He squeezed her hand again. “It’s all right. Nothing to be worried about.”
Brent had already mentioned the custody term when talking to Rosa, but it hadn’t sounded nearly as official and terrifying coming from him. She still wasn’t sure she liked it. Couldn’t they just protect her and take out her brother without putting her in their custody, even if it was “protective”?
She looked back to Blackthorn, searching the man’s hard gaze, and couldn’t help but wonder if he actually wanted to arrest her instead of protecting her. Brent hadn’t believed she’d killed anyone, she thought, even before she had an alibi. He hadn’t believed that she’d come to Texas to start up her own cartel, either. What did this man—whom Brent appeared close to—really think of her? More important, why should she care?
After the introductions, she remembered her friends who were hiding in the tunnel and rose, letting go of Brent’s hand. The distraction would give her a chance to regain her composure. The Texas Rangers were here in her living room and on her ranch. Adriana wasn’t sure what this would mean for her in the long run, but she sensed that her life was about to change forever. Again. For the better or worse she couldn’t say.
“Inez and Rosa are still hiding. I should go let them know we’re not under attack here.”
Blackthorn nodded. “Good idea. We need to have a confab and will head back outside for that.”
He glanced at Brent for his agreement and got it. “Give me a second.”
The men exited the room, except for Brent. “Now’s your chance to get some rest,” he said. “You don’t need to worry for your safety, at least for the moment.” When he grinned, his eyes conveyed the truth behind those words, along with a measure of doubt.
He wasn’t one hundred percent certain they could keep her safe. She didn’t blame him for that—she’d never believed they could. “I’ll set Rosa up in an extra room, but what about the Rangers?”
He scrunched his face. “Adriana, you aren’t required to board the Rangers. We’ll be fine. And once we’ve talked strategy, I’m going to get some rest, too.”
After getting Rosa settled, Adriana returned to her room. She glanced out the window and spotted two of the Rangers talking—Colt Blackthorn and Brent. By their demeanor she could tell their discussion was heated, and that should have given her cause to worry, but she was too exhausted to care.
It had been years since she had trusted anyone completely with her safety, but she found herself wanting to trust Brent. She needed someone. She trusted Inez, but at the same time she felt protective of the woman. Inez wasn’t in a position to protect Adriana in a physical way—to keep her safe from Rio. Could she trust Brent?
“Adriana,” a voice whispered.
She stirred, panic engulfing her. She sat up and reached for her weapon.
“It’s okay,” Brent said. “It’s me.”
“What...what are you doing in my room? What’s happened?”
“Your llama is giving birth.”
She rubbed her eyes. “Kiana?” She started to throw the covers off, then thought better of it. “Okay, thanks. Could you wake Inez up for me?”
“Already done. She sent me to wake you.”
That Inez had sent Brent to wake her instead of coming herself surprised Adriana, but she didn’t have time to think more about it.
Brent left her alone. She dressed and made her way to the barn, where she found Inez with Rosa. It wasn’t as if llamas couldn’t give birth without their assistance, but Inez had determined the cria was breech, which could be a problem for Kiana.
Adriana thought perhaps they would need to call a vet, but Inez continued to reassure her that she’d assisted in dystocia—when the cria is in a bad position—many times before. And tonight she would teach Adriana and Rosa what she knew. Together they assisted Kiana in a painful delivery, but finally the beautiful cria—the baby llama—stood on its own, a sign it was healthy. It rooted and nursed immediately.
Inez, Rosa and Adriana shared a smile. Adriana glanced at the barn door, where Brent stood with a wide stance, crossed arms and a huge grin. She had the urge to run to him and hug him but stifled it.
“And now, for a name. What do you think, Tanya?” Inez asked, still using Adriana’s fake name even around all those who knew her true identity. Tanya was who Adriana had chosen to be on this ranch, and Inez was choosing to respect that—to allow her to define herself, rather than seeing her as an extension of her criminal brother.
“I think that Rosa should name her.”
The young Mexican woman with her long, silky black hair and huge brown eyes smiled, but deep sadness filled her eyes. “Maria.” Her brow furrowed. “For my mother. I left her behind in Mexico.”
Pain laced her words and Adriana drew Rosa to her and held her tightly. If her brother chose to take things that far, Rosa’s escape and betrayal could cost the life of her mother—even her entire family. Adriana couldn’t help but think Rosa’s mother would willingly give her life if it meant Rosa would be free. Adriana would do the same for her own child, if she had one. But that was a price that no mother should have to pay.
She had to stop her brother, take him down before he had the chance to continue to control people’s lives, to murder them if they chose to defy him. She’d known all along that if she were to flee he would hunt her down, and so she wanted to do some damage when she ran. So she’d taken that watch and removed the contents of the storage—and unfortunately, her actions had put more lives in danger.
Adriana had wanted to save lives, not endanger them.
SEVEN
In the middle of this winter night, halfway between Christmas and New Year’s, Brent walked with Colt, keeping near to the house and the barn. They’d strategized with the other Rangers about the location of various booby traps and what had happened so far. Discussed yet another failed attempt to find Ranger Carmen Alvarez. The lead they’d followed had come from Trevor, who’d infiltrated the cartel as a low-level drug runner. While the news had seemed promising at first, it turned out to be a dead end. Trevor had come back with them to regroup.
