Marco stood in the kitchen with a clean rag to his wound. Shoulder, shot through and through. A chair was overturned, cold food set on the counter, and blood splatters covered the floor and back door handle. Grabbing a bottle of water and some over-the-counter pain pills, he headed out the door, only minutes behind them. He coaxed Puff to go home. He couldn’t waste another minute. But he would catch up.
He wasn’t done with this conversation and he sure wasn’t letting Diego take Amelia across the state line.
He saw the sheriff hurrying toward the house, so he filled him in on what had happened. “Diego took her hostage. I’m going after them.”
“That’s a bad—”
Marco didn’t wait to hear the sheriff’s words.
He knew the deputies would work fast, dusting for prints, taking blood samples, checking each room and searching for clues. They had enough physical evidence to get Diego on kidnapping if nothing else.
The sky lit with a lightning bolt, followed by a hard roll of thunder.
“Yeah, I know the feeling.” Marco gunned the gas and reminded himself of Amelia’s strength. “She’s smart. She probably left her prints everywhere.”
He sped along the narrow road, going far too fast for the upcoming curves.
Then he spotted the truck stopped up ahead.
His heart went cold when he recognized the spot—where Daniel had died. Skidding in some rocks, he left his truck running and hurried to the other vehicle. It had been smashed into a tree. Not the big oak across the road, but one sturdy enough to cause damage. The motor smoked and coughed, and both doors were open.
But Amelia and Diego were nowhere to be found.
Marcus hurried to shut his truck down and grab more ammo. Then he headed into the woods and saw two sets of tracks and a few bloodstains on green leaves, his worst fears tugging at him. They’d had a head start, but he could get to them if he hurried.
He heard a dashing sound moving toward him and held his gun out. Puff came running.
“Okay, you can help,” he told the dog. “And use your teeth.”
He and Puff followed the footprints leading back toward the river. Marco saw the flower-shaped imprints of Amelia’s boot soles and knew he was on the right track. Diego was taking her back across to her land now.
Marco made it to the river but lost the flower-shaped footprints about a fourth of a mile before the cave. A bolt of lightning crashed to the west, and then thunder rumbled. The sun disappeared behind the dark cloud. Puff barked and danced, ready to roll.
“Where did you go, Amelia?”
Amelia’s eyes burned with a sandpaper sharpness while drowsiness tried to take over. She needed water. She needed a plan, a way out of this mess. She’d come close when she’d ran into the river, hoping to get away.
But Diego had hurled himself after her and dragged her into a heavy thicket of vines and weeds that tore at her wet clothes and left welts on her face and arms.
They were inside the cave.
Diego was wired, ranting at times, then turning sweet and concerned at other times, his talk ranging from the ranch to his mother, then back to Amelia marrying him.
She pushed away a shiver that could turn into a panic attack if she didn’t control it. Did he actually think he could pull this off—her marrying him, letting him become Daniel? That was the plan of a madman. He was nothing like Daniel, and while she could empathize with his plight, she couldn’t forgive all the things he’d done in retaliation.
She’d die trying to stop him from hurting anyone else.
“Diego,” she finally said, “I’m tired and I need water.”
He looked surprised, his frown as dark and raging as the cloud over the horizon. “You don’t deserve water. If you try to run again, I’ll call the wedding off and let you die out here.”
The rain worked in Amelia’s favor, no matter how tired and sleepy she was. She’d tried to escape again earlier but he caught her when she tripped over an old limb. She heard sirens coming and going, people talking and shouting. People were trying to locate them. But not many knew of the cave.
The rain had picked up and now water flowed about six inches from where he’d forced her on a small outcropping that looked like a narrow bench set in the middle of the cave.
Amelia kept thinking she’d find a chance to run again, but she had no weapons left and her foot hurt. She’d never make it. The river water ran swift during these downpours.
She’d risk drowning to get away from him.
“Hey, I’m the one with the gun,” he reminded her, as if he could read her thoughts. “You must be thinking of that PI guy—Marcus, Milton, oh, wait, Marco. Yeah, he’s a real winner.”
She had to lie. “I’m only thinking of survival, because I really don’t want you harassing me and threatening me,” she shouted. “Now leave me alone.”
Diego grunted and lifted the gun away. “You’d better behave, Amelia, if you want to live till your wedding day.”
“That might be a while,” she shot back.
Diego shook his head. “Oh, didn’t I tell you? My mother is planning our wedding. We’ll get married as soon as we can get to Santa Fe.”
