Her Cowboy Protector (8 page)

"Okay?" Cruz could barely find her voice. "Niall, she's dead. He killed her."

Niall scanned the article. The woman's smiling face hovered mere centimeters over the smoldering remains of her house. The case was labeled as a home invasion gone awry but Niall knew better. El Alacrán had burned the house and body to cover up his sins.

He squeezed Cruz tighter in the hopes of easing her trembling. "He's never going to touch you again, Cruz."

She held his gaze and finally nodded. "I believe you. I don't think you're the kind of man who makes empty promises."

"Never."

Seemingly calmer now, Cruz sucked in a long, slow breath. "Okay, Niall. Think this through with me. I met Daniela through the conference roommate matching service. We'd never laid eyes on one another before check-in. She was an MBA student focusing on finance. That last night, I was going out with a couple of colleagues for dinner and she was meeting her boyfriend for a night out on the town. She asked for a copy of that program and I gave her my drive." She pointed to the computer. "This drive."

"So she mixed up the drives when she made the copies," Niall reasoned. "Or maybe it was more deliberate than that, Cruz. Maybe the request for the program was a ruse. She wanted to give you that information."

"So that if something happened to her, I'd eventually stumble onto the data," Cruz finished for him. "And El Alacrán didn't kill me because he realized I'd never opened the files."

"How's that?"

She shuddered in his arms. "After he tied me up and gagged me, he spent half an hour or so going through my things. He was on my laptop. He must have been searching for evidence. When he didn't find any, I guess he decided to show a little mercy."

"Yeah," Niall said dryly, "he's a real humanitarian."

"But maybe he's afraid I still have the data, Niall. Maybe that's why he's coming for me now." Cruz chewed her thumbnail. "What do we do next, Niall? I mean, I can't just wipe this data. Daniela died for this. It must be important."

"Cruz, think about what you're saying, okay? You're talking about sifting through what is most likely the financial evidence of drug cartel bribery. We have to assume this is tied into the De La Garza cartel that pays The Scorpion."

"He's coming after me regardless, Niall. The least I can do is figure out what this is. Maybe it will prove useful to me. It could be a bargaining chip for my freedom."

Niall looked away from her. He wanted to argue with her but she made valid points. Still the urge to tell her no was the strongest. The thought of inviting more danger into her life made him sick. He wanted her safe and secure and happy and smiling. He never wanted to see her clutching a knife, ready to fight for her life, ever again. If she started down this path with the information on that flash drive, things could get hairy very fast.

"If I wasn't Carlos's sister, if I was just another assignment—"

"But you're not just another assignment," Niall interjected. "You're…important." It was the safest word to describe what he felt. Try as he might, Niall couldn’t shake his attraction to her. It left him feeling weak and conflicted. Where was that emotional control he'd prided himself on for so long?

Niall swung his gaze toward her face. She was so close he could see the jump of her jugular vein. So close he could nuzzle her throat and inhale that delicious scent that drove him mad with desire.

She was too close.

"Be careful, Cruz," he said finally and shifted her off his lap and back into the chair. "Don't do anything that can be traced back to you, all right? I'll make some calls in the morning about Daniela. One of my friends is a Texas Ranger. Maybe he can shed some light on this."

Cruz nodded dutifully. Niall allowed himself one lingering touch of her shoulder before leaving her side. He needed some air. He needed to think. He really needed to get a handle on his emotions. Cruz and that baby needed him clear-headed, not panting after her like an over-eager puppy.

His thoughts turned back to the knife and baby shoes. If The Scorpion knew where Cruz was hiding out, if he'd somehow figured that one out, would he send a lackey out here to scare Cruz? If the man's reputation was to be believed he was capable of something so sick and twisted, but something about this threat had a woman's touch to it.

And Niall had a certain lady friend in mind.

6
Chapter Six

"Are you trying to beat a land speed record?" Cruz gripped her seatbelt as Niall tore down the highway like a bat out of hell.

"Sorry." He eased off the accelerator. "I don't want you to be late for your appointment. I should have paid closer attention to the time this morning. I got caught up in fixing that fence."

