Follow the Money (Detective Kate Rosetti Mystery Book 3)

by Gina LaManna

  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 State of Mind

  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!