by Joanna Wayne
“I take it Caudillo had a darker side.”
“Try midnight-black. But he was charming when it suited his purposes. It never once dawned on me that he already knew a lot about me or that my job back in Nashville was what attracted him to me.”
This was growing more bizarre by the minute. “What’s your job?”
“I was a tech agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.”
“What specifically does a tech agent do?”
“They can have any number of duties. Mine was to track sales of automatic weapons and to report any suspicious or bulk movement of arms. I worked out of the Nashville office and had for five years.”
“So back to Caudillo.”
“He invited me to dinner on his yacht. We watched the sun set from one of his many decks and then he gave a toast to our sharing a long and fulfilling relationship. I sipped the wine. That’s the last thing I remember. When I came to, the yacht was cruising across the Caribbean, and Misterioso Island had disappeared from sight.”
“He kidnapped you?”
“And held me captive for ten horrifying months before I escaped to the Mexican mainland, changed my appearance and crossed the U.S. border under the radar, knowing it would be watched by Caudillo and his henchmen. You know the rest of the story.”
Rage erupted inside Damien with a vehemence that sent adrenaline rushing though his veins. He hated to even imagine what this man had put her through while he held her captive.
Humiliation…torture…rape… His stomach clenched. “Where did he take you?”
“To his Caribbean-style mansion on his private island of Enmascarado, though parts of it were more like a fortress.”
“From which he sold illegal arms,” Damien said, quickly putting that part of the puzzle together. “Was he arming drug cartels?”
“I’m not sure who he did business with, but I can tell you that no matter how ruthless and evil his customers were, they can’t compare to Caudillo.”
And Emma had been with this psychopath for ten long months. A sick realization ground in his gut. “Is Belle Caudillo’s daughter?”
Emma shook her head. “No, nor is she mine.”
“Wait, you’re not Belle’s mother?”
“I told you this was complicated.”
He listened as she told him about Belle’s mother dying in the back of the truck and of how Emma had claimed to be her mother to save her life.
But his mind was still on Caudillo, and fury boiled inside Damien with the wrath of a wildfire.
“Did Caudillo or his henchmen hurt you?”
Emma stood and walked to the window. “I can’t go there yet, Damien. One day soon, maybe, but not yet. I’m alive and I’m free of him. I want to stay that way.”
And he wouldn’t push that on her. “I understand.”
“The main thing you need to understand is that Caudillo is a heartless, cold-blooded killer.”
She pulled her arms tight across her chest and continued staring out the window as if the view could separate her from the images in her head.
“I saw him shoot a man in the head because he brought me food when Damien had ordered him not to.”
Curses flew to Damien’s lips before he could stop them. “Did he force you to have sex with him?”
“No.” For the first time since she’d started talking, the muscles in her face relaxed. “The first time he tried, I got so sick I threw up in his face. He stomped away in disgust. Apparently splattering brains didn’t faze him, but vomit turned him off forever. But only enough to keep from raping me. Sexual torment became his favorite game.”
“That’s over now. You’re free of him.”
“He’ll never accept that. Caudillo is going to come looking for me, Damien, and you don’t want to be in my life when he does. Even if I didn’t know too much for him to let me live, he’d track me down and kill just to prove that no one betrays him and gets away with it. This is why you can’t tell anyone about him and why you can’t talk of my being kidnapped. Not even to your brothers.”
“You’re back in America, Emma. Go to the FBI. Tell them everything you’ve told me. They’ll see that you’re safe and that Caudillo is arrested.”
“It’s not that simple. Caudillo has connections in high places. He mentioned names of people in my office and told me things about them he wouldn’t have known unless he had a source here. He even mentioned sources with the FBI.”
“He could have been lying.”
“I’m sure he wasn’t lying when he told me that my disappearing was the media highlight of every cable news station for months. If I ever escaped and returned to the States, I’d be all over the news again. He’d track me easily and then he’d teach me the true meaning of torture.”
“You can’t hide from this man and his threats the rest of your life, Emma. And you can’t let him continue to kidnap women at will.”
“I don’t plan to, but I have to have time to think this through, Damien. You don’t know what it’s like to live in captivity. You can’t know how the fear eats at you when you never know if you’ll be shot for merely asking for water.”
She was right. He had no concept of that kind of fear. Emma was scared out of her wits but still worrying over an orphaned infant who had been pressed into her charge. But once she walked away from Bent Pine Ranch, there was no one to watch over her.
He stepped closer. “I’ll keep your secrets, Emma—under one condition.”
“What is that?”
“You stay with me and let me protect you.”
She buried her head in her hands. When she looked up, her eyes were moist. “You don’t know how much I’d love to say yes to that offer.”
“Then say it.”
“I can’t. I can’t put you or your family in danger.”
Damien walked over and took both her hands in his. “I won’t put my family in danger, Emma, but I can’t let you deal with this man on your own again. I have powerful connections, too, and resources that you don’t. Let me help. At least stay a few days until we can locate Belle’s father.”
