San Antonio Secret

A San Antonio rodeo may hold the key to finding the truth behind two missing people

When Sierra Bradford’s best friend and goddaughter are abducted, she vows to find them at any cost. Sierra—shot at the scene of their kidnapping—checks in to a motel to treat her wounds. It’s there that she encounters former Green Beret Rafe Vargas, who’s come to her aid…and not for the first time. As his best friend’s sister, Sierra is off-limits. But that hardly stops a powerful attraction from growing as they work together on an undercover sting operation to find her friend’s adbuctors. Under the guise of a rodeo cowboy and his pregnant wife, Rafe and Sierra come to find out that the rodeo may be the key to their investigation—and their possible future.

Her eyelids snapped open, expression foggy with sleep.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice gravelly and deep.

She blinked. Her hand gripped his chest hair. She moved her leg slightly against his hip. Her eyes widened; her cheeks reddened.

The pulse at the base of her throat accelerated. Her pupils dilated.

She didn’t move. She pressed closer.

His heart leaped away. The burn simmering inside his gut exploded. He shook with the effort to maintain control.

He couldn’t look away. She’d captured him with her gaze. He held his breath.

“Rafe,” she whispered. Her tongue dampened her lips.

“You should move.” He cleared his throat. “Or I should.”

She lifted her hand from the bare skin of his chest. She nodded in agreement, tossing a wave of disappointment and resignation through him.

He allowed his hands to fall back to the sheets. All for the best. But right now he had to get away from here. He needed that shower or to dunk himself into a tub of ice. “I think I’d better—”

“Don’t think,” Sierra whispered.

San Antonio Secret

Robin Perini

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Award-winning author ROBIN PERINI’S love of heart-stopping suspense and poignant romance, coupled with her adoration of high-tech weaponry and covert ops, encouraged her secret inner commando to take on the challenge of writing romantic suspense novels. Robin loves to interact with readers. You can catch her on her website,

www.robinperini.com

, and on several major social-networking sites, or write to her at PO Box 50472, Albuquerque, NM 87181-0472.

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Thank you. For everything.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

Two months ago, Denver, Colorado

Dreary November clouds hung low and menacing, blocking out the clear blue of the Denver sky. Small pricks of ice laced the air, but Rafe Vargas didn’t feel the cold, even as a puff of visible breath escaped his lips. His focus lasered on the door of the warehouse.

Most of the block was deserted, but orange caution tape and cones peppered the streets. Not surprising. Rafe didn’t have to walk inside the building to know dynamite and detonator cords crisscrossed the location. This entire block of downtown had been scheduled to be dust in a matter of minutes. Covert Technology Confidential’s resident geek, Zane Westin, better be right about the target’s coordinates.

Rafe tugged the stocking cap around his ears to camouflage his identity, bowing his head to avoid providing the surveillance camera a clear image of the patch covering his left eye. That psycho serial killer Archimedes needed to believe the man currently sneaking into the building was Rafe’s best friend and fellow CTC operative, Noah Bradford, otherwise two women might die: the woman Noah guarded and had fallen in love with, and the one Rafe had flown across the country to rescue, Noah’s sister, Sierra.

Archimedes was attempting to use her as leverage to stop Noah’s investigation. Rafe wasn’t about to let that happen, but if he had a prayer of getting her out alive, he had to locate her first.

Then again, if he found Sierra in time to save her life, he might have to kill her. Or kiss her until neither one of them could breathe—the way he’d wanted to from the day they’d met.

Either choice made his gut ache. Best friends’ sisters were off-limits for one. Secondly, and more immediately, Archimedes liked to play deadly games, and he didn’t give a rip about collateral damage. He might just murder Sierra for the satisfaction of proving he could.

Rafe palmed his Kimber 1911 and slipped through the warehouse door. He eyed a camera and ducked behind a large concrete support in a visual dead zone. That ominous and all-too-familiar tingle skittered down Rafe’s spine. He had no doubt Archimedes was watching. The man was a sick voyeur, and the moment Rafe showed himself, the serial killer would know.

