Page 160 of Christmas Kisses

Selene nodded slowly. “It’s risky.”

“As risky as having the police surround this place? Besides, who’s to say they won’t hurt him before they could get here? We can’t wait. We have to try this.”

Drawing a deep breath, Selene nodded. “Okay, let’s do it.” She opened the driver’s door and got in.

* * *

Angela was in over her head and she hated it. Vinnie had promised her that nothing bad would happen to Tyler. His plan, the way he’d laid it out to her, had made such perfect sense she couldn’t imagine anything going wrong with it. They would take Tyler just for a little while. Just long enough to make Jim withdraw his testimony. When the charges against Vin were officially dropped, every i dotted and every t crossed, his lawyer would call him on his cell phone to let him know, and they would return Tyler and go back to their lives.

Vinnie had painted such a beautiful picture of the way her life would be once he was in the clear and they could be married. His home was like a Hollywood dream house—he’d shown it to her once. He had a pool and everything. And cars and money. He traveled all around the world, could buy just about anything he wanted.

It all seemed so perfect.

But now she was beginning to understand that Vinnie’s promises had all been lies. She should have realized he couldn’t just go back to his life if Jim pulled his testimony. And then she’d seen him putting Tyler into that suitcase. She couldn’t for the life of her think of any reason why he would do something like that, unless it was just to make sure Tyler’s body would fit. And that scared her. It scared her enough to make her wonder if Jim had been telling the truth about what had happened to his partner, Colby. Had the man who’d taken Colby away from there actually murdered him? On Vinnie’s order? Vinnie would deny it if she asked and he would probably convince her he was telling the truth.

God, could Jim have been right about Vinnie all along?

She needed to ask Vinnie about it. But she couldn’t very well bring the subject up in front of the kid. It would scare him.

She felt bad. The last thing she wanted was to cause her son more pain.

She wished she could get Vinnie alone. Maybe she was reading him all wrong. Maybe he could explain what he was doing, convince her it was all innocent. She wanted to be convinced, she really did.

Licking her lips, she watched the kid playing video games on the TV. He was pretty involved. She sighed and got up, heading into the bathroom and pulling the door shut behind her.

Then she frowned, because she glimpsed something outside.

What was that?

She crept closer to the window. Took a quick look outside but couldn’t see anyone. Still, when she’d first come in she could have sworn someone was looking into the bathroom window.

Pursing her lips, she looked at the lock on the window. Maybe someone was trying to get in. To rescue Tyler.

She called to Vinnie. She had to talk to him and it had to be now.

He came in, looking at her and frowning.

“Close the door, I have to talk to you.”

He didn’t. “Just keep it down. I don’t want the kid running out the front door on us.”

“Hell, Vinnie, he can’t even walk without those braces on his legs. Just close the door.”

Frowning, he closed the door but not tightly. She drew a breath. “I been thinking,’’ she said, “about what’s gonna happen... after.”

“Aw, hon, I’ve told you over and over what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna be like a queen. Everything you ever wanted—”

“After you send for me. From South America.”

“And you’ll have that nice apartment I got you in the meantime.”

“Yeah. Okay. But that’s not what I meant. I’m talking about Tyler. He’s seen us both. I know you’ve thought of it too. That’s why you were making sure his... body... would fit in the case. That’s what you were doing, wasn’t it?”

He lowered his head. “Just as a precaution, hon. Just in case.”

She nodded. “You can’t leave him alive, can you, Vinnie? And you’ve gotta kill Jim too, or go down for that beating you gave him. Right?”

“Angie, Angie, baby, don’t you want all the things we’ve talked about? You don’t give two shits for your ex, do you? After how mean he’s been to you?”

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