Undercover Lover (15 page)

Chapter Nineteen

D
rake sidled over to the kitchen to see if he could hear what was being said. He recognized Mariska’s voice and brought his weapon up when he heard Vadim speak.

“You brought me here for a reason?”

“Nikolai hid the artifacts in his bar,” Marishka said.

“I knew it,” Vadim said. “Where?”

“In the walk-in freezer, wrapped up like meat.”

“That old goat,” Vadim said and flung open the door of the locker and stalked inside.

Drake rounded the corner into the kitchen to see Marishka slam the door close and lock it.

A muffled roar came from inside, and gunfire rattled against the door.

“Well, that should chill him out,” Drake said,

Marishka whirled and grabbed a chef’s knife to threaten him with.

“It’s me,” Drake said, holding his hands straight up.

“Drago? Why are you dressed up like a bum?”

“I wanted somewhere safe to take Pam,” he said.

“Is it over?” Pam asked, peeking into the kitchen. Drake saw that she was dragging a large two-by-four in her hand.

“I told you to stay under the table.”

“I couldn’t leave you without back-up,” she said.

“What were you going to do? If you swung that thing, you’d rip out all your stitches.”

They all jumped when the freezer door shuddered as, apparently, Vadim threw himself against it.

“Don’t worry. The walls are too thick for him to get out. It will even stop the bullets. He’s in there until he freezes to death.”

“While I appreciate the thought, Marishka,” Drake said, “I’d rather let the police handle this.”

Marishka snorted. “The police? He’s been dangling them along most his life. I’ve been paying Mark O’Reilly protection money, and he can’t even keep scum like him and her brother from wrecking my place.”

“You were paying Mark? Why?”

“He kept Oksana’s goons from causing mischief and made it known that the Tasting Room was under his domain.”

“We’re cops, Marishka. We do that for free.”

She shrugged. “Paying Mark for a little extra security didn’t bother me. Think of it as him moonlighting. But when he couldn’t handle it anymore, I decided to take matters into my own hands.”

“You mean Nikolai didn’t hide the museum artifacts in the freezer?”

“No,” she said. “They’re in there. What’s left of them. He scattered them all over the country.”

“Great,” Pam said.

“Well, that’s out of my jurisdiction,” Drake said. “But if you don’t mind, I’d like you to call the police and tell them who you have in your freezer.”

“Aren’t you a cop?”

“I’m on vacation.”

Marishka raised an eyebrow. “You should try St. Petersburg. It’s nice this time of year.”

“Russia? Brrr.” Drake shivered.

“Florida,” she said and dialed 9-1-1.

Epilogue

P
am was on the phone with Darren when Drake came in with a Siberian husky puppy. Her wounds had healed, and she was going back to work full-time that night.

“He’s going to be enormous,” she said, kissing Drake on the cheek while the puppy squirmed to smell his new owner.

“It was the only way I could get Andrej to forgive me. I had to find a home for the two cats. I’m allergic. Luckily, your friend with the tea shop took them in.”

“Darren, I’ve got to go,” Pam said, holding one of the puppy’s massive paws in her hand. “Be safe. Just because Vadim is in prison doesn’t mean his reach is limited.”

She sighed as she hung up.

“He’s a big boy and a tough one,” Drake said, letting the puppy down to explore his new home.

“The puppy or Darren?”

“Both,” Drake said.

“What are we going to name him?”

“I was thinking Rocky.” Drake grinned.

“Rocky and Drago.” She shook her head. “I can see the two of you now.”

“I figured the puppy could keep you company when I’ve got to work late or go undercover.”

“Or keep you company when I’ve got crazy shifts at the hospital.”

“Exactly,” Drake said, taking her in his arms. “But I think we’re going to need a bigger place. What do you think about buying a house out in the suburbs, away from the city?”

Pam leaned her head on his shoulder as his hands reached under her shirt and slipped over her back. “I don’t mind the commute, but I will miss the food.”

“Marishka does take out,” he said.

She pressed in closer and wrapped her arms around his strong chest, leaning into his loving caresses.

“She even said she’d cater our wedding.” Drake kissed her ear and nibbled on her earlobe when she cocked her head to give him access.

“Sounds good to me,” she sighed, rubbing her body against his, one hand moving toward his belt.

“The house or the catering?” he asked, reaching down to cup her backside to bring her closer.

“The house, the catering, the puppy, you, me…everything.” Pam brushed her lips against his and then moved her mouth over his in a raw and passionate kiss that left them both breathless.

Before she knew it, she was walking backwards to the bedroom. They shed their clothes as they went. The puppy danced circles around them, catching each article of clothing as it fell. When they tumbled into bed, the puppy joined them, holding Drake’s shoe in his mouth.

“Huskies are very smart,” Pam said.

“Yeah, if he’s so smart, why does he have my shoe in his mouth?”

“Do you really want this?” she asked. “A wife, a dog, a house?”

“Yes,” Drake said, kissing her forehead. “Yes,” he said, kissing her nose. “Yes,” he said, kissing her mouth until the dog dropped his shoe on his head and made a noise that sounded like “Arooo.”

“Did he just say ‘Yo, Adrian’?” Pam asked.

Drake tossed his shoe out the door, and the puppy raced to retrieve it.

“Can we start by training him not to eat footwear?” she asked.

Drake got up and closed the door. “In a few minutes,” he said and slipped under the covers to make love to his fiancée.

The End

About the Author

Jamie K. Schmidt has over thirty short stories in publication.
The Queen’s Wings
, book one of the Emerging Queens series, a paranormal dragon romance will be published by Entangled's Edge line this fall. Book one of her contemporary romance series,
Inner Goddess
, will be published by Random House's Loveswept line on June 6, 2014.

Jamie holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the State University of New York at New Paltz in Secondary Education English. She’s also held various jobs as a call center manager, a Tupperware consultant, a paralegal, and finally a technical writer for a major corporation. She is an active member in the Romance Writers of America (RWA), serving as the President for her local chapter Connecticut Romance Writers of America (CTRWA). You can reach her on Facebook and Twitter as Jamiekswriter or visit her webpage at
www.jkschmidt.com
.