by Tarah Scott
Ben tossed the lit flashlight. It disappeared into the grass. He stripped off his jean jacket, then let it drop. In the darkness, he counted on the Mexicans not being able to discern the bulk of the bulletproof vest he wore under his button-down shirt.
He raised his hands, palms out. “Let them go.”
The man holding Liz grabbed Christina’s arm and shoved both women toward the border, left of Ben’s location.
“They will walk across there,” the man said. “You walk to me.”
Christina stumbled and Ben saw Liz reach for the girl’s hand. Ben started forward with the second man’s gun trained on his chest as the first man walked forward with the women. Ben kept one eye on the women, waiting for the moment one of them stepped onto Texas soil.
They neared Ben and the man pointing his gun at Liz growled, “Vamanos,” as she slowed.
Liz shifted her gaze onto Ben. He ached to go to her, to drag her into his arms, and saw the same longing on her face. Then he saw something else.
“Easy, Ms. Monahan,” he said. “Do what they say and keep going.”
The man pointing his gun at Ben took a threatening step forward. “Callete!”
They reached the border. Ben entered Mexico as the man with the women shoved them toward Texas. The man aiming his pistol at Ben lunged for him. A gunshot roared and Christina screamed. Ben glimpsed Liz shoving their kidnapper’s arm heavenward. Ben dove toward Liz as she, Christina, and their kidnapper fell onto Texas soil.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
The women disappeared into the tall grass as Ben crashed through the foliage with the closest kidnapper on top of him. A man shouted far away. Ben’s assailant rammed his fist into his ribs. Despite the bulletproof vest, the crushing blow radiated pain through Ben’s ribs. The man thrust his gun into Ben’s face. Ben seized the man’s gun arm.
A gun fired. For a split second, Ben wondered if he had been hit. He shoved the man’s arm skyward. Ben’s opponent threw his weight onto him. Grass tangled in Ben’s fingers and he lost his grip on the man’s arm. His assailant slammed the butt of the gun down into Ben’s ribs. Ben rammed his knee into his assailant’s gut. The man sprawled across Ben with a grunt. Ben clamped his arms around the man and rolled through the wet grass.
Suddenly, iron fingers seized his ankle and yanked. Ben kicked viciously. The barrel of a gun jabbed his forearm. Ben head butted the man. Spots raced across his vision, but he released one arm and drove his fist into the man’s temple. Ben’s attacker groaned, and in the next instant, was yanked up and off of him.
Before Ben could comprehend what had happening, he was pulled to his feet and a soft, warm arms encircled him. Liz! He jammed his eyes shut and squeezed her tight. Her scent filled his nostrils and his chest tightened. He’d come so close to losing her.
“Ben,” a male voice jarred him. A strong hand grasped his shoulder and the face of Jason Davies, a team member, snapped into focus. “We’ve got to get her out of the open,” Jason said.
“Mother fucker,” a man growled, and Ben recognized the voice of his assailant.
Ben instinctively shoved Liz behind him. His mind registered the man five feet away.
“Let’s get a move-on” Medina stepped up beside Ben as another Recon member pinned Ben’s assailant’s arms. The click of handcuffs closing around the man’s wrists followed.
Ben grasped Liz’s arm and he hugged her to his side in an effort to shield her body from potential sniper fire. He started forward through the grass with Medina alongside.
“Are you all right?” Ben demanded of Liz.
“Yes,” she replied.
“Where’s Christina?” he asked.
“Andrews has her.” Medina nodded to the road beyond the crossing.
A large figure carried the girl toward the riverbank. He had nearly reached the footbridge that separated the canal from the banks of the Rio Grande. The Ranger who handcuffed Ben’s assailant walked past, half dragging the man.
“You cannot arrest me,” the man hissed. “I am a citizen of Mexico. You broke the law when you grabbed me from our side of the border.”
The Ranger ignored him and kept going, headed for the footbridge.
Ben looked at Medina. “He’s right. What happened? One second we were fighting, the next you guys were here.”
Medina shrugged. “Your boot was on US soil. It’s not our fault your attacker didn’t let go when we pulled you back into Texas.”
