A high-profile trial turns lethal...

The next exciting Lone Star Justice novel

Presiding over the trial of a powerful drug cartel member, Judge Aubrey Madison finds her life threatened, and Texas Ranger Sean McNair isn’t taking any chances. Protecting the widow and her twins comes naturally to Sean—maybe too naturally for a guy who’s convinced he shouldn’t have a family. But he can’t help wishing for a future with Aubrey…if he can keep her alive.

MARGARET DALEY, an award-winning author of ninety books (five million sold worldwide), has been married for over forty years and is a firm believer in romance and love. When she isn’t traveling, she’s writing love stories, often with a suspense thread, and corralling her three cats, who think they rule her household. To find out more about Margaret, visit her website at margaretdaley.com.

Also by Margaret Daley

Lone Star Justice

High-Risk Reunion

Lone Star Christmas Rescue

Texas Ranger Showdown

Texas Baby Pursuit

Lone Star Christmas Witness

Lone Star Standoff

Alaskan Search and Rescue

The Yuletide Rescue

To Save Her Child

The Protector’s Mission

Standoff at Christmas

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Lone Star Standoff

Margaret Daley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09639-3

LONE STAR STANDOFF

© 2019 Margaret Daley

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

“Who has a key to your office right now?”

“An assistant I share with Judge Rodriquez and maintenance. You think it was one of them?”

“No, there were fresh scratch marks on the lock. He risked breaking into your office for some reason. What was it?”

Aubrey made her way around to the other side of her desk. Sean started to rise, and she quickly said, “You stay there. If I need you, I’ll let you know.” She opened the top left drawer. “After I’ve gone through my office, I’ll drive your car and take you to the ER to make sure you’re okay.”

He opened his mouth to reply.

She held up her palm. “No arguments on that. If something is wrong and you didn’t get help, it would be my fault.” She shut the top drawer and reached for the bottom one.

Their gazes clashed. A war of emotions played across his face while Aubrey pulled the second compartment out.

A rattling sound sent shivers down her body as she stared at the coiled rattlesnake, poised to strike.

Dear Reader,

This is the sixth book in the Lone Star Justice series. I had fun writing the twins—Sammy and Camy. They were my lightness in the middle of a dark story about drugs pouring into our country. Aubrey went through a lot in her life as a mother, wife and judge. She didn’t want to fall in love with Sean and end up losing him like she did her husband, Samuel. Love is a strong emotion, but so is fear. Fear keeps you from doing something you want to do or should do. She had to learn to turn her fear over to the Lord in order to fall in love again.

I love hearing from readers. You can email me at margaretdaley@gmail.com and join my monthly newsletter by signing up on the front page of my website, www.margaretdaley.com. Also on my website you can see what books are out and coming soon, as well as links to them.

Take care,

Margaret Daley

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

—Psalms 46:1

To my mother-in-law, Marcella, who has been a great supporter of my writing.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

ONE

District Judge Aubrey Madison left her office at the courthouse, her brain pounding against her skull. The jury was finally chosen today in her current trial—a trial that could propel her into the limelight, a place she’d rather not be. At least for the weekend, she could relax and enjoy time with her twins. They meant everything to her.

“Good night, Bill,” she said to the deputy sheriff at the rear entrance.

“Judge Madison, I’ll walk you out tonight.”

“I appreciate the offer, but you need to guard the door.”

He smiled. “I know. Part of the extra security for the Villa trial. I can keep an eye on the entrance and walk you to your car.”

Aubrey sighed. Bill took his job seriously. “I know. That’s why I parked near the entrance, so you wouldn’t have to go so far.” She stepped outside, where the sunset painted the sky with beautiful shades of red and yellow. “How are you doing?”

He slowed his pace, his forehead wrinkled. “I guess okay, Judge Madison.”

She stopped and turned toward Bill, a large man with a slight potbelly. “I know what you’re going through. My husband died two years ago. I’m here if you need to talk about your wife’s death.”

“Thanks.” His face tensed, and he started walking again. “You have enough to deal with.”

At the end of the sidewalk to the parking lot, Aubrey glanced at Bill. “I can take it from here. My car is right over there.”

The deputy sheriff scanned the area then nodded.

She strolled the short distance to her car. The warmth from the spring day had already faded, and the chill in the air made her shiver. She slid behind the steering wheel and pulled out of her parking space. As she headed toward the exit of the lot behind the courthouse, reserved for people who worked inside, she passed Bill and waved.

When she arrived home a short time later, she punched the garage-door opener then drove inside and parked next to her mother’s car. She didn’t know what she would have done if her mama hadn’t insisted on coming to stay with her at least until Camy and Sammy went to elementary school. Two years ago when her husband was murdered, Aubrey had to go back to work because of Samuel’s sudden death. Their savings had all been wiped out by medical bills when the twins were born early. She’d always intended to return to work, but not until they were in elementary school. Instead she’d run for the judge position six months later.

Not wanting to dwell on a past she couldn’t change, she hurried into the house, the scent of beef and onions permeating the place. “What’s for dinner? It smells great.”

Her mother pulled out a casserole dish from the oven and set it on a burner. “My lasagna. Camy and Sammy helped me.”

“Where are they?” Aubrey wondered how messy the kitchen had been after her twins’ “help.”

“When I heard your car pull into the garage, I had them go wash their hands. How did it go today?”

“Long, but the two attorneys have finally settled on a jury.”

“Just in time for the weekend.” Her mother brushed a stray strand of black hair behind her ear.

“Yes. I threatened to continue late into the night if they didn’t.” Aubrey put her briefcase and purse on the desk nearby. “I’d better go check on my kids. It’s too quiet. They’ve had enough time to wash their hands.”

Aubrey left the kitchen and walked upstairs and down the hallway toward her twins’ bedrooms at the end. The light from the bathroom beckoned her. Giggles resonated down the corridor. That sound usually meant she would have to spend time cleaning up whatever mess her rascals had made. She hurried her steps.

When she entered the bathroom, she looked down at the puddle of water the twins were standing in. She stared at Camy and Sammy, drenched from head to toe. She pressed her lips together, suppressing the laugh at the sight of her soggy children. That would only encourage them. “Who won the battle?”

They each pointed at themselves.

“Who started it?” Aubrey asked, trying to put on her stern face.

“He started it,” her daughter immediately said.

“I dinna.” Sammy stomped his foot, and water on the floor went flying, hitting Aubrey’s pants.

After the serious day she’d had in court, her children’s antics actually lightened her mood. She still fought her smile and remained calm. “Don’t move.” She marched down the hall to the linen closet and grabbed several bath towels, then returned to her children, still standing where she’d left them. Even though they were twins, they were like night and day. Camy had dark hair and eyes like Aubrey and her mother, while Sammy took after his father’s side with light brown hair and hazel eyes.

She gave each child a towel. “Mop the floor with these then put them in the tub.” Leaning her shoulder against the doorjamb with her arms crossed, she watched her four-year-olds do the best job they could. When they finished, she stepped to the side. “Put on some dry clothes, then bring the wet ones back here and place them in the tub, too.”

Heads down, the twins left the bathroom.

After they disappeared into their bedrooms, she completed the cleanup, then headed back to the kitchen.

“What happened?” Her mama brought the casserole dish to the table and set it down on a hot pad.

“The usual. No doubt the water fight started out innocently but quickly morphed into an all-out battle. They’re changing clothes.” A moment later Sammy came into the room with a ragged T-shirt on backward. She refrained from saying anything, but the sight of what he was wearing reminded her of what she’d done at lunch today. She snatched up her keys and headed for the door to the garage in the utility room. “I forgot something in the trunk of my car.”

When she stepped into the garage, a faint rotting odor wafted to her. She neared the large trashcan and lifted the top. It was empty because the garbage had been picked up earlier that day. But as she neared the rear of her car, the smell grew stronger. She clicked the car trunk’s button on her key fob, and the lid popped up. The nauseating scent engulfed her. She looked down at a large, dead brown rat lying next to a shopping bag from the store she’d visited at lunchtime.