"It's all right, Niall. I'm sure I'm not the first pregnant woman to show up a few minutes late to a doctor's visit. After last night, we're both running on fumes anyway." Cruz reached for her water bottle and took another drink. "So what am I supposed to do about my medical records?"

Niall glanced at her. "We'll have to lie. Just tell them you've left your purse at the house and don't have your doctor's information. You'll have to mess up your social security number too. Man," he said roughly, "Angie would really come in useful right now."

"Angie?"

"She was our unit's fixer. That woman could get fake passports, medical records, birth certificates, bank accounts. She made our missions so much simpler."

"Yeah, well, this is the civilian world. The last thing I need is to get pulled over with about thirty years' worth of felonies tucked into my purse."

He laughed. "Good point."

"So you just want me to cause clerical errors to buy us some time?"

"Yes—and Cruz?" His sober tone caught her attention. "Use my last name."

Cruz blinked a few times as she tried to process his instruction. "What?"

"It's the safest way, Cruz."

"You want me to pretend we're married?" Cruz didn't like that idea at all. Telling a whopper that big didn't sit well with her. "I'm sorry, Niall, but that's going a bit far."

"It's a logical assumption, Cruz. You're pregnant. You're living with me. People around here know me. They know I'd marry the woman carrying my child."

"And what are you going to tell people once I'm gone? That I was just a lying floozy who ran off in the middle of the night with your baby? I don’t think so!" She shuddered at the very thought. "I don't want an entire town talking about what a lying ho-bag I was!'

He shot her an almost pleading look. "Calm down, Cruz. I'm sure your blood pressure is skyrocketing. That's not good for the baby."

She lashed out in irritation. "Don’t tell me what's good for my baby."

"I sure as hell will when you're acting unreasonably." His sharp tone surprised her. "You need to listen to me."

His words grated on her nerves. "
You
need to stop telling
me
what to do."

"That's my job, Cruz. I'm just trying to keep you and the baby safe. The more layers between your real identity and this cover, the better. We can't risk—" Niall's gaze lingered on the rearview mirror. "Hell!"

"What?" Panic invaded her body. She glanced at the side mirror and spotted the pair of black SUVs gaining on them. Flashbacks to their very narrow Austin escape bombarded her mind. "Niall?"

"I know." He pushed the accelerator to the floor. "Just hold tight, sugar."

Cruz put both hands on her belly and gulped down the fear clogging her throat. They'd already played this game once before and barely escaped with their lives. There was no knight in blue Chevy armor racing to the rescue this time.

When Niall started to ease off the accelerator, she gawked at him as if he were a crazy man. "What are you doing?" Fear laced her voice. "Gun it!"

Niall ignored her and took a slightly too fast turn onto a caliche ranch road she hadn't even realized existed. The truck bumped along the rough terrain. Twenty yards or so ahead loomed a big white metal gate. When Niall barely slowed his speed, Cruz sucked in a terrified breath and slammed her eyes shut. He was going to blow through the gate!

"Hold on."

Sure enough, they knocked into the gate but there wasn't the mangled squeal of metal she'd expected. Just a loud, yawning squeak followed by a series of thumping bumps that nearly vibrated her right off her seat. Her eyes flew open and she twisted in her seat to look behind them. The gate swung closed and banged in its frame. She noticed the cable and cylinders that made the system work.

"Bump gate," Niall explained as he pulled off the caliche road and parked behind a couple of mesquite trees. "That's why we have grille guards."

She followed his gaze to the metal contraption on the front of the truck. She'd just assumed it was some macho truck adornment. Who knew?

Niall picked up his cell phone and dialed 911 before reaching across her and popping open the glove box. He retrieved his pistol as he waited for answer. "Hey, Bobby Jo, this is Niall Campbell. I'm out on 190 West, right near Jack Crane's place, and I was nearly run off the road by a couple of black SUVs. Uh-huh. Yeah. That's what I thought too. You will? Great."

Cruz listened as he gave his cell number and hang up. She raised an eyebrow at him. "What was all that?"

"Well I sure as hell am not about to chase them down with a pregnant woman in my front seat. We'll let the sheriff's department and the state trooper stationed here deal with them." He dropped his phone into the cup holder. "Probably just a couple of low-life drug dealers anyway. We get a lot of those coming through town."

