Dante's Angel (23 page)

One shot, one
kill.

Fai went down,
almost pulling Jai Tao with him. At the same time, Brix fired at his man,
dropping him instantly. Hammer grabbed the guy in the glasses, and in seconds
had him disarmed and on the ground, unconscious. Dante was going to shoot Paul,
but the last man with him raised his gun, aiming for Hammer. Dante took him
down before the other man could shoot.

Zoe knew that
Sheriff Wyatt wanted Paul Wei taken alive, but she just couldn’t do it. She
knew what Paul was capable of, and with his connections, she didn’t trust that
the law would keep him in jail.

As Paul took
the opening and aimed at Dante, she lifted her own gun. Without hesitation, she
pulled the trigger. She saw Paul’s eyes widen in shock as the bullet slammed
into him. His body jerked, but he didn’t go down. Staggering, he tried to turn
his gun toward her, but Zoe was quicker. She pulled the trigger over and over
again, emptying the clip into him.

Unable to
move, she watched with horrified fascination as he fell to the floor. It was as
if she were some other person, completely detached from her own actions.
Logically, Zoe knew she was in shock, but she felt no guilt at killing the
monster that had stolen so much from her.

And she’d do
anything to protect Dante.

Zoe’s hands
were shaking as she set the gun down on the bar top. As she heard the men call
out the all clear to the people outside, she took a few deep breaths to try and
stop from heaving up her dinner. Then he was there. Dante jumped up and slid
over the bar. He jerked her to him, holding her so tight she could barely
breathe.

“I had to. I
had to do it.”

“I know, baby.
I could have lost you. I could have fucking lost you,” he whispered as he
buried his face in her hair.
  

The doors to
the bar slammed open, and keeping her head on Dante’s shoulder, Zoe turned to
see dozens of people rushing into the room. She had expected to see Sheriff
Wyatt and Malcolm, but she’d never expected all of the other people who had
come to their aid. There was a group of former military men who volunteered at
the rescue center and several others that lived in town. A few of Malcolm Fox’s
friends hurried in from the side hallway, and Zoe nearly fell over when she saw
Evie, Sam and Francesca with them.

Dare passed
the injured bodyguard over to the paramedics, then looked over and saw Evie
standing there with a gun strapped to her hip. For a second he just stared at
her, so mad he looked like he was about to explode. He stomped over, his gray
eyes glittering dangerously. “What the fuck are you doing here, Eve?”

“Don’t you
even start with me.” She poked a finger into his broad chest. “You should have
been the one to tell me Zoe was in trouble. I shouldn’t have had to find out
from them!”

Dare shot a
murderous glare at the other women, but they’d already blended into the crowd to
escape his wrath. “You shouldn’t be here. And what the holy hell are you doing
with a gun?”

Evie grinned. “Honey,
I was born and raised in Texas. Of course I have a gun.”

Zoe’s
attention turned from the fighting couple as her father walked over to stand in
front of her and Dante. She still couldn’t breathe from the hold Dante had on
her, but she wasn’t about to complain. She held onto him like a lifeline,
afraid that if she let go she would fall to pieces.

“Are you
alright, Angeli—Zoe?” her father asked.

“F-fine,” she
stammered out.

“You are not
fine,” Dante growled. “Damn it, I could have lost you.”

“I’m sorry I
led him here. It was never my intention to put you in any danger.”

“I know, Dad,”
Zoe said with a sigh. “Despite everything, I’m glad you came. I need to…I can’t
talk about this right now. Can you stay for awhile so we can talk later?”

“I’ll stay as
long as you’d like,” her father said softly. His gaze shifted from her to the
man that held her. “We have much to discuss.”

Sheriff Wyatt stomped
over, glaring at them. “Damn it, did you have to kill all of them?”

“I think the
guy Hammer took down is still alive. Maybe.”

At Dante’s
flippant reply, the sheriff’s expression darkened. “You’re damn lucky I
deputized all of you before this shit show started. But I wanted Paul Wei taken
alive. Who killed him?”