She froze. The dead rat definitely hadn’t been there earlier today. Rats and snakes were her two fears. How did it get into her trunk? When was it put there? And why?

Fear blanketed her as she thought of her current trial—a top drug cartel lieutenant faced a first-degree murder charge.

* * *

Texas Ranger Sean McNair entered his house and tossed his car keys into a bowl in his kitchen near the door to the garage. Another shipment of drugs had slipped through his fingers today. He felt it in his gut. His tip hadn’t paid off. He was too late to stop the drugs from coming into the United States, and his recent suspicions about the Port Bliss Police Department had been confirmed. Someone had warned the Coastal Cartel about the raid.

He made his way to his deck overlooking the water between the Texas mainland and South Padre Island. Gripping the railing, he leaned against it, relishing the cool, late-spring breeze laced with the scent of the sea that always calmed his frustration. A seagull flew over Sean’s home, heading for the island.

Frustration churned his stomach. He was one of three people covering a large area of the southernmost tip of the state. Everything pointed to a cartel thug murdering the Texas Ranger before him, but he had no concrete evidence to prove the case. The fallen Texas Ranger had a wife and two babies—who were left without a father. He hadn’t known Samuel Madison other than by his reputation of being a good law enforcement officer. When Sean had been moved to Company D to replace the slain fellow officer, he’d met the man’s wife. The look of despair in her dark brown eyes still haunted him, even after two years.

He’d asked to be transferred, especially with the Coastal Cartel firming its base of operation in the area over the past few years. Someone in the cartel was responsible for his brother’s disappearance. In his gut, he knew that Jack was dead. But he and his family needed closure on what had happened to him.

Sean had slowly been digging into the organization to finally bring it down. It wouldn’t return his younger brother, but if he could destroy it, the cartel henchman wouldn’t be able to tear apart another family like his had been. His mother had never recovered from Jack’s tailspin into the drug world that ultimately killed him. There had been nothing he could do to stop his little brother. Jack had been living in Port Bliss for the past four years while Sean had been a Texas Highway Patrol officer clear across the state in Amarillo, where they had grown up.

Sean took a deep, cleansing breath of the sea-laced air, closing his eyes as he tried to forget the description of Jack’s apartment two years ago when he went missing. Blood everywhere but no body.

The sound of his cell phone’s ringtone intruded into his thoughts. He started to ignore it, then with a glance at the screen, he changed his mind and quickly answered. “Hello. Is something wrong?” He’d told Aubrey Madison to call him if she ever needed his help, because her husband’s killer had never been brought in, either. This was the first time she had.

“There may be a problem.”

“May?”

“Someone left a dead rat in the trunk of my car, and I think it could be connected to the trial I’m currently the judge on.”

A rat was often left at a scene where the cartel went after someone. There had been one in Jack’s apartment. “Bento Villa’s trial?”

“Yes.” Aubrey’s voice quavered, reminding him of the times he’d interviewed her about her husband and had worked with her to find the killer. They had both being grieving at that time, although he’d never told her about Jack’s case. He’d even wondered if his brother’s disappearance had been connected to her husband’s death somehow. The incidents were days apart. “Have you called the police?”

“Not yet.”

“Don’t. I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” Even if I have to break a few speeding laws. “Leave the rat where it is. Go inside and lock the doors until I get there. Do you have a gun and know how to use it?” Sean entered his house and snatched up his keys.

“Yes, it was my husband’s.”

“Good. Get it just in case.” With what he’d seen working this area over the past two years, a dead rat was not only used as a symbol of the cartel but also to send a message they would always follow up. Suddenly a question popped into Sean’s mind: Was the dead rat a warning to the judge that the cartel was coming after her?

“Okay. Thank you.” The judge disconnected their call.

He stuffed his phone into his pocket and left his bungalow. As the sun disappeared totally below the horizon, he sped as fast as he could toward her house in the next town.

* * *

Aubrey slammed the trunk down, her stomach roiling as the rotting odor grew worse by the minute. She hurried into the house and went immediately to the safe for the revolver she’d kept more as a memory of her husband than in the expectation she would ever use it, even though she knew how to fire a gun and keep it serviceable. But she had her children and mother to think about and protect. She hid the weapon in the big pocket of a bulky sweater she donned.

She returned to the kitchen, where her mother sat at the table with Camy and Sammy, waiting for her. Mama glanced at her bulging sweater pocket and furrowed her brows. She started to say something, but Aubrey quickly shook her head. She sat, but didn’t know if she could eat much. Her nausea persisted while her heartbeat raced. She couldn’t get it out of her mind that the rat was a warning.

“Let’s bless the food,” Aubrey said. “Sammy, it’s your turn.”

Her son joined hands with her and his sister, then bowed his head. “Thanks for the food and my madre and abuela.” He looked up then hurriedly added, “And Camy.”

Aubrey smiled at the Spanish words her son loved to throw in. Her mother was working with the twins to teach them her family’s language as well as English.

Her daughter turned her head so fast her long black ponytail swung around. “I cleaned up more than Sammy.”

“No, you dinna.”

Aubrey gave each twin a long stare, then replied, “What’s the rule when we’re eating?”

“No fighting,” they both said.

Aubrey ignored Camy sticking out her tongue at Sammy and instead stared at the food on her plate, wondering how she was going to eat it all. She checked her watch. The Texas Ranger who’d taken her husband’s place should be here soon. How was she going to keep her worries from affecting her children? She’d been on the bench for almost two years and even dealt with a few drug cases involving low-level members of the Coastal Cartel. Nothing had happened during that time. Was the message in her car trunk because the man on trial was one of the lieutenants in the cartel?

“Mama!”

Aubrey blinked and glanced at her daughter. “What?”

“Are ya lost in your mind?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been askin’ ya for more leche.” Camy held up her empty glass. “I’ll pour it.”

“No!” The last time her daughter had tried to refill her milk, it went everywhere. “Sorry. I was lost in thought.” Aubrey took the glass from Camy and crossed to the refrigerator.

When she came back to the table, she intercepted a puzzled look from her mother. She didn’t want to say anything in front of her children, so she switched her attention to Camy and forced a grin. As she started to sit again, the doorbell rang.

Aubrey jerked to a standing position. “I’ll get it. I may be a while. It’s work. Finish your dinner. I’ll eat later.”

Her mama stared at her for a few seconds, then said to the twins, “After dinner, you two can help me with the dishes, and then we can play a game.”

A resounding cheer came from her children as Aubrey rushed toward the entry hall and reached to clasp the knob. She stopped in mid-motion. Instead she looked through the peephole and saw it was Texas Ranger McNair, then opened the door. “Thank you for coming.” She stepped to the side for him to enter.

She hadn’t seen him at the courthouse in over a month and had forgotten how tall and well built he was. Dressed in a long-sleeved white shirt with a striped gray-and-red tie, black pants, an off-white cowboy hat, brown boots and his badge pinned over his heart, he had a commanding air about him. The sight of him dressed for work reminded her of her husband, and a knot clogged her throat. That first year after Samuel’s murder, she saw Sean a couple of times a week while he worked the case.

He paused a few feet from her, turned toward her and held out his hand. “It’s nice to see you again.” His dark blue eyes roamed over her features, and a slow smile spread across his tanned face. “Although I wish it were under different circumstances.”

She shook his hand. “I agree, Sean. I have a home office where we can talk. My children are in the kitchen, and I don’t want them to overhear our conversation.”

“I understand. Lead the way.”

Aubrey passed him in the foyer, feeling dwarfed by his large frame. She was only five four while he must be at least six and a half feet, if not more. She waved her hand toward a brown leather love seat and two chairs. Although she had a desk, she usually ended up working on the two-cushion couch with her laptop and papers spread all over the coffee table.

“When I’m not in a trial, I often work from home to be here for my two kids. It helps that my mother lives with me, and I’m only ten minutes away from the courthouse.”

