Czytaj książkę: «Texas Christmas Defender»

ONE

A hand clamped over her mouth, startling Adriana Garcia and muffling her scream. The muzzle of a gun pressed against her forehead. Her throat constricted.

Though she couldn’t see who held the gun to her head, she knew it had to be her drug-lord brother, Rio Garcia, come to extract his revenge.

She couldn’t breathe.

The large hands and muscled arms dragged her back and away from Kiana, the pregnant llama she’d been feeding. Adriana dropped the bucket of grain. Kiana stretched her neck, wanting to spit at the intruder. Llamas were excellent “guard dogs” and Kiana had been subtly signaling that something was wrong for several minutes now, but Adriana had misinterpreted her earlier agitation.

Adriana’s heart lodged in her throat. Her worst nightmare was unfolding this very moment. Her greatest fear had come true—her brother had found her. He would kill her now.

But not before he obtained the information he needed. Then he would show no mercy.

She should have known it would come to this.

I’m not ready to die. Oh, God, help me! Jesucristo, save me!

Even though she’d feared this day would come, and she’d prepared for it in every possible way with the booby traps and a security system, at this moment she realized she hadn’t prepared for it in earnest—from the deepest part of her soul.

Adriana had not prepared to die at her brother’s hand.

But could she beg for his mercy?

She’d had so many dreams, so many plans after her escape from her home in Juarez and the family drug cartel. Now all of those dreams were turning to dust. Why hadn’t she moved much farther away?

It’s too late now.

He forced her into the shadows of the barn, his hand still pressed hard against her mouth. The weapon bit into her temple.

“I’m going to remove my hand. Don’t scream,” he said, keeping his voice low.

His voice...it wasn’t Rio, her brother. But no matter. Rio had sent one of his enforcers...except his trusted lieutenants were all Mexican, and this man hadn’t spoken in Spanish. Didn’t have an accent.

“Did you hear me? I said, don’t scream.” He repeated it in Spanish this time, but he was still missing the expected accent.

She nodded. She lost nothing by agreeing. No one would hear her scream except possibly Inez Ramirez, the older woman from whom Adriana leased the llama ranch she someday hoped to own. But this man wouldn’t be afraid of Inez.

He slowly lowered his hand from her mouth. The weapon remained aimed at her head as the man carefully stepped around her and into view.

Adriana gasped. Even relaxed a little, because she recognized her captor, and it wasn’t Rio or one of his minions.

This man was the Texas Ranger she’d saved two years ago in Mexico. Maybe...maybe today wasn’t her day to die, after all. Thank You, Jesucristo.

“What...what are you doing here?”

“I’m Texas Ranger Brent McCord, and I’m looking for Adriana Garcia.”

“I know who you are.” She could never forget the intensity of his green eyes. “And you know who I am, too. Don’t you remember me?”

“Are you Adriana Garcia?” He repeated the question, his gaze remaining hard, his tension palpable.

The question stung her as she stared down the muzzle of his handgun. He didn’t remember her or what she’d done for him? He’d been a stranger to her when she’d risked her life to save his by distracting one of Rio’s high-level henchmen. Or hatchet men, as she thought of them.

The guy would have seen the Ranger and would have killed him without hesitation. Not only had she distracted the goon, but she’d concealed the Ranger in her own home until it was safe to lead him away from the danger.

Her palms slicked, even now, at the memory of the risk to her own life. Her brother had learned of her betrayal only a few months ago, and that had sent her on the run, fleeing to Texas. The truth was she’d wanted an out from their family’s horrible, deadly business, though she wasn’t personally involved with her brother’s cartel. She’d lived in fear for far too long, and helping the Ranger had propelled her on a path to freedom, but she still wasn’t completely free. Not yet. Her long-dead American mother would have been relieved Adriana had made it this far out of Rio’s grip. That she had even tried.

Had the Ranger known that she’d been forced to run in fear for her life because she’d aided him? He must know something of her circumstances to even be aware that she was in Texas. Apparently he’d been searching for her. Even more disturbing—he’d found her.

