by Jill Sanders
“Them, no.” She shook her head. “One.” She held up her finger. “Only one. A boy, if you have one.”
“I do.” Kristen smiled. “Two boys left. Black and white or brown and white?”
Mia thought about it. “Black and white.” She nodded at her choice.
“Okay, he’s yours.” Kristen dusted off her hands. “One down, one to go.” She smiled.
“Do you deliver?” she asked.
Kristen laughed. “For you, yes. How about later tonight?”
“Sold.” She thought about it. “What does he eat? What kind of food?”
“We’ll show you.” Kristen took her hand as Dylan steered the cart with the kids behind them.
For the next few minutes, Kristen ran over the dog’s diet. Mia purchased dog bowls, toys, and even those little bathroom pads since Kristen said the puppy was in the middle of potty training.
She stopped by the Christmas aisle and found a large blue bow in the leftover decorations. She tossed it in, thinking she would put it on the puppy to seal the deal.
It was difficult to unload all the stuff for the puppy without Brian seeing. Putting everything she could into the garage behind several large boxes, she finished carrying in the groceries. Brian rushed out to help after the first load.
“Wow, looks like we’ll be feeding an army,” he joked as he set down the last bag on the bar top.
“Just our parents,” she said happily. “I was going to start making dinner.” She almost danced around the kitchen, happy that she’d finally found the right gift for Brian.
Suddenly she wondered how she was going to get him out of the house in a few hours so Kristen could drop off the puppy.
“If you’re done with the Jeep, I need to run a few of my own errands,” he said, glancing down at his watch.
“Sure.” She tossed him the keys. Perfect. “How long will you be gone?” His eyebrows rose. “I was going to start dinner.” She shrugged, trying to blow off his suspicions.
“A couple of hours.” He glanced down at his watch again. “Will you be okay on your own until I get back?” he asked, avoiding her eyes. She wondered what was up but was too excited about giving him his present to think about it.
“Yes.” She smiled and waved him off. “Christmas dinner is one of the meals I’m an expert at.” She started putting everything away and taking out pans to cook.
Shortly after he left, she put the turkey into the oven, then stuck the potatoes in as well. After dealing with those, she went out to the garage and brought in all the puppy items. She packaged them all in one large box and used an entire roll of wrapping paper to wrap it. The thing looked like a massive disaster, but hey, she never claimed to know how to wrap presents. Especially large awkward objects.
Putting the massive thing in the back corner, behind the tree, she texted Kristen that the coast was clear to bring over the puppy.
Kristen texted her back that it would be about half an hour before she could get over there.
So, Mia got busy putting the rest of the meal together and setting the dining room table with the tablecloth and fancy dishes they had purchased at the secondhand store. She had even purchased a centerpiece for the table and took a little extra time making sure everything looked perfect. She found two large candlesticks and bases in one of the bottom drawers in the kitchen and set them out to light later after everyone arrived.
Just as she was putting the wine glasses on the table, the doorbell rang.
Believing it was Kristen with the puppy, she opened the door. Instead, a tall skinny man stood on the other side of the door.
She didn’t get a chance to shut the door again as the man pushed through it, shoving her backward. Losing her footing, she fell onto the hardwood floor, landing on her elbow and hip. Before she could register any pain, she kicked out, and caught the man in the shins just as two larger men rushed through the doorway.
“Hold her,” the first man said, rubbing his shin. The other two men gripped her arms tightly.
Realizing that if they had wanted her dead, she would be already, she relaxed her body and allowed the men to pull her up and hold her still while the other man walked in and shut the door behind him.
“I’m looking for Brian. He has something of ours,” the man said, walking into the home like it was his own.
“He’s not here,” she started, but one of the men jerked her arm.
“We can see that,” he hissed, twisting her arm behind her back.
“Easy.” The skinny man smiled. “We’re wondering where our… item is.”
She thought about the bag of money hidden in the safe along with their guns and ID’s.
“I don’t know,” she answered easily.
“He was supposed to meet us an hour ago,” the man said, tilting his head. “You wouldn’t happen to know why he didn’t show up?”
“No.” She frowned. “I didn’t even know he was meeting anyone.” It was the truth, one that she was never going to let Brian hear the end of.
“We’ll just wait and…”
Just then, the doorbell rang, and Mia tensed. It had to be Kristen and the puppy. She had unwillingly put the woman in danger.
“Expecting company?” the man asked, his eyes going to the door.
“Yes.” She motioned to the set dining table and the food she’d been cooking. “It’s Christmas Eve. I have a large group of people coming over for dinner.”
He glanced at her attire. She’d yet to change from her shopping outfit. Then he looked around the room and frowned.
“Get rid of them, tell them you’re sick,” he barked out.
“No,” she said, raising her chin. “I just got off the phone with them. They won’t believe me now.”
The skinny man cursed and then pulled out a gun. Mia had seen it tucked into his jacket pocket the moment she’d kicked out and caught him in the shins.
“Open the door,” the skinny man told one of the other men.
The guy let her arm go as the skinny man waved his gun at her. “Don’t make a sound,” he warned.
