Threat of Exposure

The powers that be in the
Ranger department had sent a
lone woman down here to investigate.
What were they thinking?

Of course Brock was with her, but still…

Just as he was about to step back inside his own hotel room, Gisella appeared in the doorway next to his. “You all set?” he asked.

She looked up to meet his eyes, and his blood pumped a little faster. She had beautiful, big brown eyes. Eyes that made a man want to act like a brainless sap and get lost in them. He blinked. “You bet.” She gave him a funny smile. “You?”

He nodded, then said, “But sleep with your gun close by. These locks are pitiful.”

She gave him another soft smile that made his heart do things it hadn’t done in a long time. He gulped and ordered himself not to be attracted to her.

It didn’t work.

TEXAS RANGER JUSTICE:

Keeping the Lone Star State safe

Threat of Exposure—Lynette Eason, May 2011

LYNETTE EASON

grew up in Greenville, South Carolina. Her home church, Northgate Baptist, had a tremendous influence on her during her early years. She credits Christian parents and dedicated Sunday school teachers for her acceptance of Christ at the tender age of eight. Even as a young girl, she knew she wanted her life to reflect the love of Jesus.

Lynette attended the University of South Carolina in Columbia, SC, then moved to Spartanburg, SC, to attend Converse College, where she obtained her master’s degree in education. During that time, she met the boy next door, Jack Eason, and married him. Jack is the executive director of the Sound of Light Ministries. Lynette and Jack have two precious children—Lauryn, eight years old, and Will, who is six. She and Jack are members of New Life Baptist Fellowship Church in Boiling Springs, SC, where Jack serves as the worship leader and Lynette teaches Sunday school to the four-and five-year-olds.

Threat of Exposure
Lynette Eason

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Arise, O Lord,

in your anger; rise up against the rage of

my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.

—Psalms 7:6

To my son, Will,

who has a very strong sense of right and wrong. May

you grow in the Lord, stand strong

and be an advocate for justice.

I’m so proud of you and I love you more!

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

LETTER TO READER

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

ONE

DEA agent Brock Martin stared at the man behind the gun. The man who was supposed to be his informant. The man who’d sold accurate information to him over the last year. A man who Brock hadn’t come to trust, but had come to rely on.

The cold January wind blew across his face, but that wasn’t what caused his violent shudder. “What are you doing, Lenny?”

One minute they were talking like always, the next, the weapon had appeared in Lenny’s hand almost before Brock could blink. The move had been totally unexpected and Brock drew in a deep breath, ready to draw on all of his hostage negotiation training.

Then Lenny gave a smile that chilled his blood. “I got a better offer from Harry Lowe. He decided you’ve caused him enough grief and lost profit.”

Harry Lowe. A big-time drug dealer along the Mexico- Texas border. Brock had been working this area between Juarez, Mexico, and El Paso, Texas, a long time. But one small slipup and he could die.

Lenny’s cold eyes and steady hand holding the weapon said Brock had slipped up.

In a major way.

Dread and fear clawed its way into his chest. He swallowed hard trying to figure out how he’d ended up in this predicament. “Lenny, come on, man, you don’t want to do this. Everyone at the station knows I’m meeting with you. And they’re waiting for me to get back with whatever you have for me.”

A nervous twitch of Lenny’s left eye told Brock that it didn’t matter. The man’s hand trembled as he stared down the barrel.

Right now Lenny was more scared of not doing what Harry Lowe wanted than he was of going to jail for murder.

Not a good situation for Brock.

More fear and no small amount of self-disgust curled through his gut. He’d gotten careless. Now, it seemed it might be his night to die. He’d always wondered how it would happen. How he would go. If he’d be ready.

He wasn’t.

But now it seemed in this small church parking lot, hidden in the shadows of the trees, he was going to face his maker.

God, please…

His mind formed the prayer even as he calculated the odds of successfully jumping Lenny. He realized he would have no chance of tackling the man or reaching for his own weapon, now on the ground to his left, before Lenny pulled the trigger.

