Jodie Bailey - Christmas Double Cross

It was cute.

Before she could stop herself, Danielle rolled her eyes. Zoe was right. She needed to go on a date soon. Really soon if she was going to think the Ranger who’d just tormented her was in any way attractive. He needed to say his piece and get out the door. That was all.

Settling in the chair, Colt stared at the window across the room, his thumb tapping his phone screen, but he said nothing.

The silence stretched so thin Danielle thought she might snap in two. “Is this an interrogation tactic? Stay quiet until I talk? I’ve watched TV, you know. I understand how this works. I get my rights read. I get a lawyer. I get a whole lot of things you haven’t given me, Mr. Blackthorn.”

This time, a slow smile did lift his lips. Not a big one. Just enough to give a hint of what it would look like if he ever gave up his rigid control and let himself be fully amused by something. “Call me Colt. And you’re right. I charged in here earlier and treated you worse than I should treat anyone—whether they are or aren’t a criminal. You’ve been through a lot this evening, and I apologize.”

Danielle’s mouth fell open, tugging painfully at the bruise on her cheek. This was the last thing she’d expected. The man before her was contrite and humble, more like the man who’d walked into her shop and shared a moment with her about her mother. “Is it true? You lost someone?” The question popped out before she could catch it. Something in her had connected with him in that moment over her mother’s statue, and she wanted it back.

His smile faded. “There are some things I won’t lie about even when I’m undercover. That’s one of them.” The heaviness of his voice dropped it into bass territory, the tone thrumming across Danielle’s heart.

Whatever meds they had pumped into her, she needed to be off them fast. They were making her delusional enough to think she was attracted to this man. “Why would you have to go undercover for me? What exactly is it you think I did wrong?”

“Ms. Segovia.” Colt leaned forward, his dark eyes serious. “We have a problem.”

Adrenaline jolted against Danielle’s chest and throbbed in the bruise on her cheek. “Whatever you think I did, I didn’t. I’ve never—”

“It’s not you.” Glancing down at his cell phone and flicking through a couple of screens, he said, “Do you know who Rio Garcia is?”

Danielle’s head jerked back in shock. Rio Garcia was the leader of a notorious, murderous drug cartel. Everyone in the state, maybe even in the country, knew that name. In these parts, it brought fear to most who heard it. He was known for his calculated cunning and his murderous rages, for his ability to slip away from the authorities even when they believed they had him cornered. She lay awake at night worrying the group her brother had gotten tangled up with was somehow tied to the cartel, because Garcia had his hands in nearly all of the criminal activity in the area. He squashed any criminal who didn’t answer to him.

Her stomach roiled. This was about Justin, about his friends. This was her worst nightmare. “I don’t have any connection to him.”

“But the men who tried to kidnap you tonight may.”

Danielle’s muscles went weak. If she wasn’t already lying down, she’d melt to the floor. “Why?”

Colt didn’t answer the question immediately. He stared at his cell phone for what felt like an eternity, then studied Danielle’s face before passing the device to her without a word.

Hand trembling, Danielle took the phone but didn’t look at it. Instead, she studied the silent man beside her, trying to decide if he was friend or foe. Whatever she was holding in her hand, something told her she was about to need a friend in a very big way.

The screen went dark, and Danielle swiped her thumb to bring it back to life. At first glance, the woman staring back up at her could be her twin sister. They had the same hair, the same eyes, but the other woman had a small scar next to her ear. Still, the resemblance was enough to make her feel she’d fallen out of reality into a very bad horror movie. “Who is this?” She couldn’t take her eyes from the picture. If the picture didn’t include an outfit she’d never owned and a setting she’d never before seen, she’d swear the woman was her.

Colt studied her as though her reaction to what he was about to say was of vital importance. “Her name is Adriana Garcia.”

Garcia. Heart pounding, Danielle stared at the woman. “She looks like me.”

Holding out his hand, Colt took the phone and pocketed it. “She’s Rio Garcia’s sister. She’s wanted by both sides of the law for multiple reasons, and both sides will do whatever it takes to get to her first.”

“Why is he having to search for his own sister?” She couldn’t fathom that sort of distance between siblings. “I don’t understand.”

“The most I can tell you is that she stole something from him, and he wants it back.” He laid a hand on hers, his fingers warm as hers grew increasingly chilled. “We had intel that suggested you were her, but as you know, that intel was bad. The problem is, we believe Rio Garcia received the same intel, and that those were his men who came after you.”

Danielle shook her head. Over and over again, back and forth. She wasn’t hearing this. It couldn’t be true.

Because if a killer like Rio Garcia believed she was the person he wanted, he would stop at nothing to drag her to him.

* * *

Over the years in the military, in police work, and in his newly minted career as a Texas Ranger, Colt had encountered his share of females in distress. While his heart normally went out to them, it always remained mostly untouched. He’d always been able to stay completely focused and professional.

When the gravity of her situation hit Danielle Segovia, draining the color from her face, his heart clinched in his chest and threatened to stop beating. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced since he was a teenager, watching as his mother suffered with the news that his brother Caleb was gone.

If he’d doubted Danielle’s innocence before, there was no more question. A person could fake a lot of things, but unless they were very well trained, they couldn’t make their skin pale with fear. He couldn’t imagine how the news was hitting her. Learning that the leader of one of the most dangerous drug cartels in North America had you in his sights would give even the bravest man pause. The blow he’d just delivered to Danielle in the wake of her attempted abduction ought to be enough to slay her.

For the longest time, she stared at the door as though she expected it to be kicked open by Garcia’s henchmen at any second. It was as though she’d forgotten Colt was there.

He squeezed her fingers, half surprised to find her hand still in his. “Ms. Segovia...”

“Danielle.” Gently, she extracted her hand from his, though she didn’t look at him. “What do I do now?”

Sitting back in the chair, Colt puffed out a heavy breath. This was the tricky part. With Carmen missing, the team was already short a member. He’d love to offer Danielle a twenty-four-hour guard, but he wasn’t sure it was feasible, and it wasn’t something he could do without Major Vance’s permission. “That’s up to you. We can try to locate a safe house, if you’d like.”

“A safe house?” She blinked twice, and her gaze swung to him. “As in disappear?” She shook her head. “I can’t do that. Justin has school. My shop can’t simply shut down during our busiest time. I’m volunteering at the Mission and, this close to Christmas, they need me. And...Christmas.” Her voice faded into nothing as the reality of her situation dug deeper. “Is there anything else I can do?”