Texas Christmas Defender

by Elizabeth Goddard

  “If you have found her, others will soon find her,” the elderly man explained.

  “Thank you for taking her in and getting word to us. But what about your safety, if these others come here to look for her?” This elderly couple had risked their lives.

  “We will deny it, of course,” the woman said.

  The man lifted the child into his arms. “No. We will do more. We will leave and head to the mountains to stay there with my cousin. We leave tonight.”

  The woman nodded her agreement before focusing on Brent again. “Now, go. You must hurry before the village is awake to see you. Most of them are good people and will protect you, but there are a few who cannot be trusted.”

  Brent nodded.

  “I’ll bring the vehicle closer,” Colt said. “You meet me at the door with Carmen.”

  It was a smart plan. They’d have to carry her out and that would definitely draw attention. The faster they could pull away, the better.

  After Colt left, Brent gently took Carmen’s hand. “Your name is Carmen. I’m Brent. I’m going to get you out of here and to safety. Will you trust me?”

  Tears pooled in her eyes. He could tell that she wanted to believe him, but she was afraid to trust. Lord, help her to see clearly. Help her to recognize me. He couldn’t wait long for her to come to her senses.

  “I’m just going to lift you in my arms so I can get you into our vehicle. Is that okay with you?”

  Slowly she nodded. “Br-Brent?”

  He smiled. “That’s right, Carmen. It’s Brent. Colt and I are taking you home.”

  He slid his arms under her frail, damaged body and lifted her against him. Then he followed the elderly couple to the door.

  The little girl clung to his leg. “Is she going to be okay?”

  “Yes, she’s going to be just fine.”

  Carmen let her head rest against Brent’s chest. “I’m going back to Texas,” she whispered.

  In the vehicle, Carmen rested in the back seat as they raced through Mexico to the United States border. Brent could almost breathe a sigh of relief. Almost. But they were deep in the country where Garcia had a stronghold, and the closer they drew to the border, the more danger he sensed awaited them.

  “One down and one to go,” Colt said.

  “Come again?” Brent asked.

  “We have Carmen back. And thank You for that, Lord. Now we just need to take down Garcia.”

  “We need fresh intel.”

  “It’s been silent out there regarding Garcia.”

  “Not like we haven’t been engaging with his men, but we need to get him in the flesh.”

  Brent’s cell rang. A call from the safe house where Adriana was staying. His heart hammered. He hadn’t planned to go back there unless it was absolutely necessary. A call could mean she was in danger again.

  “McCord speaking.”

  “Your girlfriend contacted Garcia.”

  * * *

  Adriana paced the small room, shouting her displeasure in Spanish at being locked inside. Most of these Texas Rangers could understand her, but she wasn’t so sure about the additional security detail they’d put on the house. She’d obviously lost their trust.

  Maybe she should have waited to talk to Brent before she’d sent the email. She’d sneaked into one of the off-limits rooms and used one of the Ranger’s laptops to contact her brother. It wasn’t likely that his tech man could locate them here at the safe house quickly, but the Rangers were talking about another move to a new house.

  The rules said she wasn’t supposed to call out or email. She wasn’t supposed to make any contact whatsoever, especially with her brother. And no one seemed interested in getting her explanation for why she’d broken that rule.

  The door opened and in stepped Brent McCord, looking more haggard than she’d ever seen him.

  “Why’d you do it?” he asked.

  She wanted to rush to him and wrap her arms around him. Let him hold her, make her feel secure, wipe all her worries away. She wanted this man, the only one she could trust, to stay near and watch over her, but he’d been sent away. And now, looking at his expression, she saw that she couldn’t run to him. The warmth and support she was used to seeing in his eyes had vanished completely. She’d ruined everything.

  Hurt edged his voice. Distrust lurked behind his gaze and in his demeanor. “I asked why you did it. Why did you contact Garcia?”

  Foolish girl she was, tears welled in her eyes. “For you, Brent. For us.”

  “Don’t give me that. Have you been lying to me about everything?”

  “How can you even say that? Think that?” She took a step forward, wanting to go to him.

  He put his hand out warning her off. “Don’t even.”

  “I tried to talk sense into one of your Rangers. I tried to explain that, to capture my brother, we need to lure him out with the promise of the location of the drugs. That’s the only way to end this. Your team could spend years chasing him without any success. Years during which I’d have to stay in hiding. I won’t do it. I won’t live like this. But I couldn’t convince the Ranger to even call your boss, Major Vance.”

  Brent studied her, weighing her words against what he wanted to believe and what he should believe. His trip to Mexico had changed him somehow. She wanted to know that story, but now wasn’t the time to ask.

  “So you just took matters into your own hands and contacted your brother?” His volume had increased with his outrage. “That’s not how we operate around here. We don’t contact heads of cartels to make a deal without thoroughly thinking it through. Don’t you get it?”

  “That’s just it. I have thought it through. I will offer Rio what he wants more than he wants me—his drugs and the cash. And the Rangers can hide and wait for him to come and get them. Now, tell me that isn’t a good plan.”

