Lone Star Christmas Rescue

by Margaret Daley

  When he moved into the house, Kay appeared in the entrance from the living room. Relief mixed with fatigue on her face. He smiled. She did, too, and her expression transformed her features for a few seconds before the gravity of her situation intruded again.

  As Pierce left, Dallas came into the house. “This is definitely a step up.”

  “There was something about the cabin I really liked,” Kay said, her gaze still trained on Drake.

  “It was cramped?” Dallas closed and locked the front door.

  Kay chuckled. “No, it was cozy.”

  “I figure you two have some catching up to do. I’m claiming my bedroom, then checking in with Flynn before I get the lay of the land.”

  Drake dropped his duffel bag in the entry hall and approached Kay. “It’s been crazy. Are you all right?”

  “Better now that we’re here. I know when I’m tense Kaleb senses it, and he becomes fussy. Thankfully he didn’t really make any noise until Pierce was driving us here. He never said a word, but Kaleb screamed for about ten minutes straight the last part of the trip. Poor guy. I don’t think he’s been around kids.”

  “He’s not married. I get the impression from working with him he’s a confirmed bachelor.”

  “Then that ride probably only confirmed that in his mind.” Kay took a seat on the couch, collapsing back on the cushion with a long sigh. “I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I can sleep a wink.”

  “Me, too. It’s been a busy day, and it’s only midafternoon.” Drake sat next to her.

  “I need to call the doctor and make sure I understand all the instructions for Kaleb.”

  “I’ll have Pierce do it. I don’t want anyone tracing our calls to this place.”

  “Pierce told me a little about what happened earlier. Was Soto at the ambush?”

  “Maybe. A truck with two men was there for a short time. I only got a good look at the driver. They left right after the shootout began.”

  Kay lowered her head and rubbed her thumb in her hand. “Alejandro is evil. I remembered something else I witnessed in Mexico. I love horses and decided to go see my brother-in-law’s stable—he had some very expensive Thoroughbreds. I’d been cooped up in the main house since I arrived and needed fresh air, although Kassandra insisted I stay inside. I knew something was terribly wrong, but I couldn’t get her to tell me anything. In fact, she only wanted me to stay a couple of days. Originally I was going to visit for a week.”

  “She didn’t tell you why?”

  “No, but then, Alejandro rarely left us alone. If he did, someone else was nearby. I got up early while everyone was asleep and went to the stable. I was in a stall with Kassandra’s horse when men came in, dragging an older woman and man. They murdered both of them. I think one of the guys saw me running back to the house. I’m the reason Alejandro killed Kassandra. If only I’d stayed in the house…” Her voice trailed off into silence.

  Drake cupped the side of her face with one hand. “You aren’t to blame. Alejandro is. Don’t let him have that kind of power over you.” With a thumb, he brushed a tear from her cheek. “How did you end up witnessing her death?”

  “I was in her room, trying to get her to run away with me. She’d packed a backpack with Kaleb’s things, and we were going to sneak away in the middle of the night. She made me promise to go with Kaleb, no matter what. She wanted the world to know what kind of man Alejandro really was.” Kay swallowed hard. “I was in the baby’s nursery when Alejandro burst into her room and…” More tears fell from her eyes. “You know the rest. I didn’t catch everything he shouted at Kassandra. I know Spanish, but he was talking rapidly. Plus, I was scared and shaking.”

  He clasped her shoulders. “It’s useless to blame yourself.” But wasn’t that what he was doing with Beth’s disappearance? For years, he’d centered his life on finding answers to what had happened to her, when he most likely would never discover the truth. Then Shanna had been murdered. After that, he’d stopped living—just gone through the motions each day.

  He slowly leaned forward, kissing each of her tearstained cheeks. “You’re giving Kaleb a chance to live like a normal child.”

  “Not as long as Alejandro is free to terrorize people.”

  “That’s why we’re going to catch him and put him away.”

  “With what evidence? Mine? That happened in Mexico.”

  “It’ll work out.” Somehow. He couldn’t stand seeing Kay hurt so much.

