Lone Star Christmas Rescue

by Margaret Daley

  More shots sounded from the living room area, spurring her even faster. Kaleb whimpered and wiggled in her one-armed embrace.

  “Shh, sweetie,” she whispered in as soothing a voice as she could manage.

  Probing the side of the staircase, she grazed her fingertips over a door frame. She couldn’t remember if there was another door near the powder room. She grasped the knob and twisted and pulled it toward her. When she entered and took two steps, she ran into a counter and sink. After turning the lock, she sank to the floor and cuddled Kaleb close, rocking him to calm him while the sound of guns going off seemed to fill the whole house.

  Eight men against three. The only thing she could think to do was pray.

  *

  As Drake reentered Kay’s bedroom, a man dived through the broken window. Drake aimed his gun and shot the intruder as he tried to rise from the floor. A bullet whizzed by Drake, and he swiveled toward the window, where another guy stood. He fired at him while he dropped to the floor next to the bed.

  He prayed Kay and Kaleb made it to the restroom. Since he’d been talking to Pierce on his cell phone when the power went out, Drake hoped the lieutenant figured something was wrong and sent help.

  He peeked over the mattress and spied two men at the window. Both fired at him, and he dropped back down. He looked at the space beneath the bed and decided to crawl under it and see if he could surprise both attackers. He wiggled his way to the other side and peeked up at the window only a few feet away. When one man leaned sideways to look inside the room, Drake was tempted to shoot him, but that would give away where he was and he wanted both intruders.

  The man stepped over the windowsill, quickly followed by his cohort. Drake sighted the first assailant and shot him. As he fell to the floor, Drake fired at the second guy. He went down, too. Drake scrambled from beneath the bed and hurried to check the three attackers’ status. One was dead. The second one had a heartbeat but was bleeding out fast. The third lifted his weapon and squeezed the trigger.

  The bullet struck Drake, and he faltered. As he went down, he fired his gun. His shoulder hit the floor. Pain streaked through his body.

  When he tried to get up, the sound of a helicopter landing vied with the barrage of gunfire in the other parts of the house. He needed to help Dallas and Flynn, then find Kay and Kaleb before Soto got to them.

  *

  In the powder room Kay rocked Kaleb, hoping he would sleep. All the sounds bombarding her sent tremors through her. She had to remain composed or Kaleb would sense it and start crying.

  Breathe deeply.

  Think of something calm, peaceful.

  An image of Drake filled her mind. The sensations his kiss created in her flowed through her, replacing the fear. She hadn’t come this far to let Soto have Kaleb or the flash drive—to murder more people. She dug deep for the reservoir of courage she drew from when running into a burning building.

  She leaned close to Kaleb’s ear and softly sang “Silent Night.” The song had helped him go to bed in the past days. She felt the tension draining from Kaleb—and her. Kaleb’s head rolled to the side against her arm.

  He was going to sleep in the midst of a war raging outside their door. She reclined against the cabinets, wishing she could, too. She closed her eyes, blocking the noise as much as possible.

  Suddenly something crashed against the door. Then again and again.

  A person?

  No, something else.

  On the fourth impact, the door crashed open.

  Who did it? It was too dark to see, but she heard a person breathing heavily, moving closer.

  A large hand clamped around her arm and jerked her to her feet. Even before she was steady, Kaleb was wrenched from her embrace.

  “No!” She clutched the counter behind her.

  “He’s my son!” Then to someone who must be near, a man’s voice said, “Take him to the helicopter. I’ll be there shortly.” A couple of heartbeats later, he gripped her other arm, too. “I’m going to kill you like I did your sister.”

  The calm chill in Alejandro’s voice unnerved her more than his hands digging into her flesh. He released one arm, but before she could react, his fingers encircled her throat, squeezing.

  *

  Blood streamed down Drake’s left arm. Pain radiated through his body. He grabbed the end of a pillowcase and shook it loose from the pillow, then tied it around his wound as best he could. He didn’t have time for anything else. Kay and Kaleb were in danger. No doubt the helicopter was Soto’s doing, and he could be on it to make sure this assault worked.

  Drake staggered out into the hallway and hurried as fast as he could to the restroom. He grasped his gun in his right hand, prepared to make a stand outside that room. When he came into the foyer, he quickly scanned his surroundings as he headed toward Kay’s location. He rounded the staircase and spied the open door.

  Gritting his teeth, he willed his body to keep moving. Kay was in trouble. Just inside the room, a man held Kay by her neck. She fought him, but her attacker held onto her.

  “Let her go!”

  The assailant glanced back at him through his own night-vision goggles. He couldn’t tell if it was Soto or one of his cohorts. All he knew was the man was trying to kill Kay, his hands still about her neck. If he fired his gun, he might injure Kay.

  “Now!” Drake moved closer, trying to find a better angle.

