Christmas Double Cross. Jodie Bailey

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СКАЧАТЬ didn’t dispute that her actions had prevented Brent’s execution...but she’d probably had some darker, hidden motive for it. A woman who could kill so indiscriminately would only save a Ranger if the choice in some way benefitted her. Maybe she’d even planned for this to happen—for Brent’s defense of her to create cracks in their Ranger team.

      “He saw Adriana Garcia five years ago for under two minutes. Not enough time to be a reliable judge of her character. Brent needs to remember to be objective.”

      “So do you.”

      “This woman is the reason Valentina Hernandez was killed. She killed Greg with—”

      “Nobody knows the stakes more than I do, Blackthorn. Believe me.” Austin ground out the words. “But we don’t have concrete proof that Adriana killed Greg. No matter what we feel, we have to remember, innocent until—”

      “Got it.”

      “Loosen up, or you’re going to tip her off. Either that, or Vance is going to pull all of us and bring in another team.”

      “I said I’ve got it.” Only Colt wasn’t so certain anymore. Through his whole career, his instincts had been his guide. He was known as the man who could feel danger before it happened. Now? He’d missed the fact that his best friend was a traitor. Colt dropped his head against the headrest and glared at the ceiling.

      But he was right this time. As pleasant as she seemed, as soft as her eyes had gotten when she’d spun that story about her mother, as much as her supposed grief had tugged for just a second at Colt’s own, he knew they had their woman.

      With a deep breath, he reached for his seat belt and tilted his head forward, movement catching at the edges of his vision.

      At the back of the shopping center, a man dragged a woman toward a dark blue two-door sedan that had seen better days.

      The woman twisted and fought with all she had. With a massive head thrust backward, she caught the brute in the jaw and broke free, crashing to her knees on the cracked asphalt, a dark curtain of hair falling across her face.

      Recognition jolted through Colt and his jaw tightened as he ran through his options for intervening. Jump out and run for the fight without knowing what he was getting into, or gun the engine and blow in through tire-squealing smoke.

      The would-be captor reached down and hauled Colt’s suspect to her feet, backhanding her so hard she fell against the open trunk of the car, where he stuffed her in the rest of the way and slammed the lid.

      No time to make it on foot now.

      “We’ve got trouble.” He clicked his seat belt and jammed the car into Drive, tires squealing as he gunned the engine and raced toward the man trying to take their suspect away. The blood rushed hot in his veins as he relayed what he was seeing to Austin, who called for backup.

      He couldn’t let the driver get away. The team was counting on him to bring Adriana in. Professionally, they needed to know where she was stashing the drugs she’d stolen from her brother so they could keep the supply from hitting the market. Personally, he knew that only her confession could truly give him closure about Greg’s death.

      At the sound of the roaring engine, the passenger leapt into the blue car as the driver whirled toward Colt and lifted his arm.

      Colt instinctively ducked as a bullet ricocheted off the roof. The others went wide. He didn’t slow, aiming head-on in a game of chicken, man versus machine.

      Colt knew he had more nerve than the brute stealing one of Rangers’ most wanted had ever dreamed.

      Sure enough, the other man dove into his front seat and gunned the engine, whipping the car into a skid and racing down the narrow alley behind the shops toward the back service road.

      This had to stop before they went too far and hit the main road, where bystanders could get hurt.

      “Status?” Austin had clearly heard the hit.

      “I’m right behind him.” Colt called out street names as the lead car hung a right, deeper into an older neighborhood. The highway waited on the other side.

      As Colt skidded the Challenger around the corner and gunned the engine to keep up with the small sedan, the passenger leaned out the window, firing wildly at Colt.

      “Are you kidding me?” He muttered under his breath. This guy was an idiot.

      “What?”

      “We’re in a very bad action movie here. Get me some backup before this guy kills somebody. We’re way too close to Gateway Boulevard.”

      “Local law enforcement is on the way. Hang on.”

      A wild shot pinged off the passenger mirror, and Colt pulled into the other lane, one eye on the lookout for oncoming traffic on the narrow neighborhood street and one on the kidnappers. His engine had a whole lot more power than the ancient beat up two-door he was tailing. If he could get closer, maybe he’d be able to tap the rear corner and spin the vehicle.

      But if the car flipped, or spun and hit anything trunk first, then the woman masquerading as Danielle Segovia could be killed.

      More blood on his hands.

      Colt gripped the steering wheel tighter, maintaining enough distance to keep the passenger from getting a clear shot but close enough to hold his options open. If they got to Gateway where a higher volume of traffic became a factor, he could lose them. Worse, someone else could be killed.

      This had to be Rio Garcia’s men, out to bring his sister in for stealing from the cartel. If they somehow managed to cross the border or they reached the airport... “Tell the LEOs to get in tight at the airport. And let Border Patrol know not to let this guy cross. If he somehow manages to get away from me—”

      “They might kill her.”

      “No. They want her alive. They won’t find out where Garcia’s money or drugs are if she’s dead.”

      “On it.”

      Think, Blackthorn. He had to stop this guy. For the past week, he’d cruised these streets, looking for potential ways Danielle Segovia could escape, planning for a moment when he’d have to give chase if she ran. Now he’d have to show his hand and use his knowledge not to capture her, but to save her.

      Another bullet pinged off the passenger door. It was now or never. Punching the pedal to the floor, Colt raced up on the rear of the sedan and roared past to the next intersection, pulling the car into a skid that left him facing the other car, leaving the driver with nowhere to go except through Colt.

      Another game of chicken. His heart pounded as the headlights roared closer. He held the steering wheel tight. If he died trying to save a killer...

      The blue sedan skidded to the side, the driver’s door slamming into the corner of a Dumpster, sliding the massive hulk of metal backward as the car bounced to an abrupt stop.

      Dust peppered the air as Colt threw open the door of the sports car and ran for the other vehicle. One look at the driver was more than enough to haunt his nightmares for a very long time. Without air bags or a seatbelt, he’d felt the full force of the СКАЧАТЬ