Chris’s expression goes dead cold.
I stop at the gate, fingers brushing the metal, and the second I see the damage up close, a blast of ice shoots through my bloodstream. “The bastards cut the locks.”
Chris reaches me a moment later, and the second his eyes land on the severed metal, his whole expression turns murderous. He runs a thumb over the edge, jaw tightening. “Assholes.” He rolls his shoulders as though he’s warming up for a fight. “They cut the lock, moved fast, and took every single one of our animals. But why?”
We lock eyes, and his eyebrow rises as the answer slams into me. A red-hot anger burns in my veins. “What if that bastard, Scot, found out what Hannah planned for tonight with the reindeer?”
Chris’s jaw goes tight enough to crack. “Corn Dog is supposed to be the star.” His voice drops to something dark. “That’s from Scot’s playbook—to sabotage.”
“Whoever did this knew Hannah’s plans.”
Chris drags a hand over his face, furious and thinking fast. “She only told the council team. And us. You don’t think someone in the council?—”
“Leaked it?” My laugh is sharp and humorless. “What’s the bet that Scot paid one of those fuckers to give him insider information?”
My phone is in my hand before I consciously grab it. I dial Noel. He answers on the first ring. “Kane? What happened?”
“They’re gone,” I say.
A beat. “Who?”
“Our reindeer.”
Chris steps close so Noel can hear him. “Four assholes broke onto the property and took every one of them. Corn Dog included.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Chris growls. “I mean, the show can still go on, but Hannah has promised a reindeer show to the council, who all agreed and are attending to view Corn Dog. They are about to start advertising the magical reindeer on the radio to get more attendees tonight.”
There’s a moment of heavy, deadly silence. “Shit!”
“Look, Hannah is going to absolutely freak when she finds out.”
“Tell her we’re working on a solution, that we’re handling it, but try to keep her calm if you can. We’re almost certain Scot has something to do with this.”
“That fucking bastard.” Noel’s voice goes cold and lethal in a way I’ve only heard a handful of times, usually right before someone ends up in the hospital. “We still don’t know where the hell he’s actually living, or I’d go wring his neck right now. I’d bet every dollar I have that we’d find our reindeer tied up in his backyard.”
Chris suddenly grabs my arm hard enough to leave bruises, his eyes lighting up with realization. He’s pulling out his phone, scrolling frantically through something with his other hand.
“What?” I mouth at him.
He snatches my phone right out of my hand and puts it on speaker, still scrolling through his photo gallery on his phone. “Hey, Noel, I’m sending you a photo right fucking now. You know the mountain areas around Whispering Grove way better than Kane and me. Do you recognize this cabin or anything about the location in this picture?”
There’s the sound of his phone buzzing on the other end, then silence as Noel examines the photo Chris sent him of Scot with his two criminal buddies.
“I’ve never seen that specific cabin before. It’s not anywhere I’ve been personally,” Noel answers after a long pause. “But wait, hold on… that waterfall in the background. It’s not super clear in the photo, but the shape of it, the way it comes down the rock face in two tiers… that looks familiar. I can’t place it exactly, but it’s definitely triggering something in my memory.”
“Think you can find it if we come get you right now?” I ask, hope sparking despite the urgency and stress of the situation.
“Yeah, I can try. If I’m thinking of the right spot, and I’m like seventy percent sure I am, it’s deeper into the dense woods on the eastern side of the mountain. Probably a solid thirty-minute drive from town.”
“Okay, good. Perfect. We’re coming right now to grab you,” I say and am already moving toward the truck. “Hang tight and update Hannah for us. Tell her—fuck, I don’t know what to tell her that won’t make her completely panic.”
“I’ll handle it,” Noel says, and I hear the determination in his voice.
“On our way.” We hang up. “Keys,” I bark at Chris as we both sprint toward the truck. He doesn’t question it, just yanks them from his pocket and throws them. I snatch them out of the air with one hand, and we dive into the cab, the doors slamming shut hard enough to rattle the frame.
The instant my seat belt clicks, I’m reversing so fast that gravel sprays across the yard like shrapnel. The truck fishtails slightly before gripping, and then we’re flying down the road.
I need this speed to pour all my violent energy into before it explodes out of me.