  Kay’s attacker swung around, using her as a human shield. Drake was an expert shot, but the conditions—only thermal vision and close quarters—would hamper his ability, especially as he felt his strength siphoning from him because of blood loss.

  “She’s coming with me.” The guy dragged her into the foyer, her body still between them as he made his way toward the front door.

  With his maneuvering, his hold must have loosened around Kay’s neck, because she was no longer docile but striking out at him and trying to yank his hands away from her neck. Drake waited for any opportunity to take Soto out before he left the house. Kay would die if he managed to take her.

  It was as if she heard his thoughts. The closer she came to the front door, the more she fought, kicking Soto wherever she could. Drake lifted his gun, stepping closer. The second she landed one debilitating hit with her knee, she broke free. Her assailant went down, and Drake rushed in, his gun pointed at the man’s head.

  A foot away, the guy lunged for Drake and his weapon. He wouldn’t give it up. The attacker brought him down, wrestling for the gun. When it went off, the sound blasted through the foyer.

  SIXTEEN

  Kay entered the same hospital that had been evacuated two days ago and rode the elevator up to the third floor. Although her brother-in-law had been killed and the members of the Muerte Cartel operating in the United States rounded up by the DEA and Texas Rangers, Dallas accompanied her. The Mexican authorities were moving against the drug ring in their country, but even knowing that, Kay didn’t feel totally safe. It was hard to forget the past couple of weeks—the death of her sister and the sight of Drake collapsing right after the gun went off in his struggle with Alejandro.

  Drake had had surgery on his left arm yesterday. She’d been there beside him the day before while he recovered, but today she’d been tied up with the various law enforcement agencies working on the case. Then she’d filed for full custody of Kaleb, his nearest living relative in the United States. She’d been granted temporary custody in the meantime.

  “I’ll stay out here,” Dallas said in the third-floor hallway. “He’s been wondering where you were.”

  “You told him what I had to do?”

  “Yes. But he said you two haven’t really had a conversation, between the medication he was on and his family hovering around his bed.”

  That was what she’d been avoiding. She owed him so much. Especially this visit to say goodbye. She needed to disappear. She couldn’t take a chance someone from the cartel would come after her—not with Kaleb.

  She knocke
d, then opened the door and stepped into Drake’s room.

  He smiled as she walked toward the bed. “Where’s Kaleb?”

  “Anna is watching him, along with your dad and brother.”

  “You just missed Pierce. He left ten minutes ago after he filled me in on the wrap-up of the case. Have you talked to him today?”

  “No. I did yesterday.” She stopped at the right side of his bed.

  He clasped her hand and tugged her even closer. “They’re going to let me out later today.”

  “You just had surgery yesterday.”

  “And I’m doing well. Granted, I still have to take it easy until the doctor clears me for duty again. I figure I’ll be back by the first of the year, but that means I’ll have time for us to get to know each other when bullets aren’t flying.”

  She slipped her hand from his and backed away. “No, I can’t stay here and put you in any more danger. You’ve saved me more than once.”

  “What are you talking about?” He carefully pushed himself up to a sitting position.

  “I can’t stay. What if the cartel comes after me?”

  “The cartel has been rounded up. It was a new one pushing into the territories of other cartels. They never like that. They have been cooperating with the authorities to make sure no one is left to run it. There were people who gladly turned against Soto. He was ruthless and didn’t care who he killed to get what he wanted. His philosophy was if you crossed him, your family was fair game, like in the case of the couple you saw killed in the stable.”

  She shook her head and turned for the door. “No, I can’t take that chance.”

  Before she could clasp the knob and leave, Drake was behind her. He twisted her toward him. “If I’ve learned nothing else lately, it’s that we have to enjoy the present and not worry about what could happen. We don’t know what that will be.”

  She gestured toward his arm. “You took your IV out.”

  “That’s because you were leaving. Come back in and sit with me. If I thought it was dangerous, I’d go with you and Kaleb. We can’t live in fear.” He combed his right hand through her hair, cupping the back of her head. “I love you. I never thought I would say that to another woman, but for the first time in years, I feel alive, renewed.” He lowered his head toward hers, his lips whispering across hers as he murmured he loved her again.

  She couldn’t resist the words or him. She wound one arm around him, avoiding his left side, and deepened the kiss he’d started. In a short time, they had gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, but he was right. She couldn’t push him away. “I love you,” she murmured against his mouth.

  Kay gently pushed him onto his hospital bed. “I’m calling your nurse. You need your IV hooked up, because I want you out of here as fast as possible. Christmas will be here before we know it. Kaleb’s first one.”

  Drake snagged her hand near him. “Our first one as a couple.”

  *

  At his family ranch, Drake sat on the couch in the den, relishing his family around him. Mandy, her husband and their four children had arrived yesterday, Christmas Eve, to spend a few days. His sister’s ten-year-old daughter had doted on Kaleb since she came and made sure her siblings included Kaleb in everything. And the baby Drake had come to love cherished every moment in the middle of all the activities.

