A Very Merry Hitman (Holiday With a Hitman #2)

5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Have you ever had one of those days where you’re holding a stick and everyone looks like a pi?ata?

“So this isn’t like a date-date.” From his hiding spot with Elliana in the hat and sunglasses shop full of nonsense items, Dante watched as Aileen laughed at something her sort of good-looking date said.

This wasn’t an upscale or intimate place, simply a coffee and dessert establishment in a small shopping area. It was surrounded by what was basically an outside mall. Nothing intimate at all about what he was seeing. Nope. The little fairy lights above them might be considered romantic. But it looked like she was giving the guy pity laughs. So there was that.

“She’s giving him pity laughs,” he growled, trying to convince himself more than Elliana.

“I dunno. Looks like a date to me. And those laughs are real.” Elliana had on a hat with mouse ears and giant sunglasses as she turned to him. “What do you think? Can I pull this off?”

He lifted his phone and took a picture of her. Then he texted Theo. He didn’t understand why Theo had married this lunatic. Then he looked back at Aileen and Lucky Bastard. “Do you think that guy is good-looking? Just academically speaking.”

Elliana slid on a hat with a T-Rex on top, the tail swishing back off her head. “ If I didn’t know and love Theo…I probably wouldn’t kick him out of bed for eating crackers.”

Dante looked down and realized he’d crushed the sunglasses in his hand. Oops . He turned to find a sales associate staring at him, eyes wide. He handed over the broken pieces. “I’ll pay for it and whatever else she gets.” He motioned to Elliana.

The woman simply nodded and took the broken sunglasses with a sniff of disapproval. Yeah well, get in line, lady. The majority of the world likely disapproved of him. But he’d given up caring what anyone thought of him by the age of twelve.

“You’re not allowed to touch anything else breakable,” Elliana murmured as she moved to another little spinning stand, grabbed sunglasses that had fake eyeballs popping out, and cackled as she slid them on.

“Why does this place even exist?” he muttered, looking across the way at the dessert bar. From their angle, they had a decent view of Elliana and Lucky Bastard. Or maybe he was simply Mr. Dead Man.

Yeah, Dante liked the sound of that a lot better. How had she even met this guy? She hadn’t said anything about meeting someone new, and here she was on a date with some rando.

“Because it’s fun.”

“Punching that guy in the throat would be fun.”

Elliana tugged off her hat and glasses and grabbed his arm. “Okay, people can hear you. Come on. We’re getting out of here because if she sees you, you’ll blow your game plan.”

He frowned at her even as they headed to the register. “Game plan?”

“Yeah, to win Aileen over. To marry her. Make babies with her. Take family vacations.”

He was very aware of the salesperson watching them curiously, but he simply dropped a bunch of cash on the countertop. “You’re making a lot of assumptions.” None of them were wrong though.

“Yeah, based on observation and facts.” She tossed in two candy bars and the dinosaur hat. “He’s getting these too,” she said to the woman.

“Are those for Nessa?” he asked .

“Nope. These are for me.” She grinned and ripped open one of the candy bars as he added more money to the countertop.

“I don’t have a game plan,” he said as they finally exited the store, making sure to stay out of sight of Aileen.

His only plan had been following her date. And now that he thought about it, he realized it was messed up. He didn’t actually care that it was, but yeah. He kept his ball cap pulled low, but it didn’t matter because Aileen never looked away from her date once.

Yeah, he really wanted to punch that guy. Dark hair, nice enough face, a stupid-looking sweater and slacks. “Do you know who this guy is? How did she meet him? Did anyone vet him?”

“I trust Aileen to be a grown-up and take care of herself.”

Elliana tugged him into what turned out to be a place that sold incense and candles. Ugh. The scents were overwhelming, but it was a good place to spy. There were so many people milling about, buying last-minute gifts for the holidays, that they blended easily enough into the crowds.

He stood in the window, watching through one of the blue and white Hanukkah displays as the server brought Aileen and the guy a check. At least the guy picked it up immediately so he wasn’t totally horrible. Wait, no, that wasn’t good. What if she wanted to see him again?

“As soon as they leave, we’re getting out of here. Because it’s clear you don’t have a game plan. And besides, this is just an intel-gathering op.” Elliana handed him a blue candle that said it smelled like the ocean. “You’re buying that for me.”

“Fine.” Not even glancing at her, he handed her his wallet.

Okay now the guy was placing his hand at the small of Aileen’s back. Touching her. Dante didn’t realize he was moving until Elliana grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Nope. Acting like a caveman and going all postal or whatever on him is not the right move—”

A scream drew his attention back across the street. A Santa was wrestling with Aileen, grabbing her small purse from the table. As Dante sprung into action, the Santa shoved her into her date, sending them both flying into one of the outdoor mosaic tables.

A red haze descended over Dante as he gave chase, dodging people as he sprinted after the Santa—who was ridiculously fast.

The guy moved like liquid despite the big, awkward costume, dodging a stroller, then he grabbed onto the edge of a railing and hurled himself over it, parkour style.

