Chapter Eleven
Oskar led Kiana and Gabi into the foyer of his cottage where they stopped to remove their coats and hats. He knelt down next to Gabi on the stone floor. "Why don't you head into the great room and warm up in front of the fire, Honigbienchen. Kiana and I will make some hot cocoa and bring it out in a second." He squeezed her hand. "There's a big pile of Dr. Seuss books in the basket next to the sofa."
Gabi shot him a lop-sided smile. "Thank you, Oskar. I love Dr. Seuss." She skipped away, humming under her breath.
Kiana shook her head as she watched the young girl dash from the room. "She needs new clothes. Those are ragged.
No wonder she's so cold. And a nice, hot bath tonight. I think—"
He pulled Kiana into his arms and searched her face for signs of shock. She looked surprisingly well-composed. "I promise Gabi will be well taken care of. I know you must be stunned about all of this. Don't you have any questions for me?"
Kiana sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.
"It's easier for me to deal with Gabi's needs than to think too closely about what's going on here." She paused and looked up at him. "Is this really happening? How can no one else know about this place?"
Oskar smiled. "Glasdorf literally means 'village of glass' in German. The elves have constructed a magical castle to hide our location. It's only visible to the Klaus family. A few 152
outsiders know about us, but not many. There is too much at stake."
"The sleighs really fly?" Kiana grimaced as she spoke the words.
"Uh huh. It's elfin—"
"—magik, right?" She quirked a brow at Oskar. "I'm getting the idea."
Oskar laughed and tightened his hold on her. "I'm amazed at how well you are dealing with all of this. I know it must be unsettling..."
"Honestly, I'm trying not to think about it. But Gabi's safety is more important than my nervous breakdown."
He always wondered how a Suddie would handle the irrefutable fact that Santa Claus was alive and well in the North Pole. Most adults would be in hysterics by now. Oskar was impressed with Kiana's calm demeanor as she processed the shocking information. And touched by her concern for Gabi.
Kiana cleared her throat. "So when you told me you were Director of Human Resources for Klaus Enterprises, what you really meant was...."
He nodded. "Not actually 'human' resources."
She shook her head. "You weren't kidding when you said your employees were a handful."
"Yeah, and believe me when I tell you the kids at Brockman's look like a choir of angels in comparison."
"Okay. So, I think you're entitled to a bit of complaining.
You're in charge of Santa's elves." She laughed nervously.
"Your job just took on a whole new level of difficulty. I will 153
never complain about the kids at the New York Public Library again."
Oskar stroked a thumb across her cheek. "Are you sure you're okay after that sleigh ride? I'm still having heart palpitations thinking about that." He frowned and ran his hands over her arms, re-checking for injuries.
"I'm fine, Oskar. Really. Although, I'd rather not repeat the experience any time soon." She bit her bottom lip. "I never meant to get you into any trouble. I hope your...Council...won't be mad I'm here."
"Don't worry. If we play our cards right, the Council will never know." He brushed a silky strand of hair from her forehead. "Why don't we make Gabi some hot chocolate? I want to show you around my place."
"All right. I could use a cup myself. It was freezing in that sleigh."
He grasped Kiana's hand and steered her into his kitchen.
She was quiet as he assembled a platter of hot cocoa, peppermint sticks and bowls of whipped cream. He could tell she was ruminating over her new-found knowledge.
When they entered the great room, Kiana stopped dead in her tracks and gasped.
"Oh. My. God." She turned to Oskar, shaking her head.
"You have got to be kidding me."
Oskar grinned and set the platter on a table in front of Gabi. "I knew you'd love it. What do you think?"
Wall to wall bookshelves lined the perimeter of the room and stretched up to the ceiling. Ladders on coasters jutted out from a brass banister about twelve feet up. There were 154
labels on every shelf, cataloguing biographies, poetry, children's literature. Literally, every topic under the sun.
Oskar had installed spot lights and reading nooks all over the room, big comfy sofas and chairs to curl up in, and angled reading tables for larger volumes. This room was his pride and joy, a bibliophile's Shangri-La. No one would appreciate it more than Kiana.
"Do you have any idea how many books you own?" she asked, gaping at the collection.
"No, not really. I guess I have a bit of a hoarding problem," he joked.
