13. Chapter 13 The Hunt Begins

Chapter 13: The Hunt Begins

G rum

On my way to the community center, I’m walking with a hitch in my step because I fisted myself until I was almost raw last night. How am I supposed to work next to Joy all day when just the sight of her, just a whiff of her perfume—or better yet, a whiff of her arousal—will make it impossible for me to think about anything other than burying myself inside her?

Joy’s waiting outside, pacing nervously. I’d half wondered if she would be embarrassed today, maybe say she called Chief Brokka and asked him to relieve me of my duties, or pretend nothing magical happened between us in the elevator. That will be a powerful blow, because I can’t wait to talk to her, to kiss her again.

“Morning, Grinch,” she teases, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Does she regret what happened between us last night or is she just worried about the Santa’s Workshop event?

Should I address the elephant in the room? Or rather, the elevator in the room? I’m too chickenshit. Instead, I grunt. “Morning, Garland Girl. Ready to find out what Thornn and Sarah discovered last night?”

She nods, all business now.

A familiar voice booms from across the street. “Well, if it isn’t the newest power couple in the Zone!”

I groan as Kam approaches, his mate Emma in tow. “Don’t you have somewhere else to be, Kam? A chimney to fall down? Some reindeer shit to clean?”

Kam grins, undeterred. “And miss the chance to see Grum the Grinch playing detective? Not a chance, buddy.”

As we enter the community center, Sarah and Thornn join us, looking as tired as I feel. We make our way to the small coffee shop inside, grabbing a table in the corner for privacy.

“So,” Joy says, leaning forward eagerly, “what did you find out last night?”

Sarah sighs, stirring her latte. “Unfortunately, not much. Sykes was pretty tight-lipped.”

Thornn nods in agreement. “We overheard a few vague comments about ‘shipments’ and ‘collections,’ but nothing concrete.”

Joy’s face falls, but before disappointment can set in, Emma interjects excitedly. “But I’ve got news! I did some digging last night and into this morning, and oh boy, did I find a goldmine.”

We all lean closer as Emma pulls out her tablet. “As we suspected, Sykes isn’t into petty theft. In fact, there is no doubt the Santa’s Workshop toys were taken by mistake. You know, wrong place, wrong time. It seems the rental truck was parked close to where the thugs were supposed to pick up a yellow truck filled with stolen computers. It was on the news this morning that the police found the truck with the stolen electronics. It was a half a block from where Sam left the truck filled with toys.”

This Sykes sounds like a real piece of work, but I don’t say it out loud. I’m sure we’ve all figured that out already.

“I’ve uncovered evidence linking him to blackmail schemes, large-scale theft operations, and get this—he’s been siphoning off millions in donations meant for the Integration Zone over the past several years.”

A collective gasp goes around the table. Joy’s eyes widen in shock. “ Millions? That amount of money could have done so much good for the Zone!”

I feel a growl building in my chest. All those years of struggling, of seeing my people barely scraping by, and this human had been stealing from us? For what? A bigger house? A nicer car?

“Bad karma to steal from the poorest people on the planet.” Sarah’s voice is scathing.

Emma continues, “A lot of the activity centers around that warehouse we were at the other night. I think there might be more stolen goods inside, plus an office Sykes referred to on his work computer.”

We fall into a heated discussion about what to do next. The risks are high, but the potential to expose Sykes and recover the stolen funds is too important to ignore.

“We have to go back to the warehouse,” Joy insists. “We can’t let him get away with this.”

I shake my head firmly. “No way. It’s too dangerous. You should stay at your store while we handle this.”

Joy’s eyes flash and I see that when Miss Joy to the World lets her guard down, she can be absolutely feral.

“Not a chance, Grum. I may wear ugly sweaters and jingle bell earrings, but I’m no frail flower who needs protection. I’m in this till the end.”

Before I can argue further, Sarah pipes up. “Oh, I almost forgot! Joy, when Thornn and I were thanking Mr. Frost last night, we mentioned the toys stuck in the police evidence room. He said he’d use his connections to have them delivered here within 24 hours.”

Joy’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. “Really? Oh, that’s wonderful news!” In her excitement, she turns and plants a kiss right on my lips.

The table falls silent for a moment, then erupts in cheers and laughter. Kam whistles loudly, while Emma and Sarah exchange knowing looks as though they both won a bet.

I feel my face heat, but I can’t help the smile tugging at my lips. “Alright, alright,” I grumble, trying to maintain some semblance of my Grinch persona. “Don’t you all have some detective work to do or something?”

As the laughter dies down and we plan our next move, I catch Joy’s eye. She winks at me, a mischievous smile playing on her lips.

I guess I needn’t have worried about what happened between us last night. It certainly doesn’t seem that she has any regrets.