“We’re clear,” a worker in a yellow hard hat called across the room to the blaster.

“Then let’s get out of here. This sucker’s going to collapse like a pancake.”

The men hurried out, slamming a metal door behind them. The clang echoed through the empty building.

Rafe checked his GPS and surveyed the open area. Yep. Drilled holes stuffed with dynamite dotted columns throughout the place. No one knew the order was on hold.

They had to keep it that way. Until he found Sierra.

He followed the trail from one of the dynamite cluster’s detonation cables until a second set of wiring caught his attention.

Well, damn and double damn.

Archimedes had been here.

Military grade dets, not used for civilian demolition. No wonder the serial killer had oozed that smug, I-know-more-than-I’m-telling arrogance during their last communication. He’d rigged the existing wire to give him complete control. Even if the demolition expert didn’t set off the charge, Archimedes could. And would.

Sierra.

Rafe’s heart thudded hard against his chest. He glanced at his watch. Hell, no. Five minutes.

If he shot out the cameras, Archimedes might detonate early. Rafe tapped his earpiece. “Zane, you’re sure about those coordinates?”

“Unless Archimedes spoofed them. And he could have. I’d give it fifty-fifty.”

“Not good enough.” CTC’s surveillance expert was the best Rafe had ever worked with. There had to be a way. “If the place doesn’t blow, Archimedes is going to set off the dynamite. Can you jam the detonation signal?”

“I don’t have the time to crack his encryption.” A curse erupted from Zane. “He’s one step ahead of us. Again.”

“What about the cameras?”

“If I disrupt them, he’ll know.” A drumming sounded through the phone. “Maybe...okay, it’ll just be a minute, but I have an idea.”

“You don’t have a minute,” Rafe snapped.

A blur of tapping sounded through the phone. “If I loop the camera feed—”

“He won’t know I’m here. Very Hollywood thriller of you.”

“I try. It’s not going to be pretty, though. If he’s watching closely enough, he’ll be able to tell.”

“Do it.”

“I already started,” Zane said. “A half minute more.”

The seconds ticked by. Rafe studied the path to Sierra’s coordinates, timing it in his head.

“That’s as good as it’ll get,” Zane said. “Go.”

Rafe catapulted from his hiding place and raced across the large concrete building. He skidded to a halt in front of a closed metal door and turned the knob. Locked. “Sierra. I’m coming for you,” he shouted.

He backed up and slammed his foot against the barrier with all his weight behind him. The door bent, but didn’t open. Another kick. A third. A fourth. It wouldn’t give way.

A loud ticking echoed in his head, his internal clock counting down the seconds. This wasn’t working, and Archimedes could discover the deception at any moment.

A large spread of debris littered the floor nearby. A piece of rusted rebar stuck out from one heap. Rafe clutched it in his hand and wedged the end in a small crack created by his assault. With a loud groan he pried the door open.

“Sierra?”

He peered through the opening.

Empty. A mound of wiring and debris filled the small room.

What the hell?

“She’s not here, Zane. Am I even in the right warehouse?”

“According to my data, she has to be within a few feet,” he said.

Ninety seconds.

Normally Rafe’s body grew ultracalm the more perilous the operation, but this was Sierra. His palms grew damp, a bead of sweat trailed down his temple. Where the hell was she?

He rounded a corner and on the opposite wall facing the room he’d just entered, he found another door. The metal was bent, slightly off center.

He jammed in the rebar and pried it open. Sierra lay in the small, cramped closet, feet bound, mouth duct-taped, her shirt splayed open, and blood trickling from a carving of the infinity symbol on her upper left breast.

Her eyes widened.

“Got her,” he said into his comm. He knelt beside her, tugging her shirt closed and slicing through her bindings with his Bowie. “You’re one tough woman to find.”

