Her Secret Santa - Miley Maine Page 0,54

to him. If this guy is as crazy as you say, then I don’t think we want to take any chances.”

“Yeah, you know what? You’re right. That might be better. And I might talk Julie into going back inside.”

“Right. She will be comforted to know you are actually here, now.”

I ended the call and dialed Julie. She answered it quickly. “Tony? Where are you?”

“I’m about twenty minutes from the house,” I said. “Listen. You need to go back inside and wait for me. If Saul shows up and you aren’t there or if he even suspects that you are trying to screw him over, he is going to bail and the whole operation will just be a watch. We only have one chance to get him.”

“Wait… how do you know where I am?”

“Just trust me. I know. We can talk about it later. Right now, I need you to go back inside and get warmed up. You have to wait for me. I’ll be there soon.”

“Ok,” she said. “I love you. I’ll see you soon.”

“Love you, babe. I’ll be right there.”

The call ended and I leaned back in the seat. I popped open a whiskey and leaned back. The warm liquid began to calm my own nerves. I was getting excited. I wanted to see this punk in person and to watch the look on his face, that doubt in his eyes when he realized he was royally fucked. And I wanted to introduce myself in person that way so that he would never forget my name. And the prick would never forget that he should have ever dreamt about laying a hand on Julie. That son of a bitch was going to pay.

I squeezed the bottle hard until it broke in my gloved hand. I wished it was Saul’s thick fucking skull.

I closed my eyes and thought about pointing a gun at him and watching him squirm. I hoped he begged. A part of me genuinely hoped that Derek and the crew did not actually show up fast enough. I hoped Saul did something stupid and I could just shoot him down justifiably right there in my home. The bastard deserved the worst.

I didn’t like feeling so angry at someone, knowing that I could kill that despicable person without, but that was exactly how I felt about him.

I grabbed another small bottle of whiskey and chugged this one, downing the entire bottle. I didn’t usually drink so early in the morning, but today was going to be a day unlike any other. And it would finally end with Julie having the peace back in her life that she deserved.

We approached the house just then. I didn’t see anything alarming going on. And I hoped that Saul didn’t either. This was not some gated community. This was a house out in the middle of the wilderness down a private driveway. I didn’t need the kind of protective measures that I might have required in other areas. It was sweet and peaceful looking here. I hoped Saul felt that warm invitation.

I got out of the car and went into the house where I found Julie sitting at the kitchen table sweating but cold in her sweatsuit. She came to me leaping out of her seat and threw her arms around my neck. I held her close to me. She was so scared. I was glad I was there. I had to reassure her that she would be alright. I kissed her sweetly on the lips and pulled her even closer to me.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I’m so sorry that I left. I just didn’t know what to do. What if he got here first? I woke up and the fear just overtook me. I was going to go hide in one of the blinds until you told me you were almost here.”

“It’s ok,” I said. “You are safe. I’m not going to let him hurt you. But you have to be brave. You are not alone. You have to let him think that you are alone, though. You have to let Saul think that he is winning this. You are acting as a bait, but you aren’t in any danger. I assure you that I would never put you in a harm’s way.”

“I know,” she said. “I’m just so glad you are back home.”

She kissed me hard on the mouth. I hugged her tightly to my chest just then. She was my everything. I