Christmas Angel Read Online Free PDF Page B

interfere with his judgment. Still, his gut told him he needed to get inside.
    He followed the sidewalk past the circle drive entrance until he was sure he’d cleared the view of the security camera out front. A service entrance had been cordoned off from the alley by a hedge. He crouched low and slipped through the bushes and into the darkness of the hotel’s side yard.
    “Watch my back. I’m going in.” He crept along the shadows, keeping close the building, circling around to the back side where he found an old cellar entrance. Glad for Madam’s negligence in not padlocking it, he held his breath and tugged at the stubborn latch, stuck from little use, until it finally gave way. He drew his gun, flipped the safety off, and proceeded to pull up the ancient door, cringing when its rusty hinges gave a squawk.
    One creaking wood step at a time, he descended into the black stairwell and at the bottom paused to snap on his penlight. With its potent beam showing the way, he moved through the maze of boxes and old furniture, ducking the spider webs and the mice scurrying along the floor joists above him. The sound of two men in an intense argument stopped him in his tracks. He skirted a stack of discarded wooden crates and discovered another set of steps leading to the floor above.
    The exchange upstairs had stopped. There was a deadly silence, like the calm before a storm. The hairs on the back of his neck stiffened. He moved quickly and quietly to the entry at the top of the steps. Just as he placed his hand on the handle, two shots rang out in rapid succession. A woman’s scream followed. Shado shoved the door open with his shoulder and sent it banging against the wall as he tucked and rolled to his stomach and aimed at the scene in front of him. There was his blue-eyed cowgirl, her head held in a vise by a beefy-looking lug. Her face was partially covered by the assailant’s thick arm, and the man’s dark eyes and weapon were both focused squarely on Shado.
    “Drop your weapon,” he snarled in warning. “No one has to get hurt.” He rose carefully to one knee, keeping his aim steady.
    The gunman’s eyes darted toward the connecting hallway, then quickly to his hostage. He raised his weapon a little higher, keeping it pointed at Shado’s head.
    “Back off, or the girl is dead.” He waved the pistol at her temple. Her blue eyes peeped over her attacker’s hairy arm a second before she opened her mouth and sank her teeth into him.
    “Bitch,” the hulk screamed and brought the gun down hard, clipping her across the temple.
    “Drop her! Come on, let’s get out of here,” someone yelled from the adjacent hallway.
    “Police! Freeze!” Shado rose to his haunches, keeping the barrel of his weapon fixed on the big guy’s forehead. The woman was out cold, limp across his massive arm. There was too great a chance of hitting her if he fired. The hulk of a man swerved, aimed at Shado, and squeezed off a shot. With no choice, he rolled away, dodging the bullet, and scrambled quickly to his feet, his finger crooked on the trigger. The now desperate attacker held the poor woman like a rag doll against him. Deep red blood oozed from a gash on her temple, matting her blonde hair.
    For a moment, they eyed one another, then Shado spoke quietly. “Let go of her.”
    With a sneer, the assailant loosened his grip, and she crumpled to the floor with an ugly thud. He took off down the corridor. Shado surged forward, glancing quickly at the suspect exiting the door at the end of the hall.
    He took a quick look inside the hotel room, and seeing the bloodstained carpet, spoke into his microphone. “Two civilians down. Suspects headed out north side of building.” He barely got the words out when the front door burst open.
    Gleason and two of the cops on the surveillance team entered, weapons drawn.
    “They went out the side door. I think there were at least two.” “Go!” Gleason waved to his team and they took off down the