So he had to make a choice. Jump Lenny and take his chances or bolt for cover and hope Lenny’s aim was off.

Bad odds all around.

Lenny sniffed and aimed the gun point-blank at Brock’s head. “Sorry, dude, but a man’s gotta do what a…”

“Put the gun down, Lenny!” the voice came from Brock’s left behind the trees. Lenny jerked, whipped the gun toward the voice, and pulled the trigger.

Brock darted to the bumper of his vehicle, wishing he hadn’t kicked his weapon quite so hard when Lenny had demanded he drop it. It glinted under the streetlamp ten yards away, mocking his incompetence.

Then he heard the pop of another bullet and felt the buzz as it careened past his cheek to plant itself in the asphalt beside him. God, get me out of this, please. I’m not ready to face You yet.

Adrenaline pumping, he rolled for cover even as he heard the discharge of another weapon, the howl of pain and the thud of a body hitting the asphalt.

Running footsteps echoed behind him as he lunged for Lenny, who now lay face down, and kicked his gun from his outstretched hand. Brock flipped the man, then planted a knee in his would-be killer’s back as he swiped the cuffs from his belt.

Through gritted teeth, Brock muttered, “You’re under arrest for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer. You have the right to remain…” He broke off as a pair of boots stepped into his line of vision.

With Lenny’s hands securely fastened behind his back, Brock allowed his eyes to travel north from the boots, up a pair of jean-clad legs to a belt fastened around a slim waist he could probably span with his hands. He let his gaze wander on up to the white shirt with a badge.

A badge with a star inside it. Right over the wearer’s heart. She held her weapon ready and steady.

When he finally reached his rescuer’s face, he knew in his gut exactly who’d saved his life.

“Hello, Ranger Hernandez.” Brock hauled his now-subdued prisoner to his feet and stared at one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Tall, lean and fit, she kept steady brown eyes glued to his. He swiped an arm across his forehead. “I’ll say this for you. You have impeccable timing.”

Ranger Gisella Hernandez flipped her braid over her shoulder and stared at the man she’d already decided she didn’t like very much.

Number one, he’d stood her up.

Number two, he’d met with a known drug runner without any backup.

Number three, he hadn’t said “thank you” for her saving his life.

And she was supposed to work with him. As if she needed life to get any more interesting.

Give him a chance, she ordered herself.

She gave her hat a shove back on her head and addressed his timing comment. “You were supposed to meet me over two hours ago. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

The man before her blew out a short laugh. “And I don’t like to look death in the face. Looks like neither one of us was meant to be happy tonight.”

For some reason, that comment amused her. She appreciated the fact that she didn’t seem to intimidate him, as her badge seemed to scare off more men than it attracted. Gisella fought to keep the smile from curving her lips, but wasn’t sure she succeeded when he raised a knowing brow. She gestured toward Lenny. “How’s he?”

Brock shot the man a disgusted frown. “It’s a shoulder wound. He’ll live.” Gisella thought she heard a silent “unfortunately” on the end of that last sentence.

“I wasn’t gonna kill you. You got this all wrong,” Lenny whined. He looked at Gisella. “I can’t believe you shot me.”

She turned to the dealer and gave him a stare that made him cringe. “I wouldn’t have given you any warning if I’d had a choice.” She looked at Brock. “You were right in my line of fire. I had to do a little maneuvering.”

So that was why she’d yelled. Typically, in that kind of volatile situation, a cop shot first, two lethal pops to the chest, and it was over. Her eyes frosted even more as she said to Lenny, “You’re lucky I always hit what I’m aiming for.”

“And you were going to kill me,” Brock ground out. “A fact I’ll be happy to testify to,” he said as he pulled the man to the car. As mad as he was at the man, he wouldn’t make him wait in the cold for the EMS. He wasn’t giving Lenny anything else to complain about that would prolong their night.

“And I make a pretty good witness,” Gisella offered. Then she sighed. “I’ll meet you at the station. I guess I’m going to have a lot of paperwork to fill out tonight. Not to mention calling my captain and getting him to do some fancy talking so I’m not assigned a desk job while this is investigated.”