  He pulled her close, and she laid her cheek against his chest—until his cell phone rang. He retrieved it from his pocket and looked at who was calling. “I’ve got to take this.”

  She moved away and rose. “I’m going to check on Kaleb.”

  He answered Abbey’s call when Kay disappeared into the hallway. “Did you find out anything?”

  “Yes, the nurse who was on shift on Kaleb’s floor and took care of him was found dead in the parking garage at the hospital. Her throat was slashed.”

  “You think she’s connected to Soto and that’s why she was murdered?”

  “Yes. Too much of a coincidence.”

  “Agreed, which makes me wonder who else Soto recruited to get information about where Kay and Kaleb are.”

  FIFTEEN

  Kay slowed her pace and caught Drake’s words to someone on the phone. Who else has died because Soto is after me?

  Since she woke up at the hospital over a week ago, her life had been a living nightmare, and Kaleb was in the middle of it all. Even worse were her returning memories. She needed to remember and yet wished she hadn’t. Reliving her twin’s murder was like witnessing her own death over and over.

  And she’d started it all when she went to the stable and saw the couple being killed. Too many deaths. All she wanted to do was take Kaleb and disappear. She didn’t want anyone else to be hurt because of her. Not realizing what she was doing, she’d poked a rattlesnake, and he’d struck back.

  Kay escaped to the bedroom and sat in a chair, watching Kaleb sleeping in the baby bed next to her. Kaleb thought she was Kassandra, his mama. “Sweetie, I promise I’ll do everything I can to be a good mother for you. That’s the least I can do. When we can, we’ll leave and go somewhere no one can find us.”

  The thought of not seeing Drake anymore saddened her, but she wouldn’t put him in danger, too. He was close to his family, and he loved his job.

  But she couldn’t shake the feelings he stirred in her.

  I love him.

  The realization stunned her. She’d dated in the past and been serious with two men, but they had never made her feel like Drake did—cherished, protected, a person she could share her soul and heart with. Even if he felt the same way, she couldn’t ask him to spend a life on the run. Alejandro would never stop hunting her, even if he was caught. He’d find a way to reach her.

  With her mind settled on what she would do, she rose, kissed her fingertips and touched Kaleb on the top of his head.

  *

  When Flynn relieved Drake on guard duty, he came downstairs from the top floor, where he’d been watching the terrain around the house, which sat on an acre of land with few places for people to hide within a hundred yards. Beyond that distance were clusters of trees and bushes. He’d preferred the whole area being clear, but the security system was good and there were three of them to protect Kay and Kaleb, which allowed one to be downstairs and the other in the turret. The third would be off duty but there if needed.

  This was his time to relax as much as he could and later possibly catch some sleep. But first he wanted to see Kay about Abbey’s call. Kay wanted to know what was going on, and she deserved that, but he hadn’t had a chance since earlier this afternoon to tell her about the nurse. When Kay left to check on Kaleb, she hadn’t returned to the living room. He wasn’t surprised she had decided to nap, but he missed seeing her.

  Kay has become very important to me. And so has Kaleb.

  When Drake entered the living room, he found her sitting
on the edge of a blanket spread on the floor, her back to him. He paused in the entrance. Kaleb played with a couple of toys she’d bought for him, putting them in his mouth and gumming them. When her nephew finally flung the teething ring away, Kay picked up Mr. Teddy and held him up, shaking him in front of Kaleb. For several seconds, the baby followed the dancing stuffed animal, then reached up and grabbed its arm.

  “Oh, so you want to play tug-of-war with me,” she said in a teasing voice.

  Kaleb giggled.

  “You’ve got your work cut out for you.” Kay pulled on Mr. Teddy.

  With a smile taking over his whole face, Kaleb held on to the stuffed animal, coming slightly off the floor. Kay put a hand under him in case he suddenly let go. He didn’t.

  “You’re getting to be so strong, but I’m gonna win.” Kay laughed, the sound wonderful to hear.

  “No, you aren’t. Us guys have to stick together.” Drake covered the distance to the blanket and knelt next to Kaleb. The baby looked at him, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

  “Two against one. That’s not fair.” She gave him a pretend frown.

  “You can use both hands, and I’ll make sure Kaleb doesn’t fall back.”