She sagged. “You don’t remember.”

Oh, but she’d forgotten she now wore a disguise—her hair dyed auburn and permed with short curls. Her fake tortoiseshell glasses. She wasn’t supposed to look familiar to anyone who could recognize her—that was the whole point. So why had she spoken to him the way she had? Did she want him to remember or recognize her?

If he truly didn’t know her, then this was her chance. She could deny her true identity. She had to be more than careful. There was a reason she was in disguise, even at the llama ranch. Why, then, did she find herself wanting this man to remember her?

As she studied him closely, the truth became plain in his eyes. This Texas Ranger with the piercing green eyes knew who she was, all right.

She saw something more than just recognition there. Appreciation?

Warmth flooded her. She couldn’t help but smile on the inside at that. The two of them had a connection from the past. Something about him had drawn her then, and it drew her now, even though he had his weapon aimed point-blank at her.

Right. The gun. She couldn’t let herself forget that. She shook off her illusions that the Ranger owed her anything, or that he would never harm her because he felt something for her. He could very well be here on Rio Garcia’s cartel business, after all. He could have been bought and turned like so many other supposedly good guys. Everyone had their price.

What is your price, Ranger McCord?

Adriana took a step back. “You know who I am, so why ask the question? Who sent you? My brother?”

“What?” His face morphed into a deep scowl, as if she couldn’t have offended him more. “Didn’t you hear me? I’m a Texas Ranger.”

Though he’d emphasized those last two words, she scoffed. “There are Americans, law enforcement officers, on my brother’s payroll. Maybe even Texas Rangers. He could have sent you because he knew I would more easily trust you.” At his obviously shocked and offended reaction to her words, she almost wished she could take them back. But she reminded herself that she shouldn’t trust this man, even if she’d saved him. Even if he owed her his life.

“You mean because you saved me before.”

She nodded and noticed that Kiana had shifted around and edged closer, extending her neck.

“You could be a double agent.”

His face scrunched up. “What? No...no, I couldn’t.”

She’d turned the tables on this man. Now he had to defend himself. With his back to Kiana, the Ranger didn’t pay any attention to the llama.

“I want to hear you answer the question. Are you Adriana Garcia, sister of Rio Garcia, or not?”

Adriana prayed for direction. And forgiveness. If this man had been sent to kill her, then she’d failed in her biggest mission in life—to take down her brother once and for all. Since her escape from that life, she wanted nothing more than to destroy Rio’s cartel. But she’d let her guard down today of all days because it was Christmas.

Christmas...

“Don’t you realize it’s Christmas Day?” she asked, avoiding answering his question. He already knew who she was anyway. For some reason he wanted to hear it from her. “You’re here at my llama ranch on Christmas. Don’t you have family?”

He was one serious Ranger to have given up his Christmas for work. Or maybe it wasn’t such a sacrifice—maybe he didn’t have anyone to spend the holiday with. She understood about being alone, far from her family, on Christmas. The thought both saddened her and filled her with relief that she had escaped that life. Better to be alone than with her family.

“If you’re Adriana Garcia, you’re wanted for the murder of a border patrol agent,” he said. “I’m here to take you in. I’ve heard that you’re as ruthless as your drug-lord brother. That you only came across the border to start your own cartel here.”

The news rolled over her, crushing her under the weight of it. She was wanted for murder? Her knees buckled and she thought she would drop to the ground, but she stood taller, defying this man’s accusations. Her brother must have framed her, somehow. How did she make the Ranger believe her? Words failed her.

If only he understood that the reason she’d had to flee was because she had put herself between her brother and this man, maybe he wouldn’t be so willing to accuse her. Though she’d planned to run, wanted to escape her family and break all ties with them for so long, saving the Ranger and subsequently being pursued by the cartel had given her all the reason she’d needed to act.

But for him to accuse her like this...

Did she imagine it or did he aim his weapon a little higher? Did he finger the trigger?

Adriana lifted her chin in defiance. “And what do you believe, Ranger man? Do you think I killed the border agent? That I’m here to start up my own cartel to rival my brother’s?”

