Killer Colton Christmas

Ace’s hand twitched, his fingers sinking into Scrabble’s ruff. The dog gave a soft woof and another nudge. The man’s eyelids fluttered open. He looked around, winced and closed his eyes tight.

“Ace?”

“Emiliano?” he rasped. He coughed a little and tried to roll to his side.

“Easy, friend.” Emiliano turned to Marie. “Water?”

She dashed to the kitchen, her heels snapping on the slate flooring between the thick area rugs.

“What happened?” Emiliano asked when she was out of earshot.

“How did I get in here?”

“I carried you,” Emiliano said. “I’m calling a doctor.”

“No. That’s silly.” Ace pushed himself to a seated position and clapped a hand to his neck. Scrabble hopped up, growled at the spot. “I’m good, sweet girl.”

“Let me see.” Emiliano pulled back Ace’s work shirt, tugged aside the collar of the T-shirt underneath. “This looks like a bruise from a needle with a scratch to go with it. You need the hospital.”

“No.” Ace coughed. “I’m awake. I’ll be fine.”

“Here.” Marie held out a bottle of water.

Ace squinted up at her. “Who are you?”

“Marie Meyers, CDO of Colton, Incorporated,” Emiliano answered for her.

“You’re pretty.” Ace accepted the water, drank deep. “What’s a CDO do?”

“Ignore him. Our Ace is an incurable flirt,” Emiliano deadpanned. He pushed back to sit on the edge of an ottoman. “Give me a reason not to take you over to the hospital, old man.”

“That’s where I was,” Ace said. He blotted his face with the cool towel and let it fall to his thigh as if that small movement exhausted him.

“You were at Memorial?”

“No, no. The vet hospital. Tires on the driveway.” He closed his eyes. “It doesn’t make sense. Everyone knows your parents are out of town.”

Ace was right. Everyone in Shadow Creek knew the veterinary offices were closed because his parents were taking a long-overdue extended vacation before the holidays. No one should have been driving around that part of the ranch. “Come on.” Emiliano pulled his keys from his pocket. “I think the doctors should take a look at your head.”

“My head’s just fine,” Ace protested. “Call in Dr. Ramirez if you want,” Ace said stubbornly. “I’m not going to a damn hospital.”

Considering the injection, Emiliano decided Ramirez was better than nothing, so he made the call. If Ace didn’t have a clear recollection of the events that landed him in the doorway, they needed to be sure he wouldn’t be dealing with any lingering side effects. “Why wasn’t Scrabble with you?”

Ace smiled at the little dog resting her chin on his boot. “We’d gone out for a romp and I brought her in, gave her a treat.”

“What time was that?” he asked.

“Around two, I think. That’s normally when we go out.” Under his sandy eyebrows, his pale blue eyes shifted to Gordo. “Then this one went with me to the back pasture to check on the horses.” He took another pull on the water. “The tires on the driveway were too loud. Whoever it was came in too fast.”

Emiliano checked the big clock over the archway between the great room and kitchen. It was a quarter past six, so Ace must have been out for the better part of four hours. It had been too dark for Emiliano to have seen any obvious skid marks in the gravel where the driveway split off to the offices. He’d have to take a closer look once Ace was steadier.

* * *

Marie couldn’t help feeling like an interloper, no matter that she was here at the FBI’s insistence. She wished there was something to do besides worry as the older man answered Emiliano’s questions.

“The alarm sounded on your mother’s office. I remember running that way. The back door was open.” Ace rubbed his neck again. “A man stepped out, wearing some weird mustache mask thing.” He waved a hand around his face. “I tried to confront him and got clocked. He must have drugged me, but why drag me over here?”

“We’ll figure it out,” Emiliano promised.

Marie wanted to wallow in his sheer confidence. The determination in his deep voice made her feel better despite everything that had happened today.

Emiliano reached for his phone as Ace described the mask. “Did the mask look like this?”

Marie caught a glimpse of the image of the Guy Fawkes mask used by more and more protesters in real life and online.

