Russo led me down the front steps. I halted once I got to the sidewalk.
I recognized the face in the back of the cruiser.
“Cox?” I gasped. “How did you... What did you...?”
Russo grinned at my speechlessness. “Caught him at the airport this morning preparing to flee the country.”
“But—”
“We were able to tie a good chunk of Cox’s incoming funds to criminal activity here in the cities... and beyond. It’ll only be a matter of time before we can get someone to flip on him for the Sacchetti murder, if my gut instinct is right.”
“You’re joking,” I said. “It was Cox who shot at me?”
“It made sense the more I thought about it,” Russo said. “Who could have done that, realistically? The shooter was moving, the target was moving. Not an easy shot, even for an experienced marksman. It would’ve been near impossible for Mrs. Colombo to come that close to hitting you without years of training and experience.”
“But, why? I wasn’t even looking into him. Why would he take such a big risk?”
“The Sacchetti case,” Russo said. “I have a feeling if you had decided to re-open it, the evidence wouldn’t be kind to him.”
“So, you haven’t booked him on murder.”
“We’ve got enough charges from just the financial side of things to hold him for a while. The rest will fall into place,” Russo said. “I promise. Things always do.”
I stared at Cox for a long moment. He turned a set of pale eyes my way, staring at me with a hatred so intense it singed right through me. I turned away, and Russo, sensing my change in mood, gestured for the cops in the cruiser to haul Cox away.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said. “You didn’t have to come all the way back here for this. We could’ve made the arrest for you.”
“How about thank you?”
“Thank you,” I said. “You’ve done so much for me, and all I’ve done is blow you off to work the weekend.”
“That’s why I’m back,” Russo said. “I shifted my new case off to someone else. I’ve got three more days here. I was hoping, with any luck, that you’d be able to get some time off.”
“Russo—”
“I’m just asking you to dinner.”
Silence filled the air between us.
“I’ll be honest, Kate. The real reason I came back wasn’t to make the arrest. Selfishly, I wanted to see you. I missed you; I care for you.” He put his hands on either side of my face, tilted it upward. “If all it took was catching a dirty cop and locking him away in prison to get some of your undivided attention, well, I’ll do that every day. You’re worth it.”
I took Russo’s hand, pulled him toward my house. “I’ll do you one better.”
“What’s that?”
I smiled, opened the door and pulled him inside. Then I closed the door and locked it. Jane hadn’t made it home yet, which meant we had the house to ourselves.
I nodded upstairs. Russo’s eyes darkened, and he pulled me into his arms. One steamy kiss later, and we’d lost our shoes and maybe a shirt. Russo carefully removed my gun, set it on the table beside the door.
We didn’t make it upstairs to break rule number three.
THE END
Author’s Note
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed another adventure with Detective Kate Rosetti and team. More books will be coming in this series, so please sign up for my newsletter at ginalamanna.com to be notified when they release. And, if you enjoyed the book, please consider taking the time to leave a review at your retailer of choice. It is much appreciated and helps other readers find books they love!
Thank you for reading!
Gina
List of Gina's Books!
Gina LaManna is the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Magic & Mixology series, the Lacey Luzzi Mafia Mysteries, The Little Things romantic suspense series, and the Misty Newman books.
List of Gina LaManna’s other books:
Women’s Fiction:
Pretty Guilty Women
Three Single Wives
Detective Kate Rosetti Mysteries:
Shoot the Breeze
Riddle Me This
Follow the Money
Murder in Style:
Secrets and Stilettos
Lipstick and Lies
The Hex Files:
Wicked Never Sleeps
Wicked Long Nights
Wicked Moon Rising
Wicked All The Way
Wicked Twist of Fate
Wicked Ever After
Lola Pink Mystery Series:
Shades of Pink
Shades of Stars
Shades of Sunshine
Magic & Mixology Mysteries:
Hex on the Beach
Witchy Sour
Jinx & Tonic
Long Isle Iced Tea
Amuletto Kiss
Spelldriver
MAGIC, Inc. Mysteries:
The Undercover Witch
Spellbooks & Spies (short story)
Reading Order for Lacey Luzzi:
Lacey Luzzi: Scooped
Lacey Luzzi: Sprinkled
Lacey Luzzi: Sparkled
Lacey Luzzi: Salted
Lacey Luzzi: Sauced
Lacey Luzzi: S'mored
Lacey Luzzi: Spooked
Lacey Luzzi: Seasoned
Lacey Luzzi: Spiced
Lacey Luzzi: Suckered
Lacey Luzzi: Sprouted
Lacey Luzzi: Shaved
The Little Things Mystery Series:
One Little Wish
Two Little Lies
Misty Newman:
Teased to Death
Short Story in Killer Beach Reads
Chick Lit:
Girl Tripping
Gina also writes books for kids under the Pen Name Libby LaManna:
Mini Pie the Spy!