Before the man could reach for the door handle, it flew open. The heavy wood door knocked the larger man’s head, smashing it between the wall and the door, sending the guy flying backward and unconscious.
The skinny man moved quickly behind her, holding the gun to her temple as Brian rushed into the house with a gun pointing at the skinny man’s head, which was hidden behind her own.
“Corey,” Brian hissed. The first man was on the floor in a heap, having been hit by the door as Brian stormed in. The second one moved to attack him, but a wave of the gun had him freezing in place.
“There you are,” Corey said smoothly. “I thought you’d run out on us with my money.”
“No.” Brian tossed the bag down on the floor between them. “Reno changed the meeting location on me. When I figured out his game, I came directly here.” Brian held up his gun sideways in a nonthreatening way and then slowly put it in the back of his jeans.
Slowly, Corey did the same but still held onto Mia’s arms.
“What game?” Corey asked.
“He changed the location of the meeting and was going to skip town with your money. Then he could blame it all on me while he got away.”
“Oh?” Corey asked. By the tone of his voice, Mia could tell that he didn’t believe him.
“Yeah, Reno looked really nervous when I met him.” Brian smiled. “He had his truck loaded down with all of his stuff. When I asked him about it, he tried to tell me he’d been kicked out of his apartment.” Brian shrugged. “I didn’t believe him.”
Corey’s eyes narrowed, then he barked at the second man. “Call him.”
“You can’t.” Brian smiled and lied. “He’s probably still unconscious where I left him.”
Corey released her arm slightly. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
Brian shrugged. “You could take my word for it or head on out to Mountain View, the dead-end street just o
utside of town and see him lying in the road. He’s probably covered by snow now. He’s right next to his truck that’s still packed with everything he owns.”
The second man walked over and picked up the bag full of cash. “It looks like it’s all here, boss,” the man said to Corey.
“I asked for a job. I didn’t know my first gig was going to be playing patsy for one of your employees so they could steal from you. I’m out,” Brian growled out.
“There’s only one way out.” Corey chuckled. “Just ask Andy and Doni.”
“So, they did work for you?” Brian asked and Mia instantly knew what was going on. She clenched her teeth and for a split-second thought about kicking Brian in the gut. Because it felt like he’d just kicked hers.
She’d been left out of the loop again. This was a setup and she hadn’t gotten the memo. Damn Brian. She’d been set up for another heartbreak and had stepped right into it this time.
Chapter 28
Brian tried to hide the fact that he was shaking. Seeing the gun held to Mia’s head was even worse than seeing her walking on the deserted road covered in blood. Just knowing that Corey was the ringleader of the large operation he’d just found had his skin crawling. The man had been right under his nose this entire time.
Hell, he’d been standing right behind the bar every single time he’d talked to Charlie or Reno. It pissed him off that the man hadn’t even been on his radar.
“Everyone works for me.” Corey chuckled.
“Okay.” He held up his hands, knowing that the man he’d knocked out as he busted through the front door was slowly waking up. The second one was standing a few feet away, still holding the bag of cash he’d retrieved before heading out to meet Reno.
He’d hated not telling Mia, but she had looked so happy coming home from shopping and had instantly started cooking dinner for the family’s visit.
He hadn’t planned on things going bad with Reno. But the second he’d driven up to meet him and had seen his loaded truck, Brian had known the kid was going to run.
“Going somewhere?” he had asked the kid after he’d shown up.
“No.” The kid had looked around nervously. “Give me the cash.” He’d reached out for the bag, but Brian had stopped him. “I thought you said I would get to meet your boss?”
Reno’s eyes had narrowed. “I never said that.” The kid had been sweating profusely, assuring Brian he was a runner.
“You didn’t?” Brian acted stupidly.
When the kid reached for the bag, Brian had pulled out his gun.
“You know what sucks,” he said easily to the kid. “I can’t have you skipping town right now.” He sighed as Reno tried to rush back to his truck, but Brian stopped him easily enough by slamming his body into the hood of the truck. “Looks like we’ll have to do this the hard way. Danny Hames, you’re under arrest for distribution and trafficking of a controlled substance.”
“You’re a cop?” The kid had looked even more pissed. “Shit. Let me go. He’s going to kill me.”
“Who?” Brian asked, pulling out a pair of zip tie cuffs he’d stashed in his jacket pocket.
“Nevada,” he cried out, his eyes glancing around. “He’s… you don’t get it man. All I did was pocket a couple thousand.”
“This money?” Brian nodded to the bag. “You stole that from your boss?”
“It’s just ten grand, he’s got plenty,” Reno cried out.
“Okay, how about we have a seat in my truck and wait for the local PD to get here and you can tell me the whole story, from the beginning.”
For the next ten minutes, Reno told him everything. He didn’t know if the kid was uneducated or just scared.
“Where is the operation? We know it used to be up at the old mill.”
Reno chuckled. “Yeah, we got wind that the DEA was snooping around. Hell, I heard Nevada even suspected you at one point. Then the whole deal with Vegas happened and I heard that Nevada really felt sorry for you. That’s why he decided to give you a chance.”
“Who is Nevada?” Brian had asked.