His laughter clattered against her nerves while a bright red warning jingled like the charm bracelet she’d left behind. What if Marco hadn’t found any of her clues?
Marco would forever be grateful for fancy flower-etched cowgirl boots with special soles that left flower imprints. He’d picked up their trail again and found a broken branch.
Which one of them had tripped over it?
Now there was an APB out on Diego, and Marco was getting closer to the cave. But the rain and darkness kept him guessing. He couldn’t use his phone flashlight. It was slow going but Puff stayed with him, picking up scents here and there.
Diego must have taken her around the cave and back to Parkview Ranch. Marco stopped and listened, the rain soaking him as he prayed.
I sure could use some guidance here, Lord. Please help me find Amelia. She’s a good woman and I love her. She’s shown me I have to have faith, so I’m going on that.
He kept praying while he searched. He’d texted Alan and told him what happened, and that the sheriff had people going over Parkview Ranch.
Now, his phone buzzed. “Alan, tell me you’ve heard from her.”
“Not Amelia, but you won’t believe this,” Alan said, out of breath.
Marco braced himself for the worst. “What now?”
“Kent Parker called, looking for Amelia. He’d left several messages earlier.”
“What?”
Alan went on. “He’s been with Rhoda for weeks, but not because he wanted to be there. She lured him back and things were good for a while. But he got suspicious when earlier tonight he inadvertently saw a text to Rhoda from Diego, stating, ‘I have her. Get ready for the wedding. Soon Amelia Garcia will be my wife and we’ll finally have both ranches.’”
Marco rubbed at his rain-wet skin. “Diego and Amelia?” He remembered Diego ranting about that. “He is seriously misguided.”
“Diego and Amelia,” Alan explained. “Kent took the boy in a few months after Daniel died but kept it on the downlow. Diego told him he didn’t want his mother to find him, and Kent was still in shock from losing Daniel.”
“Only Rhoda knew all along?” Marcus guessed.
“Apparently,” Alan said. “When Kent confronted her, she told him they could all be together again and that Diego would get his inheritance, that the Triple R was his by right.”
“So Kent is clueless in all of this?”
“Yes, he’d fallen for her tricks all over again and planned to remarry her. But she didn’t want to move back here just yet. She got him to Santa Fe by telling him she was worried about Diego. Before he left the ranch, Kent and Diego had a horrible fight and Diego told him it was all Rhoda’s fault that he was so messed up. Kent left to find out the truth. They both played him.”
Marco let that sink in. “So what is Kent going to do?”
“I don’t know. He’s not answering his phone now. His plane was about to land. He said he’d be here soon. I’m worried about him. Kent was going to call someone to alert the Texas authorities. I told him we were aware, and that Diego has Amelia.”
“And?”
“He only asked that we don’t kill Diego.”
“I might not be able to keep that promise,” Marco said. “My goal is to save Amelia.”
He ended the call and hurried back on his trek toward the cave. He’d start there and keep looking, and if he had to shoot Diego Parker, he’d do it.
Amelia had always believed in God’s hand in her life. Tonight, she’d prayed for a way out and she’d managed to shoot Diego and that had weakened him. Then she’d purposely wrecked the truck to give her a chance to run away. She’d left clues here and there, and Marco had found her. He’d find her again.
She had to keep believing that. She had the image of him lifting his head and looking at her. He had to be alive.
She pictured Marco on his way to find her now. She pictured Alan and Rosa praying for her, and she pictured Daniel’s smile, his words to her, “You can do this, Amelia. I love you.”
She missed him so much. Even more now. He shouldn’t have died that way. Now she needed to live—for him, for Leo and Siri, and for her parents. That had always been her goal.
Now, she thought of Marco again. He’d do everything in his power to see this through. She knew that. But she couldn’t live through seeing him die.
So she had to make a move. Diego was ranting about New Mexico. They could go several ways, but he wanted the fastest one. Highway 285 could get them to Santa Fe. If they could get out of this cave without anyone seeing them. They’d have to go to the Triple R and get a vehicle. After everyone was asleep and fewer law enforcement people were around.
Amelia listened to him, and she listened to the rain, the night creatures moving through the cave, all of it making her cringe. But Diego made her cringe the most. She wasn’t about to be forced into a farce of a marriage because she knew what would come next. She’d die some sort of horrible death and then Diego and Rhoda would have it all. Until their lies caught up with them.