Her body trembled, and she shrank from his touch.

“Easy does it.” As carefully as he could, he pulled off the tape. “Can you walk?”

“I can try,” her husky voice croaked. She swiped at her eyes and fought to sit up.

“We can’t wait to find out.” He scooped her into his arms and pushed out of her tiny prison. He bolted toward the door. She clung to his neck. A few feet from the exit a loud explosion shuddered the building. Smoke billowed at him, rolling in the waves of a nightmare.

Visibility went nil.

Rafe felt for the handle of the door and clutched the metal. He yanked it open. The ground shook beneath him. Legs pumping hard, he carried Sierra as far as he could.

They wouldn’t make it.

The building pancaked behind them, a sonic boom knocking him off his feet. The force slammed them to the ground.

He landed on top of her, and she grunted at the force of his weight. Before he could check on her injuries, a deluge of debris shot out with the force of an artillery bombardment. Rafe shielded her with his body, hoping his Kevlar was enough protection. Dirt, dust, metal and glass battered them both, pummeling them as if they’d been tossed into the heart of a tornado.

The world had turned to hell, and he had no idea if they’d survive or end up buried alive.

Archimedes might very well get exactly what he wanted.

* * *

THE MOTEL ROOM was a dump. Clean, but still a dump. Rafe lay on the rickety, regular-size bed and stared at the water-stained ceiling, his Kimber within reach on the bedside table. A glint of early-morning light peeked between the cheap blinds, providing just enough visibility for Rafe to study, yet again, the odd patterns the discolorations had created. He needed the distraction.

His body thrummed with tension, with unrelenting longing. Sometime during her sleep, Sierra Bradford had worked her way across the too-small bed and settled on top of him, her soft, toasty body pinning his legs and chest to the mattress.

Nestled against him, she was killing him with every curve, every inch of flesh. Her warm, even breath burned a hole in his chest. Her brown hair, luxurious to the touch, cascaded over his shoulder. The clean soap and hint of lilac lotion she favored danced a seduction on his senses.

Just one small movement of his hand and he could caress her silky skin. He didn’t know how much longer he could take the torture.

He fisted the rough sheets and closed his eyes against the temptation. He wanted to groan aloud, wrap her in his arms and lose himself in her. He longed to touch her, hold her, kiss her, make love to her.

Plain and simple, he wanted her. Bad. Even if he tried, his body refused to hide his need. The moment she stirred, she’d feel him. And there wasn’t a thing he could do about it, short of getting out of this bed.

And damned if Rafe could force himself to move. Even if he should.

He could tick off a hundred reasons he shouldn’t allow himself to give in to the urge. Sierra deserved a forever kind of man, a forever kind of love. The kind Noah had found with Lyssa. The kind her brother Mitch shared with his wife, Emily.

Not a man whose scars—both inside and out—made him damaged goods.

Rafe breathed in deep and slow, taking in every scent, every touch, burning the memory of the moment into his brain for the long, lonely nights to come. He’d never imagined he’d be this close to her. But here they were. Together. In a small room, in a small bed, with nowhere to go.

Every minute for the last forty-eight hours he’d hoped Sierra would reveal a flaw, something that would drag him down to earth, prove that the dreams she’d inspired since they’d met were unrealistic and impossible fantasies.

His prayers had gone unanswered. She was everything he’d imagined. Brilliant, resourceful, courageous, and passionate in her loyalty and love for her family.

He’d only identified two imperfections. She was Noah’s sister, and the woman was the most stubborn and tenacious person he’d ever met. Rafe had practically had to sit on her since they’d arrived to keep her in this room, safe and sound.

Unable to go to a hospital for fear Archimedes would discover she had survived, he’d treated her wounds and located this out-of-the-way motel that would take cash only.