Gabi giggled. "He has a great collection of Dr. Seuss books." The girl lifted a mug of cocoa and closed her eyes as she inhaled the steaming beverage.
"I have never seen anything like this in my life. Is your whole house like this?" Kiana asked.
"Well, I have book shelves in every room of my cottage, but I'm running out of space." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Unfortunately, I had a ton of books in my office, too. But now they're toast."
Kiana's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"
"You remember I got that call about an emergency?" He asked. Kiana nodded. "Well, there was an explosion and fire at the Glasdorf Recreational Plaza. The theater and my office were destroyed."
Kiana gasped. "Oh, Oskar. That's terrible. Was anyone hurt?"
"Thankfully, no. But I need to figure out what's going on before someone does get hurt." He looked at her concerned 155
expression and shook his head. "Believe me, I did not want to leave you."
Gabi's eyes grew wide. "Oskar?" her voice wobbled. "Was the entire theater really ruined? I'm...so sorry." A tear slipped down her cheek.
"Don't worry, Gabi. Everything will be okay. The fire's out and we'll rebuild it better than ever."
Gabi nodded, but did not look convinced.
"It sounds like I picked a bad time for a visit," Kiana murmured.
He placed his hands gently on her shoulders. "I don't care.
I'm really glad you're here."
She blinked at him in surprise. "Me, too," she answered softly.
He ran one finger down her cheek and leaned in closer.
"God, your lips look sweet..."
"Yo! Boss!"
They spun to find Boris ambling toward the great room.
"Sure am glad Ingo stopped by with that information. It's a good lead—"
Boris stopped abruptly and stared at Kiana. "Uh, boss, you know there's a Suddie in your house."
Kiana glanced at Oskar for some direction.
"Yeah, Boris, I know. Boris Kohl, this is Kiana Grant.
Librarian, Stow-Away, Moon Goddess. Kiana, this is Boris, my assistant. By the way, he's an elf." Oskar watched in amusement as Boris' mouth fell open, and his cigar fell to the floor.
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Kiana raised a brow at Oskar. "Very funny, Oskar." She walked over to Boris and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you."
Boris nodded and took her hand. "Well, isn't this....unexpected." He swallowed nervously. "Mind if I ask who you are exactly, and how you got here?"
Oskar answered for her. "I met her at Gregor's party last night. And she snuck a ride in the sleigh, in the damned trunk."
Boris glanced at the love bites on Kiana's neck and nodded. "Looks like you got to know her real well at the party, Boss."
Kiana clamped a hand over her neck and glared at Oskar, who was trying to muffle his laughter.
Boris' eyebrows rose. "By any chance does the Council know...."
"No. And they are not going to find out either. I expect you to keep your mouth shut, since the Council would have a heyday with this." He shot his assistant a serious look.
"Unfortunately, we need to make plans to get Kiana home as soon as possible...."
Kiana spun on her heel to face him. "No! I am not going home until I'm sure Gabi is safe."
"Gabi's here?" Boris asked.
The little girl poked her head over the sofa. "Hi, Mr. Kohl.
Want to share my hot chocolate?"
Boris hustled over to the child and leaned down, frowning.
"Where exactly have you been, child?" He noticed the bruise 157
on her face, then turned to Oskar with disgust. "Is this what I think it is?"
Kiana headed over to Gabi and added some more cocoa to her mug. "Boy, this chocolate smells good. How about some extra whipped cream?" She stroked the girl's hair. "I'm going to have a little chat with Oskar and Boris in the kitchen. I'll be right back, sweet pea."
Oskar nodded in agreement and tugged Kiana out of the room, with Boris following behind. Her expression as she watched over Gabi was both fierce and protective. Hell, this was going to be another complication. He lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Kiana, I'll make sure Gabi is okay. Believe me, I'm not letting her go back to Wiebe after signs of abuse," he said.
Boris scowled. "What a sorry excuse for a father. Wiebe should be strung up by his damned boots."
"I gave her my word she would be safe. I am not leaving until I'm sure her stepfather is out of the picture. I mean it, Oskar, you can't make me go," she insisted, defiantly. She glanced through the doorway toward Gabi and sighed. "I gave her my word."
