How the Hitman Stole Christmas

There’s a finality in that decision. It says more than words can, so I don’t bother with many of those. “Okay,” I say softly, not looking at him.

The matter settled, I see him nod out of the corner of my eye. “Decide what you want to do about dinner or I’ll decide for us. I’m gonna go grab my bag.”Chapter Twenty-SixJasperAs I step outside into the cold, windy late-December weather, I think about not going back in.

I’m standing by my car, ready to retrieve my duffel, but I’m restless as hell. Part of it could be that I’ve been on the road all day, but the other part is I’ve got a girl inside I genuinely like and care about, and I’ve injured her to the point that she doesn’t even want to be in the same room with me.

I probably should’ve let her go to the hotel, get some distance from me like she wanted to. My reaction wasn’t well thought out, but she caught me by surprise. All I knew was I didn’t fucking like what she was saying, that I didn’t want her to go. All I knew was I wanted to spend every last hour together that we could. And, like last night, all I thought about was what I wanted.

Apparently, falling in love turns me into a real bastard.

The decision has already been made, though, so we both might as well just live with it. In the long run, it’ll be better for her to stay here. She may not want to right now, but I know she’s not exactly flush with money. There’s no reason for her to waste her limited funds on a hotel room when she can stay at my place for free.

Thinking about her financials reminds me that I still need to pay the asshole back for the gifts she bought on his credit card.

Once I’ve retrieved my duffel from my trunk, I head back inside the apartment.

Autumn is standing in my living room, browsing through the selection of books and movies I keep on the single bookshelf in my place.

She reacts like I caught her snooping when I come through the door, turning to look at me with big, guilty eyes.

“Do you know how much Brady’s credit card balance is? Or how much of it was you buying Christmas presents?”

Autumn shakes her head. “Not offhand, but I can check.”

“Do that when you get a chance,” I tell her.

Since she has nothing more pressing to do right now, she takes a seat on the edge of my couch and gets out her cell phone.

“Did you decide anything about dinner?” I ask her.

She shakes her head. “I don’t even know what’s around here.”

“All right. I’ll take care of it.”

I think about taking her out since this is her last night in Chicago. I’m not really in the mood to go out though, and I don’t think she is, either.

It’s a shame I didn’t get to show her even a sliver of my city, but maybe it’s better that way. It’ll be easier for her to put me behind her and move on if I haven’t marked up every corner of her life. Stillwater’s ruined for her, she’ll never be able to go there without thinking about me, but Chicago doesn’t have to be.

Maybe someday she’ll meet a man who’s better for her, and they’ll end up visiting Chicago. She should be free to explore and make new memories with that motherfucker, not distracted by memories of me hauling her around the city.

It wouldn’t be the same as taking her around Stillwater, anyway. Crazy as it was, she believed in me then. She doesn’t anymore.

I end up ordering take-out to be delivered. It’s just easier that way.

We eat in relative silence. I break out a bottle of rum and mix a rum and Coke for both of us, just to take the edge off.

Alcohol loosens her up a little. We both stop at one, though. Neither one of us needs to have our inhibitions down tonight. I don’t trust myself with her when too much alcohol is involved, and after the night we went out in Stillwater, I think it’s probably the same for her. If we overindulge in alcohol, we’ll overindulge in other things, and that’s a mess we don’t need.

Shortly after dinner and drinks, Autumn goes in to take a shower. I need something to do to distract myself from the knowledge that she’s naked in my apartment with only a cheap-ass door standing between us, so I grab my duffel bag and haul it into the bedroom. I’ll need to unload this one, wash all the clothes and repack it so it’s ready for me next time I need it.

I frown, momentarily confused, when I pull out a little red pickup truck from my bag. I completely forgot I threw this in here last night when I was drunk off my ass.