Agent McCord finally noticed Kiana—llamas were normally friendly and sociable, but the very pregnant llamas were territorial, and Kiana had sensed the danger this man was to Adriana. Though Kiana didn’t stand close to him, her ears were back, and Adriana knew what came next.

Did Ranger McCord?

He frowned at the creature and continued to aim his weapon at Adriana. “It doesn’t matter what I believe or want to believe. The truth is all that matters.”

She released a pent-up breath at that. “I’m glad to hear it. I didn’t kill anyone. If it looks like I was involved in the death of a border agent, then I must have been framed by my brother.”

Kiana raised her chin and stretched her neck.

“What? What is it doing?” he asked, but did not allow his gun to waver.

“She’s letting you know she’s not happy with your aggression toward me.”

Kiana spit at Ranger McCord from where she stood.

* * *

Brent took the spit like a man and didn’t move at first, knowing that any reaction on his part could spook the creature into more aggression. Grimacing, he slowly ran his sleeve over his face and swiped at his eyes but kept his weapon trained on this woman—Adriana Garcia.

In the flesh.

But seriously? Could anything smell worse than llama spit? Not even this barn smelled worse.

He’d ignore the llama for the moment. The pregnant animal appeared moody. Adding insult to injury, Brent had come into the barn and agitated her even more, the same as he’d done to Adriana.

But he’d found her, finally found her.

As part of the Ranger reconnaissance team, in Company “E” stationed in El Paso, Texas, his assignments varied, but they’d been on what they’d termed the Garcia Mission for weeks now—trying to capture cartel leader Rio Garcia when he crossed the border in search of his sister. At one point, they’d even learned from undercover operative Texas Ranger Carmen Alvarez the date of a planned crossing. Unfortunately, one of their informants, Valentina, had given them the location but then she’d been murdered. Since then, Garcia hadn’t been successful in locating his sister. None of them had.

Until now.

Adriana was the key to Garcia.

As for Carmen...she hadn’t been heard from since before Thanksgiving, and they were concerned for her safety. She could either be in deep cover and unable to find a way to get a message out or hiding until she could safely return. At least she’d been able to gather good intel on Garcia. That was how they knew how ferociously Garcia was hunting Adriana.

He wanted revenge for her betrayal and wanted it bad. Because not only had Adriana defected, she’d taken something extremely valuable from her brother—cartel cash and drugs.

The Garcia Mission called for them to find and prevent Garcia from coming across the border and find his sister. And if they found her... They’d been on the fence about whether she should be locked up. Had she come to Texas to start her own cartel with the drugs and money she’d stolen from her brother? Or, as Brent had initially argued, was she a good person simply trying to escape a dangerous situation, needing and deserving their protection from her brother?

Some of the Rangers had seemed willing to consider the second option, at first. But that had changed when border patrol agent Greg Gunn was killed in a sting operation at a salsa factory near the border. All the evidence pointed to Adriana as the killer. Later, they learned that Gunn had been working both sides of the law. That news had both stunned and devastated them, but no one more than Ranger Colt Blackthorn, who considered Gunn his best friend. Brent was still sick over it, and Gunn’s murder had only increased their unit’s determination to find Adriana.

Now all manner of law enforcement was after Rio’s sister for the killing. The Texas Rangers had wasted a lot of time on false leads, but Brent... Brent had been the one to find her.

So he couldn’t afford to let her get away now.

Except...in his gut he’d believed all along she was innocent. This woman had risked her life to save his in Mexico on a sting gone bad and he couldn’t forget that. Maybe he wanted to believe she wasn’t a murderer. Wanted to believe she wasn’t working with her brother. But he needed to get the truth out of her, here and now.

“I don’t want to hurt...what did you say her name was?”

“Kiana.”

“Kiana. I don’t want to hurt her. Mind calling her off?” Right. Like he would harm the creature under any circumstances. But maybe Adriana wouldn’t see through his bluff.