“I did.” To
Zoe’s surprise, her father picked up the gun she had set on the bar top as he
casually took the blame for the man she’d just killed. He made sure to grip the
handle, then turned the gun in his hand to offer it safely to the sheriff. “Paul
Wei deserved to die for what he did to my daughter.”

Storm Wyatt
studied the three of them for a moment, then he sighed. “Hell.”

“Quit bitching,”
Dante growled. “Oh, and go get that bomb out of our bar.”

“Now, that’s
something I never thought I’d hear you say,” Zoe said as Storm stomped away.

Dante laughed,
and Jin Tao gave them a slight bow. “I am going to go to the hospital to check
on Ru. I will contact you later.”

“Maybe your
dad isn’t such an asshole after all,” Dante said after her father had left.
When Zoe’s laugh turned into a sob, he leaned down and pressed his lips to
hers, needing to assure himself that she was really alive and well. “I love
you, angel. I’m sorry that you had to go through this, but—”

“I’m not. All
of this…it brought me to you. I might have some nightmares about this, but I
know you’ll be here to help me through them.”

“Always. So,
now that you’re safe, are you still going to marry me?”

“You bet your
ass I am.”

“Good. You
aren’t going to make me wait months, are you?”

She looked up
at him. “What are you doing tomorrow?”

A slow grin
spread across his face. “Angel, I like the way you think.”

Epilogue

Three days
after the shootout, Dante and Zoe officially began their future together.

During those
days in between, they’d been so busy they’d barely had time to breathe. Both he
and Zoe had been questioned by the cops, the FBI, the US Marshals and even
someone from Interpol. The interview with the police had been easy, since
Sheriff Storm Wyatt’s main concern was that they were okay and Zoe was safe,
but dealing with the agents was a little more difficult.

The Marshals
were pissed that Zoe had evaded them for so long, and the FBI and Interpol were
determined to use her to take down the rest of the Wei family. Zoe had told
them what she could, but they hadn’t been satisfied with her answers. When they
pushed—saying they could charge her for using a false identity and a variety of
other offenses—her father had surprised them all by sending in an army of
high-priced attorneys, gaining her immediate release.

Zoe had slightly
appeased the agents when she handed over the fifty million dollars in diamonds
she brought into the office in her violin case. They were even more pleased
when she turned down the reward for the missing diamonds. The FBI had traced
the jewels back to an unsolved case of theirs, and they had been happy to
recover them.

Dante had
grumbled a bit about her turning down the reward, but he quickly got over it
when she agreed to go straight to the courthouse with him to apply for a
marriage license. Zoe hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she wanted to marry
him as soon as possible. They had to wait a few days, but the plan was put into
motion, pleasing them both.

Their friends
had come through again while he and Zoe been taken in for questioning. Renovations
at the bar had begun, and the windows had been replaced by the time they’d
showed up that night. The staff had also been busy inside the bar, cleaning out
the debris. Dante had wanted to keep the bullet-riddled walls, saying it gave
the place character, but Zoe had quickly nixed the idea.

Since the
patio was pretty much destroyed and a lot of the inside had to be repaired,
Zoe, Dante and Malcolm discussed doing some big renovations on the bar while it
was already closed. The chefs had all but smothered Zoe with gratitude when she
suggested making the kitchen area larger. Malcolm wanted a bigger patio area
for outdoor seating, and he’d also suggested a private room for parties. The
only change Dante had demanded was a stage area for live music. He wanted to
hear Zoe play for him. Whether it was after the bar closed or during business
hours, he wanted to see her on that stage.

It was going
to take a nice chunk of cash to make all the changes they wanted, but it would
be worth it in the end. Because of the new additions, Dante thought he’d put
off getting a new motorcycle. He wasn’t sure his insurance would cover an asshole
blowing it up, but there was no need for him to worry. Zoe had surprised him
with a brand new bike, calling it her wedding gift. He’d been shocked by the
extravagant gift, and he was touched when he saw she’d gotten Hunter to paint
it just like his old one.

Maybe it was a
guy thing, but he’d been a little troubled by her spending so much money on
him. When he’d mentioned it to Zoe, she’d just laughed. Then she’d showed him what
was currently in her bank account, saying it was just a fraction of what was
still in the trust. Dante had never been so shocked in his life. He knew her
father was rich, but Dante had never really thought about Zoe having money like
that, too.