“That wouldn’t be wise.”
“It’s the only sane thing to do. If you won’t do it for you, do it for Belle.”
“Are you sure?”
“Surer than I’ve ever been in my life.”
“In that case, I don’t see how I can refuse. I just hope you don’t live to rue this day, Damien.”
So did he. He wasn’t worried about offering his help. That was a given. He wasn’t convinced Caudillo would be crazy enough to come after her again. And as for his claims of connections in high places, those could be bogus, as well. Not that Damien wouldn’t take all that into consideration. And he would make damn sure he kept his family safe.
But the biggest fear of the moment was that his libido was reacting too strongly to her, and that was the last thing she needed now.
Damien let go of her hands and stepped away. “Now we just have to decide how little we can tell the sheriff and still convince him you’re innocent.”
And how much he could tell his brothers without breaking his promise to Emma.
* * *
THE ENCLOSED BACK PORCH had been the family gathering spot for dealing with problems or celebrations for as long as Damien could remember. He stood there now, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his jeans, trying to assess the way Tague and Durk were reacting to the situation he’d just described for them.
Tague crossed an ankle over his knee. “So all the talk about getting lost while looking for her aunt’s house was total fabrication?”
Damien nodded.
“Smuggling an orphaned illegal alien across the border was not smart,” Durk said.
“Emma knows that now,” Damien said, hating to have to lie to his brothers and getting the feeling they weren’t really buying the lies anyway. Hopefully the sheriff would be less perceptive. Garcia frequently was.
Tague propped his feet on the coffee t
able. “So let me see if I have this right. Emma was living and working in Mexico. Her friend was dying and Emma promised her that she’d take her daughter to her American father in Dallas.”
“That’s basically it,” Damien said. “Emma broke the law to help get Belle to her father. She paid some conniving son of a bitch to bring her across the border along with others he was hauling, and he tried to rape her.”
“And now he conveniently ended up dead,” Durk said.
“If that’s the way you want to spin it. I’ve volunteered to help Emma locate the baby’s father and hire legal advice if the sheriff presses charges against her.”
“And you’re convinced she didn’t kill the guy?” Tague asked.
“Totally convinced.”
“Based on the fact she’s been so honest with us up to now?” Durk quipped.
“Based on what she’s admitted today and what I saw with my own eyes,” Damien asserted. “She was running scared last night, the way someone would be if they’d just gotten away from a rapist.”
“I get last night,” Durk said. “Either one of us would have done the same as you. I’m just not convinced that hanging in there with her now is wise.”
“Sorry you feel that way, Durk, because I plan to see her through this unless something happens to convince me I’m wrong about her innocence.”
“How long do you plan to let her stay at the ranch?” Durk asked.
“As long as necessary. If that’s a problem for either of you or for Mother, I’ll take Emma and Belle to the hunting cabin or to a hotel in town.”
“Sounds like you’re committed to this,” Tague said.
“I am.”
“Then if it’s fine with Mother, it won’t bother me. I like Emma, and I can see why she’d want to do that for Belle.”
Durk rubbed his chin, the same way Hugh used to do when he was giving one of his sons a lecture. “I think you know a whole lot more about Emma Smith—or whatever her real name is—than you’re saying, Damien.”
“I’m not denying that, but you’re going to have to trust me and go along with me on this one.”
“Is she in danger?” Durk asked.
“She could be, but not for anything that was her doing. When I can tell you more, I will. In the meantime, I plan to make sure she’s safe.”
“A man has to do what he thinks is right, but be careful,” Durk cautioned. “Check out all the facts for yourself. And try not to get personally involved. It wreaks havoc on objective judgment. And make damn sure you don’t put Mother, Aunt Sybil or Grandma Pearl in any danger.”
“Trust me on that. If we’re square on this, I’ll go check it out with Mother and make sure she’s okay with Emma and Belle staying here in light of the sheriff’s investigation.”
“My guess is she’d keep that baby and give us away if it came to that,” Tague joked. “One of us is going to have to give her grandkids one day soon. Keep in mind that I’m the youngest, so there’s no pressure on me.”
They talked a minute more about Julio’s murder and then Damien left to go find Carolina. The mystery birth certificate started to nag at him again.
When faced with the task of taking responsibility for a dead stranger’s infant girl, Emma apparently hadn’t hesitated to jump right in.
What if Carolina’s sister had left a helpless baby without anyone to care for it when she’d died? Damien had no doubt that his mother would have done the same as Emma.
But Carolina, with her faith and penchant for truth and doing what was right at all costs, would have never taken liberties with the truth. She’d have never created a fake birth certificate or claimed that Damien was her and Hugh’s son if he wasn’t. Would she?
He’d have to broach the subject of the birth certificate he’d found someday soon, but not today. His plate was not only full, it was spilling problems everywhere.
Once he talked to his mother, he’d have to get out of the house. He always breathed and thought better in the saddle.
