Rocco
"I don't belong here,” Dante insisted.
"I'm serious,” Dante said. “I don’t have any right to be an agent.”
"You protected one woman for three years against impossible odds."
Dante shrugged. "I was doing my job."
"No.” Rocco shook his head. "You were protecting innocent people long before you had a badge."
Dante looked around the room. "I don't know the first thing about being an agent."
"You know loyalty,” Rocco said.
"You know restraint,” Dante grumbled.
"You know how to put someone else's life ahead of your own.” Rocco grinned. "The rest we can teach."
Dante was quiet for a long time before a smile covered his face. "Lark put you up to this?"
Rocco laughed. "No, I did it on my own accord." He extended a black folder across the table, and inside rested an identification badge.
Special Agent Trainee Dante Manzo
"You already earned it,” Rocco said.
Dante stared at the badge for several long seconds before he accepted it. "I guess I should warn you."
Rocco raised an eyebrow. "About?"
"I've never had a partner before,” Dante said.
Rocco smiled. "You've got one now. Besides, we’ve technically been partners in taking care of Lark for six months now."
“True,” Dante said. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime, brother,” Rocco said, clapping Dante on the shoulder. “Now, let's go home and get our girl. We have some celebrating to do.”
That evening, they stood together on the porch of the lakeside house as the sun disappeared beyond the mountains. Lark leaned back against Dante while Rocco wrapped an arm around her from her other side. They liked to keep her just where she belonged—in the middle of them.
She looked down at the tiny ultrasound picture in her hand. It was just a small heartbeat—a tiny flicker of life- but it still made her smile.
"Who do you think our baby will take after?" she asked.
Dante kissed her temple. "Well, I hope she had your heart."
Rocco smiled. "And, your courage."
She looked between them. "I hope the baby inherits both of your stubbornness."
They laughed together, and the sound echoed across the quiet lake.
Once, Lark Santos had lived inside a cage built from fear.
Now she stood surrounded by love, laughter, and a future she'd chosen for herself.
And somewhere beneath her heart, a new life was already proving that even after the darkest nights, hope always found a way to be born.
The End
What’s coming next from K.L. Ramsey? You won’t want to miss Book 2 of the Agents of STARR series. Sophia’s Saviors coming in 2027!