Reno shrugged. “I haven’t met him yet. He’s given us all nicknames, city names. I was hoping I would be the next Vegas, but then I heard that he had suspected that I was skimming and…”
“You decided to set me up instead?” he finished for him.
“Hey, I didn’t trust you. I can smell a cop a mile away. But I thought… I guess I should have listened to my instincts. Still, it beats being dead. Which is what I will be if Nevada gets ahold of me.”
“Where’d they move the operation?” he asked again.
“Somewhere you’d never think to look.” He laughed. “Right under your nose.”
Brian waited and just as he heard Tom’s police cruiser head up the road, Reno gave him the answer.
“The basement of the high school gym. It’s a perfect place since it’s empty during the holiday break. There’s an old boiler room down there that no one goes in. Hell, half of the people don’t know it’s there.” Reno laughed.
“How’d you get in? Who’s your connection?” Brian asked, somehow already knowing the answer.
“A guy by the name of John.” Reno shrugged. “I didn’t get really involved with the operation; I just handled the cash transfers.”
“Between?” he asked as Tom parked next to him, along with two other patrol cars.
“We siphoned the money through Granger’s and then shipped the rest out of town to a few other businesses. I used to have to drive all the way up to Helena to a car wash.” He shook his head. “Hey.” Reno watched Tom and the other officers get out of their cars. “You’re going to get me a deal, right? I’m cooperating.”
Brian hated the thought of the kid spending the rest of his life behind bars but knew that he probably deserved it. He was a stupid kid that still had plenty of time to change his life around. If he had the chance.
“Did you have anything to do with Gary’s death?”
“Hell, no, that’s the reason I started skimming. I wanted to get the hell out of here. Shit, I was just in it for a little extra cash. Then they go and off the mailman.” He shook his head.
“Who did?”
Reno shrugged as Tom opened his door and started pulling him out of the car.
“Hey, you’ll help me, right?” he asked over his shoulder.
“I’ll see what I can do.”
Which brought him back to the present. He’d called in the DEA troops, which were now raiding the basement of the high school’s gym, along with the local PD. Well, most of them. Tom and a few others were standing just outside the door, waiting for Brian’s signal.
“So, you killed both Doni and Gary? Why?” he asked, trying to get as much as he could on the man.
“They wanted out. Doni wanted to move on and Gary freaked out after Darla.” Corey laughed. “Oops, that bitch had it coming.” He sighed. “She was scaring off a lot of my customers. I was losing tips.” His eyes ran over Brian.
“You dealt out of the Spot?” he asked, unphased.
“Hell, no.” He laughed. “Cam watches that place like a hawk. But what he didn’t watch allowed me to organize everything from behind the bar. All it took was the cost of a couple of cheap beers and some talking.”
It was then that Brian glanced at Mia. Instantly, he knew she was pissed at him and understood what was up.
Deciding he didn’t want to push his luck any further, he figured it was time to end the game.
“Why now? Why build up the business during Christmas?” he asked, bracing for the onslaught of police to storm into the home once they heard the keyword, Christmas.
Within seconds, Corey’s two henchmen were lying on the ground, guns held on them as they were cuffed.
Corey was a different matter. What Brian hadn’t taken into account was his closeness to Mia.
Corey’s gun was in his hand a second after the first officer crossed the threshold of the home. The next second, Mia was back in his grasp. But be
fore he could get the gun back up to her temple, she had swung out, sending Corey and his gun flying through the air, directly towards their new coffee table.
“No!” she screamed and cursed as the man’s body shattered the glass and wood. “Damn it, I just bought that.” She stood over the unconscious man, her hands on her hips as she frowned down at the mess.
Brian rushed forward and gathered her into his arms. Only after kissing her solidly, did he realize she’d stiffened in his arms.
“Baby, don’t be mad at me,” he said, releasing his hold on her a little.
“If you don’t let go of me, you’re going to end up like him.” She nodded to where several officers were cuffing the unconscious Corey.
He couldn’t help it, he laughed as he dropped his arms. “You’re so damn sexy when you’re mad.” He held up his hands as she made fists.
She glanced around. “Not now.”
He took her fist in his hands. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I had my reasons…” he said, just as Tom walked in.
A little over an hour later, their boss Matthew Carter walked through the repaired front door.
“Damn it, Dillon and Laster, couldn’t you have wrapped this up before Christmas Eve? I’m missing a home-cooked meal for this.”
Brian shook the man’s hand. “Sorry, boss.”
“There are several people waiting outside to see you, Dillon,” Carter said, nodding towards the front door.
“Oh!” She jumped up from her spot on the sofa and rushed to the front door. “I totally forgot.”
After she disappeared out front, Brian turned to Carter.
“I quit,” he said, not waiting for the man to talk.
“What?” Carter looked taken aback.
“You heard me. I’m hoping Mia won’t be far behind me, but for now, I’m done.”
“This case was that bad?” Carter asked.
“No.” He smiled as Mia walked in the front door with Kristen and Tyler McGowan. “It was that good.”
Then to his surprise, he realized both Mia and Kristen were holding puppies in their arms.
“I hate you right now,” Mia said, stopping directly in front of him, “but…” She pushed the black puppy into his arms. “Merry Christmas.”