Adriana and Inez nodded. Inez disappeared into the kitchen to put away the stew bowls, and Adriana headed upstairs presumably to pack. Things were beginning to go their way. Next he would try to persuade her to give up the location of the drugs and the cash. But he doubted that would happen until they nailed Garcia, or until she truly felt safe. Adriana believed the drugs and cash were her only leverage against her brother, should he get his hands on her. Who could blame her?
Brent answered the call. “McCord here.”
“Her suggestions paid off...to a point,” Vance said.
“What happened?”
“We got our hands on two henchmen at the old mission—we’re working with the Mexican authorities to question them. Haven’t heard from Ethan about the bay area. They might not even be there yet.”
“The guys snagged at the mission. What did they say? Any hints about where we can find Garcia?”
“No. They won’t give him up. Maybe we’ll catch up with him at the bay.”
Brent opened his mouth to say that Adriana had agreed to move to a safe house...but then he sensed it, felt the whir in his gut an instant before a concussive blast rocked the house. The force throwing his body against the wall.
* * *
Whomp.
Wind rushed through her, sucking the oxygen from her lungs. The floor beneath her lifted. The ceiling crumpled. Adriana struggled to stand. To breathe.
The window! She needed to get to the window. To get out of the house that seemed to be collapsing around her!
The tall chest of drawers against the wall toppled toward her. Screams erupted from her throat, but she couldn’t hear them over the explosive sound. Nor could she escape the dresser.
Images of Inez, Rosa...and Brent...worry and fear for them accosted her at the same instant she feared her own death. Was it moments away? Time seemed to slow as everything—the walls and the ceiling and the furniture—came crashing down around her.
She dropped to the cracked floor next to the bed and covered her head, uncertain if the floor would fall out from under her. Or if she would be crushed under it all as the world around her exploded and collapsed.
“God, please help us!” But she couldn’t hear her own cries, her own screams, for the ringing in her ears.
The dresser crashed into the bed, and when Adriana lifted her head, she realized it had cocooned her. Chunks of the ceiling littered the floor, which blessedly hadn’t buckled under her. She stayed still, afraid that movement on her part would cause something to shift. But worry for the others overcame her fear.
“Inez! Rosa!” she called. “Brent!”
Oh, it was no use. With her ears ringing, she couldn’t hear anything. Couldn’t hear if someone had replied to her call or needed her help. She would have to move from the relative safety of her spot, despite the possible consequences. Carefully, Adriana crawled backward, out from under the cover of the dresser. A hand gripped her arm and pulled her up to stand.
Brent. Momentary relief whooshed through her.
A gash in his temple gushed blood. Dust and plaster coated his face and clothes, turned his hair gray.
“You’re hurt.” She lifted her hand to touch the wound, then drew back.
He pressed his forefinger to his lips, then pointed out the window. Motioned with his fingers that others were coming.
Others as in the Texas Rangers on the property? Or others as in whoever had planted this bomb right under their noses? But she saw the truth in his worried eyes, in his protective demeanor, as he took her hand, his gun drawn, and pulled her from the room. The staircase had been destroyed.
“Inez, Rosa...” she whispered. Brent watched her lips. “Are they okay?”
“I’ll find them.” He spoke so she could read his lips, too.
Brent used the structural two-by-fours that were now visible to climb down and then drop to the first floor. He assisted Adriana down as far as he could, then caught her in his arms when she dropped. He set her on her feet. Though brief, his embrace had been warm and strong.
Reassuring.
He started moving away, but she grabbed him. He turned back to her.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He looked thoughtful for a moment, then appeared to shake off confusion. “Your hiding place. Where is it?”
Adriana glanced around the destroyed house, grief rendering her paralyzed, fear squeezing her throat. Brent gripped her shoulders and shook her. “Where?”
She pointed down the hallway now blocked with rubble—the remnants of the house. How would they get through the mess? How would they know if the tunnel was still intact? She didn’t follow Brent but instead let her gaze search the wreckage. Covered in gray dust, a bloody arm extended out from underneath fallen Sheetrock.