What. The. Hell.

Dante reached the railing, watched as the guy landed in a roll on the concrete below, then sprinted in the direction of the nearby marina.

He also realized that people were now watching. Paying attention.

Not something he wanted in his line of work.

He turned away from the scene Santa had made and headed back in the direction of the dessert bar to find Elliana talking to Aileen and her stupid-looking date. Who was now covered in tea.

Heh.

“Aileen, are you okay?” He nudged Elliana out of the way, did a visual sweep of the woman he’d been in love with for years even as he barely skated his hands down her shoulders and arms.

“I’m fine. That was…just nuts. Are you okay?” she asked, green eyes wide.

He nodded. Of course he was okay. “Do we need to cancel your cards or your phone—”

She shook her head as she held up her cell, then patted the front pocket of her snug-fitting black pants. “I put my cash and card in here. That clutch just had…makeup and stuff.” Her cheeks flushed pink and he wondered at that, but shelved it for the moment.

“I’m not sure if anyone has called the cops,” her date said, interrupting them, his cell phone in hand.

Dante tried to keep his expression neutral when he wanted to throw more than hot tea on the guy.

“Cops can’t do anything I can’t so don’t bother calling them,” Elliana said all matter-of-fact to Aileen’s date.

Date. Date. Date.

The guy blinked, then nodded slowly as he slid his phone away. “Oookay.”

Aileen laughed nervously, then turned away from Dante toward the guy who was definitely going to get throat-punched later. “I’m sorry about the way our date ended.”

The guy shook his head. “I’m the one who’s sorry. That guy came out of nowhere. I’m just glad you’re okay.” He turned to Dante then, held out his hand. “And thank you for chasing after him. That was a solid thing to do. We’re lucky you were here.”

Dante blinked, then grudgingly shook the bastard’s hand. Probably squeezed a little too hard, not that the dark-haired man seemed to notice. He was all easy smiles for Aileen.

“Listen, I just got a late work emergency. Aileen, can you take Dante home?” Elliana asked.

He should probably protest, say he wasn’t going to interrupt her date. But yeah, that wasn’t happening.

“Ah…yeah.” She nodded, looking between the three of them before Elliana hugged and kissed her cheek before dashing off, bags of random things he’d bought in her hands. Belatedly he wondered if she still had his wallet.

“It’s getting late anyway,” the man said as he accepted the receipt and his credit card from the server who still looked a little stunned. Someone had picked up the table and fallen silverware and someone else was currently sweeping up the shards of the broken plates.

Most of the diners had gone back to their desserts so Dante figured no one had called the cops. Sounded about right—people didn’t want to get involved. And normally he judged that, but right about now he was using it to his advantage. Or maybe someone had called and they needed to get the hell out of here.

“Okay, well thank you for tonight. It was lovely…except for the Santa mugging,” Aileen said as she turned back to the guy who was impossibly getting better looking as they stood there .

Dante felt like a giant next to the other man.

“I’ll call you tomorrow? We can talk about the gala?” the guy asked.

“Sounds good.” She nodded at him, smiling all sweetly even as Dante moved to stand in between them, started guiding her out of the outdoor seating area.

“What are you doing?” she asked through gritted teeth, her tone low.

What the hell had that guy meant by gala? He made a note to ask her about it later. “Just trying to get you out of here in case someone actually called the cops or security.”

“Oh, right…” She glanced around, her cheeks slightly flushed. “I can’t believe that happened. That Santa popped up out of nowhere like a total maniac.”

“Did he say anything or…” Dante kept his hand at the small of her back as they headed in the opposite direction the bad Santa had run. There were a lot of shops still open, especially so close to Christmas, and he figured they could stop in a few.

Anything to spend time with her and erase the memory of her date.

Because that was the last time she was going out with that guy. Or anyone else.

“No. Wait, do you think it was something…to do with the family?” She lowered her voice even though “Jingle Bells” was blasting over speakers and people were now pouring out of a nearby movie theater. As if some lunatic Santa hadn’t just mugged Aileen and created havoc a few stores back.

“I kind of doubt it. Probably saw an easy grab. That purse was expensive.” He should know, he’d bought it for her a couple birthdays ago. It was from a well-known luxury brand and one he knew she’d had her eye on but would have never bought for herself. She was too practical sometimes and he’d wanted to spoil her.

“Oh…right. Oh my god, of course that’s what he was after.” She rubbed her hand over her face. “I’m so dumb, I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

“You’re not dumb,” he muttered. “You’ve just had a shock. We’ll find out who took your purse.” Her parents were going to be pissed. And he had no doubt that Elliana had already told Nestor and Lorna and they were probably plotting ways to hurt that foolish Santa.

“That sounds a little murdery. Whatever. We’re just going to let this go,” she murmured, then looked up at him as if she’d just realized something. “Wait, were you out shopping with Elli?”

He lifted a shoulder, not wanting to lie to her. Ever. So he just answered vaguely. “She has really strange taste. She bought a pair of fake sunglasses with eyeballs that pop out.”

