Protected in His Arms: Elite Texas SEALs

by Castillo, Holly

  She smiled. “If you want to be tempted again. I can’t make any promises about how I may behave around you.”

  He pulled back to look at her and his fingers traced her smiling lips. “This is what I’ve missed so much the past few days. I’ve needed this smile. It’s like the fuel to power me through anything.”

  Is he real? No man can be this perfect. But in the meantime, I’m going to enjoy every moment. “I suppose we had a lot to talk about, what with everything that happened today. My ears are still ringing a little.”

  “I’d prefer not to talk about it and just make love to you for days.”

  Evie shivered at the thought. “I’d prefer that, too.”

  “I wish the real world could just pause or take a break for a bit.” He squirted shampoo into his hands and began to lather it into Evie’s thick hair, massaging her scalp as he went.

  “I don’t want to return to work tomorrow. I’d prefer to stay here with you.”

  His hands froze momentarily in her hair before slowly resuming washing her hair. “Do you think it is safe for you to go back after what happened today? I’m sure they’d understand if you let them know you can’t complete your assignment.”

  Evie chuckled, her eyes closed, enjoying Santo’s fingers. “Be serious, Santo. I have an engagement I intend to complete. Besides, now more than ever I feel like there may be information in that office we need to get to solve Judge O’Connor’s murder.”

  “Are you willing to risk your life for that answer? It seems like someone is targeting judges, and you could be collateral damage. I don’t like the risk.”

  He rinsed the shampoo out of her hair and she wiped her eyes free of the suds, opening them to watch Santo. “We have to find answers. Right now, I’m in the best position to do it.”

  “I don’t like it. But you’re right. Just… Don’t take any unnecessary risks. And if anything feels suspicious, leave. Just get out as quickly as you can.”

  “I’ll be fine, Santo. I’ll call you every day until I come home.”

  He kissed her tenderly and they finished their shower together, each one becoming aroused by the other, but the events of the day had taken its toll and they were exhausted. The tumbled into bed after their showers and held each other close, temporarily setting a nightmare aside for the warmth and comfort each could offer the other. Reality could wait a couple of hours.

  Chapter 19

  Every day, Judge Mitchell arrived at the courthouse early and worked late. Evie had scoured the offices she could access for anything tied to Judge O’Conner and had come up with nothing. She had to get in the district judge’s office before all evidence had been destroyed.

  Every day she’d heard the document shredder in Judge Mitchell’s office going nearly non-stop. She had to get her hand on whatever evidence may still be available. Mother Nature seemed to be on her side for once, though, and she wasn’t going to let the golden opportunity pass her by.

  “The hurricane has entered the Gulf of Mexico and is bearing straight on for Texas. It appears the eye of Hurricane Isla will hit right at Corpus Christi. Mandatory evacuations are in place. If you have not evacuated the Texas coast, do so immediately. Hurricane Isla is set to make landfall within the next four hours. Due to the severity of the storm, we will not be staying on-air. We will continue broadcasting for the next hour. Then for the safety of our crew and reporters, we will evacuate the city, the same as we expect our listeners to do. Again, Hurricane Isla…”

  Evie turned off the small TV in the breakroom of the courthouse. She could already hear the wind whipping outside. She drew a deep breath and went back into the cubicle area that she shared with a couple of other assistants who were working for the Corpus courthouse. The place was empty. She was the only one stubborn enough, or foolish enough, to stay behind and try to find the file Judge O’Connor had scribbled a note about. She could be chasing nothing. But her gut told her answers were hidden inside Judge Mitchell’s office, and she’d be damned if she didn’t take the chance to finally get answers.

  Though she hated for Corpus to be hit with a strong storm, she looked forward to returning to Hebbronville for a few days. She had told Santo the previous night she’d be driving back by the afternoon. He’d asked if he could meet her at her apartment, and she had been beyond excited about seeing him so soon.