While he took a chair, she sat on the love seat, thinking they should switch places. He looked so big in the wingback. He took off his hat and laid it on the coffee table between them, then ran his fingers through his thick, short black hair. “Being the judge in the Bento Villa trial must be tough.”

“Yes, it’s taken days to find a jury. The trial will actually start on Monday. When you leave, I’ll open the garage door and show you the dead rat in my car’s trunk. I didn’t touch it. In fact, I left a shopping bag in there with clothes I bought at lunch for my twins, Sammy and Camy. They’re four and a half. My mama takes care of them when I’m working.” When she and Sean had talked before, it had been centered on her husband’s case, but if someone was coming after her now, Sean needed to know everything about her family. They could be affected, too.

“Is your son named after his dad?”

“Yes, and Camy after my mama. Her name is Camilla.” Texas Ranger McNair had always been easy to talk to. Aubrey reclined back, trying to relax some of her tight muscles that had stayed with her since she left the courthouse. The only place she dealt with her job at home was in this office. When she walked out of here, her family became her focus—until someone had left that message in her trunk. “A dead rat has been used by the cartel before as a warning. I’ve also received a few hang-ups at my office in the courthouse since I was assigned to the Villa trial.”

“Have you received calls like that at other times?”

“Occasionally, and that’s why I shrugged them off this time. I know it’s not Bento himself, since he’s in jail and his communications are monitored. But the Coastal Cartel is big and ruthless.”

“What’s the security for this trial?”

“Extra guards at the courthouse and inside where the trial is. I’ve always felt safe at work. Someone coming after me won’t change the fact that Bento Villa is on trial for the murder of Hector Martin.”

“This is a high-profile case.” Sean wrote something on the pad he held. “Can we narrow down the time and place where the rat could have been put in your trunk? Then I can check security cameras to see if I can catch the person on tape.”

“During lunch, I usually eat in my office at the courthouse, but today I needed to get away. The atmosphere is tense. Since we were getting near the end of the selection of jurors, I announced a two-hour lunch period. I still ate in my office and decided to lie down on the couch and take a nap. Since this case began, I haven’t slept as well as I usually do. But I couldn’t fall asleep. So I decided to go shopping for summer clothes for the kids. The dead rat wasn’t in the trunk when I put that bag in there after visiting the store I usually get their clothes at.”

“What store?”

“Clothes Galore on Main Street.”

“Did you go right back to the courthouse?”

Aubrey looked away from Sean’s intense gaze. “No. I went to Sweet Haven Parlor and had a double scoop of cookie-dough ice cream in a waffle cone. Indulging always manages to cheer me up.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been there before. Their ice cream is great.”

“What flavor?” He made her feel at ease during this tense time.

“Chocolate. Don’t tell anyone that’s my weakness.”

She laughed. The sound surprised her even more. For the past thirty minutes, she’d been tied in knots, and in a brief time he’d gotten her to laugh. But she quickly sobered as he wrote on his pad. This visit was about someone leaving her a message. She couldn’t take that lightly.

“I’ll check the security cameras at the courthouse and Sweet Haven Parlor, if they have any. Did you go anywhere else?”

“No. I came right back and had only a few minutes to get to my office and put on my robe.”

“When you drove home from the courthouse, did you stop anywhere and leave your car unattended?”

“No. After this week, all I wanted to do was get home.”

Sean stood and pocketed his notepad. “Show me your car.”

“Let’s go out front. I’ll raise the garage door. If we go through the kitchen, my children will want to come with us. They’re curious and ask so many questions.” They reminded her of her husband in that way. He’d always proclaimed that was what made him a good investigator—and what had probably led to his death. She shivered at the thought.

As she exited her office, laughter from the kitchen drifted to her. She smiled. No doubt Sammy and Camy were competing at clearing the dishes from the table.

“Your kids sound like they’re having fun.” Sean opened the front door.

“They love to compete with each other but are quick to stand up for one another when needed.” Aubrey put in her code on the pad at the garage. The noise of the door rising filled the quiet. She hoped her kids didn’t get curious at hearing the sound and want to check it out.

As she approached the rear of her car, she popped the trunk. The odor of the dead rat overwhelmed her even more than before. Shivering at the sight, she pinched her nose and gestured toward the rat.

Sean took pictures of it then put on gloves to handle the rat. “I need something to put this in. Can I use the bag your children’s clothes are in?”

“Sure.” She moved toward Sean and picked up the bag to remove the outfits. As she pulled them out, something dropped onto the concrete. She heard it before she saw what came out of the bag. Clutching the clothes against her chest, she intended to kneel and pick up whatever fell.

“I’ll get it.” After putting the bag with the rat on the floor, Sean squatted and reached under the vehicle. When he stood, he held his palm out flat toward Aubrey.

She stared at her husband’s hammered-gold wedding band with her name engraved in it. It had been missing since his murder.

The twins’ outfits fell to the concrete as her legs gave out.

TWO

Sean quickly clasped Aubrey’s upper arms and held her upright. Her wide, dark brown eyes stared through him while color drained from her beautiful face and her short dark hair lay in contrast to her pale skin. “What’s wrong?”

She shuddered, opening her mouth for a few seconds but shutting it before saying anything. She took the ring from his palm. Tears glistened in her eyes. She closed them and inhaled a deep breath.

“Aubrey?”

She swiped a wet tear track from her cheek, straightened her shoulders and looked at him. “That’s Samuel’s wedding ring. When he was murdered, the killer took his ring. My name is engraved inside. I didn’t think I would ever see it again, especially not among my children’s clothes.”

No wonder she was stunned. “So whoever left the rat was either your husband’s killer or knew the guy.”

“And neither is good news. Why now, after two years?”

“A connection between Villa’s trial and Samuel’s murder?”

“Possibly. Both involved drugs. Villa is a lieutenant of the Coastal Cartel.” Aubrey held up the ring. “And they’re sending me a message.”

Sean glanced over his shoulder to where his SUV was parked in the driveway. Darkness had settled over the landscape. “Let’s go inside and talk about this. What kind of security system do you have?”

“I have an alarm system with a couple of cameras inside, as well as motion detectors by the porch and garage.”

“Any cameras outside?”

Aubrey shook her head then turned her attention in the same direction. “What if they’re watching me?”

“You need to get a couple for the front and backyard.”

“I’ll call my company tomorrow and arrange for them to add them as soon as they can.”

Sean scooped up the clothes at their feet and gave them to her, then picked up the bag with the dead rat. “Go inside. I’m locking this in my vehicle, then we’ll talk some more.”

She nodded, but before she reached the garage entrance into the kitchen, a little boy with brown hair opened the door and poked his head out.

“Mama, I’m hiding from Abuela.” Sammy clamped his gaze on Sean, and his eyes grew big.

“Let’s get inside.” Aubrey hustled her son into the house and waited for Sean to leave the garage before putting the door down. “I’ll let you in at the front.”

Sean hurried to his SUV, his gaze sweeping the terrain for anything unusual. He assessed several places where someone could possibly hide and watch Aubrey’s house. Not only did he lock his rear door, but also the evidence box built into his car under the back mats. Then he headed for the porch and started to ring the bell.

Aubrey swung the door open before he could push the button. “I promised my son I would introduce you to him. He said you look like how his daddy looked in some of the pictures he’s seen. I told him you were a Texas Ranger like his dad, and he got all excited. Do you mind?”

“Not at all.” His older sister in Amarillo had two boys, ages seven and nine, as well as a five-year-old girl. He loved visiting them. “Where is he?”

“In the den with his sister and my mother.” She closed and locked the door. “This way.”

He followed Aubrey toward the back of the house, realizing he was over a foot taller than her.

Sammy stood in the entrance to the room with a big grin on his face. “Did ya know my daddy?”

“I met him once, but I really didn’t know him. Everyone says he was a great Texas Ranger.”