  “The problem is that you could have already given away this location. Do you know if he has the technology to track your email? No, scratch that. We can’t take the chance. We’re moving within the hour. And you’re not to contact him again.”

  “No. Let me do this. Let me lure him in. You can take him down.”

  Brent turned to exit the door and she flung herself at him. “Brent!”

  He stiffened as she wrapped her arms around his waist, pushed her forehead into his back. “Please...” she whispered.

  Turning, he shifted and she thought he would push her away from him, but he drew her to him instead. “You know we can’t do this, Adriana. You know we can’t be together.”

  Despite his words, she felt comforted by his gentle touch. She pressed her face against his chest and nodded. “Yes, I know, but I was so worried about you going to Mexico. I was worried my brother would find you and use you against me if he found out...if he found out that I care for you. Did you find the Ranger you were looking for?”

  “Yes.”

  “And?”

  “She’s alive, but she’s been tortured. She’s barely coherent right now and seems very confused. Who knows what she told them.” A deep aching pain resounded in his tone. His body shuddered.

  Adriana wanted to cry. “This is why we have to stop him now.”

  “I want... I want to stop him. I don’t know how much longer I can do this. I want it to be over, the same as you.”

  She pushed away from him to look into his face—his handsome features rough and his eyes framed in dark circles. The man badly needed sleep, a shower and a shave, and still he was the handsomest man she’d ever seen. “Does that mean you’ll let me try?”

  He nodded. “I’ll have to convince Vance.”

  “I can—”

  “No. You’ve done enough damage already.”

  “Do you think you can convince him?”

  “I�
�m not going to try. I’m going to convince Colt, who’ll convince him. I think my credibility is long gone when it comes to you.”

  And that grin, that adorable grin. He wanted to kiss her, she could tell. But he released her and stepped back. They shared a silent look that said it all, and then he said, “I can’t do this, Adriana. I care too much already.”

  FOURTEEN

  Tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve. Adriana could hardly believe how fast the week had gone by and how much had happened since Christmas, especially now that she’d been confined with nothing to do but wait things out. Today seemed to drag on. Waiting for the verdict, her nerves were on edge. She and Rosa had been separated after the Rangers discovered she’d contacted Rio. She figured they would be moving to a new house within the hour, like they had told her, but more than two had already gone by. Arrangements had to be made and that took time. Approval from the powers that be. Phone calls.

  Everyone was not only fuming mad at her but frustrated with Brent. And she felt horrible, just horrible, for putting him in that position. But she’d needed someone to listen. How appropriate that the one person to listen and hear her had been Brent, the one she’d dared to trust.

  Her heart broke at the thought of him. His words came back to her.

  I can’t do this, Adriana. I care too much already.

  Why did they have to be so drawn to each other, only to have the reality of their situation stand between them?

  Dropping the spoon, she stood and paced the room, so tired of being held in the secure and safe location. While it was supposed to be for her protection, the restriction made it feel more and more like a prison.

  When the door creaked open and Brent stepped inside, she released a long breath. “Well?”

  “We’re good to go.”

  “We’re leaving?”

  Colt followed Brent inside the room.

  “No,” Brent said. “I mean we want you to make the call to your brother. But first, we need to plan it all out.”

  “Let’s agree on the terms before you talk to him.” Colt glanced at Brent. “We think we can have everyone in place within the next few hours, depending on where you’ve hidden the drugs and cash.”

  “Wait a minute. This isn’t some ruse so you can recover those from me with no intention of baiting my brother, is it? I want your word on that. I want it in writing.” Like that would do her any good in any court of law in the world—but she’d feel better, seeing it put down in black and white.

  Brent frowned. “We wouldn’t lie to you, Adriana.”

  He had fallen back to calling her by her name instead of honey. For a short time, she’d let herself exist in that dream world where he was her man and she was actually someone close to him. Someone who deserved the endearment from him. But she couldn’t hold on to that dream anymore. She was back in the real world now.

  “Oh, yeah? Your men work undercover. You lie all the time.”

  Colt blew out a big breath. Eyed Brent.

  “Only because it’s necessary to do that to...get information,” Brent said.

  She arched a brow.

  “It’s not like our covert Rangers can walk into a drug cartel and join the ranks there as a Ranger. Of course we have to use cover stories.” Brent paced. Ran his hand through his hair. “Look, Adriana. What do you want? Do you want to make the call without planning this out? Things could get out of hand. You could agree to something, some situation in which we can’t protect you, can’t be there to arrest Garcia. I need you to trust me. Will you do that?”

  “To a point. I will reveal nothing until I’ve spoken to my brother and he’s agreed to meet me. Then I will contact him again with the exact location. You will learn of it at the same time.”

  “No!” Colt yelled. “Talk some sense into her, will you, Brent?”

  “It’s my only leverage,” she said. “I promise you’re likely closer to where I’ve hidden the drugs and cash than he is.”

