“Who are you talking about, Hana? I haven’t taken anyone from you.” I back slowly toward the back room, hoping my dad might hear the commotion and come to my aid.
“Lucas! I’ve done everything to get his attention, but he never noticed me. All my letters and pictures. He never once came looking for me,” she mutters as she shoves the tree to the side, stalking closer to me.
I grab a few Christmas ornaments off the display and begin throwing them at her. Anything to keep her from getting too close to me.
She quickly bats them to the side and continues advancing in my direction. “Now he’s finally here, but you took him from me!”
Streaks of mascara run down Hana’s face, and her blonde hair is a mess, sticking out in every direction. I’ve never seen her look this disheveled before, but she has never blatantly attacked me either.
“Hana, listen to reason. Lucas and I just met. There’s no way he would want anything to do with me.” My steps are halted by the large throne we have for my dad to take pictures with the kids.
“I saw you leaving the Manor this morning. I saw you two going at it through the kitchen window last night. I thought I would give him one more chance to come to his senses, but he threw me to the side again. Now I have to get rid of you. It’s the only way. Then he’ll see me.”
“You saw us?” I question as step around the throne, putting it between the two of us.
How could Hana believe that going to such lengths to get his attention would work? Stalking isn’t attractive.
“He’s mine, and no one can have him but me!” Hana shouts as she comes charging in my direction. “Now be a good little girl and stay still.”
Realizing there’s no escape, I push the throne forward and run. Hana is faster than me, slashing the knife across my arm. Blazing pain shoots through me, but I can’t waste time dwelling on it. I sprint for the door, but Hana tackles me, knocking me into the Christmas village display. My head bounces off the table, causing my vision to blur as figures come crashing down around me. I turn over onto my back just as Hana straddles my waist.
My vision starts to fade as I search around me for something, anything, to keep Hana from plunging that knife into my chest.
“Now Lucas can be mine,” Hana sighs in relief as she raises the knife high into the air.
Unwilling to give in, I grip a figure lying beside me and swing my arm toward her head.
“Mistletoe?” I hear my father call, but it sounds far away. “Are you alright? What’s…”
I try to pick my head up to look for him, but it starts to spin, and I have to lay it back down. Unable to fight any longer, I let the darkness consume me.
Chapter 10
Lucas
Just as I’m pouring the pasta into the colander, the doorbell rings. I check the clock and realize it’s later than I thought. Chris must have driven Misty here when I didn’t show up. I wracked my brain trying to figure out what to make for dinner, finally deciding on spaghetti and homemade meatballs. I don’t know how to make a lot of things, but I make a fantastic sauce.
I wipe my hands on the hand towel hanging from the stove before heading for the front door.
“I don’t know why you rang the bell. This is your house.” My smile drops when I notice that it isn’t Misty at the door.
“You need to come with me. Mistletoe has been in an accident,” Chris tells me.
Panic overtakes me as images of Misty lying broken and alone filter through my mind. I was just at the shop a few hours ago. How could things have changed so drastically in so little time?
“What kind of accident?” I question as I shove my feet into my boots.
“We need to get back to the hospital. The police want to speak with you.” Chris turns and heads toward a small hatchback car.
“Police? Statement? What the hell is going on, Chris?” My vision begins to blur, and it becomes harder and harder to breathe. “I need answers. Now!”
Noticing my distress, Chris grips both of my shoulders. “I need you to calm down.”
I nod my head, willing my breathing to return to normal.
“Mistletoe is fine. The police just need to ask you some questions.”
“What happened?” I question, taking a step away from him. Now that I know she is alright, it’s easier to focus on my surroundings.
“I’ll explain on the way,” he responds before opening the driver side door and climbing in.
I quickly follow suit, rushing toward the passenger side and slamming the door shut behind me.
As the landscape speeds by, Chris begins explaining what happened. “Hana attacked her.”
“What?”
“I was in the back room and heard a commotion in the store, so I went to see what was going on. I heard Hana saying something about how she had to get Misty out of the way so you could be hers. There was a crash, and when I got out front, both of them were passed out on the floor. I’m not sure exactly how it happened.”
All my interactions with Hana filter through my mind as we race toward the hospital. She’s been throwing herself at me since the second I walked into the pizza place, but she seemed harmless enough.
“This can’t be happening,” I mumble, leaning over and resting my forehead on the dashboard as I tug at the strands of my hair. “Is Misty alright?”
Chris place a hand on my shoulder. “She’s fine. She has a gash on her arm, but the paramedics said it didn’t need stitches, and they were checking her for a concussion when I left to come pick you up.”
“Why would Hana do something like this?” I wonder aloud. “We barely know each other.”
“Who knows why people do the things they do? Let’s just get to the hospital.”
We spend the rest of the drive in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. As I think over the last couple of days, I can’t help but blame myself for this. Misty was attacked because of me. I would give up my career, money, even my life to ensure she is safe. Knowing that she is in the situation because of me is my worst nightmare come to life.
“I know that look, Lucas Barnes. Don’t go leaving my little girl,” Chris says as he pulls into the hospital parking lot. After putting the car into park, he turns in my direction. “None of this is your fault. From the sound of it, Hana would have attacked anyone that stopped her from getting to you.”
I rest my elbows on my knees and cradle my head in my hands. “You’re right. But it’s because of me that she was hurt. She could have been killed, Chris, I wasn’t there to protect her. There’s nothing I can do about any of this.”
He places a gentle hand on my shoulder.
“Love her,” he commands before opening his door. “Loving her the way she deserves is the only thing you can do.”
Chris shuts the door, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I love Misty. There is no doubt in my mind about that, but is that enough? Can I protect her from something like this happening again?
“Get your ass out of this car or I’ll drag you out,” Chris pounds on the passenger side window, startling me from my thoughts.
I open the door and climb out.
“Lucas, do you love my daughter?” he demands.