult to see and to breathe. The three of them coughed as they walked. He could barely see a few feet in front of his face, so he had no way of knowing if they were anywhere close to the highway.

After about ten minutes, he could feel his strength waning, even with Rachel trying to take most of his weight. He stumbled on a large rock and knew he was going to fall. Instantly, he let go of both Rachel and Joey so he wouldn’t take them down with him. He groaned loudly when he hit the ground, hard. For a moment everything went black and he stopped fighting, stopped struggling, welcoming the darkness.

“Nick! Are you all right?” From far away, he could feel someone shaking him and calling his name. Rachel? He didn’t have the strength to reassure her.