"Really?"

Niall nodded. "Jolene is something of a local legend for making some huge drug busts from traffic stops."

"And if they're not drug dealers? What if they're after me?"

He glanced at his watch. "We'll give them five minutes. If they don't backtrack to find us, we'll know they weren't after us."

Cruz figured that was the best they could do and decided to sit tight.

"I'm sorry, by the way." His gaze remained focused on his window and the road. "I shouldn't have dropped that whole marriage sham thing on you like that. I think I've forgotten this isn't just a simple mission. This is your life and you're right. You should be making the decisions."

She caught the woodsy scent of his aftershave, the hints of cedar relaxing her frayed nerves. Her irritation subsided. "I don't want to make the decisions alone. Obviously, I need your help, Niall." She reached out and touched one of those scarred and scraped hands she'd grown accustomed to and gave it a squeeze. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't need you."

Niall gazed down at their intertwined hands. She noticed the way his jaw tightened and relaxed. She wondered if maybe Niall didn't need her just as much. He confused her so much. He'd done everything possible to stay closed off and cold toward her until last night. When he'd held her in his arms in the kitchen, she'd thought, for the briefest of moments, that he was about to kiss her.

It should have terrified her but her reaction had been quite the opposite. Being held by Niall had reminded her of how nice human contact—real, intimate and loving contact—could be. She'd remembered what it was like not to see every man as a potential attacker.

But that was a dangerous thought to entertain when it came to Niall. He'd made it perfectly clear he wasn't looking for any kind of relationship—ever. Letting a man like Niall into her heart was a recipe for disaster, especially with a new baby on the way. She had to think like a mama, not a single woman. Those days were over.

Still…it might be nice to play the white picket fence game for a few weeks.

"So," she said with a loud sigh, "how long have we been married?"

"A week?"

"And where did we get married?"

"Austin," he supplied. "We married at the court house with a JP."

"Gee, that's romantic."

Niall chuckled, the sound rich and throaty. "Okay, we drove down to Corpus Christi and married on a beach at sunset."

Now it was Cruz who laughed. "No, thanks. We'll stick with the court house version."

He shrugged. "Lady's choice."

"How did we meet? Why haven't I come to visit? Why haven't you told people about me? People are going to ask."

"We've known each other for a few years. You're my friend's sister, and it was a little tricky so we kept our relationship quiet. As to the visiting, you're studying for a doctorate. It's easier for me to visit you."

He'd obviously put some thought into this. It was a simple story, and she hoped everyone would buy it.

"All right," Niall said and put the truck in drive. "I think the coast is clear."

Cruz pulled her hand free and took the pistol he shoved into her palm. After it was safely tucked inside the glove box, she held tight to her seatbelt and hoped for the best. They'd either find wide, open road or a hail of gunfire.

Thankfully, it was a quick and uneventful ride into town. She marveled at the simplicity of the place. One main highway, one intersection, one grocery store, two gas stations and a Dollar General. She spied the sheriff's department and courthouse that shared a central square along the main drag. When they pulled into the parking lot outside the one-story building that housed the clinic, hospital and nursing home, Cruz realized just how tiny this town really was.

Niall's cell phone rang. He took the call as they climbed out of the truck. "Well," he said, as he locked the phone into the holster clipped to his belt, "that was the dispatcher. They pulled over the two SUVs and are searching them right now. Looks like we did our good deed for the day."

"Yay for us," Cruz joked. Niall's hand settled on her shoulder as he walked her across the parking lot. She'd grown used to this rough and tumble cowboy with his brawny arms and scarred hands. It was funny to think that a few nights ago, she'd been ready to drop him like a rock for putting his hands on her and now she wanted to melt into his touch. She reminded herself that this was business, an assignment. He was only putting his hand on her because that's what a husband would do.

Niall tugged on the handle of the clinic entrance. A blast of cool air kissed her face. Just that short walk in the Texas sun had baked her skin. She slid her sunglasses to the crown of her head as she stepped inside the small lobby and eyed the space. There were two waiting areas, a shared check-in station and a hallway with signs directing patients to the lab and business offices.