  It was odd, working in the silent courthouse. She couldn’t help but wonder if it had been this silent on the night that Judge O’Connor had been murdered. It had been only five days since her funeral, and some days were harder than others. But her motivation to find her killer drove her forward every day.

  Listening to the roar of the wind kicking up outside the building, she frowned. She didn’t have much time before she had to leave. Even the security doors had been activated and once she stepped outside she wouldn’t be able to get back in

  With the wind beginning to howl outside, she quickly set to work picking open the judge’s locked door. Within a couple of minutes, she heard the satisfying click as the tumblers fell into place and the door unlocked. She let out the pent-up breath she hadn’t been aware she’d been holding and stepped into the office.

  In the same disarray as the last time she’d been in the space, Evie wondered if she searched for a needle in a haystack. The image of the state appellate judge’s SUV exploding jarred her memory, prompting her to move forward. She could solve the puzzle if she only found the right pieces. She had an inkling she had come dangerously close in the game, and she needed just a little more information.

  The wind groaned and growled outside as Evie moved quickly from one stack to the next. She didn’t know what he looked for, but she knew she’d recognize it when she saw it. The courthouse had many large glass windows. Built in the late seventies, she wondered how easy things would penetrate the glass and potentially hit her, spurring her to move even faster.

  The storm seemed to be progressing much faster than the weathermen had anticipated. It wasn’t due to make landfall until that night, and she’d come in before six that morning with the plan she’d be far away from Corpus before anything hit. She’d been wrong.

  The stacks on the credenza yielded nothing. She turned to the desk and began to go through the drawers, relieved to find a small amount of organization. As she flipped through the folders, though, it struck her that the drawer seemed almost too neat compared to everything else in the office. She began digging around the drawer and her hand hit the bottom, creating a soft, hollow knocking sound.

  Frowning, she began feeling along the edges, but nothing stood out as different. Carefully she ran her hand on the underside of the drawer and an odd-shaped clip made her hesitate. Holding her breath, she flipped the clip and heard clicks and whirls inside the desk. She backed away from it, unsure if she’d set off an explosive device or opened a part of the desk mean to stay hidden.

  The clicks changed into the sound of wood sliding against wood, and she hesitantly leaned forward. The bottom drawer of the desk gradually slid open, exposing a blue file folder. Her heart slammed in her chest. Could this be the file Judge O’Connor had scribbled about?

  She pulled the folder out with shaky hands and nearly jumped three feet in the air when a crack of thunder shook the building. She didn’t have any more time to waste. She needed to go. As she stood, she glanced over at the judge’s inbox and saw an envelope with familiar handwriting. Judge O’Connor’s handwriting.

  Not wanting to waste any more time, she grabbed the envelope as well and reset the desk panel. She raced out the door and made sure it locked behind her before running to her desk to grab her things. She froze when she saw her in-box.

  Another envelope, this time addressed to her, from Judge O’Connor sat in her in-box. She hadn’t checked her items that morning because she knew her true objective had been Judge Mitchell’s office. Curiosity gnawed at her, but the rain beginning to pelt against the windows compelled her to move even faster to get out.

  She threw everythi
ng in her purse and jogged to the main office door. The sound of a door slamming down the hall made her freeze. No one else should be in the building. They were closed. Unless some lawyer had come to gather files to work on while he waited out the storm.

  Glass shattered from one of the doors not far from the office she stood in and she retreated backward. This wasn’t a lawyer or a clerk. Someone had gotten into the courthouse with ill intentions in mind.

  She quickly slipped off her shoes so her bare feet wouldn’t make any sound running through the halls. She had to find another exit! She hurried into the conference room and locked the door behind her. She needed someone to help her. And she could only think of one person.

  “Santo.”

  “Evie? Are you okay? Why are you whispering?”

  “Someone’s in the courthouse. I don’t know what they want, but they aren’t here for a good reason.”

  She winced as Santo said a few curse words in Spanish. “Where are you in the building right now?”

