Lone Star Christmas Rescue

by Margaret Daley

  “Don’t beat yourself up over this. When he left the hospital in Cactus Grove, he was hydrated or the doctor wouldn’t have let him go.”

  “I took him before he was dismissed.”

  “But the doctor was going to let him leave when he stopped by at the end of the day. Kaleb had been taken off the IV fluids.” Drake made his way into the kitchen. “Check his pulse and breathing. I’ll fix a bottle.”

  He’d known Kay and Kaleb less than a week, but they had already become very important to him beyond being a case he was working on. He’d kissed her—twice—and he shouldn’t have. He’d gone against what he’d decided earlier: strictly a professional relationship. He’d never mixed his professional and private lives. He might now have Kay’s real name, but he didn’t really know her. He couldn’t lose his focus. Two crying children in the back seat of the truck Shanna had stopped distracted her, giving the driver enough time to draw a gun and kill her. He’d made a promise to protect Kay and Kaleb, and he would. There was no room for anything else.

  *

  Kay stared out the hospital window at the darkness interrupted by the lights of El Paso. She chewed on her thumbnail and waited. Drake had left a few minutes ago to coordinate with Texas Ranger Pierce concerning the security. In the meantime, Dallas and an El Paso police officer guarded the room.

  She wished Drake was here. Not that they talked much when he was, but his presence had a calming effect on her. She needed that, especially now. On the helicopter ride to Mercy Hospital, it broke her heart each time Kaleb screamed.

  His intestine was blocked. The bowel obstruction was severe enough that he had to be operated on to correct it. If they had waited too much longer, Kaleb’s chances of recovery would have decreased, and he would have irreversible damage to his intestine. She still didn’t know if that wouldn’t be the outcome.

  The door opened, and she pivoted toward it, hoping it was the doctor with good news. It wasn’t, but Drake had returned, a sober expression on his face. Since the cabin he’d been distant, as though they hadn’t shared a kiss. She’d missed that caring, concerned man, but he had a job to do. Her life and Kaleb’s depended on him doing it.

  “Did the doctor come in yet?” he asked as he bridged the distance between them.

  “No.”

  He shut the blinds. “I don’t want you standing in the window.”

  “We’re on the fifth floor.”

  “The cartel has access to snipers, and we need to take precautions with that in mind.” Drake’s voice almost sounded cold.

  “If you meant to scare me, you have.” She sat in a chair away from the window. “I was going stir-crazy waiting for the surgeon to let me know how Kaleb is doing.”

  His features softened. “I’m sorry. I know you’re scared. Although there aren’t any tall buildings nearby, a sniper can fire from a location a mile away.”

  “How’s security here?”

  “It’s coming together quickly, but as soon as it’s safe to transport Kaleb to a more secure place to recover, we will. I’ll feel a lot better when we can.” He took a chair across from her. “I have photos of both Kassandra and her husband. I need you to look at them. They might trigger your memory.” He withdrew a cell phone and clicked it on.

  She was almost afraid to see the pictures. She needed to recall, but there was part of her that didn’t want to. She was afraid of what she would remember. Drawing in a calming breath, she reached for the phone.

  “Kassandra is your—”

  A knock interrupted his words. She gasped, dropped her arm and swiveled toward the entrance while Drake rose, pocketed his cell and went to open the door. He stepped to the side to allow the surgeon, Dr. Santos, inside.

  Kay stood, preparing herself for what he might tell her.

  There was no indication from his look until he took several steps into the room. A smile slowly transformed his solemn expression. “The surgery was successful. We were able to repair the damage, and he should make a full recovery.”

  “Oh, good,” Kay said on a long breath.

  “When’s the earliest we can remove him from the hospital?” Drake asked the surgeon.

  “Kaleb needs to have IV feedings until he can eat normally and his bowels work properly. We need to make sure the intussusception doesn’t return.”