Two solid days had passed since the explosion. The wait was grinding on both of them, but they were stuck here until Noah caught Archimedes. Personally, Rafe hoped his best friend killed the murdering psycho.

Until then, Rafe was trapped. With a woman who challenged and attracted and intrigued him more than anyone since... Rafe shoved aside the comparison. He couldn’t dwell on what he couldn’t change. Only learn from it.

Sierra shifted on top of him. His entire body turned rigid. He fought back his shuddering response. Maybe she’d move off, and he could escape into the tiny bathroom for an ice-cold shower before she realized—

A small moan escaped her, a whimper. She trembled, her nails biting into his chest.

Oh, Sierra.

He glanced down at her face, the long lashes resting against shadowed eyes, frantic movement just beneath her eyelids. He recognized the signs.

Another nightmare.

She dug her nails deeper into his skin. “Please, no. Please don’t.”

Rafe wrapped his arms around her. “Shh,” he whispered, rubbing her back, careful not to jar her injured shoulder. “You’re safe.”

Sierra shook her head and with a sleep-limp fist pummeled his chest. “Rafe!” she shouted. “Help me!”

“I’m here. I’m not letting you go.” He cupped her cheeks, stroking the smooth skin. “Wake up, darlin’. Let me see those baby blues.”

She squeezed them shut even tighter. Obstinate even in the midst of a nightmare.

“Come on, Sierra.” She was entangled fiercely in a memory, and he tried to tell her it was only a dream. “He won’t hurt you. Not ever again.” His thumb traced the pale translucence of her skin. She’d been through so much.

Her eyelids snapped open, expression foggy with sleep.

“Good morning,” he said, his voice gravelly and deep.

She blinked. She moved her leg slightly against his hip. Her eyes widened; her cheeks reddened.

The pulse at the base of her throat accelerated. Her pupils dilated.

She didn’t move away. She pressed closer instead.

His heart leaped. The burn simmering inside his gut exploded. He shook with the effort to maintain control.

He couldn’t look away. She’d captured him with her gaze. He held his breath.

“Rafe,” she whispered. Her tongue dampened her lips.

“You should move.” He cleared his throat. “Or I should.”

She lifted her hand from the bare skin of his chest. She nodded in agreement, tossing a wave of disappointment and resignation through him.

He allowed his hands to fall back to the sheets. All for the best. But right now he had to get away from here. He needed that shower or to dunk himself into a tub of ice. “I think I’d better—”

“Don’t,” Sierra whispered, straddling his hips. “I don’t want to think. I don’t want to remember. I want what you’ve been promising me for the last two days.”

Sierra sank into him, pressing her lips to his, demanding a response.

Rafe couldn’t stop himself. He didn’t want to. His heart racing, he shoved aside the doubts and let his body take over. With a groan, he wrapped Sierra in his arms, giving in. The world melted away. Heat and sweat and want and need overwhelmed them both.

But lingering, in the still small place deep inside, Rafe knew he was probably making the biggest mistake of his life.

Chapter One

Present Day, San Antonio, Texas

Nightmares weren’t supposed to invade twice—not in the daytime, anyway.

That way-too-familiar, incessant, head-knocking throb thudded against Sierra Bradford’s temples in time with her pulse. She didn’t want to open her eyes, but ignoring the truth had never worked out well for her, so she squinted and tried to remember.

Her cheek pressed against the cool metal of a half-rusted floor. She attempted to raise her hand to ease the pounding in her head, but she couldn’t move her arms. Thick rope cut into her wrists.

Her mind whirled in confusion. No. Archimedes was dead. He had been for over two months. This must be a nightmare. It wasn’t real. It couldn’t be.

“What was she doing with a gun? Who the hell is she?”

The man’s harsh words skewered past the pounding at the back of Sierra’s head. She twisted to identify the man to match the voice. All she could make out was a utility belt against a dark blue uniform. Her gut tightened. She followed her line of sight, and there it was. A badge. Before she could see his face, he turned his back and walked away. Military cut, dark hair. About five-ten, one seventy-five.