She was about to make her move, when suddenly the choice was taken out of her hands. Puff came running into the cave, his bark aggressive, and jumped in the flowing water to swim right up to Diego. Then the wet dog jumped up and sank his teeth into Diego’s leg.
Diego shouted, “Stop!” He tried to kick Puff away, but the dog held tight, its dark eyes wide. Diego cursed and screamed, “Stop, you mangy mutt. I’ll shoot you!”
Amelia rebalanced herself, then grabbed at the gun Diego still held, wrestling with him while Puff went wild and showed his teeth. The dog refused to let go. Diego tried to hit Puff with the gun but dropped it. It bounced onto the outcropping and landed in a small crevice.
Muddy water soaked her boots as she stood, but Amelia bent toward the gun and grabbed it. Then she aimed it toward Diego. This time, he would not get away.
Marco had planned a surprise attack, but Puff had other ideas. He heard the dog snarling, heard a male’s voice. Puff had Diego. Marco hurried in the dark, using his phone light to guide him.
“Amelia?”
“I’m here, Marco. I’m here.”
He entered the cave, water rushing against his legs, and saw her standing there in the river’s flow, holding a gun on Diego. Puff growled, his teeth set against Diego’s dirty jeans.
“Get this mutt off me,” Diego cried.
Marco motioned to Amelia. “Come here where it’s safe.”
She shook her head, her eyes wild in the muted light. “No.”
Marco saw her pain, felt every bit of the agony she’d been through. He wouldn’t blame her, but she’d blame herself. “Amelia, I have him now. You don’t need to do this.”
“Yes, I do,” she said, her tone firm and calm. Too calm. “He’s killed everyone I love.”
Marco inched closer. “And he’ll pay. In a jail cell for the rest of his life.”
Diego struggled to stand, worked desperately to toss Puff away. “I should have killed you both that first night at the cabin.”
“Yeah, you sure messed up there, didn’t you?” Marco said, moving closer.
“Amelia, give me the gun.”
“No. I can’t let him go again.”
“Puff and me, we got this,” Marco said. “And the authorities are on their way.”
Amelia didn’t want to give up the gun. She’d worked so hard to stay alive, to have this moment. Her hand shook, the trigger cold against her fingers. Would she feel good, killing a man? Killing Daniel’s twin brother? Would that bring her joy, or would it bring more despair?
She thought again of Daniel and how he ran into danger to save lives. She looked at Marco, a man who’d been willing to do the same for her. How could she ever look at him again, or look at herself in the mirror if she did this deed?
“Marco,” she said, her voice weak and weary. “Help me.”
Marco sprinted through the water, headed to her.
But Diego still had some fight. He kicked out just as Marco reached the spot where Puff had Diego cornered. Marco slipped and lunged at Diego.
Amelia screamed as they went to battle. Diego tried to grab Marco’s gun. Marco held tight, but he had to fight to stay standing. Puff let go and stepped back, barking and growling.
Amelia watched in horror, but because of the darkness, she couldn’t take a shot. She might hit Marco.
She searched around for anything she could use. She still had the gun. Turning it where she held the barrel in her hand, she rushed to try and hit Diego over the head.
He and Marco kept at it. She screamed at them to stop. Puff kept barking.
Then she heard voices and a light shined straight into the cave. What happened next seemed to go in slow motion, but it was over in less than a minute.
A deputy stood holding a light, but a man behind him rushed forward and stared in the cave.
The next thing she knew, a shot rang out and Diego’s body went limp. Marco stood by, breathing hard and looking down as Diego slid toward the water. He went to lift Diego up, but an arm pushed him out of the way.
“Let me,” Kent Parker said. “I’m the one who shot him.”
Amelia sat in an ambulance bay with a blanket around her. Numbness wanted to drag her down, but she had to stay alert.
Marco came and took her hand. “They’re bringing him out now.”
She nodded, her tears dry, her heart pounding. “I can’t believe what I saw with my own eyes.”
“I know, but Kent has been pushed too far this time. He snapped. Rhoda and her son played him so they could get their hands on both Parkview Ranch and Rio Rojo. Greed turns people into nasty human beings.”
She looked down at the cuts and scratches on her arms and remembered Diego’s deranged rantings. “Daniel was blessed to have Kent as a father. Everyone else sure did a number on him, too. But Diego, he suffered so much, Marco. I couldn’t kill him and now, Kent has to live with doing that.”
