Christmas Double Cross. Jodie Bailey

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?”

      Their options were limited, especially with all available resources dedicated to the hunt for Adriana Garcia. They had to keep their attention on their target. The last thing they needed was another Garcia funneling drugs into the country.

      Additionally, taking down Rio Garcia had been a top priority of E Company for years and would represent a major blow to the drug trade on the US-Mexican border. He’d been on the move more than usual lately, tracking his sister. Sooner or later, he’d slip up enough for the Rangers to snap the trap. Until that occurred, they couldn’t afford to lose their focus.

      Except...

      Colt stared at the woman in front of him. The Rangers knew Danielle wasn’t Adriana, but Rio had no idea. He’d tried to take her once, and the chances were high he would come after her again. Not only was her safety as a civilian precious, but her very existence might lead Rio Garcia straight to them. She couldn’t be bait—Colt would never suggest putting a civilian in danger like that—but since they knew Garcia was bold enough to try again, they might as well put someone into place to not only protect Danielle but to keep an eye out for the cartel leader’s next move.

      Colt was on his feet and headed for the door. He had to talk to the team, then call Major Vance. If they could have a Ranger stick close to Danielle, then Rio Garcia might play right into their hands.

      “Colt?” Danielle’s voice, thin and questioning, caught his ear as his hand landed on the doorknob.

      He stopped. What must she think of him, practically running for the door when she’d asked him for help? “I’m sorry.” He turned to her, trying to control his excitement. Adriana Garcia might have slipped through their fingers, but her brother was closer than ever. “I need to talk to my team. I have an idea about how to protect you.” He probably shouldn’t have said that and gotten her hopes up, but she needed to know he wasn’t running out on her when she needed someone close.

      Though he had no idea why he cared how she felt.

      “Trust me. We’ll find a way to have someone watch over you.”

      “And my brother.”

      The request jolted through Colt so hard, she had to have seen the way his head jerked. For a second, he couldn’t get his voice to cooperate, the plea so close to the one his own heart had once cried. “Your—Yes. Your brother, too.” He couldn’t deny her that.

      “Then I want you.”

      “Excuse me?” Colt’s head tilted. “You want me for what?”

      “I want you to be the one protecting Justin and me.”

      Colt’s mouth opened then closed, no words leaking out. He couldn’t be placed on a protection detail, not even if it meant catching Rio Garcia. He’d failed to be a sufficient protector in the past, when it had mattered the most. He couldn’t risk another life by failing again. “I’m not... That’s not my wheelhouse. I can make sure it’s someone you’re—”

      “When my store was vandalized, I called the police. They came and did nothing other than apparently call the Rangers to tell them I was a wanted felon.” The woman before him might still be weak in a hospital bed, but there was a strength in her expression and in her words that brooked no argument. Danielle Segovia was serious, and she wasn’t going to back down. “It’s you or nobody.”

      “I’ll do my best.” Turning his back on a request that carried the weight of history, Colt pulled the door open, then turned back to Danielle. “Why me?”

      “You were sincere about my mother’s memory, about the statue in my shop. You understood that. I could tell.” The determination in her expression wavered and her gaze flicked to the window before resting somewhere above Colt’s head. “I trust you.”

      The corner of Colt’s eye twitched. Those were rare words. He’d never heard them from a stranger, and no one in his family had said them in years. They lay like a blanket over him, alternately warming and suffocating him. The air in the room seemed charged with something he would never be able to define.

      Seldom was he at a loss for words, but everything about the moment rendered him speechless. There was no way to answer what Danielle was saying. With a curt nod, he turned and walked out the door to find his team and to attempt to convince them to give him the one job at which he was guaranteed to fail.