Page 77 of Renegade

“More than anything.”

“They’ll bring them down. It sounds like Bishop got shot but Vonne’s up there, so hopefully he can keep him alive until an ambulance arrives.”

It wasn’t what I wanted to hear but I knew he was right, however, I was probably going to ugly cry if Miguel didn’t make it downstairs quick. When he finally came out of the building ten minutes later, I ran toward him. He looked big and beautiful in his fatigues and vest but the best thing about him was the broad smile on his face. He barely had time to open his arms before I was running into them. He picked me up and spun me around in a huge circle before putting me down. When his lips crashed down on mine, I nearly lost my mind, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. I kissed him back, hugging him to me until I felt him loosen his arms and break the kiss.

“I was so scared,” I said, swiping at my cheeks. I hadn’t even realized I’d been crying. “What happened?”

He smiled, cupping my cheek. “We’re fine. Cassanova and Mendez are fine. They’ll be down in a second, but Mac and Thorne are gonna wait up there with Vonne and Bishop until the ambulance arrives.”

“How badly is Bishop hurt?” Mark asked, walking over to us with Sarah and Jarrett.

“Not too badly,” Miguel said. “Thorne, Vonne, and Mac are up there with him. I’m pretty sure he’s gonna make it. He took one in the shoulder when Damon shot him but he got the drop on us with a gun he had hidden under his pillow. Damon saved my life. We spotted a weapon on the end table beside him, not realizing he had another one stowed away.”

“Good for him,” Jarrett said. He glanced back at his father. “I’m goin’ upstairs, Daddy.”

“Okay.” Mark smiled at him.

Jarrett jogged off, and Mark turned to the rest of us. “I’d like to thank the whole team for their restraint, but I’m meeting some people of my own.” We all turned to see a black sedan pulled up to the curb in front of the hotel and park. Two casually dressed men got out and started walking over. Mark excused himself to meet them and they all shook hands. Then Mark pointed at the building before leading the men up the stairs to the hotel’s entrance.

“CIA?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Miguel said, looking back at me. He smiled again, slipping his arm around my shoulder. “I’m really sorry you got worried. There just wasn’t a way for me to tell you what went on until I got down here.” The sound of sirens tore our attention tothe street where I spotted an ambulance driving up the block. It stopped in front of the hotel, and Cassidy and Mike separated from us to go over and talk to them. They’d most likely explain the situation and then go upstairs with the paramedics. I know it probably made me a bad person, but I really hoped Bishop was hurting after all the bad things he’d done to others over the years.

Sutter came out of the building with Vonne, Mac, Thayne, and Damon a few minutes later. I was happy to see that Sutter looked more relieved now that the three were in custody, but when he walked over to Miguel and gave him a hug, muttering something into his shoulder, I didn’t feel anything other than grateful that the two brothers had been reunited. I knew Miguel would always be mine and after everything that had happened, hoped the two of them would be able to put all the pain and guilt that had plagued them in the past where it belonged.

When they finally separated, John looked over at me, holding out a hand. I smiled at him and shook his. “Thank you for making him happy, Raven. I know the smile on his face and the peace in his heart is because of you.”

I felt my lip tremble for a moment and a second later, I stepped forward and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly. “Welcome home, John. This time, for good.”

Epilogue

MIGUEL

Book title: Of Mice and Phlegm

Author: Doris Everest

Publisher: Self-published

Genre: Fiction

Review/rating by Nightcrawler: 2 stars

Synopsis:

Two young men seek their fortune in the fields of the Salinas Valley.

My review:

This is one of the odder books I read this season. I chose it from a stack of paperbacks, glad that I did…until the end. I suppose you’re all wondering why I gave the book such a low star rating, so read on, dear readers.

One of our main characters is Bennie, described as a giant of a man who’s lacking intelligence, and the other is Carl, his exact opposite, a tiny little man, standing only forty-eight inches tall and sharp as a tack. Carl befriends the man considered an oaf, leading them to the rich farming community of Salinas, California, where they intend on becoming farm laborers to save money for their own land and fields.

Bennie, however, finds trouble wherever he goes…oh, and he’s sick most of the time, contracting one head cold after another. He steals remedies from stores in small towns as they travel, killing the owners who are mostly the elderly, kindly sort. Basically, he’s a serial killer. Carl finds himself constantly getting his poor, nasal friend out of scrapes time and time again, even though he finds him utterly frustrating, even trying to put an end to Bennie. I’ll post a quote from the book, so you get the idea of what I’m talking about:

“No matter what I did, I couldn’t get rid of Bennie. He hung around like a sticky booger no matter how hard I tried to pick him off. You know how sticky those things can be.”

Given the title, I should have expected phrases like this one, peppered liberally throughout the book and at the very least, I should have given the author a negative star rating, if for no other reason than putting that delightful image in my head.

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