  Colt got in her face, his expression dead serious. “Make the call, get his agreement, then tell him to drive a certain distance, after which you will contact him again with the exact location. While he’s waiting for the exact location, you can tell us and we can be there, hidden and ready and waiting. And you will be safely here until this is over, after which you will serve as a witness to his crimes at the trial. You’ll stay in the WITSEC Program as long as necessary. Cooperating will ensure your freedom against obstruction charges and more. That’s the only way this will work, Adriana. We have to be there first and in place before your brother has a chance to arrive. You have to be safe and serve as a witness. Or else the deal is off.”

  What? She glanced at Brent. She wanted to explode, to blow up at both of them. She felt betrayed. She’d trusted Brent, and by extension the Texas Rangers. She should have known. She had only tried to escape a cartel. Had only meant to bring it down and save lives. Their refusal to see that made her want to scream at them. But giving them that piece of her mind at this juncture wouldn’t help her case or her cause. She drew in a breath to calm her nerves. “I never meant to put anyone in harm’s way.”

  She looked to Brent for his reassurance, but he averted his gaze, then hung his head. He probably believed she’d betrayed him by contacting Rio.

  Colt handed a burner phone over to her. “Do you know his number?”

  “Yes...yes.”

  Her sweaty palm wrapped around the cell Colt offered. Heart pounding, pulse roaring in her ears, she tapped in the number that would connect her with Rio. She hadn’t truly thought she would ever call this number, but the moment had come.

  She hadn’t yet hit the call button but simply stared at the number she’d punched in.

  “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to.” Brent’s voice was low and soft.

  He meant well, but they both knew it was the only way. What was she supposed to do—live in a safe house forever? Watch the Texas Rangers be attacked and abused because of her as Rio searched for her?

  No. “You know this is the only way,” she said. She didn’t look at Brent. She might lose her nerve.

  Touching the call button, she watched the seconds count and waited for the connection. What if it went straight to voice mail? What would she say? Her throat grew dry and her knees shook. Colt led her to the chair at the table. He pressed the speakerphone button. Adriana shot him a glare, but before she could argue someone answered.

  “Si.”

  It was him. Rio. She glanced at the two men in the room with her and gripped the table, clutching the edge.

  “It’s me.” Adriana squeezed her eyes shut, terror coursing through her. Anger and fury rising to meet it.

  Rio’s next words weren’t fit to be heard. But she endured them.

  “Are you ready to listen?” she asked.

  “I am not talking to you. You are with the Rangers.”

  “No, Rio, no. I’m...not. They have no reason to keep me.” She glanced at the two Texas Rangers staring her down. Her heart felt cold and alone. She understood about deception sometimes being necessary when working with criminals, but she asked for God’s forgiveness for her lies, all the same.

  “Why are you calling me?” He ground out the words. “It had better be to tell me where I can find what you stole from me.”

  “Yes. That’s why I’m calling. You can have it all, but I have a price.”

  “And what is that, little sister?”

  Who was this man? Who was this person? It wasn’t her brother. Since becoming the head of a cartel, he’d changed until she didn’t recognize him anymore. Tears slipped down her cheeks. “I want the freedom to live without your interference. I want no part of the cartel. I want a future without fear that someone is coming for me to harm me or my friends. A life without having to look over my shoulder and be afrai
d. If you can give me that, promise me that, then I will return all that you are after to you.”

  “Not all, little sister. Not all. I want you, too.”

  “Then we don’t have a deal.” She started to end the call but hesitated.

  “Wait,” he said. “I’m a reasonable man. You aren’t worth that much to me. I’m willing to forget you are my sister, that you ever existed, if you tell me where I can find what you took. Every last ounce, every last dollar had better be there.”

  “Then we have a deal, after all.”

  “On one more condition.”

  Her heart raced. “What?”

  “You’d better be there. I want to look you in the face one last time before I set you free.” She glanced at Brent. She had never planned to face her brother. Despite his words, she knew that Rio probably had no intention of setting her free. Like the undercover Rangers, he would lie to achieve his goals.

  Brent shook his head and reached for the cell. She stepped away and out of reach. “No,” he mouthed.

  “I won’t be there, brother. But you will have what you want and I will have my freedom.”

  “Then I will assume this is all a trap.”

  “No, Rio, please. Just take the money and your stupid drugs, and I’ll even throw in the watch. Take all of that and leave me alone. Like you said, forget I ever existed.”

  “You will be there or I will not come. And if I see anyone who even resembles law enforcement—police or Rangers or border agents—anyone even daring to look my way, I will leave without getting what belongs to me, because I, too, value my freedom. But I promise you, if that happens, I will never rest until I have you. Then I will make you watch while I torture your Ranger boyfriend—and then shoot him in the head.”

  * * *

  The brutality of Rio Garcia’s words rolled over Brent, shocking him with their intensity.

  Adriana’s eyes held his gaze. Tears glistened on her cheeks. “I will text you the exact location within the hour.”

  “No deal. I want the information now. Do not think you can fool me. You’re playing with fire, Adriana. I will kill your boyfriend! And then I will kill your friends, one by one. But you I’ll capture first—and I’ll keep you alive to see all the suffering you’ve caused until you beg me to kill you.”