Aileen laughed, the lyrical sound rolling over him. “I went Christmas shopping with her a couple weeks ago and it was like shopping with a thirteen-year-old. She’s so much fun.”

He just grunted.

Aileen linked her arm with his. “Come on, you know you love her.”

Then she seemed to realize that she was touching him and started to pull away so he placed his hand over hers. “Are we going to talk about the other day?” he asked quietly.

She tugged again so he let her go, but followed as she walked into a nearby shop that sold winter gear. It seemed a waste for somewhere that had relatively mild winters but the place was busy.

Aileen grabbed a pink and white toque and pulled it all the way over her face. “We can talk about it like this.” Her voice was muted as she spoke.

Laughing lightly, he tugged the knit cap off her head, resisting the urge to touch her mussed red hair. She’d left it down tonight in soft, big curls—clearly for her date. “We’ve been friends for a long time.” Though he’d always wanted more. A secret he’d kept to himself because he hadn’t wanted to ruin things between them or her family. Plus he hadn’t thought she was ready to date again. Her proposition had stunned him. In the best way possible.

She turned away and started looking at scarves. “Yeah, and that’s why this is so embarrassing. I’m going to plead temporary insanity.”

He glanced over his shoulder when he sensed a presence behind him, realized it was a grandmother looking at puffy jackets with a kid about Nessa’s age. Yeah, they couldn’t have this conversation in here. “Come on.” He held out his hand to Aileen, realized he was holding his breath until she placed her hand in his.

He guided them out of the store, down the pathway of shops to a quiet spot that overlooked the back half of a marina. Most of the boats, even the obnoxious yachts, had holiday lights strung up in various places.

They sat on one of the benches and he was careful to scan the area. No one could approach them without him seeing them first.

“So,” he said. “I’m sorry for my response the other day.”

“You mean your rejection?” Her tone was dry.

He blinked, stared at her profile—because she was staring out at the marina instead of meeting his gaze. “I wasn’t rejecting you.” He could never reject her. He cleared his throat. “I was simply taken off guard, that’s all.”

She snorted softly, as if she didn’t believe him.

He shifted an inch closer, wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They’d been so casual with affection before, and even though he’d always wanted more than friendship, he still craved simply touching her. The last couple days without her had been hell. “I could never reject you, Aileen. You’re…my best friend.” The only best friend he’d ever had, something he was too embarrassed to admit. But she knew everything about him. Or at least the important stuff. And she’d accepted all of him. He never had to worry about acting in front of her. So yeah, her asking him to take her to bed had thrown him because it was everything he’d ever dreamed about. But he knew if he admitted the depths of his feelings, it would scare her.

She made a sort of strangled sound and covered her face with her hands. “Dante!”

He blinked again, unsure what he’d said. “You’re not having sex with anyone but me.”

She looked up at him in disbelief, dropping her hands to her lap. “What?”

“That’s right. You’re not hiring someone and you’re certainly not having sex with that loser from tonight.” Oh, the things he would do to her. Dirty, delicious things he’d only allowed himself to fantasize about.

“He’s not a loser.”

Dante gritted his teeth. The man was a dead loser. But that was just semantics. “Either way, you want to reclaim that part of yourself and you’ll do it with me. ”

Now she was the one blinking. Once. Twice. Three times… She turned to face the marina. “I don’t want you to do it out of pity.”

“I’m not.” Not even close.

She was quiet a long moment, as though weighing his answer. “So…I don’t have much experience.”

He mentally fist-pumped the air because she was still talking to him about this, not rejecting the idea she’d originally proposed. “That’s okay.” He’d been with women before her, but no one after they’d met.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she nibbled on her bottom lip. Her body language was closed off, but he could see the cogs in her brain working. She was thinking about this so he remained very still, not wanting to spook her. Above all, he wanted her to trust him. If this happened between them, he would make damn sure he laid all her fears to rest.

“Okay, say we do this.”

Oh, they were. He’d thought of barely anything else the past few days. Years, if he was being honest.

“Then no one knows about it. It’s just one friend, doing another friend a favor. I don’t want Nessa to find out anything and get confused about…us.”

Dante kept his expression relaxed, but screw that. “We’ll keep things between us.” For now. Because it certainly wouldn’t be a secret forever. Nope .

She breathed out a sigh of relief, letting her arms drop. “Okay, good. And no one else can know either, because you know how my parents are. And…everyone in the neighborhood. I don’t want them in our business.”

Dante didn’t think this was because she was embarrassed of him, but it still stung. He buried those feelings, however, because this was about her. She’d had her choice taken from her long before he’d known her. Then that monster had tried to force her to stay in his life by fighting for custody of Nessa.

He’d paid dearly for his crimes—Dante only wished he’d been the one to kill the guy. Or hell, if he was making wishes, he wished Aileen had never been hurt at all.

But since he couldn’t go back in time, he’d do what he could for her now. He wanted her to feel safe, in control. Even if it killed him in the end to have a taste of her then watch her walk away, he’d do anything to make her happy.