Page 78 of The Santa Claus Con

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I find Hawk at the bar picking up two drinks from a bartender who’s one of ours. “Where’ve you been?” he asks, giving me a dirty look. “I’ve had to cover for you.”

I hold my hand over my stomach. “Poultry problems.”

Hawk makes a face. “Let’s go meet the boss.”

It feels like a cliché to say this is the moment I’ve been waiting for. But it’s true. This really is the moment I’ve been waiting for—no, working my ass off for. What we’ve all been working our asses off for.

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Everything moved fast after New Year’s Eve when Hawk introduced me to the Durands. I earned not just Arnold’s trust, but also the trust of his entire team, by providing them with enough loose gems and jewelry to supply a whole store. It’s more than that, though, and I know it. Yes, I delivered on my promises. I made them money. But I was also a listening ear when they had marital troubles, a confidant for personal problems, and a friend to joke around with.

I tense at that word. “Friend.”

These people aren’t my friends. This is my job. Always has been. Lines get blurry, of course they do, but at the end of the day, it’s about right and wrong. And what the Durands do, it’s wrong. So I worked my way up, and every job promotion revealed more and more layers of the organization. More intel. More names. Everything I learned, I fed to the FBI.

It wasn’t until the assignment in Los Angeles that I learned about Bijoux. She isn’t just the head of the jewelry organization. She’s the boss of everything. Getting Bijoux would be the biggest get in my career and the careers of all the agents who played a part in related operations. It would go down in FBI history.

Arresting Bijoux tonight would be worth everything my teammates and I have been through. When you’re deep undercover, the lies become reality, and your reality becomes your truth. I’d remind myself of our motto: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity. I’d repeat to myself “I’m FBI, I’m FBI, I’m FBI.” I said those words so much they started sounding more like “I’m a lie, I’m a lie, I’m a lie.” At this point, it’s hard to distinguish Nate from Nathan.

Hawk leads me across the deck, past guests who look like they’re genuinely having a great time, and toward the corner with a view. Along the back railing is a Christmas tree with aquatic-themed ornaments. Up front is a round table where Bijoux and her entourage are sitting. There are two open seats, presumably for us.

I prepare myself. I shake out my shoulders, crack my neck. Then I engage the personality of Nate that I’ve intimately gotten to know for the last couple years. Nate cares about making a shitload of money, for himself and his boss. He’s got a lot of attitude. He cares too much about his work and the quality of it. I guess on those last points, Nate and I aren’t so different.

The group parts. As heads turn, I scan each person. In movies, TV shows, and comic books, crime bosses are sold to us as villainous, intimidating, hardened masterminds who look like they aren’t afraid to do what’s necessary to accumulate wealth and power. But in real life, these people come in all shapes and sizes.

So that must be why it isn’t a shock to me when Hawk waves his arm toward a petite blond woman in a brightly patterned dress. She’s sitting between a guy I recognize as Victor, wearing a shirt covered in hula dancers, and another woman, Agnes, in an oversize sunhat.

“Are you always late, Nate?” Bijoux asks. In her lap is a papillon wearing a life jacket with “Miss Starlite” embroidered on it. I can almost hear Scarlett’s voice in my head commenting on how Dr. Evil and Mr. Bigglesworth this is of her. This remark is punctuated with a snort-laugh, and I realize Scarlett has actually said this into my earpiece.

“I won’t bore you with the lengths it took to get here,” I say, “but I wouldn’t have missed your party for the world.” I run my hand through my hair, making sure the longer strands cover my ears. Bijoux shoos Victor away, indicating for him to move over for me.

“You flatter me,” Bijoux says, extending one slender arm toward me as I settle in next to her. “And rightfully so. It’s a pleasure to finally meet. It’s been a long time coming.”

I take her hand in mine. Give it a firm shake. “You have no idea.”

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