  “Then he’ll stay until you release him.” Kay shot Drake a look meant to silence any objections. She needed to make sure Kaleb would recover fully. What if her taking him away from the hospital in Cactus Grove before he was officially released had in some way caused his intussusception? She wasn’t taking any chances this time.

  Dr. Santos put his hand on the doorknob. “Kaleb will return to this room shortly.”

  When the surgeon left, Kay steeled herself for Drake’s argument about the danger she and Kaleb were in if they stayed in such a public place for any length of time. She understood where he was coming from, but she would make sure Kaleb stayed until he was well. She couldn’t lose him.

  “What about the people after you?”

  There was no anger in Drake’s voice, only inquiry. “He may not be my child, but he’s most likely my nephew. I’ll protect him with my life if I have to.” An image of her running away from a large hacienda in the middle of the night with Kaleb pressed against her chest invaded her mind.

  I might have a few hours before he knows I’m gone.

  Who was he? What had made her flee with Kaleb in the dark? She sank onto the chair, trying to force the memory to answer those questions. The desert air at night was chilly. Did she grab enough to keep her and Kaleb warm?

  “Kay. Kayden. What’s wrong?”

  She blinked and focused on Drake’s face looming before her. He knelt in front of her, worry deepening the lines on his tanned face. “I had a memory of fleeing with Kaleb—” she shook her head “—but nothing that would help.”

  “I’ll put Kaleb’s safety first, but in the end, that might mean leaving here. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t get medical help for him. If I say we must leave, will you trust me?”

  He’d done everything he could to keep her alive, and she knew in the future he would. She nodded.

  “Tell me about the memory. You never know what will be a clue to help us.”

  She described what she remembered. “I keep trying to recall what I did next. I can’t.”

  “I’m more concerned with what happened before you ran away.” He withdrew his cell phone and handed it to her. “That’s a picture of your sister.”

  Kay stared at an image of herself with longer hair. “We’re twins. I should have known that.” She clasped the locket about her neck. “The photo isn’t me but Kassandra.” She closed her eyes, willing herself to recall anything.

  Nothing.

  “Sorry, I wish I could help more. Do you have a picture of her husband?”

  Drake slid his finger across the screen, bringing up a photo of a tall, handsome guy with black hair. He was dressed in a dark business suit with a red tie—the color of blood. “Do you remember anything about him?”

  Kay couldn’t take her eyes off the tie. An image of a man lying in a pool of blood suddenly filled her mind. But the dead body wasn’t Kassandra’s husband. “No…nothing concrete.”

  “Did you have a memory right now?”

  She nodded. “An older man dead on a floor. I don’t know where, and I don’t know who he is or how he ended up there. It might not even be real.” She hoped it wasn’t.

  “Can you describe him?”

  “Stocky build, deeply tanned face, short black hair.”

  “If I got a sketch artist here, do you think you could work with him to come up with a picture of the man?”

  “I’ll try anything to help put an end to this mess. Do you think I witnessed a murder and that is why I’m on the run? If so, why would I take Kaleb from his home?”

  “I don’t know. The more we discover, the more questions we have. The Mexican authorities are still searching for your
sister and her husband.”

  “Could it have been an attempt at kidnapping Kaleb?”

  “That’s a possibility.” Drake rose. “Right now your focus needs to be on Kaleb. He’s going to be all right. You heard the surgeon. We got him here in time.”

  What if Kaleb had died before he could get help, all because someone was after them? This madness had to stop. God, help us figure out what’s going on before it’s too late.

  Dallas entered the hospital room and held the door open while a nurse wheeled in Kaleb, hooked up to monitors and an IV. His eyes were closed, but he looked peaceful, nothing like the helicopter ride to the hospital. He’d cried most of the trip, creating a knot in her stomach that still hadn’t unraveled.

  While Dallas and Drake conversed quietly, Kay approached the nurse. “What can I do to help him?”

  “Be here when he wakes up. Seeing a familiar face will reassure him. If there’s a problem, use this call button.” The young woman pointed to its location. “As the medication wears off, he’ll become more alert. We’ll be in and out to check on him.”

