Page 78 of Whispers of Redemption

“What?” Cassie said.

“She’s right,” said Zack. “After we lost your wire connection, we drove a bit closer to the house to see if that might help the connection. Your car was still in the driveway, so we decided to wait a bit. Not long after that, a car flew past us. Wade recognized that it was Brett’s car and swore that he saw you slumped in the back seat. We called for backup to monitor Olga’s house and took off after Brett.”

“But he spotted us right away,” Wade said. “He outmaneuvered me and got away from us. At first, we had no idea how we were going to find you.”

“Then Hugo remembered something I’d told him!” Ani piped up, one arm still wrapped around Cassie.

“What was that?” Cassie asked.

“Ani taught me about the GPS feature on our cell phones, and how we could use it to check each other’s locations,” Hugo said.

“He’s such a techie whiz now!” Ani sounded proud.

Hugo laughed. “Not really, but it’s nice to be one in your eyes. Anyway, I called up Ani and she immediately located you on her cell phone.”

“So, we swung by to get her phone,” Wade said.

“And then Ani, being typical Ani,” Hugo said with a grin, “insisted on coming and refused to leave Angel alone. We didn’t have time to mess around, so we brought them both. And using her phone, we easily tracked you here.”

“Wow! You guys rock!” Cassie said, hugging Ani again.

“Don’t I know it!” Ani said, making everyone, except Brett, laugh.

“I completely forgot that I still had my cell phone in my pocket,” Cassie said, tapping the phone tucked into the back pocket of her jeans. “And thank goodness Olga and Brett didn’t think about it either!”

Ani bent down to pick up the barking Angel, while Zack and Hugo walked over to arrest Brett.

Ignoring the flurry of activity around them, Wade pulled Cassie into him, hugging her hard. After a long moment, he eased back and cupped her face in his hands. “I have never been so scared in my life.”

“Me neither,” she said.

The starlit sky behind him cast his face in shadow, so she couldn’t see his eyes. But his voice was full of emotion. “I can’t believe I let you go through with this risky plan. If I’d lost you—” his voice broke.

She reached up and laid a gentle hand against his face. “First of all, you are not allowed to use the word ‘let’ in relation to me.” She could feel his cheek move beneath her palm as he smiled. “And second, you will never lose me, Wade Riley.”

He became very still. “What do you mean?” His voice was a breath, barely a whisper.

“I mean, you can never lose me because...because...I love you, too, you by-the-book, rule-following, control-freak cop.”

And then his lips were on hers. She wrapped her arms around him and sensation exploded inside her as the love she’d been trying to deny bubbled to the surface in that one delicious kiss. And despite the chaotic noise of the barking dog, chattering Ani, whining Brett, and Hugo reciting the Miranda Rights, all she was aware of in that moment, was him. Only him.

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