Page 72 of Ice Cold Christmas

“But he didn’t. He went after his goal.” He looked directly at Melody. “You, sweetheart.”

When the blade had sliced at her, he’d known that he was too far away. That he couldn’t get to the attacker in time. The blade had gone straight toward her.

Then she’d fallen.

Luckiest fucking fall of her life.

“He had a target.” Victor knew this with certainty. “Someone wanted him to take out Melody.”

Angus shuffled forward. “Uh, yeah, I get that it’s been a stressful night, but that’s one big-ass conclusion,” Angus told him.

“And like I told you during our marathon interrogation session, some asshole with a gun tried to shoot Melody at her father’s estate. That’s two attempts now. Two.” He was not going for attack number three. “The person who took Melody from me—that bastard knows she’s returned. That person wants her eliminated.” He rolled back his shoulders. “We need to find out if that kid happened to own a blue pickup truck.”

“Benny didn’t own shit.” A pause. Then, musing, “But he was a real pro when it came to boosting. And he always liked trucks.”

Could Benny have been the shooter at the Mage estate? If the kid had lived, they could have gotten so many answers.

If the kid had lived…shit, dead at twenty. So young.

“Dammit.” A long sigh from Angus. “Benny, why the hell didn’t you just stop?”

He hadn’t stopped, though, and now he was just a body in the morgue.

Chapter Nineteen

The limo door clicked shut. Warmth filled the interior. Warmth and heavy silence.

The driver headed around to the front of the vehicle. A few moments later, the limo pulled away from the police station.

Melody didn’t speak. Victor’s hands curled into fists. She had to be terrified. After all that she’d seen?—

“Are you okay?” she asked him.

She was worried about him? Screw that. Why the hell would she worry about him? She’d been the target of the attack. And then to see that van slam into the kid…It was like a scene straight from your nightmares, wasn’t it, sweetheart?

“Victor?” Her hand reached out to touch his clenched fist. “Are you all right?”

He’d nearly let her get killed. Right in front of him.

They were alone in the back of the limo. The privacy screen separated them from the driver. Jenner knew to take them home.

“I couldn’t get that kid to talk.” Victor could still feel the pump of Benny’s blood against his fingers. “I needed to know why.”

Her fingers squeezed his. “You think the why—you think it’s me.”

He stared into her eyes. “Don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Me, too.” A whisper.

The limo turned to the right. Rain was falling lightly. Rain, not snow. The roads would turn into black ice soon with the frigid temps.

The van had no chance to stop. The roads were too slick. And the kid just raced right out into the street, without looking. Too afraid of what was behind him.

Victor had been behind him.

“I don’t understand why any of this is happening,” she murmured.