She appeared to consider his words, and maybe even humor flickered in her gaze, but finally it seemed her concern for Kiana outweighed the risk she was willing to take. Adriana lifted her hands. “Let me approach her. I can calm her.”

Her English was good. Smooth, like honey, not as broken as he remembered.

“Fine. Don’t try anything.” I’m not letting you get away now that I’ve finally found you.

He watched Adriana approach the llama, who visibly relaxed as the young woman spoke soothing words.

Adriana’s gaze drew back up to hold Brent’s.

Good. Now he’d attempt to get the answers he needed. “Why would he frame you?”

Her chuckle was incredulous. “Come on. You’re smart. I’m sure you can figure it out.”

I have my suspicions, but... “I want to hear it from you.”

Adriana dropped onto a bale of hay near Kiana and her shoulders sagged. “My brother is hunting me. There is nothing he wants more than to get his hands on me for what he believes is the worst kind of betrayal.” Her brown eyes pierced his.

“Four months ago he learned that I helped you to get away, and I had to escape. And once I was settled, I began enacting my plans to take him down.”

Brent slumped under the weight of that news. He hadn’t realized how great a risk she had taken in helping him, or that it had been the catalyst to her fleeing to Texas. “Go on.”

“So, if he made it look like I killed a border patrol agent, his problem would be solved. Others will find me for him. The Texas Rangers will hunt me down and lead him right to me. And...here you are.” Her gaze flicked to the barn entrance.

A chill ran over him. Had he done just that? Led her brother and his bloodthirsty cartel members to this ranch? He didn’t think so, because he’d been on his own in his search for her. After the discovery that Greg had been a double agent, they were all wary of sharing their leads through any means that another spy might be able to track. The reconnaissance team didn’t know where to find him, which also meant no backup was on the way if Garcia showed up to take Adriana.

Lord, please don’t let that be the case.

But her words confirmed his own suspicions as well, that her brother hoped the authorities would lead him to his sister. It had already nearly happened once, when a woman who had borne a surprising resemblance to Adriana had been found by the Rangers—and then subsequently attacked by Garcia’s men. That was why he’d been so careful when coming here today. Still, the suspicious tone of her words had him itching to flee the barn and check the perimeter of the ranch.

Her gaze snapped back to him, and her eyes reflected that she noticed his anxiety.

“Look, I didn’t lead him here. I came alone.” Was he revealing too much? “I had to find you first. On my own.”

Emotions he couldn’t read shifted behind her gaze and her stern expression softened. “You came alone? But...why?”

He lowered his weapon but kept it ready. “Because I didn’t believe you were guilty of murder even though there’s evidence that shows you were at the scene.”

“What evidence?” Her hands fidgeted.

“A scarf and a bracelet. We’ve seen you wearing identical ones in surveillance videos.” Though Brent had always doubted her ability to strangle a man to death with a scarf—at least, a strong and sturdy man like Greg.

She blew out a breath. “That’s convenient, isn’t it? I mean, if you’re going to frame someone and have access to those sorts of things, makes sense to plant them at the scene, doesn’t it?”

His thoughts exactly. He’d said as much to Colt, though his friend hadn’t been very willing to listen. “It does. And it also makes sense that if you were there and committed the crime, evidence would be found.”

“It doesn’t make sense that I would leave that kind of evidence. That’s much too obvious.”

Hands shaking, Adriana rose from the bale. She appeared nervous, definitely nervous. Brent didn’t take his eyes from her in case he had it all wrong about her and she tried something. That possibility remained.

“I left those items behind in my home in Mexico when I fled. Your surveillance videos are from before I ran, aren’t they?”

She had him there. But he still had a lot of questions. “What about the money and drugs? Where are they?”

“So you’re still unsure of my innocence.”

“Something like that.” Either she was guilty, or she was in trouble and needed protection. Before he could do anything else, he needed to know which was true.

Though she remained wary of him, she grabbed the bucket she’d dropped. Some of the grain had spilled on the ground, but she continued feeding Kiana with what was left in the bucket.