Oskar shook his head. "If you could stay, I would let you.
But you don't understand. I'm on probation with the Council.
They gave me an ultimatum last time. One more mistake and they'll kick me out of Glasdorf." He reached for Kiana's hands.
"And there's some crazy-ass elf running around torching stuff.
It's way too dangerous for you to stay here right now."
Boris raised an eyebrow at Oskar. "Well, boss, if the two girls stay hidden at your place, maybe we can talk to your 158
mum and get the wheels turning for Gabi to be placed with another family. And for a formal investigation to be conducted by the Council. We've still got a lot of work to do about the arsonist. Actually, it would be helpful to have someone looking out for the Honigbienchen while we're working."
Oskar scratched his head. "I don't know. I still don't like it."
"Boris has a point, Oskar." Kiana shot him a pleading look.
"Maybe I can help you with your investigation, too."
"Oh, no. No, no, no. Way too dangerous. There is Dark Magik involved and I don't want you to have anything to do with it."
"Wiebe might be involved with that, too. In fact, we should question Gabi and see if she knows anything," Boris said.
Kiana held up a hand. "Not tonight. She's exhausted."
They all turned to find Gabi's head resting on the coffee table.
"She needs a bath and a good night's sleep. It's obvious to me she's been sorely neglected." Her voice broke and she turned away from Oskar.
He slid an arm around Kiana's waist. She glanced up at him, tears in her eyes, then burrowed her head against his shoulder. "That poor girl. She was very brave to run away at such a young age. I don't want to see her get hurt anymore."
He rubbed her back. "I swear to you she'll be safe. My mother is like a lioness with her cubs when it comes to the elfin kids in Glasdorf. She'll find a wonderful family for Gabi.
And Wiebe will get what's coming to him."
She turned her face to look at him. "So, can I stay? I made a promise to Gabi. I won't be any trouble."
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Kiana's misty eyes pleaded with him. There was no way he could deny her. "Just until Gabi's set up in a new foster home.
Then I'm sending you right back to New York. I want you far away from here until the arsonist is discovered. Okay?"
"Thank you." She tightened her arms around him, and Oskar wished he could hold onto her indefinitely.
"Do you have a guest room where I can put Gabi to bed for the night?" Kiana asked.
"Absolutely." He wiped the tears from her face with gentle fingers. "I'm glad you brought her here. She's lucky to have you looking out for her."
Kiana smiled at him. "I knew you would understand."
Boris lifted Gabi in his arms. The little girl's face was covered with chocolate, and she was sound asleep. "Where to, Boss?"
"Let's put her in the back bedroom. Tomorrow we'll get her some new clothes and toys."
Boris grinned, a new unlit cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth. "Well there's certainly no shortage of toys in Glasdorf," he added with a smirk.
Kiana hurried ahead of Boris to pull down the covers on the bed. She and Boris tucked Gabi under the blankets.
Oskar handed Kiana a wet washcloth to clean the little girl's face, and layered some extra quilts on the bed. Gabi never stirred.
"Here's my old teddy bear. Why don't you pop this into bed with her?" Oskar offered the bear to Kiana who looked at the toy and laughed.
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"What did you do to this poor stuffed animal?" she asked incredulously.
The bear, named Stanley, had stuffing dangling from an injury on his left side, one button eye hanging on by a thread, an ear missing, and an artificial leg. The fur was matted and stained.
He shrugged. "Stanley's been strapped to a snowboard, tossed off a three-story building with a parachute that didn't open, dipped in hot fudge, was the mascot for the elf curling team, which may have involved being crushed by a forty-four pound granite curling stone..."
Kiana shook her head. She sniffed the bear and grimaced.
"How about we give her a pillow to hug tonight and tomorrow we'll get her a new teddy bear."
He feigned disappointment. "Stanley's hurt."
Kiana cocked her head to the side. "I'm sure he'll get over it." They both turned to see Boris tucking more blankets around the sleeping girl, and crooning softly.
"Well, look at that. I guess Boris is a multi-faceted guy.
He's been a bachelor for so long, I didn't think he really liked kids."
Oskar, Kiana and Boris stepped out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind them.