“Please. Don’t hurt us.”

A voice she recognized all too easily. The past couple of days careened through her mind. Her best friend’s phone call asking for help. A few computer searches yielding more questions than answers.

Neither Sierra nor Mallory had expected to be stopped by the police and ambushed, though.

The sound of a vicious smack reverberated around her. Mallory cried out in pain. Desperate, Sierra struggled against her bindings and rolled to her back. Her gaze flashed through the corroded interior of an old van, landing on Mallory’s terrified gaze. The corner of her mouth bled. Even worse, five-year-old Chloe clung to her mother, terror engraved on her face.

No way was Sierra letting anyone be kidnapped—especially not her goddaughter and best friend.

Okay, Sierra. Think.

Chloe whimpered, burying her head against her mother’s side. Hands and feet bound, Mallory scooted her daughter behind her as best she could, away from the man looming over them, a bandanna hiding his face.

“Please,” Mallory said, begging. “Let us go. We won’t say anything. Chloe’s just a little girl.”

“We ain’t letting no one go without the boss’s say-so.”

Sierra shifted just slightly. If she could only get enough leverage. With a shout, she bent her knee and rammed her foot as hard as she could against the guy’s side. The force carried her back. She lost the follow-through.

He grunted and leaped at her. With a loud curse, he let loose and slugged her. Hard. The blow snapped Sierra’s head against the van’s metal floor. “Think you’re smart, don’t you?”

She blinked back the tears of pain. She wouldn’t give these guys the satisfaction of knowing she could barely see after that last crack across her jaw.

He climbed on top of her. “I’ll enjoy teaching you a lesson,” he uttered, his fetid breath close to her ear, wrinkling her nose.

She stilled, staring into his nondescript brown eyes.

He slid the cold metal knife along her throat before tugging the weapon away. “Not so tough now, are you?” He nicked her, and warm blood trickled along her skin.

She stiffened. A wash of white noise enveloped the world, overwhelming her senses. She couldn’t see. She couldn’t hear. Nothing. Oh, God. Nothing.

Sierra fought to stay focused, fought the roar overwhelming her. She blinked, shaking her head against the terrifying, claustrophobic memory. The horrifyingly small closet. No escape. Trapped.

She couldn’t lose herself. Mallory and Chloe needed her. She squeezed her eyes tight and silently recited a half dozen letters of the alphabet backward. The fog cleared a bit.

He checked the rope around her wrists and heaved her across the van’s floor. “The boss’ll want to talk to you.”

“Judson, I didn’t sign up for kidnapping a kid.” A shaking voice filtered from the front of the van.

“Shut up, you idiot.” Judson opened the back of the van. “Get comfortable, you three. We’re going for a one-way ride.”

He chuckled and slammed the door shut. Sierra struggled to a seated position, moving closer to Mallory.

Who are they? she mouthed to Mallory. Buddies of your ex? Would he go this far?

Mallory blinked back tears. “I don’t know,” she whispered. “I thought he was setting me up at work, but this...?”

“No talking!” Judson shouted.

A slide and click echoed behind Sierra. He had a bullet in the chamber now. She’d recognize the sound of a Glock anywhere. Her brothers’ favorite gun.

“Say another word and I won’t wait for the boss.”

“No!” Chloe screamed.

“Shh, Button,” Mallory said. “We’ll be okay.”

“Keep her quiet or I gag you all.”

Judson turned to the driver. “Get us out of here. Slow and steady until we’re outside of San Antonio. We don’t own every cop.”

The engine roared to life. Over Chloe’s head, Sierra met Mallory’s gaze. They had one chance. Sierra’s feet were still free. They couldn’t stay in this van. If they did, she had no doubt they wouldn’t make it out alive.

She edged toward the rear doors.

“Call the boss. Tell him we’ve got an extra passenger. He don’t like surprises.”