Her heart plummeted.
“Oh, no!” She scrambled over the debris and made her way to the bloodied hand. Removed chunks of furniture and ceiling while hot tears streamed down her face.
Brent appeared at her side and in one fell swoop he moved the pile of Sheetrock and broken two-by-fours.
“Oh, Inez...” For a moment, Adriana couldn’t bear to look at her injured friend and turned her face away. Oh, Jesucristo, help her...
She forced her gaze back to Inez. The woman, her dear friend, deserved Adriana’s full attention and aid. This woman had nursed her back to health once, had saved her in more ways than she could put to words. Adriana had brought this suffering down on her. How would she ever get over the guilt?
Brent pressed his hand against Inez’s carotid artery. “She’s alive.”
Adriana actually heard his words this time, but her hearing remained slightly impaired. Gunfire resounded somewhere outside the destroyed home. Palming his weapon, Brent aimed it in the direction from which the shots were coming—the blast had taken out the entire house on that side.
“What are we going to do?” Adriana whispered as she brushed Inez’s hair from her forehead. “We can’t leave Inez here.”
“I’m afraid to move her. We could make her injuries worse.”
“And what about Rosa?” Adriana’s heart felt like it had been crushed along with everything else in the house. “Rosa!”
“Quiet, Adriana,” Brent whispered. “We don’t want to draw the attackers to us. That won’t help Inez or Rosa, either.”
“Right. Like they aren’t already headed this way to make sure I’m dead!” How could this have happened? But she understood their strategy now. Planting a bomb in the house had wreaked havoc. Broken through the protective walls—and made her realize even with the Rangers here, she had never been safe. Had Gregario already planted the bomb when she found him, planning to detonate it with one word from Rio?
Brent’s gaze shot around the rubble. “There. I want you to hide in that corner. It looks relatively stable. Get down in there and hide. Let me take care of this.”
Adriana nodded, though she wanted to argue. She understood that distracting him wouldn’t do either of them any good. She scrambled over to the corner and hid behind the fallen boards. Gunfire rang through the house. Her brother’s men were getting closer now. Adriana squeezed her eyes shut and tried to keep from screaming. She was helpless.
Helpless to save her friends.
Helpless to assist Brent.
But she could pray, and she whispered under her breath. “Lord, Jesucristo, please save us from the evil in this world. Save us from the men who did this. Please keep Rosa safe, wherever she is, and help Inez to get better. Send help!”
She opened her eyes and peeked through the boards. Another round of gunfire resounded. Brent jerked back with a pained grunt. Had he been hit?
TEN
Pain shot across his upper arm, but Brent ignored it—what choice did he have?—and pushed forward, firing
his semiautomatic weapon repeatedly. After a glance back at Adriana to confirm she remained safe in the corner, he exited the house through a window. The porch roof had collapsed, blocking the front door. In the distance, he spotted Colt and Austin closing in on the two men who’d tried to enter the house.
Brent didn’t want to leave the women here alone, in case there were others. “Colt, can you hear me?”
When he got no response, he snatched his earpiece out of his ear. The concussive explosion had apparently rendered his radio useless, too. He’d have to trust Colt and Austin could handle the henchmen. In the meantime, Brent made his way around the house, his weapon at the ready, in case more of Garcia’s men approached the house from a different direction. Satisfied that no one was approaching for the moment, he found his way back into the house through a back wall that opened into the kitchen. His arm throbbed. He’d have to see to it soon.
In the far corner, he found Rosa huddled, her face pressed into her knees.
She’s alive! Thank You, Lord. Brent crunched over the debris and made his way to her. He removed a board that had protected her. “Rosa, it’s me, Ranger McCord... Brent.”
Shivering, Rosa barely lifted her face. Tears streaked through the grime on her cheeks.