“Yeah. That’s it,” Ace confirmed. “What’s this about?”

“Cohort,” Emiliano murmured.

Although he was the investigator, she knew they couldn’t dismiss the cyberattack in Dallas and the attack on Ace a few hours later as coincidence.

“They’re a hacktivist group,” Marie explained. “They attacked Colton, Incorporated, this morning. They breached the database and stole a great deal of private information on our employees.” And posted a reward for her capture or death. Although she was here, it was still too bizarre for her to say it aloud.

“Huh.” Ace’s gaze moved slowly from Marie to Emiliano and back. “Why would they come out here looking for you?” he asked her.

“They wouldn’t,” Emiliano snapped. “The decision to bring Marie here for her protection was only made hours ago.”

She bit her lip to hide the nervous trembling and followed his gaze as he stared at the needle mark on Ace’s neck. Had this man been hurt because the Cohort was after her? The thought made her stomach pitch.

Emiliano stood up and drew his gun. “I need to check the drug inventory at Mom’s office.”

Marie almost told him to be careful, but this was his property, his job. She was certain he knew how to handle himself.

“You two wait here,” he said. “I’ll set the alarm system behind me.” He looked at the dogs. “Scrabble, stay. Gordo, come.” Scrabble sat up a little straighter between Ace’s boots. Gordo lumbered to his feet and followed Emiliano. “We’ll be back before Dr. Ramirez arrives.”

Marie turned to Ace. “More water?”

“I’d rather have coffee,” he said, in a hopeful tone.

She wasn’t sure that was smart. “I’ll brew some for you if the doctor says it’s okay.”

“Fine.” Ace sighed and sat back. “You can tell me what a CDO does while we wait.”

She would certainly do her best to keep him distracted.

* * *

As Emiliano jogged up the drive, he added up the various factors without any comfort in the preliminary solutions. His FBI career was no more a secret than his parents’ vacation. Why would the Cohort come here? And if they could strike down Ace on Ortega property, was there any place where he could possibly hope to keep Marie safe?

At the fork where the gravel driveway split off toward the vet offices, he saw Ace was right. Someone had taken the turn too quickly. Near the office itself, he found skid marks where someone had pulled to a stop and left again in a hurry. He took a few pictures, though he’d have to take more in the better light of morning. At the office door, he took pictures of the broken lock. He would review the security system video after he checked the inventory. To drop a man as big and tough as Ace, the attacker likely went for xylazine, one of the tranquilizers his mother used in her equine practice. Like all reputable vets, Natalia Ortega kept careful records of the controlled substances. She used computer logs as well as a handwritten chart on a clipboard near the cabinet to track when each patient received what kind of dosage and why.

Sure enough, the locked cabinet had been busted off its hinges and two vials of xylazine were missing. Emiliano swore. It was a safe bet she was short a box of syringes, as well. A quick search confirmed that. He noted the signs of a brief struggle. Ace was tall, strong and wily. How had he seen the thief’s masked face and still been overpowered?

On hands and knees, he found a syringe under the desk with a few milliliters of fluid in the barrel. His mother didn’t keep controlled substances predrawn, which meant there had to have been two people here, one fighting Ace and another to prepare the drug. Emiliano pulled on exam gloves and dropped the syringe into a plastic bag, hoping to preserve any fingerprints.

At the security system panel, he checked the time of the alarm that had brought his ranch manager into range of the thieves. He and Marie had just gotten on the road out of Dallas when Ace was attacked here. Did that mean the incidents were connected or coincidence? He pulled out his phone to send a text message to his boss and changed his mind. Better to get more facts together. He could share this development on the team video conference scheduled for tomorrow.

Emiliano tucked his phone away. Knowing his mother’s security codes, he moved the remainder of her controlled substances into a cabinet that locked properly. He was going to have to open a Food and Drug Administration report on her behalf, as well. With luck, being an FBI agent would make that process run a bit smoother.