The van started forward. They were out of time.

Be ready, she mouthed to Mallory.

After Mallory’s quick nod Sierra pressed herself against the side of the van. She wouldn’t make the same mistake again. She needed the leverage, or they were all dead. She’d only have seconds to kick open the door before Judson killed her.

Tucking her legs, she aimed for the door and hit the lock with the heel of her boot. Once. Twice. The metal snapped. The door flew open.

“Come on!” Sierra rocketed out of the moving van, taking a roll, scraping her arm on the asphalt.

She looked up. Mallory struggled to nudge Chloe out with her body, but the girl didn’t move. Desperation painted her mother’s face.

“You can do it, Chloe,” Mallory cried, squirming to the van’s edge. “Jump.”

The little girl shook her head. Fear froze her.

Sierra stumbled to her feet, racing toward the van. “Come on, Chloe!”

The van screeched to a halt. Mallory and Chloe tumbled backward.

“Go, Sierra!” Mallory yelled. “Run.”

Sierra kept coming. She had to help them, but the two men jumped from the van, their feet hitting the highway. They slammed the door closed. Mallory and Chloe were trapped.

If Sierra went back, they’d all be caught. A gunshot exploded into the night. A bullet struck near her feet, then a hot burn pierced her thigh. She had no choice. She zigzagged down the highway, away from her best friend, praying her movements would offer Mallory another chance to escape.

Veering to the side of the road, she dived into a patch of tall grass. Headlights flashed. A semi sounded its horn at the van blocking the road. The big truck slowed.

The van took off with a squeal of tires, its mud-covered license plate useless.

Sierra fought against the pain and stumbled back to the asphalt. She ran to the edge of the road yelling, praying the trucker would see her. He drove past. She sank to her knees, blood covering her right leg.

A hiss of brakes sounded, and the semi pulled over.

She looked up as a man ran toward her.

“Mallory. Chloe,” she whispered. And passed out.

* * *

MERTZON, TEXAS, WASN’T on the way to anywhere. Just the way Rafe Vargas liked it. He pulled his truck past the town’s three restaurants. Each window had gone dark, a large Closed sign blinking the news. Sunday night. He should’ve known better than to think he’d find a restaurant open.

Rafe’s stomach rumbled. After a day of training to keep his combat moves sharp, he’d been hankering for a greasy burger with onion rings. Nothing better at a small-town diner. Oh, well. Not as if he wasn’t used to disappointment. He turned off toward the Mertzon Inn, a small hole-in-the-wall motel. He appreciated the location several blocks off Highway 67. Out of the way, not obvious.

He’d situated himself a couple hours from Carder, Texas, the headquarters for CTC. He liked working for Covert Technology Confidential. He liked helping people in trouble who had nowhere else to turn. He liked using the deadly skills Uncle Sam had drilled into him for the right reasons. But he also appreciated staying far enough away from headquarters that he didn’t have to socialize much. Besides, lately many of his colleagues had found their soul mates. They were too damn content and satisfied. Not that he wasn’t happy for them...and envious. But he didn’t need the reminder of what might have been.

Of course there happened to be another reason to locate himself a good distance from an airport, be it CTC’s private strip or a commercial facility. Rafe couldn’t fly to Denver on a whim.

To see her, the biggest mistake of his life.

Sierra was not someone he should be thinking about. Not now. Not ever.

Rafe parked the car across from the motel, scanning the lot’s perimeter. He’d stayed alive this long by being cautious, not doing the expected. This was his last night in Mertzon. He was getting too comfortable. Too recognizable. He’d move on tomorrow. Find another town, another motel. Another temporary home.

His first stop, to verify that the small slip of paper he’d inserted into the doorjamb earlier in the day hadn’t been moved.

He probably could’ve used some of CTC’s electronic toys, but sometimes low tech did the job better. And safer. No one could jam a paper’s nonexi