AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The elevator doors open, and we exit at the back of the high rollers’ area, where I snagged Kristi last night. It’s empty now, and the two thugs guarding the entrance haven’t gotten the memo yet that I’m the enemy. In fact, they don’t say a word.
“This way.” I lead everyone to a side utility entrance of the hotel.
My contact is waiting.
My buddy Ryan’s brother, Micah, along with a small army of feds from around the region, are waiting when we walk out the door and into the golden sunrise.
“Jesus, you cut it close,” my thirty-something friend with the buzz cut grouses. “We’re three minutes from busting in the door.”
“Sorry. It wasn’t easy. Get Donzelli first.” I rattle off his suite number. “He’s asleep. I secured him in his room.”
“Oh, you bet your ass I’m grabbing that motherfucker before anything else. Especially after that footage you sent.”
“This is the boy from the video. He needs medical now.”
“I’m glad you got him out.” Micah motions to an EMT standing by. Quickly, they confer, and the woman takes the boy away with concern all over her face. “And that motherfucker Donzelli is going down—hard. You did good.”
I’m going to get a huge payday for this, but that isn’t the only reason I did it. “You and Ryan have been like brothers. When you called, I was happy to help. Be advised I shot Rudy Pomelli before he could fire on another victim. This is Kristi Knolls.”
Micah rears back in surprise. “The girl Ryan has been watching for you?”
“You’ve had someone watching me?” She sounds somewhere between shocked and pissed.
“Red, I knew this was about to go down and that it would be ugly. I wanted you safe. That’s really important since we’re having a baby, and you owe me fifty years.” Before she can think of some sassy comeback, I turn back to Micah. “Sal Barone has a GSW to the abdomen. He might live. If you want him to, get him medical quick.”
Micah’s face hardens. “I’m not in a huge hurry to help someone selling people. Anything else?”
I tell him about Vincenzo and a few others, then shrug. “That’s it. We’re leaving.”
“Ridge… You know we’ll need to question these two.”
“Cut me some slack, huh? You can grill them after I get them checked out at the ER and Sammie is reunited with her mother.” And after I’ve had some quality time with the woman I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.
His sigh tells me he isn’t thrilled, but Micah relents. “Fine. Call me when you’re ready.”
“You got it.”
“We’re heading in.” He sends me off with a nod that feels more like a salute.
As he and the other agents storm the hotel, I slip my arm around Kristi, then hand Sammie my phone. “Call your mom.”
She looks at me with big, grateful eyes swimming in tears. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. And when we need a babysitter, you’ll be the first one we contact.” I wink.
“Sure.” But she’s not listening. She punches in a number with shaking fingers. “Mommy. It’s me. I’m okay!”
The girl starts crying, and Kristi sheds tears of her own. “You were amazing. You saved Sammie, me, and that poor little boy… When I saw you in action, I knew you were good at your job, but you’re going to be a great father, too.”
Since I had a fantastic role model and three awesome older brothers, yeah. “I think I’ll do okay, Little Red. Now that I’m about to be a family man, I won’t take on any more undercover jobs.”
That makes her cry even harder, but she hugs me tight, so I’m calling it a win. “Really?”
I dry her tears and drop a kiss on her lips. “Yeah. This was my last one.”
When I look up, Micah and a group of agents are leading Donzelli to an armored van in cuffs. He’s definitely going down. Prison won’t be kind to a pedophile like him.
It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.
I smile. “Ready to head out, Red?”
Kristi flashes me a smile full of watery joy, accompanied by a sniffle. “Absolutely. We’ve got a future to begin.”
After easing Sammie, who’s still tearfully clutching the phone, into my car, I take Kristi in my arms. “We do. I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Good. How soon can we get married?”
She laughs. “Impatient?”
Does she really have to ask? “Hell yeah.”
“I don’t have a job here.”
“Pfft. I’m not worried. You’ll find one.”
“That’s true.” Kristi sends me a chastening stare. “But I don’t have a ring.”
Is that her issue? “Yes, you do. It’s at my place.”
“You already bought it?”
“After I met you, I was really, really sure you were the one. I was going to finish this assignment and come after you until I wore you down and you said yes.”
“If you were anyone else, I’d think you were kidding.”