She drew in a deep breath. “Yes, I took the cash and drugs. That’s the biggest reason Rio is hunting me now. Before, he wanted me for my betrayal. There is a penalty for the kind of disloyalty I showed when I saved you. Then he learned about what I’d stolen. A family heirloom. My grandfather’s Rolex. In my panic to escape, I thought I might need leverage. Something for which to trade my life, so I took it because it has a removable back that contained a gold key. That key was to the storage unit with the drugs and cash stores.”

“And we’ve seen the storage unit firsthand. Know that it’s empty. Where did you hide the goods, and why?”

“After I escaped, I realized I could do more than simply hide. I could take my brother and his cartel down—if he couldn’t access all those drugs and cash, the operation of his cartel would be hurt, maybe even collapse. But I had to act fast before he realized I’d taken the Rolex. Before he knew to wait for me at the storage facility. But my plan didn’t work. Even though I got away with emptying the storage shed without getting caught, he’s still in business.”

If she really had believed she could shut her brother down or cripple him by taking one warehouse out of the equation, she could dream on. They wouldn’t have been mortally wounded by her actions. But he admired her determination—that was, if what she said was true.

He swiped a hand over his face. Could she be telling the truth? He had to ask all the right questions, cover all the bases. Not let his own gut feelings or his debt to her cloud his judgment. “I would think the right thing to do would have been to turn the drugs and cash over to law enforcement rather than keep them yourself. Keeping them gives the impression that you stole them to start your own cartel.”

She gave a cynical laugh. “Right, as if I’d ever consider doing a thing like that. I want no part of that life. I want to be free...” She trailed off, as if she would have said more but hadn’t meant to reveal so much, then leaned her forehead against the llama’s neck. “You told me that I’m wanted for the murder of a border agent, which proves I cannot trust you. How could I turn the drugs over to you or any law enforcement? Would they let me go? No. They’d keep me locked away. I have to finish my mission first.”

“To take down your brother.” And then she’d be free, she’d said.

“And I can’t do that behind bars, can I?”

“True enough, but you hid the drugs and money before the border patrol agent was murdered.”

She held her chin high, anger flashing in her gaze. “I’m Rio Garcia’s sister. I couldn’t risk turning the supplies over to the law, who would imprison me, one way or another—whether to use me for their own devices or because they would never believe I’m innocent of any involvement in my brother’s cartel. I will never give up the drugs and cash. Not until I’ve taken down my brother. There is no one I can trust. Tell me I’m wrong!”

Brent sagged. I...can’t.

His grilling her even wore on him. And for some insane reason he couldn’t fathom, he found himself wanting her to trust him, as he’d trusted her two years before. “Look, Adriana... I want to believe you.”

As she gazed into his eyes, he hoped she read the truth of his words there.

Her face softened and she spread out her palms. “Look, it’s Christmas. Inez, the woman I lease this property from, helps me run the ranch, lives with me in the house. We’re family now. We had planned our own small celebration. She doesn’t have anyone, and apparently neither do you. Why else would you be here on Christmas morning?”

He hadn’t taken time off for Christmas in years.

Could he believe that she was innocent and had told him the truth? He’d suspected much of it and had hoped to hear as much from her. But he could very well be blinded to the truth staring him in the face for the simple reason that she’d saved his life before. Any criminal would claim to be innocent.

He wasn’t sure if he could trust his own instincts when it came to Adriana. Though he shouldn’t, he really shouldn’t, he had a soft spot in his heart with her name on it. He buried the thought and focused on his task.

“I haven’t decided what I’m going to do with you yet, even though it’s Christmas.”

A measure of fear flickered in her gaze. “How did you find me?”

“I’ve been receiving anonymous letters that gave me clues. Llamas. That you’re somewhere on the Rio Grande. The last one urged me to find you before your brother catches you.”

She gasped.

“I’ve visited a lot of ranches along the Rio Grande looking for you, including a llama ranch or two. And I had hoped this would be it. When I saw the booby traps, I guessed it could be you.”

“Well, that’s comforting, that I’m so easy to locate.” She rubbed her arms, clearly distressed. “And then you decided you would just accost me in my barn.”