Just thinking
about it made him a little queasy.

When she
offered to use her money for the renovations, both Dante and Malcolm had flat
out refused. In reprisal, when Dante demanded they sign a prenup before they
got married to protect her assets, Zoe refused right back. What she had in the
account Ashley set up for her would belong to both of them. She was adamant
about that. When he balked, she explained that the way the trust was set up,
only their children would have access to the bulk of it after her. That helped
settle him a bit, but he was still uneasy about the whole thing.

The next
night, they finally got a chance to sit down with Jin Tao. Despite his anger
toward her father, Dante made an effort to give the man a chance. It was a
strained meeting at first, but Malcolm had showed up with dinner, and his
friendly manner had helped put everyone at ease. It was interesting to see the
two fathers together. They couldn’t have been more different, but as the night
wore on, everyone relaxed a bit. He’d never met a more reserved, tight-assed
man before, but Dante could see that Jin Tao did care for Zoe, in his own way.

Jin Tao
informed them that he’d rented a house in town. He wanted to stay in the area
for a little while in order to mend things between him and Zoe. There wouldn’t
be a quick fix for what had been damaged between them, but the gesture pleased
Zoe enough to have Dante biting his tongue when what he’d really wanted to do
was beat the shit out of the man for all the pain he’d caused her in the past.

Jin Tao hadn’t
protested when Zoe informed him of their plans to get married in a few days,
although Dante could tell Jin Tao still didn’t approve of him.

He didn’t give
a fuck as long as her father didn’t try and get between them.

On Friday
evening, they were invited to the house that Zoe’s father was staying at. The
rental was one of the nicest beach houses in the area, close to where their
friend Hammer lived. When Dante and Zoe walked into the house, they’d were shocked
at what greeted them.

The living
room had been cleared of all furniture. The dark wooden floors were left bare,
except for a thick white runner that ran the length of the room. The room had
been decorated with tiny fairy lights wrapped around two columns that had been
placed at the far end of the room in front of the large fireplace. Thick
candles that had yet to be lit sat in holders of various heights that lined
both sides of the space.

“What is all
this?” Zoe asked as she looked around.

Her father looked
slightly uncomfortable. “Since you were planning on getting married in a few
days, I pulled some strings and got your license expedited. I know you were
going to the courthouse since you said you didn’t want to have a big wedding,
but I…I would like to be able to offer you this space for your ceremony this
evening. I had your mother’s dress shipped here. I wasn’t sure if you would
like to wear it, but—”

Zoe stepped
forward and wrapped her arms around him. “Thank you, Father.”

Jin Tao stood
stiffly for a moment, then his eyes closed and his arms came around her. “It would
be my great honor to be part of your important day.”

Dante and Zoe
were separated into different bedrooms to get ready. Jin Tao seemed to have an
army working for him, and when one of the assistants brought a brand new suit
to Dante, he found that it fit him perfectly. He dressed with care, noting that
the tie that came with the black suit was a bright red color.

Emotions hit
Dante when he saw Malcolm and Jessup standing in the living room when he got
back downstairs. He was told that Ellie, GT and Sarah were upstairs helping Zoe
get ready. The candles were lit and the men stood near the fireplace as a
priest came into the room. Soft music began to play over the stereo system.
Sarah walked into the room, dropping red rose petals along the cloth runner.
Her job done, the little girl smiled at the men, then waited patiently for her
mother and grandmother to join them at the front of the room.

Dante’s breath
caught when Zoe appeared in the doorway holding onto Jin Tao’s arm. She looked
absolutely stunning in a high neck, sleek red dress that had a gold decorative
pattern on it. Her hair had been styled up, with several dark tendrils falling
down in soft curls. Knowing that she was wearing her mother’s ceremonial dress
made the moment even more special.

Their gazes locked
and held as she moved forward to join him, and there in front of a small group
of family and friends, they pledged their lives to one another.

The ceremony
was short and sweet. After it was over, Dante kissed his new bride as everyone
cheered. Before they could leave the room, Jin Tao handed Dante a red envelope,
telling him it was a Chinese tradition to give a gift to the new couple. Dante
thanked him, then almost passed out when he opened it and saw the amount Zoe’s
father had given them.