Marco nodded and touched a hand to her cheek. “Yes, but he did it to save you and me, Amelia. He asked me to come and check on you. He wants to talk to you.”
“Kent? What’s there left to say?”
Marco looked over at the man standing there, his shoulders hunched over, his head lowered. “That’s between you and him.”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Marco motioned to the man.
Kent came over and looked Amelia in the eye. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice gravelly. “I never knew about Diego until after Daniel died. I tried to do right by him and Rhoda. But she gets to me every time and this time, it stung hard. I thought we could become a family, but they were both using me. They took advantage of Leo’s guilt, but they killed him—pesticides or something, probably in his whiskey. Leo loved his whiskey. I haven’t found out yet for sure.”
Amelia sat up straight. “Did Leo have an affair with Rhoda after he married Siri?”
“No,” Kent said. “It was always a competition between him and me. We both spotted Rhoda at a dance hall and that was that. He had an affair with her after she and I got hitched. Looking back, I can see that once he met Siri on a trip out west, it was over between him and Rhoda. So she passed off Daniel as mine. Sent Diego away. She’d rather party all night instead of feeding babies and changing diapers.”
“But she stayed with you for a long time.”
“Yes, because she was waiting for the opportunity to extort Leo and she did, by picking a fight with me. She turned to him for comfort, but what she really wanted was cold, hard cash. He sent her money every month. She wanted more, but he refused, and he went to Siri and told her the truth. She was his true love, his anchor. Now they’re all gone. Everybody I knew. I treated Leo so bad, and I’m ashamed of that. Same with you. I knew Daniel loved you, but I hated that he did. I was so afraid he’d find out the truth.”
Amelia stood and took Kent’s hands in hers. “You loved Daniel. That’s all I need to know. And Kent, you saved our lives tonight. Thank you.”
Kent’s eyes watered up. “I’m so sorry. If he’d a-killed you, I don’t think I’da made it, either.”
“You have me now,” she said. “And Alan and Rosa. I’ll be here if you ever want to talk about Daniel.”
Kent nodded and walked away, a brokenhearted man.
Amelia turned to Marco. “I guess I owe you a check.”
Samuel came running. “Amelia, are you all right?”
“Perfect timing,” she said. “You can pay Marco now. And give him a big tip.”
“I don’t mind if I do.” Samuel shook Marco’s hand. “You’re not leaving now, are you?”
Marco looked at Amelia. “That all depends. I need to tie up some loose ends, but I might make my way back.”
Amelia nodded. “I’ll be waiting, cowboy.”
Summer shimmered in rippling wheat and grazing grasses, and the Hill Country spread out in a mixture of roads, trees and water as Marco turned his truck toward the Rio Rojo Ranch.
He sat in the truck for a while, remembering when he’d kissed Amelia goodbye. A long kiss, a promising kiss.
But her last words to him didn’t sound that way.
“I’ll never forget you.”
And he sure hadn’t forgotten her.
The front door opened, and Amelia stepped out. She had on a long floral dress and a new pair of boots, etched in big bright sunflowers. She looked like a never-ending summer.
He got out and met her halfway.
“I figured you’d sit there until I dragged you inside.”
“No, I was trying to find my courage, is all.”
“Scared, cowboy?”
“Of you? Yes.”
“I’m as tame as a kitten,” she said, moving closer. Then she did drag him—into her arms. “I thought you were gone for good. I know you had big plans and you’d get on with those plans.”
“I did and I still have big plans. I sold the farm and I’m flush with my own money.”
“Oh, is that what this is about, you keeping me guessing? You don’t like me having more money than you?”
“Didn’t say that. I just like to earn my keep.”
“You’ve done that, Marco. But...you wanted to keep your farm.”
“I found something I want to keep even more,” he said as he tugged her close. “You.”
He kissed her, a long kiss, a kiss that felt like a lifetime of challenges and happiness. “I love you.”
“I love you,” she replied. “And don’t worry, I’ll make you earn your keep.”
“I have no doubt.”
“Okay, that’s settled, then. Let’s go eat. Rosa made tamales and a big beautiful fresh salad. She always said you’d show up one day.”
“I like Rosa.”
They entered the double doors of Rio Rojo and left the past outside in the shimmering heat. When they made it into the kitchen, Amelia whispered, “Oh, and by the way, I’m redoing the courtyard. It’s time.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from Texas Smoke Screen by Jessica R. Patch.