“It’s okay.” Brent offered his hand. “I’ll take you to Adriana.”
At those words, hope registered in her gaze, and she stood carefully on shaky legs. He slipped his hand around her waist in case she crumpled to the floor. “Adriana,” he called quietly. “I found Rosa. It’s all right. You can come out now.”
He hoped his words were true. And since he had no way to call, the explosion having taken out his cell and the house phone, he hoped Colt had called emergency services, which unfortunately would take much too long to arrive at this remote ranch. The sound of movement let him know that Adriana had heard him, and she appeared at what used to be the door between the kitchen and dining room. Her face was as dusty and tear-streaked as Rosa’s as she rushed forward to grab Rosa into a hug.
The two cried together. Tears of grief, at first, then tears of joy that they had both survived, though he knew Adriana remained devastated over Inez’s injury. Keeping aware of his surroundings in case another of Garcia’s men showed up, he turned his attention to Inez, making his way back to her.
When he dropped to his knee, he found her lids fluttering.
“Inez, it’s me, Brent.” He reached for her hand and took it in his. “Can you hear me?”
She squeezed. Good, she could understand him, but for some reason that was all the response she seemed to be able to muster.
“Just hang in there. Help is on the way. Adriana and Rosa are fine. You’re going to be fine, too, so just hang on.”
Adriana rushed to his side and fell to her knees. She pressed her forehead to Inez’s and prayed for her. Her desperate prayer squeezed his heart until he thought he couldn’t breathe.
These women had depended on Brent to keep them safe. Had depended on the Texas Rangers and their special task force to guard them from harm at the hands of Rio Garcia and his henchmen. And he had let them down. How had this happened? What had he and the other Rangers missed? When had someone planted the bomb? Guilt and shame at his utter failure tried to consume him.
“Brent.” Colt’s voice yanked him from his morbid thoughts.
He stood, spotting Colt in the doorway. Colt’s gaze fell to Inez and his expression turned even grimmer. “I called for backup and emergency services. I had a feeling we would need a medical helicopter here ASAP.”
“They’re on their way?” Brent asked.
“Yep. But it’ll still take them time. Looks like you didn’t come away unscathed.” Brent gestured at Brent’s head and his arm.
He managed a slight nod.
“Take off your jacket. Let’s stop the bleeding.”
Good idea. Brent had been so pumped up on adrenaline and trying to protect Adriana, he hadn’t taken the time to examine his injury, much less bandage it up. And now a strange numbness fell over him. The adrenaline crash or maybe his body’s response to the trauma. Shock.
Colt ripped part of Brent’s shirt and made a tourniquet for his arm near his shoulder. Brent steeled himself against the pain. It throbbed and burned, but much worse had happened around him. He hoped the chopper wouldn’t take too much time. Inez had abrasions and trauma on the outside, and likely internal injuries, as well. Once again, the guilt strangled him.
Colt grabbed his shoulder. “You can’t blame yourself.”
“Can’t I?” It was easy to do. He couldn’t find a loophole that said he wasn’t to blame.
“Blaming yourself is only going to cause more problems. We have a job to do and you need to focus. I hear the helicopter now.” Colt moved to leave Brent’s side.
Brent reached out and snagged him by the wrist. “Those men. Did you catch them?”
“Caught one of them with a bullet. He’s dead. The other one got away.” Colt swiped his sleeve over his brow. “Austin is standing guard out there.”
“They’ll be back.”
Colt nodded his agreement. “But when they return, we won’t be here.”
“Why would he try to kill his sister?” Brent lowered his voice. “I thought he needed information from her.”
“I don’t think killing her was the plan. The dead guy? He had a tranquilizer gun on him. We’ve had her staying inside for protection. I think they wanted to stir things up and get her out of the house so they could dart her and take her to him. But that plan failed.”
“Obviously. They should have been more careful. She could have been killed in that explosion.” Brent scowled. “And they really thought they could just tranquilize her and cart her off right under our noses?”