A few hours
later, Dante and Zoe sat in his truck outside the front of The Fox Hole,
waiting to make their entrance. They’d had a special dinner after the ceremony,
then they were told that their friends were gathered at The Fox Hole for an
impromptu reception.

“Twenty
million fucking dollars.”

Zoe glanced
over at him. “You keep saying that.”

“I know.
Because I can’t really believe your dad gave us twenty million fucking
dollars.”

Reaching over
the center console, she patted his arm. “He doesn’t really like you yet, but
I’m sure he’ll give us more once we have kids.”

Dante choked.
“More? What the fuck would we do with more? We shouldn’t even take this! This
isn’t normal, Zoe. People don’t just give away this kind of money.”

She bit her
lip to hold back a laugh. “I don’t think you understand just how wealthy my
father really is. To him, twenty million was on the low end of what my dowry
should have been. But then again, I told you, he doesn’t really like you yet.”

“My head feels
like it’s going to explode.”

She let out a
little laugh. “You’ll get used to it.”

“No, I really don’t
think I will. We run a bar for Christ’s sake!”

“Think of it
this way, now we can afford all the renovations we want.”

“And then
some,” he muttered. “There is my dad’s signal. Let’s go in.”

He got out of
the truck and came around to her side to help her out. He tolerated the suit
and tie since she was still in her beautiful dress. When they walked into the
bar hand in hand, they were met astounding applause and cheers that shook the
rafters. They were hugged, kissed and congratulated as they were passed from
person-to-person. The bar was officially still closed, but it seemed like the
whole town had showed up to celebrate their big day.

As expected,
Zoe was given hell when she was cornered by her friends. Kali, Evie, Francesca
and a few others were pissed they hadn’t been told what was going on, and Zoe
didn’t hesitate to throw the men under the bus. GT passed Zoe a glass of
champagne as the women moved off in an angry mob to track down their men.

“That was
mean,” GT said with a chuckle.

“I know it.”
Zoe grinned, then she leaned back against Dante as his arm slid around her
waist.

“What are you
two laughing at?”

“The fact all
you men are paying for leaving the women out of our little adventure,” GT
informed him.

They were
distracted when a scowling Hunter joined them. “I got smacked on the head by my
sister, my cousin and my ma because of you.”

Zoe blinked
innocently. “I have no idea what you mean.”

 
He waved that off. “Thought you’d like to
know. I got a text from Nikita.”

Zoe felt Dante
stiffen behind her, and her own heart started to pound. “What did it say?”

He pulled out
his cell phone and showed them.

Angel is free. The news might
interest you tonight…

Without saying
a word, Dante moved toward the bar and reached over the counter to grab one of
the remotes. He turned on the television closest to them and started scanning
the channels until he found a news station. Increasing the volume until they
could hear it over the crowd behind them, they watched as a news reporter stood
in front of an elegant house on the screen.

“
We’re reporting live in front of the large
estate owned by Shen and Meili Wei, the owners of Wei Auction. Earlier tonight,
the house behind me was raided by agents, culminating in one of the largest
recoveries of stolen artifacts, jewelry and art reported in the United States. Their
son, Paul Wei, a fugitive wanted for murder, was reportedly killed in a
shootout with police a few days ago in Texas, in connection with this black
market trafficking case that federal investigators have been looking into for
the last few years. Until now, there has been no evidence to tie Shen and Meili
Wei into the scandal, but the shocking discoveries tonight have confirmed it.
Another development occurred when it was reported that several young children
were found locked in a hidden room in the basement of the estate. Right now, we
don’t know the identity of any of these children, but we can speculate that the
Wei Auction house might have been moving into human trafficking. Both Shen and
Meili Wei were killed in the takedown, as were several guards that the couple
had on the property. It is still unknown which agency is taking credit for the
takedown, but we can only say that it’s a job well done to whoever was involved
in stopping this family’s criminal enterprise.”

“Human
trafficking,” Zoe whispered horrified. “How could anyone do something like
that?”