  “I’m in the conference room. The door is locked, but if he wants in…”

  “Just stay where you are. Prop a chair under the door handle if you can. I should be there in fifteen minutes.”

  “You… What? Why are you in Corpus?” She held the phone to her ear with her shoulder as she tried to quietly wedge the chair under the door handle.

  “I’ll explain later. Stay locked in the room. I’ll let you know it is me so you can open the door for me.”

  “I don’t understand—”

  “You will soon. Stay away from the windows.”

  She wanted to ask why but realized he didn’t want to tell her anything at the moment. “Be careful, Santo. I need you.”

  She couldn’t sit down and wait for Santo. Her nerves wouldn’t let her. She paced back and forth in the room, her mind racing. She wanted to open the folder and the two envelopes desperately, but someone prowled the halls and she couldn’t let her guard down for even a moment.

  A crashing sound from the entrance to the suite of offices told her the imposter had decided to enter her area and it was only a matter of time before he tried to get into the conference room. She pulled out her Taser and stood firm, waiting, and watching the door handle.

  She heard him in the next room over—Judge Mitchell’s office. Had he picked the lock the same as she? She hadn’t heard the door crash in, but, then again, the wind howling concealed most of the noise.

  She jumped when she heard file cabinets crashing to the floor and his roar of rage. He hurled something at the wall, and it made a loud thud before falling to the ground, a shattering sound coming at the same time. Dangerous would be too loose of a term to use for the man. Enraged, psychotic, so many adjectives floated through her mind.

  She couldn’t let Santo walk into such a dangerous situation. She had to stop him from hurting her or Santo as he tried to keep her safe. Suddenly, the handle on the door jiggled hard and she knew she wouldn’t be alone much longer.

  The sound of the lock being picked surprised her. He had no worries about hurting the rest of the building and destroying things—why so careful with the locks in the building? The tumblers clicked and he shoved on the door. When the chair stopped his progress getting into the room she heard him chuckle.

  “You can’t hide forever, bitch. I know you’re in there.”

  What the hell? How does he know someone is here? And why does he assume I’m a woman? Evie tightened her grip on the Taser and drew a deep breath for strength. The man pounded furiously on the door but couldn’t break through as easily as she thought he would. She backed further away from the door until her back was almost to the window.

  Evie’s mind raced to process his words. Does he know who I am? Or did he come here searching for Judge Mitchell? Somehow he knows a woman hides from him. That alone is enough reason to bring him down hard and fast with the Taser.

  He suddenly kicked the door, causing the chair to skitter out from the handle and a tall, looming figure filled the doorway. With a steady grip, she aimed and fired the Taser.

  The man grunted loudly and fell to his knees, his face contorted in pain. Evie had to get around him to escape, and he hadn’t fallen completely flat yet. She pulled the trigger again, trying to send another shock to his system. To her dismay, he reached up and yanked the Taser leads off, slowly surging to his feet. “It’s going to be fun killing you. Maybe I’ll play with you a little first.”

  Evie maneuvered around the conference room table slowly. Just as she hoped, he followed her. “Who are you? Why do you want to kill me?”

  “If you haven’t figured that out by now, you never will.” He chuckled again. If it weren’t for the dark, angry look in his eyes, he would be an attractive man. Tall, fit, and broad-shouldered, his dark features with his light hair made him look exotic.

  “Did someone send you? Or did I do something to personally offend you?” She hoped he didn’t realize her stalling tactic or the fact she led him around the table so she could try to escape him.

  “I’m not playing any mind games with you. You know exactly what it is I want, and you better give it to me quickly, or I’ll take my sweet time killing you.”

  Does he mean the folder? That must be what he’s looking for. Damn it, I need to find out what is inside the folder!

  Slowly she reached into her purse. Instantly his hands lifted, holding a gun. “Your Taser stunt was clever, but you go for a gun and I’ll shoot both your knees out.”