  Kay, who was remembering more each day, entered the room with two mugs of hot chocolate. She made a beeline for him and took the seat next to him. “Sorry it took so long, but Anna needed some help with the Christmas dinner.” She passed him his drink.

  “I figured it was that or my sister was grilling you.”

  Kay laughed. “That was late last night when everyone else was asleep.” Her smile grew. “I heard a lot about you.”

  “Don’t believe everything she said.”

  “Which part should I forget? The time you saved a puppy caught in a barbed-wire fence or when you patiently showed her how to ride a horse?”

  The heat of a blush seared his cheeks.

  Kay leaned over and kissed the side of his face. “Her stories of you all growing up only confirmed what I already knew.”

  “I know we’ve opened all our Christmas presents, but I still have one more.” He put his hot chocolate down, then rose and pulled her to her feet. Hands still clasped, he headed for the front porch, where he’d left the wrapped gift.

  In these past weeks since El Paso, he’d had a lot of time to recuperate and think. He realized meeting Kay had changed his whole life. He no longer dwelled in the past. He’d let go of his hatred toward Shanna’s killer. It was only hurting him. He looked forward to the present and future—he hoped with Kay and Kaleb.

  Outside he picked up the box and gave it to her. Her eyes twinkled as she tore off the wrapping paper, then lifted the lid and stared at the piece of paper.

  “I forgot all about this. When did you receive the DNA results?”

  “A couple of days ago. Of course, we already knew what they would be, since you and Kassandra were twins. You are a parental match to Kaleb.” He gestured toward the piece of paper. “Now it’s official, which brings me to the second part of the gift.”

  He knelt in front of her and pulled out a small box. When he opened it to reveal a large square diamond surrounded with smaller ones, he said, “Kay—Kayden—Rollins, will you marry me? I want to be a husband to you and a father to Kaleb.”

  She went down on her knees and cradled his face in her hands. “I love you. Yes, Kaleb and I will follow you anywhere you want to go.”

  Drake took the ring from the box and slipped it on Kay’s left finger, then with his right arm, he drew her against him and kissed her with all the love he felt.

  *

  If you loved this exciting romantic suspense, pick up the first book in Margaret Daley’s LONE STAR JUSTICE miniseries

  HIGH RISK REUNION

  And be sure to check out Margaret’s previous miniseries ALASKAN SEARCH AND RESCUE

  The Yuletide Rescue

  To Save Her Child

  The Protector’s Mission

  Standoff at Christmas

  Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!

  Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com

  Keep reading for an excerpt from CHRISTMAS DOUBLE CROSS by Jodie Bailey.

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  Dear Reader,

  Can you imagine waking up one day and you can’t even recall your name? It would totally shake up your life from dealing with large issues to small ones. I think we tend to take for granted who we are and our memories. But what if all that was taken away from you?

  In Lone Star Christmas Rescue, I explore what happens to a person when she doesn’t remember who she is. Our personalities are formed by our past. Our experiences shape who we are. When Kay’s memory is wiped away, she has to struggle to find herself. She doesn’t know who to trust or how she ended up with amnesia. Even when she begins to remember bits and pieces of her previous life, she doesn’t know if she will ever remember everything.

  I love hearing from readers. You can contact me at margaretdaley@gmail.com or at P. O. Box 2074, Tulsa, OK 74101. You can also learn more about my books at http://www.margaretdaley.com. I have a monthly newsletter that you can sign up for on my website.

  Best wishes,

  Margaret

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense story.

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  Christmas Double Cross

  by Jodie Bailey

  ONE

  Texas Ranger Colter Blackthorn shifted his borrowed Dodge Challenger into Park and left the engine running, the heater combating the near-freezing temperatures of an El Paso winter evening.

  Pulling his neck to one side, he stretched the tight muscles and scanned the front of the small strip mall. The reflection of Christmas lights danced on the windows of the few cars in the lot as the center neared closing time. Somewhere in the distance a speaker piped “White Christmas” to the handful of shoppers rushing along the sidewalk on their last few days of preparation before the holiday hit full force.

  He let his gaze linger on the store closest to him, on the end near the main road. Nothing moved in the shadows behind the building, but a figure moved inside by the front window, pausing to reposition a blanket beneath the D in Mexican Artifacts and Crafts by Danielle.

  His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. It had to be her.

  “Colt.” The voice shot through his earpiece. Ranger Austin Brewer’s voice was tight, not with anger, but with concern. “If you need to wave off, then let Major Vance know now, before you go in. We can send somebody—”

  “I’m fine.” His voice came out more clipped than he’d meant it to, but really, he didn’t need to be babied. He was no rookie. This wasn’t his first time undercover, and it wasn’t as though he was going deep. All he had to do was confirm that the woman pretending to be Danielle Segovia was indeed Adriana Garcia.