He should probably call her, but he didn’t want to interrupt their holiday cruise. It was the first big vacation they’d taken in years. The least he could do was handle things in their absence. Satisfied the meds were secure, he managed to get the door to stay closed with the dead bolt so he could reset the alarm. Tomorrow, he could make a decision about repairing or replacing the door.

He returned to the house just as Dr. Ramirez’s sedan turned into the driveway. He and Gordo waited for the older man to climb out of the car with his bag. Together the two men and the scruffy dog walked inside, where Marie and Ace were chatting like old friends in the great room.

Emiliano opened his mouth to make introductions and stopped short. Scrabble hadn’t met him at the door. She was sitting on Marie’s lap in one of the leather armchairs, her canine grin expressing delight and pride in finding a new friend.

Huh. His dog was an excellent judge of character. It was uncharacteristic for her to become so friendly with anyone so fast, especially in light of Marie’s inexperience with animals. Having her take that relaxed, affectionate stance toward a woman he hadn’t completely removed from the suspect column made him reconsider Marie’s position within the investigation.

“Who’s the patient?” Ramirez asked. “You both look well enough to me.”

“Ace is the patient,” Marie said, gently stroking Scrabble’s long back when the dog refused to relinquish her place.

Emiliano explained how and where they’d found Ace and the missing supplies from the vet office. Ace chimed in with what he remembered of the incident. “I’d appreciate you keeping this quiet,” Emiliano said when the basics were complete.

“Assumed as much.” Ramirez’s thick salt-and-pepper eyebrows knit into a frown. He took blood and urine samples to verify the suspected xylazine and, after some additional evaluation, told them Ace had a mild concussion and would recover with a few days’ rest.

“You’ll be here, Emiliano?” the doctor asked, packing up his bag.

“Yes.” This time of year the ranch ran on a skeleton crew so everyone had more time with family, although they would all pitch in and make sure Ace had enough help.

“Good.” He snapped his bag closed and tucked his glasses into his shirt pocket. “I’m counting on you to be sure he doesn’t overdo it or the recovery will take twice as long.” He aimed a meaningful look at Ace. “I mean it.”

“I heard you,” Ace said.

“Pleasure to meet you, Miss Meyers,” Dr. Ramirez said. “Enjoy your time in Shadow Creek.”

Emiliano walked the doctor back to his car. “Ace had to be out for close to four hours,” he said.

“I did the math,” the doctor agreed. He unlocked the car and set his bag on the passenger seat. “That works in his favor in this case.”

“How so?”

“Because being unconscious, his body was able to purge the drug without as much of a fight,” Ramirez explained. “Once I have these labs back, I’ll know if he needs more attention. In the meantime, water and rest will do him the most good. If he were in real trouble, it would be obvious in his breathing and heart rate.”

It was small comfort, but he’d take it. “Do you think his assailants dragged him to the door?”

Ramirez chuckled. “Knowing Ace, he stumbled there on his own, trying to find help. He’s too stubborn to let a head injury or sedatives have all the advantages.”

While the last part was true, Emiliano was sure Ace would’ve gone for the back door over the front. It was habit. Then again, between the head injury and the drug, he couldn’t have been thinking clearly. Maybe more details would come out as he recovered.

“I found a syringe in the office,” Emiliano said. “I’ll let you know what the evidence lab finds.”

Emiliano watched the doctor drive away, the bagged syringe in his back pocket for the evidence team to process later, and his thoughts scattered.

At the sounds of small paws on the gravel, he turned to see Scrabble racing his way, Marie hesitating under the soft glow of the porch light. “Is Ace okay?”

“Just fine,” she said. “He’s hungry and I wanted to check with you before I invaded your kitchen.”

Emiliano knelt down and patted his chest and Scrabble bounced into his arms, a trick he’d taught her when she was just a puppy.

“Impressive,” Marie said as they joined her.

“Corgis are more athletic than people think at first glance,” he said, his mind on more complicated issues. He was about to walk inside when she hesitated. “What?”

“Do you think your team will sort this out quickly?” she asked.

“Missing Dallas already?”

