Vegas Shuffle (Vegas Series) by Mimi Barbour

Prelude
    Previously, in “Roll the Dice,” book #2 of the Vegas series, we know that Kia Lawson arrives in Vegas from L.A. with only one mission. To find Earl Rhondo, the man responsible for his sister’s rape and subsequent death. He teams up with the Las Vegas Police and is forced to partner with Aurora Morelli, who’s also on the trail of the vicious serial rapist for her own reasons. Aurora mesmerizes Kai from the very first moment he lays eyes on the dark-haired, sparkling-eyed beauty. A spitfire full of smarts and strong opinions, she’s a cop to live up to; one with convictions about how the law works. And revenge has no place in her beliefs. She makes him fall in love with her, gives him reasons to forget his lust for vengeance, and then in the final moment, she betrays him.
    When the bald-headed, purse-carrying, Bruce Willis lookalike arrives to be Aurora’s new partner, she knows he’ll be trouble. Cocky, self-assured guys like him have always played havoc with her world. Learning her lesson as an impressionable young girl, these days she gives these guys short shift. Now forced to partner him, she begins to see a man full of hate with only one objective … and that is to kill. Not that the animal Rhondo doesn’t deserve to die for attacking so many women, including Aurora’s ex-partner; but she believes the law will deal with him. Their job is to bring him to justice. If only she can get Kai to see things as clearly as she does. As their time together passes, increasing attraction erupts in one night of glorious lovemaking where they take a chance on nature being on their sides, a chance that later proves to be an error of judgment. On the day they finally catch up with the scumbag life-wrecker Rhondo, he’s kidnapped Aurora’s ex-partner Debbie Ashton, and her newborn son, Alec. Therefore, three cops—Debbie’s husband and Aurora’s boss Cory, Kai and Aurora stand in the line of duty with their weapons all pointing towards the brute who runs out of a shack, revolvers blasting, making his last stand.

Prologue
    “Three weapons blasted.”
    “But only one bullet killed.”
    Aurora stood between her boss and her lover, shoulders slumped. The gun was still clenched in the hand hanging down by her side. She’d taken an irreversible step. She’d shot a man to death. Now a killer, she searched her soul as to whether she could live with this heavy weight. Skimming back over the last minute, she knew she’d had no choice.
    Whether Kai or Debbie’s husband, Lt. Cory Ashton saw Debbie’s signal didn’t really matter. Because Aurora knew without a doubt, the sign had been for her. Debbie had used their special gun-finger gesture, “shoot to kill”, and the begging in her eyes had convinced Aurora she had no choice. Not knowing what had happened in the shack where Debbie and her newborn had been held hostage for the last few hours compelled Aurora to obey her friend’s plea.
    The strong tie between the two women had built trust over their five years working the streets together. Watching each other’s backs—and being there as both family and friend to the person who was most important in keeping the other alive—had woven a strong connection. Especially for Aurora, who had no other family. Therefore, in these types of circumstances, one didn’t question the directives from the other; faith kicked in and instincts took over.
    Even though Aurora hadn’t taken her eyes away from the bloodied body that lay askew a few hundred feet from where she still stood, in a strange way she saw everything happening at the same time. For instance, she knew Debbie had raced to Cory to be swept into his arms. She’d also perceived the shocked look that Kai had flung her way before rushing to the downed man to kick away his gun and lean over the body to check his neck for any signs of life.
    Crazy thing, before Rhondo had run from the shack wildly shooting in their direction, she’d battled with Cory and Kai not