Killer Santas

Chapter 8

Elaina covered her head with her arms as she remained on the ground. This was a bad idea! Someone's found me!

Why, oh, why did I leave Victor's apartment?

The district attorney screamed and Elaina heard a thud as he fell, hitting his desk and slumping to the floor. Elaina glanced at him under the desk and saw blood staining his white shirt, spreading rapidly. He coughed weakly and then lay still, his body impossibly limp.

Elaina didn't want to move, even as she heard screams in the rest of the building. If I move, will they shoot me, too?

Carefully, she pulled her gun out of her pocket, gripping it tremblingly in her hands as she flicked the safety off. The shooter had shot through the window, only missing Elaina because she had crouched down to pick up the cash that had slid off her lap. But Eric Smith had been riddled with bullet holes and now was dead, all because she had come to talk to him.

What other explanation was there?

"Elaina!"

The voice came from behind her, outside the office. Elaina whirled in the direction of the voice, lifting her gun as she stayed on her knees, unwilling to put herself in view of the shooter.

Victor stood before her, his hands up as he watched her tentatively. "It's me, Elaina. I'm here to take you home. Please, put the gun down."

Elaina jerked the gun down, putting it into her pocket and flicking the safety back on as she crawled across the floor toward him. Victor crouched down as she reached him, pulling her up into a hug. "It's okay. It's okay."

Elaina buried her face into his shoulder, gasping and shuddering as he held her, his arms strong and comforting, his smell making her feel safe. It reminds me of Tony, she thought for a moment, before mentally shaking her head. No. Tony is not safe, he's danger. Victor is safe.

"We need to go," Victor said eventually. "Before the police show up."

"Right," Elaina said shakily, pulling away and looking up at him.

Victor helped her to her feet and the two left the offices, joining the stream of people escaping down the corridors, hysterical murmurings and cries rising into a crescendo of fear. He kept his arm around Elaina, holding her close as they headed for the doors.

The pressing of people all around her did not help Elaina calm down, did not reduce her fear. Any one of them could be Mafia, she thought. Any one of them could work for the Andrisano family. Any one of them could be looking to finish us off.

Finally, they broke out into the fresh air, hurrying down the steep steps. Victor removed his arm from Elaina's shoulders, instead wrapping his fingers around hers as he took her hand. They moved easily through the crowd, Victor leading her away from the courthouse. They avoided the policemen, Victor managing to lead her out of sight of the scene and toward his car.

Once making sure she was safely in the passenger seat, Victor headed over and swung into the car, putting his keys in the ignition. "Are you okay?" he asked as the car roared to life, turning to look at her.

Elaina nodded. "Yes." Her voice came out small. "The bullets didn't hit me."

Victor sighed in relief. "Good. Let's get home."

Elaina nodded again. She never should have left in the first place.

As they pulled out of the parking spot, Victor maneuvering into traffic, he glanced over at her again, eyes concerned, but said nothing. He tugged his jacket off carefully, alternating hands on the steering wheel to get it off, and spread it over her knees. Elaina wanted to curl up into a ball, but she couldn't do that in the car. She had to stay strong. This wasn't over yet.

Nothing was said the entire drive back to the apartment. Victor parked his Cadillac in the garage and he and Elaina hurried into the apartment complex, taking the elevator up to their floor. Only once the door was locked behind them did Victor turn to Elaina, his brow furrowed. "What were you doing at the DA's office?"

"I went to help," Elaina said quietly. "I thought maybe I could tell the prosecutor that Tony had tried to kill me, that maybe, if the police were trying to hunt Tony down, it would make it harder for him to kill us. And that maybe they would even arrest him and help us out a bit. It wasn't until I was in the office that I realized what a bad idea it was." Her voice trailed off.

Victor was quiet as he looked at her. "Thank you for trying, Elaina," he said eventually, enfolding her in another hug. "I'm just glad you're okay."

Elaina wrapped her arms around him, grateful for the excuse to bury her face in his shirt and not look at the world or him for a moment. When finally she drew back, she took a deep breath and met his eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be spotted."

Victor shook his head. "Don't worry about it. They knew we were still alive; maybe now, they'll think we're dead for a while. That will buy us more time."

"How did you know I was there?" Elaina asked, realizing his hands were still on her shoulders, her hands resting on his arms. That fact distracted her for a moment from her question and only his voice returned her attention to the matter at hand.

"I was on the other side of the street when you entered," Victor explained. "So I followed you inside. By the time I reached the office, the shooting had started."

"Do you think Tony and your father were behind it?" Elaina asked.

Victor nodded gravely. "I do. I have no doubt they were."

"Did you find out anything?" Elaina asked, remembering the reason he had left the apartment in the first place.

Victor's expression darkened. "The Secret Santa managed to kill many of my employees," he confirmed heavily. "Some have survived, but we can't count on them. We're on our own to finish this."

"But how?" Elaina demanded. "How are we going to get out of this nightmare? They're not going to let us walk away. How are we going to finish this?"

Victor remained quiet for a moment, his eyes studying her. "We're going to have to play the game, Elaina," he said at last. "We're going to have to take care of them if we're ever to have a life for ourselves."