Читать книгу Santa Assignment - Delores Fossen - Страница 11

Northern Virginia

He’d found her.

Finally.

And that meant now he could kill her.

From across the street, he watched Ashley Palmer as she parked her dark blue compact in her driveway. Since there was no garage, she stepped out in plain view. Practically right in front of him.

Yes, it was Ashley all right. A different hair color. But definitely her.

She turned—not in his direction, though—and ducked her head down slightly, probably to shelter her face from the angry December wind. A few stray snowflakes swirled through the air, some landing on her hat and scarf. Her breath created a filmy cloud around her face.

Her footsteps slowed as she approached her house, and she examined the other vehicle parked in front. Not his. But a rental, driven there by a visitor who was probably the last person on earth she expected to see today.

Well, the second to the last anyway.

He almost certainly had the honor of being at the very bottom on that theoretical list. But he had no plans for her to see him.

Not until he was actually in the process of killing her, that is.

He smiled. The thoughts of her death sent a rush of pleasure and anticipation through him. It wouldn’t be fast. Not some impulsive act born out of rage and the need for vengeance. It would be methodical. Precise. Cold-blooded. Because she had to be punished for what she’d done, and a quick bullet to the head wouldn’t punish her enough.

No.

Not nearly enough.

He’d made a mistake when he’d killed her sister, Dana. But he’d learned a lot from that little faux pas. Without suffering, retribution just wasn’t very satisfying. This time, there would definitely be suffering.

In fact, he’d already set his plan of suffering into motion with the surprise he had left in her house while she was out. It’d been easy to disarm the security system and slip inside. And his gift would perhaps rid her of any peace of mind she’d managed to find since her sister’s death.

Sweet, delicious torture. With the promise of much more to come.

But for now, he watched.

Waited.

And savored the scene that was unfolding right in front of him. He resisted the urge to open the van window so the heavily tinted glass wouldn’t obstruct his view of her and the encounter that was about to take place.

Pausing at the bottom of the steps, she stared up at the tall imposing visitor in the black coat who stood on her front porch. Even through the tinted glass of his car window, he could see Ashley’s expression go from astonishment to concern.

He laughed.

Because he knew that concern would only get worse, much worse, when she learned why her former brother-in-law, Lt. Brayden O’Malley, had come all the way from San Antonio. It was a stroke of luck, really. A special kind of torment for both of them that even he couldn’t have planned.

Not only had the lieutenant indirectly led him to Ashley—through the PI the man had hired to check up on her—but Brayden O’Malley would be the one to deliver the first blow. Or maybe the second, if she found the little surprise first. But it definitely wouldn’t be the last.

No. He would do the final deed himself.

After he’d played with her for a while.

He laughed at that thought, too. And he settled back into the seat, turned up the volume on his eavesdropping equipment and waited for Ashley Palmer’s world to come crashing down around her.