  “You two are on.” Kay clasped one arm and Mr. Teddy’s head.

  A tug-of-war ensued, Drake making sure he only used enough strength to keep Kaleb in the game. The baby giggled again.

  When the stuffed animal tore partway at the armpit, Kay’s eyes grew big, and she immediately released her hold. Drake supported Kaleb as he lowered him to the blanket, clutching Mr. Teddy with a dangling arm.

  “I broke it. Can I see it?” Kay asked Kaleb, and when she took Mr. Teddy, he let go. “I should be able to sew it…” Her voice trailed off as she withdrew a flash drive. She glanced at Drake. “What’s a flash…” Her eyes narrowed on the object in her hand. “Kassandra put it there. I’m sure of it.”

  “Let’s see. I have my laptop. I’ve hooked it into the security system to monitor the cameras. It’s up in the turret.”

  Kay passed the flash drive to Drake. “I haven’t been up. Now’s a good time to see the view, right before the sun sets.”

  “Did you meet Flynn yet?” He stood.

  “No.” She took his offered hand, and he pulled her to her feet.

  Then he scooped up Kaleb, who patted his beard stubble and became fascinated by the rough texture along Drake’s jawline. “We’re going on an adventure.”

  Kay followed Drake and Kaleb up two flights of stairs. When she entered the turret, her gaze fixed on the splashes of orange, pink and rose on the western horizon. “Beautiful.”

  “Yeah, it definitely tempts a person to stare at it rather than work, but don’t worry, I’m resisting its lure.” A blond-haired man about Drake’s height held his hand out to her. “I’m Flynn Winchester.”

  She shook it. “Thanks for being here.”

  “What brings y’all up here?” Flynn went back to his post, using binoculars to search for anything suspicious.

  “We discovered a flash drive in Kaleb’s stuffed animal. I want to see if I can open it.” Drake passed the baby boy to Kay, then crossed to the open laptop on a counter, displaying four pictures of various areas outside the house.

  He stuck the flash drive into the USB port and opened it. “It’s encrypted, but I’ll send it to Pierce and see if he can find someone to hack into it.” He retrieved his cell phone and called headquarters. He told Pierce about what they found.

  “Send it. We’ll see what we can discover. The information on it could be important.”

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought, especially since Soto is going to such lengths to locate Kay and Kaleb. It could be more than just wanting his son back. He doesn’t seem like the warm fuzzy type.”

  Pierce laughed, but nothing was funny about the sound. “Far from it. Not with the bodies left behind where he’s gone. I’ll let you know what we discover.”

  Drake attached the flash drive folder to an email and sent it. “Did you get the file?”

  “Yes. The four guys we caught at the ambush are being guarded. We want to keep them alive. If one of them talks, I’ll let you know. Which reminds me, Captain Vincent called an hour ago. He thinks the only way the assailant who died from poisoning could have obtained the cyanide was through his lawyer. That man, who was supposed to be from San Antonio, has disappeared. Captain Vincent discovered there isn’t an attorney in Texas by his name.”

  “Thanks. He’s probably right.” Drake twisted away from Kay and lowered his voice. “He goes out of his way to leave no loose ends.”

  When he disconnected, he faced Kay, realizing he still had to tell her about the nurse and the lawyer. “Let’s go downstairs. I don’t want to keep Flynn distracted from his job.”

  As they left, Kay said, “Thanks, Flynn. I appreciate your help.”

  When they returned to the living room, Kay put Kaleb on the blanket and sat next to him while the boy held Mr. Teddy minus the one arm. “He doesn’t seem to mind its missing part.”

  Drake eased down on the other side of Kaleb. “What do you think is on the flash drive?”

  “When Alejandro returned to the ranch and confronted my sister that afternoon, he kept shouting, ‘What did you do with it?’ He might not have known about me at the stable. He could have been talking about the flash drive. Maybe that’s what put him into a rage.”

  “I’m hoping it has intel about the Muerte Cartel on it, especially concerning its ties to the United States.” He cleared his throat and told her about the lawyer and the cyanide.

