When I hear her gleeful laugh, something inside me warms. I may hate this town, but I’m realizing I may not hate everything in it. Merry is the only exception. If this place was burning to the ground, I wouldn’t piss on it to put it out. I’d save Merry, though. I’d carry her away and take her somewhere safe and warm where she’d be so fucking grateful that she’d drop to her knees and—Shit. She’s gone.
I check my phone. She’s already made her escape down a side street.
I peer out at the square and the picturesque snow. I wish I had a flame thrower so I could melt it all, but that’s a project for another day. The slightly crooked sign is in the ground where Rudolph stood.
After making sure the coast is clear, I walk out of the alley and head around the square. The missing Rudolph is giving me goosebumps of amusement as I see how ridiculous this town’s display is without its star.
But then I see the sign. I squint and walk up to it.
“Merry Christmas, Reindeer Valley!
The Wayward Elf has struck,
and now Rudolph is stuck.
To find him, you’ll need to use all your smarts.
Clues are everywhere, now make your start.
Find the reindeer and win the grand prize,
A treasure so big it’s Santa-sized!
#FindRudolph #ChristmasTreasure
TikTok @FindRudolph”
I take a deep breath and rub my forehead. This was not part of the plan. I reach for the sign, but right as I’m about to snatch it, headlights flash across the square.
I dash to Santa’s sleigh and hunker behind it as the headlights continue to sweep past. But then they stop.
Shit! I duck lower.
The crunch of boots on snow is loud in the moonlit stillness.
“Chester, you seeing this?” A man laughs.
“Is this a prank? Should I call it in?”
It’s the sheriff. Of course it’s the fucking sheriff of this shithole. I fist my hands but stay put.
“No.” The sheriff scuffles closer. “Look at this. A treasure hunt. I wonder if the mayor set this up.”
“Wouldn’t she mention that at the council meeting?” Chester asks.
“Then it wouldn’t be much of a surprise, now would it?” The sheriff backs up. “Snap a picture of it and put it on the town Facebook page. Get the parents in on it so they can tell their kids.”
“But Rudolph’s gone, and we don’t know who took him. Shouldn’t we—”
“Then I guess we should get in on the search, too.” The sheriff laughs. “Don’t worry, Chester, if Rudolph’s truly been stolen, we’ll track down the culprit. Until then, let the town have some fun.”
“Okay then, Sheriff.” A photo snaps, and in the bright flash, I can see both men clearly. If either had looked in my direction, they would’ve easily spotted me. I don’t move, don’t breathe.
“Let’s go. I need some hot cocoa.” The sheriff crunches away in the snow, and Chester follows.
I finally let out my breath, but then I start grinding my teeth. This was not the plan. Not at all.
Once the sheriff is gone, I steal across the snow and know exactly where I’m headed. Merry’s place. Maybe I should fire her. But, no, that’d be letting her off too easily. What she needs is discipline. A firm hand. One planted right on her ass over and over until she creams—I mean, until she screams.
Yes. I can get this back on track, but I have to rein in my employee first. With prejudice. I’m hard just thinking about it. But this isn’t about my pleasure at all. It’s about showing her my authority as her employer.
I’m a man on a mission, and my wayward elf is about to find her way back onto the correct path. My path.
4
Merry
“It’s not real. Will you come down?” I try to explain to Grinchy, but she’s not having it. She’s perched on her kitty tower hissing at our new friend. She never likes anything. “I’ll put him away.” I start dragging Rudolph over toward my closet.
He’s a lot heavier than I thought he was going to be. And big. Thankfully I’m on the bottom floor of the duplex I live in, because there is no way I would have been able to lug this thing up all those stairs. There are four units in total in my building. The one above mine is empty at the moment, but the other two are occupied. I hope my neighbors didn’t see anything.
Mrs. Graham can’t see for crap, so I’m not really worried about her. I don’t think Neil would say anything even if he did see something. There’s no way he’s talking to anyone and bringing attention to himself with the constant smell of skunk coming from his unit.
I open my closet door and watch as a ton of my crafting supplies comes pouring out. Yeah, Rudolph is definitely not going to fit inside there. The only other place I can think of is my bathtub. Even then I’m not sure he’ll fit, but I’ve got to get him out of here before Grinchy loses it. I never should have given her that name. I honestly think she’s trying to live up to it.
I freeze when a loud knock sounds at my door. Before I can even ask who it is, the knob turns, and the door swings open. A giant figure lingers in the doorway.
“This isn’t what it looks like!” I scream. “I’ve been framed. I mean I won! I found him, fair and square.”
“Your door is unlocked!” The deep familiar voice of my new boss fills the room.
“Oh gosh! You scared the snow balls out of me. Shut the door before you ruin everything. I managed to sneak this thing into my house without anyone seeing, and it’s all going to go to crap.” I rush over and grab Sebastian by the hand, jerking him into my apartment, which suddenly seems to have gotten a whole lot smaller now that he’s in it. I quickly shut the door and lock it this time.
“You want to tell me why your door is unlocked?”
“Is this another one of your weird rules? I’m going to need a list or something.” This is going to be a lot to keep up with.
“What you need is a keeper. I should put you over my knee and—”
Meow! I watch in horror as Grinchy leaps off her cat tower. Sebastian catches my white fluff ball before she can land right on his head. With as tall as he is, it wasn't a far leap for her to make.
“Don’t hurt her!” I cry out as I try to grab her from his arms. I expect her to start hissing and going nuts, but the little devil begins to purr as Sebastian holds her out and away from his body.
“Well, then.” I stare at my little hussy of a cat. She’s never done this before. She and Sebastian stare at each other. I swear they are having some weird silent conversation.
“Give her to me.” I snatch her from him. What the heckers? She barely let me pick her up when I first found her. I had to bribe her with treats. I’m not jealous at all. If by some chance I am jealous, I’m not sure if it’s because Sebastian gets to hold her or because she’s being held by him.
“She’s...” He takes a long pause. “Fluffy.”
I place her back on her tower. “Probably not a great idea to call a female ‘fluffy,’ Sebastian.” I make a tsking sound. “Why are you here? It’s late. Mrs. Graham from next door would say these are booty call hours.”