Brock grimaced. “I’ll have to wait on the EMS to get here. I’d transport him, but don’t want to have to clean out my car. Speaking of which, there’s a videotaped recording of everything that just happened. Your boss shouldn’t have any trouble getting this cleared up ASAP.”

A glimmer of respect finally reared its head. “That’ll help a lot.”

He nodded. “I’ll get someone to take over for me and meet you in half an hour.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She shot him a pointed look. “Again.”

He gave her a slow smile and Gisella felt her heart tremble at his low, “I’ll be there.”

A little unnerved by the attraction she felt for a man she’d just met, she shook her head and headed for the vehicle she’d left parked on the other side of the trees.

Gisella had flown down from San Antonio, grabbed a cab and rushed to meet Brock Martin, one of the drug enforcement agents assigned to the El Paso area of the border.

El Paso was a twenty-minute drive from Boot Hill, which was a five-minute drive from Juarez, Mexico. Her objective was to pick Brock up and head straight to Boot Hill. She hadn’t planned on getting sidetracked saving his life along the way.

But I guess You weren’t ready for him to die yet, were You, Lord? Thanks for using me in this situation. Now, please, please help me find the ones responsible for the drug smuggling and the murder of Captain Pike.

For the past four months, Gisella and her company of Rangers had worked hard trying to gather the evidence needed to take down the organization responsible for their leader’s murder. Just recently, she and her fellow Rangers had taken the information contained on the flash drive they’d found on Melora Hudson’s estate a few weeks ago and narrowed down the possibilities of where the drugs could be entering the country from across the border.

Melora’s husband had been killed because of his association with the Lions of Texas, an elite group responsible for millions of dollars worth of drugs coming over the border, and Melora had almost been killed herself. Fortunately, they’d found what the killers were after and now the Lions had no reason to go after her anymore.

And thanks to the information on the flash drive, Boot Hill seemed to be the next logical choice in their hunt for the top members of the criminal organization. Gisella and the other Rangers believed the drugs coming into San Antonio, and all parts of Texas, were originating from that tiny, almost nonexistent blip on the map.

When Brock had failed to show up for their scheduled meeting a few hours earlier, she’d gotten tired of waiting around, did a little snooping and found out from one of the other agents where he was.

She’d punched in the location of the church in her GPS and driven straight there.

Not wanting to give herself away, she’d circled the building twice, then found a suitable parking spot that would enable her to be of some help should Brock need it, yet far enough away not to tip off the informant.

When she saw how Lenny had been acting, the hairs on her neck stood straight up. When that happened, she knew to pay attention. She’d pulled her weapon. Creeping in closer hadn’t been a problem underneath the shelter of the trees.

Now, the ordeal was coming to a close. As she reached her vehicle, she heard the scream of sirens and saw the flashing lights of the approaching ambulance.

Help had arrived and she could get back to the office. Anxious to get on with her reason for being in El Paso, she drove with a single-minded purpose and thought about the man she would be working with.

A very good-looking—in a Brad Pitt sort of way—man. From the sandy blond hair and flashing blue eyes to the perfect smile. Her heart trembled at the memory of the smile that flashed white teeth and deep dimples. The fact that he probably hadn’t shaved in two days didn’t detract from his attractiveness at all. On the contrary, she liked the rugged look.

Gisella blinked at her thoughts. What in the world was she doing? She didn’t think she even liked the man and she was daydreaming about how good-looking he was. When was the last time she’d done that?

She couldn’t remember.

You’re here for a reason, she reminded herself sternly. The mental admonishment brought her up short.

She was here to find a way to bring down the Lions of Texas, a group responsible for the death of her boss, Captain Gregory Pike. The Lions had already made millions of dollars smuggling their drugs over the border from Mexico. Her desperate hope was that Brock Martin might have some answers for her on where their entry point was.

When she’d learned she was to be paired up with the drug enforcement agent, she’d done her homework and researched everything she could find on him.

Which wasn’t much.