Sammy’s grin grew even bigger. “That’s what Mama says.” The little boy grabbed Sean’s hand and tugged him forward. “I gotta show ya somethin’.”

Sean accompanied the child as they crossed the room to the fireplace. The boy pointed at the mantel to a photo of his father, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a blue tie and an off-white cowboy hat.

“He has on his badge like you. And we have it!” Sammy pulled on Sean’s hand, guiding him to an end table with the star badge framed in a shadow box. “I’m gonna wear one when I grow up.” He thrust out his chest.

“I felt that way when I was a young boy.” Sean turned toward the little girl standing next to Aubrey. “And you must be Camy.”

She nodded but stepped closer to her mother. Seeing them side by side, he noted a strong resemblance between the two.

“She’s shy with strangers,” Sammy said.

Sean smiled and winked at Camy, whose eyes grew round as saucers.

“I’m Camilla Roberts, their grandma, or as Sammy has been saying lately, their abuela.” The petite older woman with black hair and the same dark brown eyes as Aubrey stood and held her hand out.

Sean shook it. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

“Camy and Sammy, it’s time to get ready for bed.” Camilla peered at her daughter. “The Texas Ranger is here to talk business with your mama.”

While Camy went to her grandmother, Sammy stood still. “I’m not sleepy. I want to stay.”

“Samuel Craig Madison, this isn’t negotiable. Go with Grandma now.” Aubrey’s firm voice emphasized the word now, which drew a big frown from her son, but Sammy left with his grandmother.

“Sorry about that. My son takes his job as the man of the house very seriously. He thinks he’s supposed to know about everything that goes on here. Let’s go back to my office.”

As they left the den, Sean said, “I understand. My father died when I was fourteen. I was the oldest male. I have two sisters, one younger and one older, and a younger brother. I thought I needed to protect them and be the man of the house, too.” Yet he hadn’t been able to protect his youngest sibling. He’d failed to accomplish his dad’s last request.

“Sammy’s only four and a half. He got that idea from a kid at church about six months ago.”

“Kids are growing up too fast today.”

“You don’t have to tell this mother.” Aubrey walked toward the doorway. “I need to put these new clothes in the washing machine. The idea that someone might have handled them in addition to the faint odor of a dead rat are more than enough reasons to wash them before they wear them.”

Sean glanced up and down the hallway before asking, “I wish you had answers to your husband’s death. It’s hard to get closure when there are so many unknowns. Do you mind telling me again about what happened? I haven’t had a chance to work on his case for a couple of months.” The influx of drugs had increased in the past few months, and he was determined to do what he could to stop the flow. He often wished there was more time in a day to do all he wanted. He’d even neglected Jack’s missing-person case.

“Sure. Have you had dinner yet?”

“No. When you called, I’d just arrived home.” He entered the kitchen.

“Knowing my mama, she put the leftovers in the refrigerator for me to have later. It won’t take long to heat them up in the microwave. It’s lasagna. Mama is a great cook, a trait I haven’t inherited from her.” She crossed to the utility room and disappeared inside.

Like the rest of the house, the kitchen was clean and neat, with little evidence they had just eaten dinner. He was glad that Aubrey had help with her children. He’d been there for his mother after his father died in a ranch accident. He’d tried his best to do what his dad had done at the family’s ranch and go to high school, then later college. Being a parent was hard, but being a single one was even more difficult. Reflecting on Sammy showing him the picture of his father and his badge brought a smile to Sean’s face. But then he remembered Camy’s shyness, and he thought about his younger sister, who’d been a lot like Aubrey’s daughter.

When Aubrey returned to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator, she shot him a look around the door. “Are you really hungry? There’s a lot here.”

He nodded. “I’m always really hungry when it’s a home-cooked meal. Can I help?”

“Put this plate into the microwave on three and a half minutes, please.” She gave him her meal with plastic wrap covering it.

Ten minutes later, they were seated across from each other at the table in the alcove. The aroma of lasagna teased his senses, but before digging in, he bowed his head and said a silent prayer for help from God in solving what was going on with the dead rat and Aubrey’s husband’s wedding ring. He didn’t have a good feeling about this. Someone was playing games—possibly deadly ones—with her, and it was likely connected to the cartel.

When he looked up, their gazes connected. He realized she’d been praying, too. Sean took a bite of his dinner, savoring the delicious Italian dish. “Mmm. Tell your mom this is great.”

Aubrey smiled. “I will. She loves to hear that. Once she thought about being a chef and having her own restaurant.”

“Why didn’t she?”

Her smile vanished. “My husband was killed. She told me the deal fell through, but I’ve always wondered if that was the case.”

“Speaking of your husband, tell me again what you recall about his death.”

She scooped up a forkful of lasagna and ate it. “When he didn’t come home from work, I tried getting in touch with him, and it went to voice mail. I left a message to call me. I thought I would get a return call, but as the night turned into the next day, I knew something was terribly wrong. Even before the kids were born, he always kept in regular touch with me throughout the day. I called the Weslaco office to see if they knew anything. They didn’t but said they would look into it and get back to me. I then called the Port Bliss Police Department and reported my concerns. That day was the longest twenty-four hours I’ve ever gone through.”

Around the time of her husband’s death, Sean had received the notification of his brother’s disappearance. When the police described Jack’s destroyed apartment and the blood at the scene, he’d known his brother was probably killed, especially given some of the people he’d associated with. “Do you know what Samuel was working on? When I took over shortly after his death, I only found two open cases he’d been looking into.”

“Which ones?” Aubrey reached for her iced tea.

“A shipment of guns missing and the disappearance of Jack McNair.”

She stopped in mid-motion and looked toward him. “Any relationship to you?”

“My younger brother. Did Samuel ever talk about him? There wasn’t a lot in the case file on his death.” On the side, he’d been searching for any information on his missing brother and had come up empty. According to everyone he’d talked to, Jack just vanished one day.

“Not that I can remember. When Samuel died, everything got crazy. I felt for months that all I was doing was going through the motion of living. Attending his funeral was one of the hardest things I’ve done. The coffin was closed due to the grisly nature of the murder.”

The pain in her expression and voice twisted Sean’s gut. From the pictures of Jack’s apartment, his little brother had been tortured, too. He wanted to know why. After two years of searching for answers, Sean hadn’t come close to solving his death, nor Samuel Madison’s.

“I couldn’t even box up Samuel’s possessions. Mama took care of that while I was trying to act like everything was all right for Camy’s and Sammy’s sakes and trying to keep up with two toddlers who didn’t understand where their daddy was.” She stared at her half-eaten lasagna for a long moment then lifted her head, looking right at him. “And now someone returned my husband’s wedding ring. It doesn’t make any sense. Why now?”

“If I knew that, I could figure out who killed him.”

“I want justice for my husband, but dragging it all up again also brings pain.”

“I know. I feel the same way about my younger brother.” Sean finished the last bite of his lasagna. “I need to leave, but if you think of anything more I should know, please call me. And if you receive another threat, call immediately.”

Aubrey rose and stacked his empty plate on hers. “I will. Should I notify the local police?”

He brought their glasses to the sink. “Yes, and the sheriff’s office. The guards at the courthouse need to be aware of what happened. I’ll be talking with the police chief and the sheriff about the incident. Tomorrow I’ll go look at the security tapes to see if there’s anyone acting suspicious. Also, I’ll check at Sweet Haven. It’ll give me a good reason to have a chocolate ice-cream cone. I might just have a triple-dip one. I haven’t been there for months, not like someone I know.” He grinned, winked and picked up his cowboy hat then set it on his head.

Aubrey accompanied him to the entry hall. “I appreciate you coming over. I wasn’t sure what I should do.”

He stepped out onto the porch and turned back to her. “Ma’am, it’s my pleasure to help you.” He tipped his cowboy hat then left her.

When he slid behind the steering wheel, he swung his attention to the front door. Aubrey still stood there, her petite body framed in the entrance. She had a reputation of being a tough judge, but at the moment there was nothing tough about her. Her vulnerability drew him to her.