* * *
Captain Medina insisted that Liz and Christina go to the hospital. Liz balked, but when Ben’s eyes narrowed on her leg, she knew he’d spotted the limp she’d attempted to hide.
She shook her head as he opened the door to the silver Ford Expedition. “It’s a minor ankle twist. Two hospital admissions in three days is too much.”
“Get in, Liz,” he ordered. “We don’t want to linger out here in the open.” Ben cupped her elbow. “I don’t like taking chances. Let’s get going.”
She nodded and got into the back seat of the car. He closed the door, then joined his captain in the front seat.
“Can I see my grandparents?” Christina asked in a small voice.
“Oh, honey.” Liz wrapped an arm around her. “Ben—”
“Already on it,” he said.
Christina cried into Liz’s shirt through Ben’s phone call to her grandparents and didn’t stop until they reached the hospital. Liz and Christina settled into chairs in the waiting room, and were there when a woman’s sob broke the quiet. Liz looked up and saw Larissa Remmey and her husband rushing toward them. The officer guarding them glanced at Christina. She stared, clearly uncertain what to do. When Larissa opened her arms, the girl sprang from her chair and launched herself into her grandmother’s embrace.
Larissa stumbled backwards and Liz’s heart leapt into her throat with the fear the older woman would fall. But she steadied herself without the help of the hand her husband extended. Christina sobbed. Larissa stroked her hair and repeated assurances that everything would be all right while tears slid down her own cheeks. When Francis Remmey bowed his head, Liz was forced to look away for fear the tears that had pushed past her resolve would appear an intrusion on the family reunion.
Ben approached and sat down in the seat Christina had vacated. Her heart tugged at the sight of his drawn face.
“They say they’ll get to you in a couple minutes,” he said. “We got lucky. It’s a slow night. No one here but us.” He covered her hand with his. “Liz, I—”
“I know what you’re going to say, Ben. In fact, if anything, this situation is my fault. I’m the one who suggested we stay at the senator’s home.”
He released a breath, but his expression remained grim. “You suspect the senator?”
Liz shook her head. “I’ve known him too many years. I can’t believe it’s him. I suspect someone at his party or in his household.”
“Are you really all right?” he asked.
“I really am. They scared me, but that’s all.”
He nodded, but remained grim. “What about Christina?”
“They didn’t beat or rape her.”
He brushed the tender spot on her upper left cheek. “Looks like they did beat you.”
Liz grasped his hand and squeezed. “It could have been so much worse.”
He nodded and pulled his hand from hers. “Did you learn anything that might lead us to Sanchez?”
“I’m sorry, no.”
“Nothing to be sorry about,” he said. “It would have been a lucky break if you had.”
“This changes everything, doesn’t it?” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Mr. Sanchez has to know who you are now. That means he doesn’t have to wait for you to enter Mexico. He can come after you here in Texas.”
“I will return there before he comes after me here. Either way, you’re going to be safely tucked away before anything else happens. They’ll give you a good once-over here, then we’ll head to th
at safe house. You’ll have to talk to the FBI, Texas DCW, and our guys. A child was kidnapped. Detectives and reporters will line up down the block to get a shot at questioning you.”
She wanted to ask a dozen questions herself. Did he really have to return to Mexico? What would she do if he didn’t come back? Did he regret last night?
Instead, she nodded and said, “I figured as much.”
Sadness—and guilt—made his gentle smile all the more heart wrenching. “It’s going to be a long couple of days, but at least Sanchez can’t get near you. He’s sure to come after the Remmeys. They’ll likely send their granddaughter far away, but what kind of life can they live here? This has to end.”
But it could end with him dead. “Ben—”
“Liz Monahan.”
Liz shifted her gaze to a nurse standing expectantly inside an open doorway. “The doctor is ready to see you.”
Liz and Ben rose. Her bodyguard stood, ready to follow Liz to the examination room. Ben took her arm and walked with her to the nurse.
The discomfort in her ankle had lessened, but Ben said, “You’re still limping.”