But she had learned that he’d been working the border for more than 10 years, was experienced and well-liked in his department. She hoped together they could pool their resources and bring down the Lions.

She parked at the entrance to EPIC—the El Paso Intelligence Center. Agencies currently represented in the building included the Drug Enforcement Agency and almost every division of law enforcement one could think of. Their job was to keep the border—and the citizens in the surrounding small towns and cities—safe.

And she was going to have a hand in that.

Climbing out of her car, she headed inside and made her way to the department she’d left only a couple of hours ago in order to rescue her temporary partner.

Sitting at her desk in the office she’d been assigned upon her arrival, she stared at the desk opposite hers.

Brock Martin. DEA agent. One who sometimes acted as the Lone Ranger. Sometimes followed the rules, sometimes not. But still, from all appearances, a good man who got the job done.

“Lord, I hope You’ll let me in on this plan of Yours that seems to be unfolding.”

“Talking to yourself?”

Gisella jerked at the deep voice and whirled to find Brock standing in the doorway looking at her. She felt the heat crawl into her neck and knew within seconds her cheeks would be fiery in spite of her olive skin. “Something like that. You got here fast.”

He pulled off his gloves then shrugged out of his heavy coat to drape it over the back of his chair. As he lowered himself into the seat, he said, “Backup got there pretty quick. I didn’t have to hang around much longer.” He steepled his fingers under his chin. “So. We’re going to be partners for a while, huh?”

“Looks that way.” She tried to ignore how well he filled out his pullover gray sweatshirt and how his blue eyes regarded her with an intensity that seemed to reach into her very soul. She cleared her throat. “So…why didn’t you have any backup tonight?”

“Not everybody takes backup with them when they meet an informant.”

She eyed him. “The smart ones do.”

He blinked. Then barked a laugh. “Right. Well, it just so happens that I had backup with me, but he got a call that his wife was in labor. Needless to say, I sent him on his way.” He rubbed a hand across his lips then frowned. “I’ll admit, Lenny surprised me. For over a year, the man has provided solid information—and made a small fortune off of me.” He shrugged. “I had no reason to suspect tonight would be any different.” Another pause as he looked at her. “I’m glad you tracked me down.”

Without another word, she nodded. She was glad, too. His last sentence might be considered a thank you. She decided she liked him a little better after all.

“So, show me what you’ve got.” He rolled his chair around so that he sat shoulder to shoulder with her. Unprepared for the sudden move or the next wave of awareness that shot through her, she gave a small jump. Wow, he smelled good—even after that tussle with Lenny.

She cleared her throat and reached into her briefcase. “All we have to go on right now is this information. It was on a flash drive that was found in Melora Hudson’s house. She was married to a man who was involved in the Lions and was killed two years ago because of it. His body was only found recently—near a drug drop site. It just goes to show you that these people will stop at nothing to protect their interests.” She waved the book at him. “I printed all of the information on the drive off and made this little black book here. I needed it on paper form to study. Anyway, so far, we’ve uncovered the fact that drug shipments are coming out of Juarez, Mexico.”

“Which is why you’re here, right?”

“Right. And here.” She pointed to the initials B.H.TX. “This is Boot Hill, Texas. We’ve already figured that much out. However, the rest of this is gibberish to me. You, however, know the border, you know the towns, you know the people. Surely, if there’s something in here, you’ll be able to zero in on it.”

He held out a hand and she placed the book in it. When she did, her knuckles brushed his palm and sent shivers dancing all the way up her arm.

Jerking back, she looked at him and saw the surprise and awareness on his face, too.

Before he could say anything, she blurted, “Look on page seven. There are a lot of initials and numbers we haven’t been able to decipher. Like I said, we figured out Boot Hill, but the others…” She bit off her words. She was repeating herself and sounding like an idiot. Clearing her throat, she shrugged. “Would you take a look at those and see if anything comes to you?”

“Sure.” His warm gaze lingered on her face a moment longer and she swallowed hard.

After what seemed like years, he let his blue eyes fall to the book in front of him. “So,” he drawled. “They sent you here all by yourself? With no backup?”