As he drove away, he called the police chief. “Juan, I need a police car posted outside Judge Aubrey Madison’s house.”

“Why?”

Sean explained what had happened. “I’m looking into this threat, but with the trial she’s overseeing, she should have someone escort her to and from the courthouse as a precaution for the time being.”

“I’ll have one out there right away.”

“Thanks, Juan. I’ll keep you up-to-date on what I find out.”

“But you don’t have a good feeling about this?”

“No.” He thought about the recent cartel violence in the past few months. He was afraid Aubrey was caught up in the middle of what was going down. Bento Villa was the right-hand man for the head of the Coastal Cartel and like a son to Sanchez, who ran the whole organization from Mexico. Now the man was in jail and on trial for murder. And her husband’s murder had no doubt been carried out by a cartel member or possibly Villa, a hands-on leader, according to his informant.

* * *

Saturday morning before everyone else was up, Aubrey made another cup of tea and sat at the table, staring out into the backyard at the bright sunlit day. She’d gone through the house and opened all the blinds over the windows on the sides and rear of the house. She kept the front ones closed because there was a patrol car parked in her driveway.

When Sean called her last night to tell her about the police officer assigned to guard her, she’d had mixed feelings. Sammy had told her on a number of occasions that he was going to be a police officer when he grew up—just like his daddy. Having a police officer around would keep that dream in the foreground for Sammy. She didn’t want that for her son. She’d lost her husband to the job, and she didn’t want to lose anyone else to it. She’d even prayed for the Lord to change his mind before he was an adult.

With this new trial, she didn’t see any way around the protection. It had been a good move to have a police presence at her house to discourage anyone who wanted to do her harm. But she didn’t want Sammy to know she could be in danger.

“There’s police outside.” Sammy ran into the kitchen, still in his pajamas, with the biggest smile on his face. “Can I go out and say hi?”

“No. You’re in your pj’s.” Before she could say anything else, her son whirled around and raced out of the kitchen.

Aubrey started to go after him in case he decided to ignore what she said, but the sound of him stomping up the staircase stopped her. Most likely he was going upstairs to get dressed. She took a sip of tea then stood. Knowing Sammy, she headed for the entry hall and leaned back against the front door, arms crossed over her chest. Aubrey had left the alarm system on, and she didn’t want her son to trigger it if he tried to sneak outside. Both her mother and daughter were still sleeping. And as expected, he came down the steps, wearing shorts, a T-shirt and cowboy boots.

He didn’t notice her until she asked, “Where are you going?”

“To see if Brad can play.”

Sure, with a stop at the police car. “It’s too early, and you haven’t had breakfast.”

Sammy plopped down on the last step and frowned.

There was no way to hide the fact that a patrol car would be there for the time being. She didn’t want to scare her son, but she couldn’t ignore that she was being protected. “Tell you what. Let’s both go eat a bowl of cereal, and then I’ll get dressed and we’ll go out front to say hi to the police officer.”

Sammy jumped to his feet and ran toward the kitchen. Aubrey followed at a sedate pace, wishing she had her son’s energy.

It was an hour later before Aubrey opened the front door and her two kids raced outside and down the porch steps. She’d called the police to let the patrol officer know her kids wanted to meet him. She’d also received a text from Sean saying he was coming by, and he should be here soon. Heat suffused her face when she thought about the extra care she’d gone to when he texted her about seeing her today. She’d hurried back up the stairs and changed into a new pair of jeans and a white blouse instead of sweatpants and an old T-shirt.

While her twins sat in the front seat of the patrol car, the officer told them about the different things he did as a law enforcement officer. They got to turn on the red lights, but the young man stopped short of sounding the siren.

So intent on her children, she didn’t realize that Sean had parked along the curb and approached her until he said in a soft voice right behind her, “One day I’ll let them try the siren in my car.”

Her heartbeat tripled its rate, leaving Aubrey sucking in shallow breaths. With a laptop bag slung over his shoulder, Sean moved to her side while the officer showed her kids the equipment in the trunk. Sammy was smiling from ear to ear while Camy began looking bored. Aubrey turned toward Sean. “Did you find out who put the rat in my car?”

“Not who, but at least where he did it, I believe. I went through all the surveillance tapes available last night and this morning. After talking to you, I left here and went to the courthouse to look at its surveillance tapes. Nothing happened in its parking lot that I could tell, but your vehicle was parked in a blind spot at Sweet Haven. I went by the ice-cream parlor first thing this morning. Their security cameras were focused on the front and back doors and inside the place, not the parking lot. They didn’t show anything unusual. I’ve obtained traffic cam footage around the time you went to Sweet Haven and would like you to view it with me. The rat must have been placed in your trunk during the twenty minutes you were inside the ice-cream parlor. Did you notice a car following you when you left at lunchtime yesterday?”

“No, but I have to confess—” she paused, hating to admit she’d been careless “—I wasn’t paying attention. I was relishing getting away from the courthouse for an hour. I’ve felt so confined since the Villa trial started.”

“For a good reason. Bento Villa is high up in the Coastal Cartel and its drug ring component.”

“He sure isn’t cooperating with the prosecution. He was offered a good deal in exchange for information on the cartel. He refused it. Not that I thought he would take a deal.” Thinking about the threat now hanging over her, she approached the police officer. “Sammy and Camy, it’s time to go back inside. What do you say to Officer Carter?”

“Thank you,” Sammy said in a loud voice that half the neighborhood probably heard, while Camy mumbled her thanks.

“I appreciate you doing this,” Aubrey said then tried to corral her two children toward the front porch. Finally Sammy glued himself to Sean while Camy took Aubrey’s hand and practically dragged her toward the house.

“Is your car like that?” Sammy asked Sean, slowing his pace.

Sean patted Sammy’s shoulder and kept walking right behind Aubrey. “Similar.”

Her son pointed to the top of Sean’s SUV. “Where’s your siren?”

“Inside the vehicle. I stick it on top if I need to.”

At the bottom of the steps, Sammy’s forehead winkled. “But no one will know you’re a policeman.”

Sean chuckled and proceeded up the steps to the porch. “Sometimes I don’t want them to know.”

Aubrey held the front door open. “Hurry up, Sammy, or the mosquitoes will invade the house. You know how much they love biting me.”

“Me, too,” Camy said and hurried into the house and down the hall toward the kitchen.

When everyone was inside, Aubrey shut the door and locked it. Her son remained next to Sean. “Sammy, I need to talk to him. Grandma is fixing breakfast.”

He stuck out his bottom lip. “I already had cereal.”

“That was to tide you over until Grandma got up to fix our big breakfast we have on Saturday as a family.” Her mother also did it Sunday before church. She drew in a deep breath. “It smells like pancakes, probably chocolate chip.”

Sammy took off for the kitchen.

“He has two speeds, fast or slow. Usually with no in between.” Aubrey gestured toward her office. “We can talk in here.”

Inside the room, she closed the door. “I appreciate your quick response on this. Anything I can do to help, I will. Let’s look at the traffic cam footage. Maybe it’ll jog my memory.”

“I hope so.” He made his way to the couch and sat. After he took out his laptop, she joined him on the love seat. Sitting next to him, only inches away, caused her heart to beat faster. A faint musky scent wafted to her as she tried to focus on the video.

“I’m starting when you left the courthouse, and we’ll follow your trip as best as we can, since Port Bliss only has traffic cams in the downtown area and a few roads in and out of town.”

The sight of a white sedan a couple of cars behind her while she drove from the clothing store to Sweet Haven nagged at her mind. When she drove into the parking lot on the side of the ice-cream parlor, the white car passed on by, not even slowing down. For the next twenty minutes, she kept expecting to see it, but she didn’t.

“I thought for a moment the person in the white sedan might be following me, but it kept going.”

“Why did you think that?”

“Because...” Her voice faded as she searched her mind, trying to remember why it had bothered her. Other cars had been behind her. Why that one?