“It’s just a sprain, and the pain has eased since it happened. I’ll be okay.”
He left her with the nurse, and Liz followed her to an examination room. As expected, the doctor gave her a clean bill of health, along with instructions to keep her ankle elevated as much as possible and to apply ice to control swelling. An hour later, Liz returned to the waiting room and sat with Ben as they waited for Captain Medina, who had stepped out to answer a phone call.
She dreaded leaving the hospital, which placed Ben one step closer to Mexico. Did the Rangers’ plan to lure Sanchez into the open still have potential? Liz half wished tonight’s events made the plan unviable. She dropped her gaze when Ben’s warm fingers closed around her hand and squeezed.
“You and Christina are back home safely,” he said. “Things are looking up.”
“Where is she, by the way?”
“She’s lost weight. The doctors want to monitor her overnight.”
Liz smiled. “I wonder that Larissa can leave her.”
Ben chuckled. “She can’t. Mr. Remmey talked the hospital into letting them stay in her room.”
“Good. I think—”
The trill of his phone interrupted. He frowned and pulled the phone from his back pocket. Ben glanced at the display and his expression hardened.
He tapped the screen. “Hello.” An instant of quiet passed, then, his mouth thinned. “Your officers made the mistake of trying to kill me and the women.” Ben paused for a moment, then said, “Yeah, I said I’d turn myself in, and I will. I think we’ll skip the midnight meeting this time. You speak with the El Paso DA and he’ll make the arrangements.”
Liz’s heart pounded.
“That’s right,” he said after a moment of listening. “I’m with the Rangers.”
Fear rammed through her. They know.
“You make the arrangements and I’ll come today. I want the chance to prove that Carlos Sanchez is a human traffics dealer and a murderer.” Captain Medina rejoined them as Ben said into the phone, “You’ll have to talk to my attorney about that, but I imagine so. Ms. Monahan is critical to my defense. This conversation is over, Mr. Gomez. Contact the El Paso DA. They’ll bring me into custody, then deliver me to you.” He hung up the phone, and said, “Be sure to thank the FBI for Adam Billings’ cell phone. I think he’s on the Juarez DA’s speed dial. That was Gomez.”
“I just got a call from the El Paso DA’s office,” the captain said. “Looks like they got a call from Gomez as well.”
“I don’t understand,” Liz said. “How can the district attorney in Juarez demand anything from a U.S. District Attorney? What government law enforcement agency makes midnight trades the way he did?”
“You’re confusing Juarez law enforcement with every other law enforcement agency in the free world,” Ben said. “Juarez is one of the most lawless cities in the world. There are a few good guys there—the current chief of police, is one—but the rest don’t play by the same rules the rest of us do.”
“I knew Juarez was bad,” Liz replied, “but this is a bad movie. It just can’t be real.”
“You’re right,” he said. “It is a bad movie. It is quite real, however.”
Captain Medina’s gaze shifted past her, and Liz twisted to watch Agents Masters and Braxton approach.
When the agents reached them, Masters said, “I’m surprised at you, Medina. You know better than to approach Sanchez without us.”
“We managed the safe return of the two women he kidnapped,” the captain replied. “That makes the operation a success.”
“We’ll see if your director agrees.” The agent shifted his attention to Liz. “We need your statement, Ms. Monahan.” He frowned. “Where is Christina Remmey?”
“With her doctor and grandparents,” the captain said. “You’ll have to talk to them about interviewing her.”
Agent Masters opened his mouth to reply, but Agent Braxton said, “We’ll need a statement from you, as well, Ranger Hunter. Then we’ll want to move ahead with the operation in Mexico. You may wonder how we knew you were here at the hospital.”
“Considering I just got off the phone with the Juarez DA and he informed me he knows I’m a Ranger, I’m guessing the man we brought in tonight made his one phone call to Sanchez. Gomez followed, then our DA, then you.”
“That’s about it,” Agent Braxton replied. “We’ll have to move fast in order to get you to Juarez before Sanchez gets lucky enough to find you in El Paso.”
“Would later this morning do?” Captain Medina asked.