This time he’d take Emma along. After ten months of hell, she needed to get reacquainted with freedom, peace and a bit of tranquility before dealing with Sheriff Garcia. Hopefully the attorney he’d contacted would make dealing with the sheriff a little less stressful on Emma, as well.
As for Damien, he’d have to keep his growing attraction for Emma under control. After all, tropical islands weren’t the only settings for romance in paradise.
Any cowboy in Texas could tell you that.
Chapter Six
They’d followed a winter wonderland trail that meandered along a riverbank before cutting through a thicket of pine trees. With each step of the gentle mare Damien had chosen for her, Emma felt her nerves starting to uncoil.
Not that she had any illusions that Caudillo was out of her life for good, but for the first time in what seemed forever, she didn’t fear that he’d appear at any second. This world seemed totally removed from anything related to him.
Damien brought his horse to a halt and dismounted, looping the reins over the branch of a sycamore tree. “There’s a lookout of sorts in that clearing ahead. It’s worth the view if you’d like to stretch your legs for a few minutes.”
“Sounds good.”
His firm but gentle touch created a wellspring of awareness as he helped her slide from the saddle to the soft snow. She couldn’t deny her growing attraction toward him, and the fact that she could react to his virility at all surprised her.
It might have been different if he’d made any demands on her, but Damien was nothing but gentle. Caudillo’s torture had been psychological, the mental cruelty games at which he excelled. Damien, on the other hand, offered comfort and strength.
“I don’t know how you knew, Damien, but this ride was exactly what I needed.”
“It’s what I do when I have problems to deal with.”
She wondered if that was what he was doing now. Had he reconsidered after talking to his brothers and his mother and decided to renege on his offer of protection? If so, she certainly couldn’t blame him. Still, prickles of anxiety began to jolt her temporary calm.
He took her hand as they climbed a rocky incline. “There’s my life,” he said, motioning to the pastoral scene that stretched out below them.
There were no mountains in this part of Texas, but still the view from the hilltop was impressive. Snow-covered pastures stretched out as far as she could see. There were also several barns, rows of fencing and cross-fencing and the sprawling house with its gables and chimneys and steep brown roof. And cattle. Hundreds of head of cattle.
“Is all of that the Bent Pine Ranch?”
“Not quite, but most. You can see some of Blake’s spread from here, as well. That roofline you see in the distance just by the wooded area is his house.”
“You are right. The view is awesome.”
“It is from here. Down there, it’s work, and lots of it. But running the ranch is what keeps me sane.”
“I guess with a ranch like this you never had to think about what you wanted to be when you grew up.”
“I went through the usual phases. Fireman. Astronaut. Bull rider.”
“Bull rider? Seriously?”
“Yes, but after a few broken ribs, I figured there had to be a less painful way to make a living. By the time I was ready for college, I’d settled on ranching. Tague followed suit, and Durk went into the business side of Lambert Incorporated. We get the muscle aches, Durk gets the headaches.”
“What is there to Lambert Inc. besides ranching?”
“Oil and natural gas.”
That explained the wealth. “I think you got the better end of the deal. I love the openness of the ranch and the fact that it seems a million miles away from Caudillo.”
“It is, Emma. That ordeal is behind you. You’ll have difficult decisions to make about how to handle the events of the last ten months and how to make sure Caudillo doesn’t kidnap other innocent women, but his control over you is finished.”
“You know all the women in my life say that,” he teased.
She figured the statement was truer than he’d actually admit to himself. It was a miracle she wandered onto his ranch, but the miracle would have a short shelf life. Till the sheriff released her and she located Belle’s father.
Therein lay the next hurdle. Locating Juan Perez might take weeks or longer.
Only now that she thought about it, she didn’t have to stick around until she located Juan, not if Carolina would agree to take up the baby’s cause.
Carolina was great with Belle and loved taking care of her. That was clear from the way she’d jumped at the chance to watch her while Emma and Damien went horseback riding. And Carolina had wealth and influence, everything needed to conduct a search for Belle’s father. All Emma had was determination.
Emma wouldn’t bring it up with Damien, but she’d start laying the groundwork with Carolina. It was the perfect solution for letting her clear out of Damien’s life before he tired of her and kicked her out. And before Caudillo tracked her down.
They lingered at the lookout a few more minutes before climbing into the saddles for the ride back to the ranch house.
When they arrived, there were two cars in the driveway that hadn’t been there before. One was a red Porsche. The other was the sheriff’s squad car.
“Looks like the sheriff has arrived,” Damien said.
“What about the other car?”
“That would be Cletus Markham. He’s an attorney who’ll be on hand when you talk to the sheriff.”
“A criminal defense attorney who makes house calls on Saturday at the spur of the moment?”
“Actually, he’s a corporate lawyer on retainer by Lambert Inc., but he’ll be able to handle a simple interrogation. We’ll upgrade to a criminal defense attorney if it becomes necessary, but I doubt that it will.”
“I can’t afford a lawyer.”
“No problem. Like I said, Cletus is on retainer.”
“It’s a problem for me. I don’t like the idea of being one of your charity cases, Damien.”