Oskar turned to Kiana. "You'd better text your roommate and let her know you're not coming home tonight. I don't want her to worry about you." He handed her a cell phone.
"Oh! Thank you for reminding me. I totally forgot about Trish. And she does worry...a lot. Luckily I'm on vacation this 161
week because of the holiday so the library won't even notice I'm missing."
"How about Mr. Brockman?"
Kiana nodded. "I'll call him tomorrow." She stared at the cell phone. "So, you get cell phone service in the North Pole?"
"It's—" Boris started to say.
"Elfin magik, right? Sheesh. That's pretty damned convenient. How are your roaming charges up here?" she asked sarcastically.
Oskar started laughing. "Believe me, elfin magik has its draw-backs, too. It's not all fun and games. What are you going to tell Trish about your absence?"
Kiana paused. "I'll tell her I've decided to take a spontaneous trip out of the city for a few days. I do that sometimes."
Boris saluted and headed for the front door. "I'll see you in the morning, Boss. Don't worry about all this stuff. We'll get everything squared away tomorrow. Nice to meet you, Miss Grant."
"Nice to meet you, too, Boris."
"Kiana?" Gabi's sleepy voice called out from the bedroom.
Kiana hurried back to the room and pushed open the door.
"What is it, sweet pea?"
"I don't want to sleep alone. Could you...could you...."
Kiana smiled at the little girl and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Wanna have a slumber party tonight?"
Gabi's face lit up. "Oh, yes, please. Wiebe doesn't let me go to parties. Says they're a waste of time."
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Kiana's smile slipped for just a moment and then she was fluffing up pillows on the other side of Gabi's king size bed.
"Well, we girls know slumber parties are an extremely important part of life, right?"
"Promise if you guys decide to have a pillow fight to give me a call. I'm actually Pillow Fight Champion of the World.
Just ask my brothers." Oskar winked at Gabi.
Kiana laughed. "Hmm. Maybe tomorrow, Mr. Champion.
Tonight Gabi needs a good night's rest." She pulled her boots off and climbed under the covers. "We'll see you in the morning."
Kiana scooted over and spooned Gabi protectively under the covers. The tiny elf sighed and snuggled into her embrace. Oskar felt a tightness in his chest as he watched Kiana gently stroke Gabi's hair until the little girl's eyes began to droop. He leaned over and kissed both of them on the forehead.
Kiana glanced up at him and whispered "Thank you. For everything."
He nodded and rubbed his thumb across her cheek. " Gute Nacht," he quietly responded, careful not to disturb Gabi. He reluctantly left them and headed back to his own bedroom.
Oskar lay in bed a long time waiting for sleep. His mind was a jumble of emotions, but most of all, he was happy Kiana was under his roof. He didn't care that hiding her would complicate things just as the investigation was getting under way. Funny, his cottage had always been his own domain, closed off to visitors. But seeing Kiana and Gabi cuddled up in 163
the guest bedroom felt like the most natural thing in the world.
When Oskar finally dozed, he dreamt of a young girl in Hawaii, a girl with haunted aquamarine eyes, dressed in raggedy clothes and flip flops. Groups of children passed her on the beach and hollered " Haole girl," laughing viciously.
Two sun-darkened adults snored behind her, propped up by a palm tree. Long dirty dread-locks reached past their shoulders, and a haze of smoke surrounded their camp.
Oskar could smell the marijuana and hear the ukulele music coming from a bar down the beach. The girl peeled a green banana with shaky fingers, just as the sky filled with a blast of color—fuchsia, apricot, gold. She was oblivious to the stunning sunset and the gentle swell of salt water at her feet.
All of her attention centered on the meager meal.
When a teenage boy tried to snatch her dinner, she fought him, kicking and hitting until tears rolled down her face. The boy took the stolen fruit and hurled it into the sea, laughing with his friends as they taunted her. Defeated, she curled up on a ratty blanket to sleep, her stomach still growling.
Oskar woke up, short of breath. Sand pooled on his pillow, and the scent of coconut oil lingered in his room. He stared at the ceiling, a bitter taste in his mouth. It had been much worse in Hawaii than he'd imagined.
He thought of Kiana, spooning Gabi next door, protecting the little girl while she slept.
Schlaf gut meine Engel... Sleep well my angels.
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