God, please let us find her.
Would he have found himself in the same position as Carmen—trying to hide and escape the cartel, alone with no access to backup—if Adriana hadn’t helped him out? He prayed that God would send someone to help Carmen find her way to safety. He hated the deep ache in his gut. They were a team, and finding her was a priority. Protecting Adriana and taking her brother down were also priorities. They were being torn in too many directions, if you asked him. But all of it was tied together.
Wait and watch and protect Adriana, and Garcia should come right to them. The Rangers were on high alert at the ranch—at least half of the reconnaissance team was here.
Having his brothers with him to watch his back and share the responsibilities was a massive load off Brent’s mind. But it didn’t make all of his worries disappear. Nothing could change the fact that they were in for a hard battle. And that was why Brent needed to talk to Colt alone. Speak his mind and not hold anything back.
That was something he’d always been able to do with Colt—at least, until a few weeks ago when Greg Gunn had been killed, and he and Colt had disagreed about whether or not Adriana had been involved. But they knew the truth now, and Colt had said he trusted Brent, believed him when he said that Adriana was innocent. That surprised Brent more than a little, considering Greg had been Colt’s best friend and the man had betrayed them all. Seemed like that would make a man leery and unwilling to fully trust. But Colt’s relationship with Danielle had done wonders to heal him on numerous levels.
Still, as the two men walked under the stars on this wintry night, they kept silent for a stretch, maybe considering their next words. For Brent’s part, he couldn’t get the image of the cria’s birth from his mind—or Adriana�
��s glowing face. She truly was a beautiful, strong and amazing woman. But Rosa’s words, naming the cria after her mother, had cut him to the heart.
He started off by explaining that to Colt. “I want to bring down Garcia. I want to bring him down for killing Greg and for all the other crimes he committed. We have to get him, Colt. We can’t let him kill that poor girl’s parents because she wanted her freedom. We have to get him, whatever it takes.” Anger and determination infused his words.
“Whatever it takes,” Colt said, angling his head. “Are you sure about that?”
“Dead sure.”
“Are you willing to sacrifice Adriana to get him?”
His friend’s words gave him pause. He stopped and faced Colt. “She doesn’t have to be sacrificed. Why would you even ask me that?”
Colt chuckled. “You’ve got it bad, man. Real bad.”
“What are you talking about?” Brent hoped he wasn’t that transparent, even with Colt. Mostly because he had already told himself he couldn’t have feelings for this woman. Feelings could get them all killed.
“I think you already know. It’s the whole reason why you came here alone to begin with. You think I didn’t know that? You wanted her to be innocent, not only because she saved you before, but because you haven’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since. Am I right or am I right?” Colt chuckled.
Now it was Brent’s turn to chuckle. “I’ll agree this has taken a much too personal turn for me. But I can’t afford to think about her like that. It’s not condoned during an investigation like this, which we both know. And even if we had met some other way, I’m a Texas Ranger. She’s the sister of a cartel leader.”
“Yeah, yeah. What you’re really saying—the meaning behind your words—is that you don’t think you’re commitment material. And you can’t bring yourself to trust anyone that much, especially—especially—the sister of a drug lord.”
Brent stared at the man. Really. Why did he bother talking if the man could read his mind? That Colt had said it all out loud like that, and revealed all Brent’s inner turmoil, rankled.
Before Brent could say anything to counter the other Ranger’s words, however, Colt blew out a puffy breath of white vapor and jammed his hands into his pockets. “Matters of the heart aside, Vance said it was your call. If you think she needs to be at a safe house, then so be it. We’ll wait here at the ranch for Garcia, if he even knows she’s here. But we’re going to have to move her fast and without anyone being the wiser.”
“I think we have bigger problems than that,” Brent said.
“Oh, what’s that?”
“I don’t think she’s going to leave the ranch so easily. She feels safe here—and she doesn’t have a lot of reasons to trust the authorities. Forcing her to do anything will not get her cooperation. We need to remain on good terms with her. We need her cooperation if we want to protect her and if we want her testimony against Garcia once we finally catch him.”
Colt angled his head and studied Brent. He had an idea of what Colt was thinking—that keeping Adriana on friendly terms—not forcing her to a safe house or forcing her to do anything—was about Brent’s relationship with her much more than it was about what they needed to do to close the case. Was Colt right about that? Brent briefly lifted his hat and ran a hand through his hair. Adriana’s safety was more important than keeping her happy. He released a heavy sigh.
“Like I said,” Colt repeated, “it’s your call. Sounds like you’ve been chewing on that for a while.”
“Right. And my call is that we need to move her.”
With a big Texas grin, Colt clapped a hand on Brent’s shoulder. “Well, if anyone can convince her, it’ll be you. I’d advise you to get some rest before you try to use that charm of yours, though. You look terrible.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Anytime, bro, anytime.”