  “I’m getting you what you asked for,” she snapped at him, wishing desperately she had her gun and hating that she always followed the rules and didn’t bring it into the courthouse. She fished in her bag and grabbed a folder. “Take it!”

  She threw the folder full of witness statements for a minor lawsuit case at him, distracting him just long enough for her to turn and race for the door. She heard the gun fire and the door jamb splintered in front of her. She didn’t have time to be afraid. She turned sharply to the right and raced down the hallway, dodging back and forth to make it harder for him to shoot her.

  His gun fired multiple times. She got a sharp hitch in her side and stumbled to the ground before picking herself back up and racing into an office. Her hands trembled as she fumbled with the lock. As soon as she had it secure, she remembered Santo’s advice and wedged a chair under the handle.

  The office led to a labyrinth of offices and cubicles and conference rooms. She just had to keep him occupied with getting through all the doors and she could make a full escape. She ran lightly across the floors to the next room and the next, locking and barricading each as she went.

  After running out of space, she dodged into the hallway and nearly screamed when she saw him at the other end, storming toward her. He hadn’t fallen for her trick. She raced back into another room and contemplated hiding. He has all the time in the world. He won’t stop looking until he finds me.

  She sprinted into the next room and strong arms grabbed her, a large hand covering her mouth to stop her scream. How did he get ahead of me? Furious, she stomped her foot down hard on his instep and slammed her fist backward, hoping to hit his family jewels, but he dodged to the side.

  “Evie! Evie, stop fighting. It’s me. Take a deep breath. I’m not going to hurt you.”

  Santo’s warm voice against her ear brought her dangerously close to tears. She hugged the arm wrapped around her waist and he slowly removed his hand from her mouth. She turned quickly in his arms. “Santo, he has a gun. We have to get out. We have to get away before he finds us.”

  “Too late.” Santo pushed her behind him as the door came shuddering open. He punched the man directly in the nose, stunning him and sending him staggering backward. As he stumbled backward, he lifted his gun. Evie felt her heart slam against her ribs. Santo lunged at the man, shoving his arm up and the gun fired into the ceiling.

  Santo drew his knee up sharply into the man’s gut, but the man dropped his arm down and used his elbow hard against Santo’s sho
ulder. Cursing, Santo stepped back and swung his fist again. The man ducked his powerful swing, and, lowering his head, charged forward into Santo, driving him back against the opposite wall.

  Santo grunted at the force of being slammed into the wall, then brought both of his elbows down hard on the man’s back. The man staggered and fell to one knee, and Santo drew up one of his knees directly into the man’s chin.

  The man groaned and jerked backward at the pain, his body pivoting. As he turned he saw Evie. Gritting his teeth, he aimed his gun and tried to shoot at her again, but Santo moved with lightning speed. He struck the man in the ear with his fist and the man howled, quickly whirling and aiming at Santo. He had been ready for just such a move. The man was still down on one knee, putting him in the optimum position. Santo kicked hard, and the man’s head flew backward, blood and spittle flying from his lips before he fell to both knees, momentarily stunned.

  Santo twisted the gun from his grip and held it underneath his chin. “Who are you working for?” he growled. Evie had never seen such a fierce look of rage on Santo’s face, and she knew she never wanted his wrath directed at her.

  The man grinned up at Santo, then looked over at Evie. “Why don’t you ask her?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Evie’s temper spiked. “Why are you trying to kill me?”

  The man laughed, a harsh sound that lacked joy. “Keep up the act and you’ll end up just like your boss, bleeding out all alone.”

  Evie nearly choked on her anger. He had been the one to kill Judge O’Connor. Fury bubbled inside her and she wanted nothing more than for Santo to pull the trigger.

  The man glared up at Santo. “Go ahead and shoot me. There are many people lined up to take my place to get rid of her.”

  Santo grabbed the man’s head and tilted it backward, making it all the more apparent that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him. “Why? Who is calling the shots? Give me a name, damn it!”