Girl Undercover 12: Showdown Read Free

he’ll go into hiding somehow. I doubt Stenger will waste too much time looking for him. As crazy as it may sound, I’m getting the sense that Stenger isn’t as evil and unreasonable as his son is. He has much bigger things to worry about than someone mixing up a holiday.”
    “Yes, that’s very true.”
    “What do we do now?”
    “You should get your hands on Captain Brady and inject him with the Haldol. Hopefully that’ll undo whatever they did to him. We could definitely use his help. While you take care of Brady, I’ll find a way to make Jonah tell me where I can find Stenger.”

Chapter 2
    Dante smiled at me when I entered his room at the Marina Del Rey Hospital. Wearing a sleeveless T-shirt, he sat propped up in a bed that was so big it dominated the white-painted, bright space. An IV drip was connected to his hand. He must have slept well and gotten every ounce of his lost blood replaced, because he no longer looked pale and exhausted. I had expected Ricki and maybe Enrique to be by his side, but he was all alone. A small TV was hooked up in a corner of the ceiling, and it was showing a newscast.
    I walked up to Dante, took his outstretched hand and squeezed it, then leaned in to kiss his cheek.
    “How are you feeling?” I asked him and took a seat on the metallic chair next to his bed.
    “Not bad, considerin’,” he replied. “Did you hear what was reported on the news a little while ago? It’s on every channel.” He inclined his head toward the TV behind me. I turned around to see what the anchor was saying, but all I caught was her announcing that she would be right back with more news. A cat food commercial took over the screen.
    I faced my friend again, who grabbed the remote control and switched off the annoying music accompanying the commercial. “No, I was, um, kinda busy,” I said. “What are they saying?”
    “That Tim Dalton was once involved with Mayor Bottini.”
    I felt my mouth drop open in surprise. “What? You mean involved as in romantically involved?”
    “Yeah. Well, I don’t know how romantic it was, but at least they were hookin’ up. Apparently someone saw the two of them at an obscure gay bar somewhere in West Hollywood. Makin’ out.” Dante wiggled his eyebrows playfully.
    “I’ll be damned… I had no idea Bottini was gay. Did you?”
    He shrugged his tattooed shoulders. “No, but I can’t say I’m that surprised. I always thought he was playin’ the macho card a little too much. In my experience, dudes like that are often gay. But I’m glad that, for now, the media is goin’ crazy with this tip, taking the heat away from Cuerpos and me. Hopefully, there’s some truth to the gay rumor. That would mean I’m off the hook forever.”
    “Yeah, let’s hope.” I thought back to the hostage situation. “Huh. Well, they sure did a good job covering up already knowing each other in that case. The thought never once entered my mind.”
    “Yeah, I can’t say I ever suspected anything, either. But I’m lovin’ it. Especially the revenge angle.” Dante chuckled to himself.
    I tilted my head in confusion. “Revenge angle? What do you mean?”
    “According to what’s being reported, Tim has carried a grudge against Bottini since Bottini dumped him for a younger model a few years ago. That’s what a waiter who knows someone who knows Tim claims. So Tim has been seeking to get back at him ever since.”
    Dante screwed up his face, narrowing his eyes as he gazed off into the distance. “Maybe it was Tim himself who called in the tip to the station this morning…”
    He glanced at me again. “You know, just to fuck with the mayor. It wouldn’t surprise me. I’ve heard he’s a dick.”
    “You think? Well, if he did, we can be sure he’s still alive. Even so, I doubt he’s behind any of it.”
    “Yeah, probably not. Either way, it’s great.” Dante grinned happily.
    I looked around the room, taking in the stark whiteness of it. “Where’s Ricki and