Hey, y’all. I’m Officer Chastity Rinaldi with the Mobile, Alabama Police Department. Chastity is a hard name for a red-blooded Italian-American woman to live up to, so I go by “Cha-Cha” instead. Like many ladies with Italy in their genes and pasta sauce simmering on their stove, I’m quite curvy, especially up top, but my industrial-strength sports bra and ballistic vest keep my chest in check.

I grew up riding mini bikes with my older brothers who, like our father, pursued a career in law enforcement. I followed in their footsteps, though I opted to become what’s known as a “motor officer” or motorcycle cop. With Mobile being on the gulf shore, riding around the city on a motorcycle is a great way to enjoy the sea breeze.

On my first day out of training, I rode up behind a pickup pulling an enclosed trailer. The trailer had a broken taillight and posed a risk to drivers coming up behind it, who might not realize it was slowing down and inadvertently rear-end it. I’d only intended to give the driver a verbal warning about the taillight and send him on his merry way, but fate had other plans. As I spoke to him, the trailer began rocking. Screams and cries came from inside. Next thing I knew, one of the other men in the cab was handing the driver a gun. Seconds later, I was in a shootout on the shoulder of Interstate 10, bullets pinging all around me.

I got lucky and survived.

So did the women and girls who’d been locked in that trailer.

Though I was deemed a hero for rescuing the kidnapped women, I’d only been doing my job. Catching the creeps had been a fluke, pure happenstance. Even so, it felt great to hear the judge sentence the three men in the truck to life in prison for their involvement in a human trafficking ring. On their way out of the courtroom, the driver, a despicable dude named Daytona Dickerson, turned to me and said, “We’ll get out, Officer Rinaldi. And when we do, we’ll come for you.”

I’d assumed his words were empty bluster. I’d blown him off with a reply of, “Promises, promises.”

Since my crazy first day five years ago, my shifts have been much more routine. As a motorcycle cop, I can’t transport suspects, so I end up handling a fair share of traffic duties, which don’t necessitate a squad car. I also handle routine matters like house alarm calls (mostly false), vandalism, and burglary reports where the suspects—and stolen property—are long gone.

One of my recent traffic stops was anything but routine. I pulled over a beat-up Prius, expecting to find a yoga instructor at the wheel, or maybe someone who makes beeswax candles or homemade soaps. Instead, I’d come face-to-face with an attractive high school physics teacher aptly named Newton Isaac. He’d invited me to the weekend’s robotics tournament and we’d been hanging out ever since. Smart is the new sexy.

But remember those evil cretins I’d mentioned earlier, the ones with the women in the trailer? Well, unfortunately, they kept their promise. I just got word that they’d busted out of jail. Gulp. And now they’re coming for me . . .

Busting Out is the third book in the “Busted” romantic mystery series, released December 15, 2020.

Buxom motorcycle cop Chastity “Cha-Cha” Rinaldi has a tough reputation to live up to. On her first day as a rookie for the Mobile, Alabama police department, Cha-Cha pulled over a pickup hauling a trailer with a busted taillight, and unwittingly stumbled upon an international human smuggling ring. But now, the three creeps she put behind bars have busted out of prison. Have they fled the country, or could they be coming for her as they’d vowed upon receiving their life sentences?

A traffic stop puts Cha-Cha face-to-face with high school physics teacher Newton Isaac. Cha-Cha can’t imagine herself with the geeky yet undeniably appealing guy. After all, he’s her polar opposite. Still, he’s a welcome distraction from her woes, and she finds herself inexplicably drawn to him, as if by some unseen super-magnetic force pulling on her underwire bra.

Is Cha-Cha destined to pose a one-woman defense against three violent brutes, or might Newt prove to be her nerd in shining armor?

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About the author
Diane Kelly writes stories that feature feisty female lead characters and their furry, four-footed friends. Diane is the author of over 30 novels and novellas, including the Death & Taxes, Paw Enforcement, and House Flipper mystery series. Look for Diane’s new Southern Homebrew moonshine series and new mountain lodge series in 2021! Find Diane online at DianeKelly.com, on Twitter and Instagram at @DianeKellyBooks, and on her Author Diane Kelly page on Facebook.

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