Braxton glanced at his watch. “It’s two-thirty now. How about ten o’clock?”
Ben looked at his boss. “What do you think, Captain?”
“I’ll call Chuck. He’ll make sure everything in the district attorney’s office looks legit.”
“Gomez said he already spoke with Chuck’s office,” Ben said.
Medina nodded. “Good. Let Sanchez think he’s one step ahead of us. Since Gomez already spoke with the DA—” His phone rang. He pulled the cell from his jean jacket pocket and flipped it open. “Medina.” An indistinguishable voice replied and the captain went stock still. “When?” A long moment of silence passed, then he said, “Have them call me the minute they know anything. Let the fire chief know I want a call from him ASAP.”
He hung up the phone and looked at the agents. “We’ve got to get the Remmeys and their granddaughter somewhere safe.”
“What happened?” Agent Masters demanded.
“There’s been a fire—two fires. The Remmey mansion and Nina Bruno Designs’ headquarters in Dallas.”
“What?” Liz blurted. Had she heard right? “Our manufacturing plant’s there. My God, Richard and Brenda—and several other employees—often work late.”
“No one’s hurt,” Captain Medina cut in. “Not in Dallas, anyway. Two people are unaccounted for at the Remmey’s.”
The room spun around Liz.
Ben slipped an arm around her.
“This is why you don’t handle men like Sanchez on your own,” Masters snapped.
“We’ve been handling men like Sanchez since before Texas became a state,” Ben said.
“Are any of our people at either location?” Agent Braxton asked.
“Not that I know of,” Medina replied. “I’ll get on that. First, let’s get a guard on the Remmeys.”
To Liz’s surprise, Agent Masters said, “I’ll get someone to both locations.” As he reached into his front suit coat pocket, he turned and walked a few feet away, his phone pressed to his ear.
“Hunter, you keep an eye on Ms. Monahan,” his captain said. “I need to fill the Remmeys in on what’s happened.” He looked at Agent Braxton. “I’ll stay with them until one of your men gets over here. I don’t want the Remmeys left alone.”
Agent Braxton nodded and the captain left.
“Maybe we should get Ms. Monahan to a safer location than a hospital waiting room,” Agent Braxton said.
“I agree,” Ben said. “My company SUV is parked in the lot. The windows are tinted and it’s armored.”
The agent’s brows rose. “You Rangers come prepared.”
“When you’re dealing with drug runners and human traffickers, you want an armored car now and then. I’m going to take Ms. Monahan to a designated safe house. Can you give the captain a ride?”
He nodded. “I’ll see to it.”
Ben nodded and Liz was grateful when he kept his arm tight around her waist and led her from the hospital…until she remembered he was leaving.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ben felt a tremor go through Liz and it was all he could do not to sweep her into his arms. He guided her through the well-lit parking lot to the far corner where he’d parked the SUV in a spot large enough to accommodate the mammoth beast. Ben pulled the keys from his pocket and disengaged the alarm with the remote, then helped Liz into the passenger seat and got in behind the wheel. He slipped the key into the ignition. The interior light dimmed, then left them in shadows cast by lamplight that bled through the tinted windows.
“I need to talk to Richard.” The shakiness in her voice revealed how close she came to tears. “I have to make sure everyone is all right.”
Ben dug his phone out of his pocket and extended it toward her.
“This isn’t going to end, is it?” she asked.
Ben heard the sob in her voice. He tossed the phone on the floor and reached for her. She melted into his embrace as he pulled her across the armrest onto his lap.
“We’ll get him,” he soothed. “This isn’t my first rodeo. I have some experience catching bad guys.”
“That’s not funny,” she cried.
“I know, and I’m dead serious. Honey, I’ve been military and law enforcement my whole life. I was Special Forces at twenty-two, then served behind enemy lines in Afghanistan. My father was Green Beret, and my cousin is a Navy SEAL. He’s the odd one in the family. This won’t be the first time I’ve been shot at.” He started to say it wouldn’t be the last, but that was sure to work against him. He wanted to keep this woman in his life for a long time. Too much information too early on would scare her.