* * *
Brent rolled to his back on the lumpy mattress and opened one eye. Bright morning light leaked between the denim curtains, reminding him of where he was. He shot out of bed and reached for his weapon, appalled he’d slept at all.
Then he remembered.
His friends were here. Nearly half of his Ranger team had arrived last night and taken up some of the slack guarding Adriana. They were here to protect her in case Rio Garcia showed up with a small army to take her away and eventually kill her after he found out where she’d hidden the drugs and money—something Brent had yet to learn for himself. As much as they didn’t want to face off with Garcia, they wanted him to show so they could arrest him. Though they couldn’t be sure that Gregario had delivered the message that he’d found Adriana to Garcia, the chances were high and they would prepare for it.
Major Vance had them walking along a double-edged sword that could kill all of them at any moment.
Brent showered, relieved he hadn’t slept most of the morning away, though after the late-night confab the previous evening, as well as watching Kiana give birth, Brent shouldn’t blame himself for grabbing much-needed rest.
But now he had a job to do. One he didn’t relish.
Since Gregario had shown up yesterday and tried to take Adriana right under Brent’s nose, he’d finally made the decision that she should be taken to a safe house. Garcia didn’t have to know she’d been moved, and he could still show up here at the llama ranch. They could still catch him with their trap, but Adriana, Inez and Rosa didn’t have to be caught in the middle.
Staring into the mirror on the small dresser in the musty room, he swiped a hand down his face. Positioned his earpiece so he could communicate with his Ranger brothers. Convincing Adriana to move to somewhere safe felt like it would be the hardest part of this whole operation. She’d been so adamant before when she said she wouldn’t leave. Maybe she saw the need for that now, but he would prepare for a battle, nonetheless.
He clomped down the stairs, the aroma of bacon and eggs wafting up to him and raucous voices that could only belong to his Texas Ranger buddies drifting up, as well. He found Colt and Austin eating at the table, Adriana and Inez serving them like they ran a diner.
Colt stopped midchew, then swallowed. “I told them it wasn’t necessary.”
Adriana motioned for Brent to sit. He frowned.
“I told your friends that you can’t do your job on an empty stomach. Go ahead and eat. Inez and I owe you for protecting us. Eat, then you can go stand guard or whatever it is you do.”
Colt pushed from the table. “I’m finished. Come on, Austin. You’re finished, too.”
Austin scrunched up his face, surprise in his eyes. He still had a full plate to finish. “What? No, I’m not! I don’t eat as fast as you.”
“Right. That’s your second plate.”
Austin shoved a little more food in, then his chair scraped the floor as he stood up quickly, chugged the rest of his coffee and snatched one last piece of toast to chew on. He thanked Adriana, Inez and Rosa as he left with Colt. They’d busied themselves cooking breakfast even after the long night they’d all had. Chances were none of them had slept well, given the very real threat of Garcia’s imminent arrival at the llama ranch.
Colt bumped into Brent as he passed. “You need to have your talk. We’re making arrangements.”
Brent nodded. God, please help me to convince her this is for the best.
When Adriana came back into the room with a loaded plate of eggs and chorizo sausage on a tortilla with a side of tomato salsa, her eyes held his, and it was as if she could read his mind. Knew he had something to say, something she wouldn’t want to hear. Her demeanor shifted from relaxed to anxious. He didn’t miss the slight furrow in her brow, the edge to her lips that only moments before had offered a full-on smile.
He pulled out the chair next to him. “Can you join me?”
“I
need to help Rosa and Inez in the kitchen.”
“And we need to talk.”
“Fine.” And, just like that, she pulled out a chair and sat across from him, instead of taking the chair he’d offered, her face saying she wouldn’t agree to anything he would propose. She’d already made up her mind before even hearing his words.
Brilliant work, Brent. And his Ranger brothers were counting on him to get her compliance. Why had he thought she would listen? But he was getting ahead of himself. He wrapped the tortilla around the eggs and spicy chorizo, poured on some salsa and took a big bite. That would keep him chewing while he thought his next words through.
“I’m waiting...” She arched a brow.
He finished up and offered a big grin. She appeared to like his grin, and she visibly relaxed. He was glad he’d taken Colt’s advice and gotten some rest before tackling this.
“I know what you’re doing. Smiling at me. Turning on the charm. You think I’m so easily swayed.” She gave him a smug smile that said, as if.
The way she said the words, he could almost think she might be flirting with him. He was glad that Colt wasn’t here to see this exchange. His fellow Ranger would start spouting more nonsense about Brent’s feelings and how Adriana might return them—as though that mattered, given the circumstances. It wasn’t like he could ever take her into his arms and kiss her the way he wanted. It wasn’t like they could ever have a life together. Suddenly he lost his appetite and pushed his plate aside to focus.
“Not at all.”
“Then say whatever it is you need to say.”
“Someone found you here yesterday. You know your life is in danger if you stay. You, Inez and Rosa are all in danger. We can move you to a safe house while we search for your brother. Even give him the chance to show up here. He won’t know you’ve left and he’ll come looking for you.”
Texas Christmas Defender Page 8