Colt shrugged. “They planted a bomb right under our noses.”
“Maybe. Could have been planted before you got here, but had to have been after Gregario discovered her.” Brent winced at the pain in his arm—and the pain in his heart at the indication that the bomb had been planted on his watch.
“Don’t blame yourself, bro.”
Adriana crossed over to them, her expression grim. “What about the llamas? Who’s going to care for them now?”
“Don’t worry, ma’am,” Colt said. “We’ll make sure they’re well cared for.”
“I need to check on Kiana. This explosion could have damaged the barn. She and baby Maria could be injured.”
“Ford is checking on them,” Colt said. “He’s good with animals and I think they can sense that.” Colt glanced at Brent, effectively turning this conversation over to him, then made his way to meet the emergency vehicles and chopper.
Brent appreciated his attention to detail. Adriana trembled. In shock, just like Rosa. He didn’t think he could find blankets in the rubble, and it would be best to escort the ladies out of the house, but he knew they wouldn’t leave Inez alone.
Neither would he.
Gently, he gripped Adriana’s shoulders. “The llamas are going to be fine. They aren’t the target here. I promise, we’ll find someone to care for them. But let’s get Inez taken care of first. The medical chopper is here to take her to the hospital.”
She nodded. To see this strong woman reduced to trembling silence tore at his insides. Made him furious, not just at himself, but at her brother. The man could have killed his own sister. Maybe her death hadn’t been what Rio Garcia wanted, but it had been dangerous and risky to bomb the house. Garcia’s men had made a tactical error. He’d guess the one who survived would pay a high price, considering Adriana would now go into hiding after Garcia had only just discovered her location.
And now Garcia would never find her. She would finally be safe.
Brent led Adriana and Rosa out of the house as Colt and Austin directed the emergency personnel inside to ca
refully place Inez on a gurney. Another EMT doctored Brent’s bleeding temple and his arm, and examined Rosa and Adriana. They were deemed physically unharmed, aside from tinnitus and some bumps and bruises, though the EMT placed blankets around each of the women. It was the psychological damage that had Brent worried, especially when he stood with Adriana and watched her reaction as the EMTs rushed Inez to the life-flight helicopter.
The chopper’s rotors started up and wiped away all other sounds. They stood still, watching it fly away into the distance. A county fire truck and the local sheriff’s vehicle were now parked next to the Ranger vehicles, and men roamed the destroyed home, looking for fragments of the bomb left behind. Evidence. Brent would leave them to it.
Then Adriana turned to him, grief surging in her eyes. “You and I both know this is my fault.” Her voice barely croaked out the words.
“No, that burden falls on me. On the Rangers. We assured you we would protect all of you.”
“You tried to convince me to leave, to go to a safe house, and I refused. You and your friends could only do so much, Ranger McCord. I tied your hands. It’s my fault.”
Why was she referring to him impersonally now?
“You’re right. I can only do so much. But you shouldn’t blame yourself.” He understood personally, however, that it was easier said than done. “Come here.”
He drew her into his arms and held her, long and hard, and somewhere deep inside, a part of him never wanted to let go. But the logical, thinking part of him knew he would have to. He wasn’t relationship material. They could never be together. He would have to let her go from his mind and his heart.
Eventually. But, in the meantime, he would savor this moment that she was in his arms, safe and sound, though traumatized.
And he would devise a plan to take Garcia down before he killed them all.
* * *
Adriana held Inez’s limp hand and prayed as the woman lay in the hospital bed, her smallish, elderly form appearing feeble and pale with the many tubes coming out of her and countless wires connected to beeping machines.
Adriana had been escorted to the hospital by two Rangers who were not Brent. Of course, he had responsibilities and couldn’t hold Adriana’s hand 24/7. She didn’t need him to. Didn’t want him to. Well, that wasn’t entirely true, either. She missed his reassuring presence. Other than Inez, he was the only one she’d let herself trust.
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