  “Thank you.” When the nurse left, Kay brushed his hair away from his face, wanting to hold Kaleb so much.

  Dallas soon followed the nurse from the room, and Drake joined Kay at the bedside. “Still nothing on the location of your sister and brother-in-law.”

  Brother-in-law made it sound like she had a close relationship with Kassandra’s husband, but she couldn’t remember anything—not even what he looked like if Drake hadn’t shown his picture to her.

  “Why don’t you try to rest? I’ll be here if he wakes up, but he probably won’t for a while.”

  Kay glanced at the lounge chair and shook her head. “I don’t think I can sleep.”

  “Try. Dallas is calling the office about getting a sketch artist over here. It might help to figure out who you saw dead.” He clasped her shoulders. “You’re tense. Relax, at least. We’re making progress.”

  “Progress? I still can’t remember, and someone is still out there looking for us.”

  “But we know who you are, who you went to visit and mostly likely who Kaleb’s parents are. A day ago we didn’t.”

  She sighed. “I’ll try. No guarantees.”

  Kay put her feet up and leaned the lounge chair back as far as it would go. Drake gave her a pillow and put a light blanket over her. He bent over and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be here. I won’t let anyone hurt you or Kaleb.”

  His reassuring words burrowed deep into her thoughts, and slowly the tension that held her in a viselike grip loosened. She closed her eyes and surrendered to the darkness…

  Strong, large hands squeezed so tightly she gasped for air, but none filled her lungs. Shoved back against the wall, his grip making the blackness swirl, she had to open her eyes—to see who was trying to kill her—but her lids remained anchored down. She wanted to scream, fight, but she couldn’t move.

  From somewhere deep down, she forced herself to look at the killer. When her eyes bolted open, a scream escaped her.

  Bright lights flooded the hospital room.

  She blinked.

  Drake’s face loomed in front of her.

  “I—I know who killed my sister.”

  THIRTEEN

  Kay trembled so badly she struggled with the lever to the lounge chair’s footrest before she finally managed to put it down. The pain on her face tore at his composure.

  Drake knelt next to her, clasping her hand. “You saw your sister being murdered?”

  She nodded.

  When she didn’t say anything else, he asked, “Who?”

  For a long moment, she stared off into space as though she were reliving the incident all over again. Her breathing shortened. Her eyes dilated.

  “Kay?” He rose and perched on the chair’s arm.

  “Her husband choked her to death.” The words came out in a halting, husky voice.

  He’d wanted her to remember because without those memories she would always feel incomplete—much like the disappearance of his sister. With Beth, there was no closure, but he hoped Kay could have some when this was all over.

  He embraced her and held her against his side. “What happened?” He hated asking her to relive it yet again, but her life and Kaleb’s were in danger, and he needed to figure out what was going on and why.

  “The nightmare I’ve been having about being strangled was really what happened to Kassandra. I got a look at the person with his hands around my—no, her neck. He was wearing a gold ring with a crest on it. When he let go—” she choked on the phrase and cleared her throat “—she slumped to the floor. I escaped her bedroom with the backpack I found in Big Bend. I’d been hiding in Kaleb’s room, which was connected to hers.”

  “What made you hide?”

  She lowered her head and shook it. “I don’t know.”

  “Do you remember what you did next?”

  “As soon as he left her bedroom, I checked Kassandra…” Her breath caught on the last word.

  Drake waited for Kay to continue. She lifted her tear-filled eyes to his.

  A crashing sound in the corridor caused Kay to jerk back, her attention flying to the door.

  He dragged her gaze back to him. “What else did you do?”

  “I grabbed Kaleb from his room. Then I carried out the plan I’d promised Kassandra I would do.”

  “What plan?”

  “Flee with Kaleb to the United States. My sister had a car stashed away for the escape. She knew she couldn’t cross the border anywhere near El Paso because her husband would know. Kassandra was frightened of Alejandro. She couldn’t stay with him any longer. He was supposed to be at a big meeting until evening. He came home early.”

