Page 108 of Last Chance Christmas

It didn’t matter. Whether his boss caught on or not, it would be too late.

“Let her go and take me.” Cole might have squandered his chances to make things right with his family. And if his life ended up being buried and forgotten, so be it. But he couldn’t let his choices affect Kianna. Not when she still had a family who she wanted to spend the holidays with. “She has nothing to do with this case. She’s not even an officer.”

“Oh, but she wants to support you in your grief and attend your father’s funeral.” Victoria pouted. “She’s hoping for her own Christmas miracle with you. Such a tragedy she dies with you while traveling.”

The cold air slapped Cole in the face. He wouldn’t let Kianna take the hit.

“Enough chitchat,” Mackey bellowed. “I want my crypto and outta here. We don’t have long. The countdown is already set.”

“It’s right here, Mack.” Victoria released her grip on Cole’s arm and held up a flash drive, but the gun never wavered from his skin. “I got it from that mutt at the shelter. Put the girl in the car, and I’ll take care of him.”

So their intuition had been right. They’d hidden the money with a canine.

With Victoria’s attention momentarily on the flash drive, this was Cole’s shot to take her out and pray he subdued her before she could pull the trigger.

He swung his arm and snagged Victoria’s wrist, yanking it up and behind her back. A screech tore past her lips. She whirled and rammed her elbow into his nose.

A sickening crack sent him stumbling back, and warm liquid flowed to his lips.

“The clock’s ticking,” Mackey huffed. “We gotta get out of here. In the car, now.”

Cole straightened in time to see Mackey punch Kianna in the gut.

She keeled over and heaved.

Cole raced toward the man just as he shoved Kianna into the back seat.

The door shut with a thud, the click of the lock snapped, and Kianna’s hands trailed down the window, yanking the handle.

“Cole, look out!” Kianna’s muffled scream sent him spinning around.

Victoria squeezed the trigger, and a bullet whizzed past his arm.

He spun to the side but kept his balance, prepared to turn and make a lunge for Victoria.

In Cole’s peripheral vision, Mackey held up the car key and flung it toward the steep drop-off.

Cole pivoted, ready to dive for the key. But it was too late. The fob disappeared over the edge.

Another shot rang, and a bullet whacked him in the chest. Air whooshed from his lungs, and pain spread across his pectoral muscles as he dropped to the ground.

His chest burned, and dots danced in his vision.

Victoria might have hit his Kevlar vest, but the force still sucked the air from him.

Cole went to stand, but he faltered, and his knees hit the ground. He pinched the bridge of his nose to stop the pool of blood tainting the snow.

Cole closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He wouldn’t be any good to Kianna if he passed out. And he couldn’t focus on the blood right now. It would only sap the strength he needed to muster to get himself and Kianna out of here.

Cole opened his eyes and lifted his gaze.

Mackey and Victoria had sprinted down the road, except they weren’t moving fast thanks to the still-slick roads and mounds of snow along the shoulder.

Kianna pounded on the car door.

Cole met her wide-eyed gaze.

He glanced back over at the fleeing convicts. There was no way he could catch up to and detain them. Not when they still had weapons and he was fighting to maintain consciousness.