Because the white car had been in the parking lot at the clothing store and pulled out into traffic when she left the shop—it was the only vehicle that started following her from there.

THREE

Sean rewound the video footage, paused it and zoomed in on the white vehicle, trying to make out the license plate. The last three numbers were 249, but he couldn’t make out the first part of it. “Is there something that makes you suspicious of that car?”

Aubrey sat back on the couch. “When I saw it on the screen, it provoked a memory. I don’t remember seeing it when it was behind me. It was at least six cars back and hidden from my view in the rearview mirror. But when I left the parking lot at the clothing store, that white car pulled into it. The person must have turned around fast to be behind me when I went to Sweet Haven.”

“Did you see the driver?”

“I glanced for maybe a second or two in that direction. The glass was tinted too dark to make out the driver.”

“White is the most common color for a vehicle. What makes you think the one in the parking lot is the same car on this footage?”

“The driver’s-side back fender has a dent in it.” Aubrey leaned forward and tapped the computer screen. “There.”

Sean focused onto the area she indicated. “It’s a Chevy Malibu. So the driver must have turned around in the clothing store parking lot as you said and quickly pulled back out into the traffic. I’ll follow up on this and see who owns the car.”

She smiled. “I’m glad you could tell what make it was, because all I saw was a white car.”

He chuckled. “It’s a man thing.” He punched the key to forward the video. “He didn’t park near the Sweet Haven Parlor.”

“But he could have driven around to the street behind Sweet Haven and parked there, then made his way to where my car was. The lot was almost full. I parked at the back in the last space.”

“There are a lot of ice-cream lovers in Port Bliss.” Sean closed his laptop and turned slightly toward her—only inches separated them. A blush tinted her cheeks pink. The dark brown—almost black—in her eyes transfixed him for a long moment.

Finally she slid her gaze away. “Sweet Haven also has sandwiches for the lunchtime crowd.”

Until that moment, he hadn’t realized he was holding his breath. He inhaled deeply and rose. “I’ll keep you updated on what I find.”

“What about the police officer outside? How long is he staying?”

“If you go somewhere, an officer will follow you while another one will remain at your house.”

“What do I say to Sammy, who’ll ask me a ton of questions about the officer being around?”

“That you’re an important part of a case.”

“What case?”

“A secret one? Kids love secrets.”

“Do you have children?”

“No. I’m not married.” He had been once, but that ended the day he walked in on his wife with another man. He’d wanted to try to work it out, but she didn’t. They had gotten married too young, not even a full year after high school, where they had dated for their junior and senior years. She changed a lot, but so did he. He hadn’t realized how much until that moment of finding her with a man in their house.

“Once I tell Sammy it’s a secret, I’ll never have any peace. He’ll want to know every detail.”

He towered over Aubrey, still sitting on the couch. “Then simply tell him...” Sean couldn’t think of anything to say. “I have two nephews and one niece but haven’t seen them as much as I used to when I lived in Amarillo. You’ll figure something out.”

“I’m glad you have so much confidence in me.” Her gaze latched onto his.

And he couldn’t look away. There was something about her that had kept him up a good part of last night viewing the courthouse surveillance tapes and the traffic cams all around the places she went yesterday. Then early this morning, he got up and called the owner of Sweet Haven Parlor about their video footage. The man agreed to meet Sean at his store. He was there before the owner arrived. It gave him an opportunity to look around the building and parking lot next to it.

Breaking eye contact, he stepped back, and in response to her last comment, he said, “Your reputation as a judge is excellent. Tough but fair.”

“Some think those two words are opposites.” She stood and smiled. “But thank you. Coming from a law enforcement officer, your words mean a lot to me.”

The temperature in the room seemed to rise. He moved back another couple of feet and bumped into the chair across from the couch, then tipped his hat. “I’ll keep you informed. ’Bye.” He started for the office door.

“You forgot something.”

His laptop. Heat burned his cheeks from embarrassment. He slowly rotated toward her and grabbed his computer. “Thanks.”

When he left the house, he headed to the police officer sitting in his car in the driveway. “Officer Carter, call me if there’s anything odd going on.” He handed the younger man his business card. “And have the officer who replaces you do the same.”

“Yes, sir. It’s been quiet. The only things that have happened are Judge Madison’s kids coming out here and you arriving.”

“Let’s hope it stays that way.” Sean strode to his SUV and climbed into the driver’s seat.

He drove to the police station, not far from the courthouse, to see the police chief, who usually worked Saturday mornings. Sean found him in his office and shook hands with him.

“Officer Carter says everything is quiet at the judge’s house. What can I do for you?” Chief Juan Perez asked.

“I’d like your officers to be on the lookout for a white Chevy Malibu, most likely a recent model with a dent in its driver’s-side back fender near the bumper. I have a partial Texas license plate number. The last three digits are two four nine. I’m heading to my office to run the information through the DMV, and I’ll let you know what I find. I believe the driver was responsible for putting the dead rat and the judge’s deceased husband’s lost wedding ring in her car trunk yesterday.”

“Sure, I’ll let my police force know. Anything to help Judge Madison. I want the trial of Villa to go smoothly. Has anyone approached her about it?”

“No. I’m not sure this has anything to do with Bento Villa. A judge can sway a verdict in some cases, but there are other ways to change the outcome of a trial that are more effective. How are the people testifying against Villa doing?”

“Okay. The US Marshals are protecting the main person in an undisclosed place. In Villa’s case, there’s a lot of forensic evidence, as well as a video taken by a bystander.” The police chief leaned forward and rested his elbows on his desk. “Could this have anything to do with her husband’s murder?”

“Maybe, especially with returning the wedding ring. But why now, after two years have passed? I’ve been working on the case off and on since I came here, and not much new information has turned up.”

“The crime didn’t happen in my jurisdiction. I’m glad you’re working it. Samuel was a good man.”

“And the family should have closure.” He of all people realized that, since there was no resolution to what had happened to his brother. Sean pushed to his feet. “Thanks again for the officer sitting outside the judge’s house. I need to get to the courthouse before it shuts down for the weekend.”

“Leave the information about the white car with my sergeant. He can run down the information you need and call you.”

“Thanks.” Sean left the police chief’s office and stopped to give Sergeant Vic Daniels what he would need to run down the vehicle. Then Sean decided to walk to the courthouse across the street.

The day was perfect, with temperatures in the low seventies and a light breeze from the Gulf with smells he relished—fresh with a hint of brine. He circled the building before going inside, assessing its security before he went to the employee parking lot behind the courthouse. There were a handful of vehicles in that lot. He noted where Aubrey’s car was yesterday and the locations of all the security cams. She obviously hadn’t parked with the thought of making sure her car was in full view of the surveillance cameras. On Monday, that would need to change. As well, he would have a chat with the person who monitored the video feed. As he studied the best places where a deputy sheriff could be stationed near the rear exit, the sense of being watched rippled down his spine. He whirled and scanned the back of the building.

Someone had been at a window on the second floor looking outside but jumped back when he turned. It happened so fast, he couldn’t even identify the person as a male or female. Aubrey’s office was on that floor. He hurried into the courthouse and raced up the nearby stairs.

When he arrived in front of the entrance to Judge Madison’s office, the door was ajar. Sean removed his gun and kicked the door wide-open, scanning the room as he moved forward. He turned slightly to the left and swept his gaze over a sitting area and a bookcase with every shelf filled, then onto the large desk with two chairs in front of it.

As he twisted toward the right, a large figure clad in black lunged for him. The assailant raised his arm. In a split second, a hard object crashed into Sean’s skull.

* * *

Aubrey slid the cookie sheet into the preheated oven, then straightened, her glance bouncing from the flour all over the counter to the vanilla spilled next to the sugar. Then she swung her attention to Sammy and Camy. The ingredients that went into making the cookies covered them from head to toe.