  “Why was she afraid?”

  “She wouldn’t tell me much. She wanted to wait until we were safe.” She swiped her hand across her cheeks. “We always shared everything, but all she would say is that he was abusive and she couldn’t stay any longer. She feared for Kaleb, too. I figured once I got her away from the house I’d find out what he did to make her so afraid. Near the border the car broke down, and I had to walk the rest of the way. I avoided anyone who might be working for Alejandro, which was everyone I saw.

  A soft rap sounded on the door a few seconds before it opened. Drake rose and faced the nurse who came into the room.

  The woman exchanged the IV fluid bag with a new one, checked the monitors, then wrote on Kaleb’s chart. “His vital signs are good.” She smiled as she headed to the door and left.

  Kay glanced at the clock on the wall. “I can’t believe I slept two hours. You’ve got to be tired, too.”

  “I’ll rest later. Right now, I need to talk to Pierce about what you’ve remembered. He’s been working with the Mexican authorities. He’s with the man in charge of hospital security. I’ll send Dallas in to keep you company.” He also wanted to walk through the hospital and see if there was anything else they needed to do to keep Kay and Kaleb safe.

  “You don’t have to do that. Knowing Dallas and a police officer are outside the door is enough.”

  He opened his mouth to protest.

  She held up a palm. “I want to be alone. I have so much going on in my head. I need quiet time to make sense of what has been going on.”

  “Okay. I shouldn’t be gone more than an hour. You have my cell phone number. Call if you need me.”

  “I will.”

  He paused at the door and glanced at her. “Do you want me to bring you coffee?”

  She nodded.

  Drake stepped out into the hallway and told Dallas what he was going to do, then headed for the first-floor security office. He took the stairs, needing to do something physical. He’d delved deeply to keep calm as Kay told him about the dream and who she thought killed her sister. All he’d wanted to do was make sure Soto paid for his crimes. If the man could kill his own wife, then it would mean nothing to him to murder Kay. No wonder she’d tried to forget what she’d witne
ssed. No wonder she’d thought she was being strangled when she first had the memory.

  On the first floor, he marched toward the security office, wishing he could personally go after Soto and bring him to justice. But his priority was to Kay—keeping her and Kaleb alive.

  Drake knocked on the door to the room, and Pierce opened it. Drake peered at the security guard in front of a bank of security monitors. “I need to talk to you in private.”

  “We’ll be right outside if you need me, John.” Pierce moved into the corridor and closed the door. “How are Kaleb and Kay?”

  “The doctor is hopeful Kaleb will make a full recovery. Kay’s coping the best she can. In fact, the main reason I’m here is to tell you about what she has remembered. Her sister was murdered by her husband.” Drake gave him the details Kay had told him.

  Pierce scowled. “Does she know if he was involved in the Muerte Cartel?”

  “No. She’s been remembering bits and pieces of the nightmare. Today was the first time she saw the killer’s face. Her sister wanted to get away from her husband, but she wouldn’t tell Kay all the details or why—at least that she remembered. Just that he was abusive.”

  “I’ve been looking at a computer monitor too long.” Pierce kneaded the side of his neck. “Soto has business ties in the US, and we’ve been delving into those ties. Most appear aboveboard, but there are two new ones that the FBI is investigating. What does your gut tell you?”

  “At the least he’s a murderer, but proving that might be hard, especially if Kay’s sister can’t be found.”

  “And not our job unless the crime occurred on US soil.”

  “No. Possibly in the home outside Juárez but he has several. It could be any of them.”

  “According to the Mexican authorities, he isn’t at any of them. They even checked the one in Acapulco and the apartment in Mexico City.” Pierce glanced up and down the hall. “He could be dead, too.”

  “Because of the Muerte Cartel or another one?”

  “Yes, even if he wasn’t part of one of them.”

  “Yeah, we need to consider all possibilities until we get evidence one way or another. Kay doesn’t remember anything of her stay with her sister up until the murder. I think she’ll recall more over the next few days.”