“Excuse me?” She understood the question, she just hoped she misunderstood the meaning behind it.

“No offense, but this is a really sticky situation and…”

At his doubtful look, Gisella bristled. She hadn’t misunderstood. And just when she was starting to think he wasn’t all bad. “What? You don’t think I can handle this assignment because I’m a woman?”

Disdain dripped from her voice but she didn’t care. She had no use for men who thought because she was female and pretty, she was somehow less than capable. Did she need to remind him of who’d saved whom only a short time ago?

He must have read her thoughts because he backpedaled and held up a hand as though in surrender. “No, no. That’s not what I’m saying—exactly. I’m just saying that this is an extremely dangerous playground. If these people find out about you and you were to get caught…” He swallowed. “I don’t have to tell you what the consequences would be. I just have a hard time believing your superiors would choose someone…”

She turned her head so that she came nose to nose with him.

And lip to lip.

Putting some distance between them, she held on to her ire and said, “I’m a big girl, Martin. I can handle it. They chose me because I can handle it. So don’t give me any grief about being a woman in a man’s world. I won’t listen to it.” She refused to bring up the incident with the informant. If she hadn’t proved herself there, it would be hopeless to get into a discussion with the man about her skills.

Over the years, she’d found arguing with the men in law enforcement about her abilities was fruitless. She just had to do her job, do it well and keep her mouth shut. She’d also found the old adage that actions spoke louder than words was true.

But Gisella’s gut tightened at the thought of the added tension Brock’s skepticism would bring to the table. She forced herself not to worry about it now. She’d just deal with it.

Like she had when she first became a Ranger and the men had looked at her with a mixture of disbelief that she’d infiltrated their ranks, and a haughty, arrogant assurance that she wouldn’t be around long.

She’d proven them all wrong and was now a respected and well-thought-of member of Company D. But it definitely hadn’t been an easy road to travel.

And while she might keep her cool and ignore a lot of stuff she considered silly, that didn’t mean she didn’t have a backbone. “Can we focus on what we need to do? You go over that book while I fill out these papers on the shooting.”

He just looked at her for a moment. Then sighed. “Yeah, sure.” He glanced down, then back up. “I didn’t mean to offend you, I was just…concerned.”

“No need to be,” she clipped.

She’d already called Ben and filled him in on the shooting incident. He wasn’t happy at the tap dancing he was going to have to do in order for her to continue her current investigation. After a shooting, an officer was generally placed on administrative leave during the investigation. But Ben had pull in a lot of places. And the videotape from Brock’s car that she’d sent him would go a long way with Internal Affairs.

And he needed Gisella in Boot Hill, Texas, investigating.

After she finished the paperwork, Brock and Gisella spent the next hour and a half bouncing ideas off each other until Brock finally said, “I don’t know. This could go on forever. I say we head to Boot Hill and start asking questions. We can see what turns up.”

“That was my original destination until I was told we were going to be working together.” A thought hit Gisella and she gave a startled laugh.

Brock blinked. “What’s so funny?”

“I just realized that they didn’t exactly send me down here all alone.”

His right brow lifted. “No?”

“Guess that’s why they paired us up. So you can protect me.” She batted her lashes and put on her most helpless expression.

A short laugh escaped him. He snorted, “Well, when you put it that way…” Brock glanced at his watch. “Get that look off your face. If we leave now, we can be there in twenty minutes.”

Gisella turned serious and sucked in a thoughtful breath. “Yeah, let’s do that. I’m going to check in with my boss again and give him an update.”

He stood as she grabbed her phone, excitement lighting his weary eyes. “Then let’s hit the road.”

“Do you have a car? I took a cab from the airport, then borrowed one of the station’s cars to come find you.”

His lips twisted. “Sure, we can use mine. Or rather, the department’s.”

She wondered at the odd look on his face but didn’t ask.

Instead, she looked at the clock. 8:07. She was starving. Her suitcase sat at her feet. “Fine, as long as you promise we’ll get something to eat soon.”