“Camy, you need to take off your shoes. You have an egg all over one of them. When did that happen?” Probably when she’d gone to answer her cell phone. She shouldn’t have turned her back to answer it, though she’d hoped it was Sean with good news about the car. And it had been him, but with no updates concerning the white vehicle.

Her daughter glanced down and giggled. “Oops. Sorry. I wanted to crack one since Sammy did.”

Her son puffed out his chest. “Mine didn’t end up on the floor.” He shook his head, sending more flour flying. “Who called earlier?”

“Texas Ranger McNair. As soon as Grandma gets back from church, I’m going down to the courthouse. A police officer is coming to pick me up.” What had happened at the courthouse that Sean needed her there?

Sammy’s eyes widened. “Can we go and use the siren?”

“No. This is business.”

Camy’s face scrunched up. “Business?”

The sound of the garage door going up indicated her mother was home. Aubrey hurried to clean up the mess while she said, “Go change and bring me your dirty clothes and, Camy, your tennis shoe with egg on it.”

As she swiped a wet dishcloth over the floor where the egg had fallen, Aubrey realized this extra-messy kitchen was her fault in part because she hadn’t kept her attention on her children as she usually did when they cooked together. She’d known better, but she’d promised to do something fun with them. She hadn’t counted on Sean distracting her from afar. Then he called and said a police officer would be over to pick her up, and her full attention on her children vanished. He didn’t say anything else, but the urgency in his voice indicated he hadn’t told her everything. Something was wrong.

Her mother’s chuckles coming from the entrance to the utility room pulled her focus from scooping up the last of the eggshells scattered everywhere. “Did a hurricane hit this kitchen while I was gone?”

“Yep. Hurricane Camy merged with Hurricane Sammy.”

“I met Officer Adams as he pulled up to the house. He’s here to pick you up. You might want to change your clothes while I finish taking care of this mess.” Her mother’s nose twitched. “What’s burning?”

“Oh!” Aubrey shot to a standing position, grabbed the mitts and hurriedly took out of the oven the sheet full of slightly burned sugar cookies. “You know me and cooking.”

“Go. I’ll take care of this. Where are the kids?”

“Changing,” Aubrey said as she headed out of the kitchen.

As the bell rang, her son barreled down the stairs, beating her to the front door and pulling it open. She knew Officer Cal Adams, her escort to the courthouse. After asking the police officer to wait while she changed, Aubrey hastened to her bedroom and quickly threw on a pair of clean jeans and a T-shirt from the University of Texas. She made it back to the foyer within five minutes.

“Sammy, go in the kitchen and help your grandmother. Where’s Camy? She wasn’t in her room.”

Sammy frowned and pointed toward the kitchen, then trudged down the hall.

Officer Adams grinned for a second before his expression became somber. “I think he’s a bit disappointed I wouldn’t let him go with us and turn on the siren. Tell Sammy we will another time. Texas Ranger McNair wanted you at the courthouse as soon as possible.”

She walked beside Cal. “What’s going on?”

“Someone was in your office.”

“Who?”

“Don’t know, but the person hit Texas Ranger McNair over the head.”

“You should have told me right away. Was it bad? Did Sean get it looked at?”

Cal shook his head. “He isn’t leaving your office, but he did clean it up. He says he’s all right.”

“Is he?”

“I predict he’ll have a goose-egg knot on the side of his head, but I think he’ll be okay. He didn’t pass out totally.”

“Totally?” Her heart began to race as she thought of one question after another: Who was in her office? Why? What were they after? But above all, was Sean really all right?

“Yeah, he was a little dizzy.”

Her mother came into the entry hall. “What are your plans?”

“I’m going to my office for a while.” Aubrey glanced past her mama to make sure Sammy and Camy weren’t behind her listening. “Someone broke into it. I’m meeting Sean there.”

“Does the break-in have to do with the trial?”

“Possibly.”

“Please be careful, honey. I’ll lock the door behind you and set the alarm. Then I need to get back to the kitchen. Sammy is holding the dustpan while Camy is sweeping the floor, which means she’s rearranging where the flour is on the tile.”

On the drive to the courthouse, Aubrey went over the events of the past twenty-four hours. When she arrived home yesterday, she’d been tired and concerned about the Villa trial. Now it was more than concern that pestered her. Was Samuel’s murder tied to what was happening now? His wedding ring must mean it was—which raised the stakes of this trial even more.

Cal escorted her to her office on the second floor. A deputy sheriff who worked at the courthouse stood outside the door. When she entered, both of them stayed in the corridor while she looked at Sean sitting in a chair in front of her desk.

He glanced over his shoulder and attempted a smile that fell short. “Thanks for coming.”

She walked to the other chair beside him and took a seat. “I heard you were hit, and from what I see it must be hurting. Can I get you a bag of ice or something else?”

“I took a couple of aspirin. Really, I’m fine. I’ve had worse. I’m just mad I couldn’t catch him.”

“You ran after him?”

“I tried, but by the time I stood and got my bearings, he was gone. I decided to stay. I didn’t want to leave your office unprotected.”

She surveyed the area. “It doesn’t look like he took anything obvious. I’ll need to go through my desk and files to make sure, though.”

“If something was taken, it might help us determine what’s going on here. I’ll check the video feed later to see if I can tell how he got inside and possibly who he is, but that’s a long shot. The brief glimpse I got was of a man with a ski mask on.”

“I’ll start with my desk. The computer is here, but I’ll check to see if he got on it. I’ll ask maintenance to change my lock immediately.”

“I already have. One that will be harder to pick. The lock you have is an old one, and I think that’s how he got in here. Who has a key to your office right now?”

“An assistant I share with Judge Rodriquez and Maintenance. You think it was one of them?”

“No, there were fresh scratch marks on the lock. But until I find out what’s going on, you should have the only key. I did look at your file cabinets, and I didn’t see any evidence he picked those locks, but you should still check everything in them. He risked breaking into your office for some reason. What was it?”

Aubrey made her way around to the other side of her desk and sat in her black stuffed chair. Sean started to rise, and she quickly said, “You stay there. I can do this. If I need you, I’ll let you know.” She opened the top left drawer and went through the personal items she kept in it. “After I’ve gone through my office, I’ll drive your car and take you to the ER to make sure you’re okay.”

He opened his mouth to reply, but she held up her palm. “No arguments on that. If something is wrong and you didn’t get help, it would be my fault.” She shut the top drawer and reached for the bottom one.

Their gazes clashed. A war of emotions played across his face while Aubrey pulled the second compartment out.

A rattling sound sent shivers down her body as she stared at the coiled rattlesnake, poised to strike.

FOUR

The sound of a rattlesnake shaking his tail reverberated through the office. Sean shoved to his feet while drawing his gun. Eyes wide, Aubrey leaped to her feet, thrusting her chair back at the same time the snake launched itself at her. Sean raised his weapon and shot the reptile. It fell to the floor as he rushed around the desk to Aubrey. The sudden movements sent the room tilting. He clutched the ledge of the desk and steadied himself.

The office door slammed open, and both guards aimed their guns into the room. Sean pivoted toward them. “I need a first-aid kit and something to take a dead rattlesnake to the hospital. I’m calling 911.”

One deputy sheriff turned and left while the other stood inside the entrance. “Where was it?”

“In a desk drawer. This office will need to be thoroughly searched in case there’s something else dangerous in here.” Aubrey held her arm against her chest, the color washing from her face. Blood oozed from the bite wound on her forearm.

As he peered at the snake to make sure it was dead, Sean clasped her shoulders, guiding her back and sitting her down in her chair. “Hold your arm still and let it bleed.” After calling 911 and requesting an ambulance, he said, “I want you to limit your movements. Help is on the way. I need to find a bag or container to take the snake to the hospital. That way they’ll know exactly what bit you.”

Aubrey stared at the rattlesnake. “First a rat and now a snake. Was this the purpose of the break-in?”

“Probably, but the crime might have been done for other reasons, too. Stay seated.” Sean removed his tie and made a sling for Aubrey. “This will help keep your arm still.” When he obtained a first-aid kit, he would place a sterile bandage over the wound. “I need to take off your rings on your left hand in case it swells.”