  She shivered. “Anyone who threatens Soto doesn’t live.”

  “Also one of the nurses who looked after Kaleb was found dead at the hospital.”

  “Murdered?”

  “Yes. We believe she placed a listening device in Kaleb’s room. That would explain why we were ambushed at the warehouses.”

  “Did you find one in the room?”

  “No, but since she was on duty today and in Kaleb’s room, she could have removed it when we evacuated. It wasn’t on her, but whoever killed her could have taken the device. She received a large amount of money in her bank account two days ago. Pierce is tracking the money trail.”

  “My brother-in-law has a long reach. I hope the flash drive has the information to take him down. No one else should die because of that man.”

  “I wish I had good information for you.”

  Kay leaned across Kaleb and took Drake’s hand. “I’m going to have to disappear. I won’t let Kaleb grow up in that man’s care.”

  “Right now there’s a manhunt for him. Let’s hope he can be found.” He hoped so, because living on the run, always looking over your shoulder, was no way to live.

  *

  As Kay left her bedroom later after putting Kaleb down for the night, the stress of the day had a stranglehold on her. She planned to rest as long as Kaleb allowed her to, but first she wanted to find out what Pierce had discovered on the flash drive—if anything.

  She entered the kitchen, where Drake was making another pot of coffee. His shift downstairs would begin soon. After their conversation concerning the nurse, she had insisted Drake get some sleep. She’d wanted to spend as much time with him as possible but realized that would only make their parting harder.

  He looked up from pouring coffee into a mug and smiled.

  “Did Pierce have any news?”

  “I didn’t talk to him. He was in the captain’s office, but he’ll call me back when he returns to his desk. I have a good feeling about this. He wouldn’t be talking with the captain unless he discovered something—” His ringing cell phone interrupted him. Stepping away, he quickly answered it, saying, “Jackson here,” as he set his mug on the table. The earlier smile grew as he listened to whoever called. “Let me know how the raid goes. Maybe Soto will get caught up—”

  Suddenly the lights went out, reminding Kay of the hospital earlier. “Drake?” She felt for the counter nearby to help g
et her bearings.

  “My phone and my com earpiece to Dallas and Flynn are dead, too. Dallas,” Drake shouted.

  He answered, the sound coming from the living room. “Stay where you are. I’ll be there. I can’t get Flynn on my com,” he finished, sounding closer—he must have stepped into the kitchen. “Where are you?”

  “I’m here,” Kay said while Drake answered, too, but farther away from her than a moment earlier.

  “I’ve got our night-vision goggles. I’ll bring you yours, Dallas. Then check out front and the left side while I take the back and right. I’ll check the alarm.”

  Drake’s voice came closer as he talked with Dallas. He touched her arm. “Come with me.” He took her hand and moved forward, guiding her through the kitchen door into the hallway. “We’ll start with your bedroom on the right so you can get Kaleb. You two need to stay in the bathroom in the center of the house. No outside walls.”

  While he led her down the corridor, her heartbeat thudded so loudly she wondered if he could hear it.

  “I wish I had another set of night-vision goggles.”

  Flynn came down the stairs. “We’re under attack. I count eight coming in from the right, back and front. I tried to call headquarters. I can’t.”

  “I’m taking Kay and Kaleb to the interior bathroom across from Dallas’s room upstairs. We’ll make our stand down here.”

  “Your stand?” Kay squeaked out as she turned in to her bedroom.

  “If they’re looking for the flash drive and Kaleb, they’ll be coming inside. So far, we haven’t heard any shots. That means they’re taking—”

  The glass in the window on the right wall of her bedroom shattered.

  “I’ll get Kaleb. Go into the hall.”

  She backpedaled, and her shoulder hit the side of the door frame as she went through. It barely registered when Drake approached, thrusting Kaleb into her arms.

  “No time to get upstairs. Hide in the bathroom under the stairs. Don’t leave until one of us comes for you. Go!” he said, turning away from her.

  Gunfire erupted in her bedroom, prodding her to move as fast as she could in the dark. She trailed her hand along the wall, and when she came out into the back of the large entry hall, she veered to the left, feeling her way to the powder room under the stairs.