How the Hitman Stole Christmas - Sam Mariano Page 0,25

startled by the sound of a cell phone ringing.

My cell phone.

I stood up to wrap the towel around myself again—it’s too cold not to be covered at least a little bit—so I’m closer to it than he is. For a split second, my captive instincts spring up and I want to lunge for it.

Jasper must expect that, because he launches himself off the bed. The room is so small and I’m so startled by his catlike reflexes, he beats me to it.

He looks at the screen first, his face expressionless.

Then he holds it up for me to see.

Brady’s close-lipped smile flashes across the screen and my stomach sinks.

My boyfriend is calling.

Chapter Nine

Jasper

I never thought I’d be grateful for Autumn’s worthless ex calling her.

I am, though.

I didn’t want to lie to her, but I also didn’t want to tell her the truth. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems to me that telling her right now I have every intention of keeping her might freak her out.

She’ll figure it out eventually, but in the meantime, I need her to cooperate while we go home to visit my family.

When I left the motel while she was in the shower, I knew I didn’t have much time. I had to turn off the jammer so I could text Nora about tomorrow. In my haste to return before Autumn got out of the shower and realized she was alone, I must have forgotten to switch it back on.

We would’ve had to deal with him eventually, but I was hoping it could wait until tomorrow.

Autumn’s gaze flits from the phone to my face, hers etched with uncertainty. “Should we answer it?”

Hmm. I’m not sure I trust her enough just yet. She only agreed to this minutes ago. Given an out, she could still try to escape.

I also just don’t want him talking to her. He had his chance. That’s over, and now Autumn belongs to me. The sooner everyone accepts it and moves on, the easier everything will be.

“I still have his credit card and the keys to the rental car,” she says when I don’t immediately answer. “I’ll have to return those things to him.”

Not in person, you won’t.

“I’ll stop at a post office tomorrow,” I tell her. “You know his parents’ address?”

She nods.

“I’ll overnight his things to him with a note telling him where to find the car. When he receives the package, I’m sure he’ll get the message.”

Autumn looks a bit horrified. “Jasper, I can’t… I have to talk to him. He invited me home for Christmas. I have a suitcase full of clothes at his place. There are probably presents for me under their tree. He sent me Christmas shopping for his family and I never came back. It’s not an adequate response to just mail his credit card to him and never speak to him again.”

“I can send someone for your things,” I tell her. “I can get someone on it tomorrow, that way you won’t have to go back there.”

Her eyes widen, like she doesn’t understand how I’m not getting it. “It’s not about my things, Jasper. He still thinks I’m his girlfriend.”

“Well, you’re not,” I say, more shortly than I mean to.

She looks at me for a moment without saying anything, then her tone softens. “I realize that, but he doesn’t know it yet.”

I know she has a point, I just don’t like it.

What if talking to him changes things for her? What if she remembers whatever reasons she had for liking him in the first place and wants to go back to him? Not everyone shares my level of commitment to their chosen course. Autumn could hear his voice and change her mind about staying with me.

It just doesn’t seem like a good idea.

That said, it is probably unavoidable. He needs to think she chose to bail on him. If he has even an inkling she’s been taken against her will, that could cause problems.

The fact aggravates me, but I think I will have to let her talk to him.

Briefly.

“It would be out of character for you not to speak with him.”

Autumn nods patiently. “Yes, it would.”

“Did you love him?”

I’m relieved when she answers right away. “No.”

I nod, feeling a bit better.

The phone stops ringing.

A minute later, a new voicemail notification pops up.

Autumn looks like she wants to object, but I navigate to the new voicemail and put the phone to my ear so I can listen to it first.

Irritation fairly crackles on the other side of the