She started to lift her arm toward him, but he stopped her. “The less movement you make, the less the venom will circulate through your body. I’ll do it and keep them safe for you.” Gently he removed her wedding and engagement rings and stuffed them in his pants pocket.

She looked up at him, sweat beading on her face. “Thanks.”

“Let me know if your vision blurs or you become dizzy.”

Aubrey attempted a smile, but it didn’t last a second. “That’s what I should be saying to you.”

“The paramedics will be here soon.”

“If I’m going to the hospital, you need to go, too.”

“You don’t need to worry about me.”

“Sorry, I am.”

The deputy sheriff who left to get the first-aid kit and paper bag hurried into the office and gave them to Sean. “I’m going downstairs to wait for the ambulance.”

“I appreciate it.”

As he left, Sean found a clean bandage and placed it over her wound, then he took the sack and placed the dead snake in it.

“After we’re looked at, we need to come back here and see if the intruder took anything, especially concerning Villa’s trial.”

Sean plopped the bag onto the desk. “We?”

“I’m the only one who can tell you if something is missing or added. You can’t do it without me.”

“You’ll have to stay in the hospital,” he said as a bead of sweat rolled down her face.

“Maybe not. I hope I don’t.”

“My best friend was bit by a rattlesnake once. He was in the hospital for a few days.”

“But my family needs—”

The door opening stopped her words. She glanced at the paramedics rolling a gurney into the office.

Sean leaned down and whispered into her ear, “I’ll take care of your family. Don’t worry about them. Focus on your recovery.”

“Promise me you’ll get your head wound checked out.”

Her look of appeal made it impossible to say no. As the paramedics moved the desk to give them more room, Sean smiled and cupped her shoulder. “I will.”

While the EMTs readied her to be transported to the hospital, Sean called the police officer on duty at her house, Officer Carter. After explaining what had happened, he said, “I want you to bring them to the hospital when she’s admitted.”

“The kids, too?”

Sean turned his back to Aubrey. “Leave that up to Camilla Roberts. If the kids stay at the house, have the other officer stay and guard them. Let your police chief know, and have another officer at the house with her children. There’s no doubt Judge Madison is being targeted. Someone wants to harm her.”

* * *

Aubrey lay in her hospital bed, staring at the window with its blinds closed. The pain medication and muscle relaxer were starting to work. She prayed that the antivenin would, too, and quickly. She switched her attention to her left arm, which had a red streak moving up it. The nurse was marking how much it was spreading every hour.

She wished she knew more about rattlesnake bites. She wished she knew how Sean was doing. All she wanted to do was leave the hospital. She hated being here. The last couple days had made her think about Samuel and his murder. He’d left for work one morning, and she never saw him again.

Her eyelids grew heavy. She needed to stay awake. What if someone came in here and completed the job the rattlesnake had been planted in her office to do? But she couldn’t keep her eyes open any longer. As she began to drift off, the sound of her door opening jerked Aubrey away from sleep.

She looked toward the entrance and didn’t recognize the person entering. Instantly she fumbled for the call button. The man was dressed in blue scrubs with a name tag, but he hadn’t been in her room before. After what had happened the last twenty-four hours, she couldn’t shake her suspicions.

“I’m your nurse this evening. I wanted to check in with you.” He stopped next to her bed and peered at her left arm. “It looks like the red line is slowing down.”

She didn’t know what to say. Her heartbeat doubled its rate. Where was Sean?

“How are you feeling? Is the pain medication helping?” He moved even closer.

Words stuck in her throat. She kept replaying the rattlesnake attack while pressing the call button.

The door opened. The nurse swiveled his attention toward the entrance. “Judge Madison, I’m Deputy Sheriff Simpson. I’ve been assigned to guard you. I’ll be right outside your door if you need me.” He started to leave.

She’d seen him at the courthouse. He was a familiar face. “Wait!”

The deputy sheriff paused and glanced at her.

“I have a couple of questions.”

Simpson approached her.

Aubrey stiffened and slanted a look at the nurse. “I’m fine. Thanks,” she said in a dismissing voice.

He lifted his gaze to the deputy sheriff, then said, “If you need anything, push the call button.”

The second he left, Aubrey relaxed, releasing a long sigh.

“Is something wrong, Judge Madison?” the deputy sheriff asked.

“After what happened at the courthouse, I’m anxious. Please make sure that whoever comes in here works here.”

His forehead wrinkled. “Did that nurse give you any problems?”

“He was a stranger. That’s the first time I saw him. Something didn’t feel right.”

“Ma’am, his outfit is similar to others on the floor, and he had a name tag.”

“Deputy Simpson, after today I’m suspicious of everyone.”

“I understand. I’ll check into who he is.”

“Thank you.”

When the door closed behind the deputy sheriff, Aubrey lifted her shaky right hand and couldn’t stop it from quivering.

* * *

Sean finally left the emergency room after being checked out. The test confirmed what he already knew—a concussion. He’d had one before and knew what it felt like. He was more concerned about Aubrey. A nurse told him she’d been taken to a room on the second floor. One reason he headed upstairs was to make sure the deputy sheriff assigned to guard her room was in place. But his main purpose was to see how Aubrey was doing. No one would tell him anything in the ER, even though they’d come into the hospital together.

Exiting the elevator, Sean immediately spied Deputy Simpson. Sean had requested him since he was one of the deputy sheriffs who worked at the courthouse. Aubrey would be familiar with him. While waiting to be treated, he’d talked with Police Chief Juan Perez and Sheriff Don Bailey to coordinate law enforcement officers guarding the judge during Bento Villa’s trial. It was clear she was in danger, and the dead rat pointed to the Coastal Cartel. Later he would meet with his informant to see what he’d heard about the trial and the judge.

Sean stopped next to Simpson at the nurses’ station down the hall from Aubrey’s room. Why wasn’t he at her door?

Simpson glanced at Sean then resumed his conversation with a nurse behind the counter. “Where is your nurse Chris Newton?”

“Chris called in sick today.”

“Is there a problem?” Sean asked when he saw the surprised look on Simpson’s face.

Keeping an eye on a room down the hall, Simpson answered, “He was with Judge Madison a few minutes ago in her room. At least his name tag said Chris Newton.”

Sean started down the corridor, saying, “Get a picture of Newton and see if it was him or an impostor.”

Simpson had left Aubrey unguarded in her room when he went to the nurses’ station. When Sean had arrived, the deputy sheriff had his head turned away from her room while talking with the woman. Even if only for a couple of minutes, his action could have put her in jeopardy. Sean drew his gun, approaching 214 as though there was a crime in progress. He burst into her room, his gaze sweeping the area.

Aubrey’s eyes grew round. “What’s wrong?”

“Anyone in the bathroom?”

“No.”

Sean moved to her bed, standing on the side that gave him a view of the whole room and the door. He told her about the nurse being out sick today. His hand on his weapon tightened. “Simpson is seeing if there’s a photo of him to check if the person in here was Chris Newton.”

Aubrey closed her eyes for a moment. “I knew something was wrong. That’s why I asked Deputy Simpson to check on the nurse.”

The red streak moving up her arm caught Sean’s attention. “What did the doctor say?”

“I need to stay until they make sure the antivenin has taken care of the poison in my body. I want to go home, but the doctor says I’ll probably be here for a couple of days. After what just happened, I don’t want to stay.”

“You’ll have twenty-four-hour protection from now on. Someone will be outside your door.”

“Someone I know, like Deputy Simpson?”

“Yes, and I’ll be here some of the time.” He would make sure Simpson and any guard understood the importance of not moving from the door.

“What about my mother and children?”

“I’ve taken care of that. Two people will be guarding them at all times.”

“Thank you. I won’t be intimidated by anyone behind this, but having my family protected makes me feel better.” She stared at her left arm. “This cartel hasn’t gone after many judges. Why now?”

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