“Not exactly.” Her mouth turned down as she frowned at him. “I told you Shadow Creek is lovely.”

“You’ll see more of it,” he replied without thinking it through.

“But the Cohort,” she pressed. “Do you think they hurt your friend because of me?”

“Time will tell. It’s hard to believe these incidents are unrelated.” He rubbed at the tension in his neck. “The Cohort isn’t easy to crack, even when its motives are clear,” he admitted. “Then again, the FBI is investigating and Christmas is the season of miracles.”

She stared up at him for a long, silent moment.

Under her puckered brow, he read the doubt in her big brown eyes. She didn’t have to say the words aloud for him to recognize she was a woman who didn’t have much faith in people, the FBI or miracles in any season.

Chapter 5

Once things had settled down last night, Marie had been shown to the guest bedroom. Decorated in a soft color palette that reminded her of the sunset, the space was fresh and scented with a bouquet of dried lavender. A warm, inviting space she couldn’t seem to get comfortable in.

It had been a typical first night in a new house for her, rife with those old uncertainties she’d worked hard to bury or eliminate from her life since turning eighteen. She wasn’t that girl anymore, blowing from place to place like a brittle leaf in a hard wind. This was temporary.

At Emiliano’s insistence, Ace had spent the night on the couch, and she suspected Emiliano had slept out there as well to keep an eye on his ranch manager. The men shared a close camaraderie only time could bring. A camaraderie that had tripped her up emotionally when she’d thought she was past all of it.

Back in high school English class there had been a poetry unit she’d enjoyed. Though she no longer remembered the poet’s name, she recalled the sentiment of his poems that described the way people interacted with each other. Some stuck and took root in a life and others drifted by, only involved for a time or a short purpose. The foster system had made her a drifter, and from the moment she’d left, she’d done everything possible to take root where she wanted to stay.

And yet, thanks to circumstance, here she was, drifting again. Not the same thing. She had friends at the office back in Dallas. Friends she couldn’t contact while Emiliano kept her phone and other devices for the sake of safety and the investigation.

A pale dawn teased the edges of the curtains at the window and, hearing the men stirring elsewhere in the house, she rolled out of bed. She gathered her things and a change of clothes and headed for the bathroom Emiliano said was hers to use during her stay.

Showered and dressed, she went to the kitchen, where the rich aroma of coffee filled the air, anchored by the savory scent of bacon and spices. Emiliano stood at the stove, pouring pancake batter onto a griddle. No dark FBI suit today, he wore faded jeans that hugged his legs and a gray, long-sleeved T-shirt with the sleeves pushed back to his elbows. Both looks fit the man like two sides of a coin and left her a little breathless.

Ace, sitting at the table tucked into the bowed window, sent her a winning smile. “Well, good morning, gorgeous.”

He was incorrigible. Helpless against the friendliness in his eyes, she smiled back. “How are you feeling?”

“Pretty near perfect,” he said. “Hard to feel bad when Emiliano’s dishing up breakfast and the loveliest lady around is about to join me.” He patted the seat beside him.

“Take it easy, Casanova.” Emiliano shot him a look as he stepped back from the stove and gave a pancake a perfect flip.

The man had surprising skills. “Need a hand?” she offered.

“I’ve got it,” he replied without looking at her. “Pour yourself a cup of coffee.”

She didn’t know what to do with herself when no one needed her. She splashed a little cream into her cup, added hot coffee and joined Ace at the table.

“Where are the dogs?” The distraction would be welcome, while she figured out where she fit into this new scenario.

The older man grinned and tipped his head toward the back door. “Scrabble and Gordo are outside. Scrabble likes to count heads before we do. That one thinks she knows it all.” Ace chuckled. “Gordo’s just along for the stroll.”

“Count heads?” Marie asked.

“She’s a herder,” Emiliano replied. “She believes it’s her job to confirm everyone is in the right place. Stables, paddocks and chicken coop, she makes the rounds with us every day.”

Emiliano brought over the pancakes and bacon, set the platters in the middle of the table one of them had already set with plates, cutlery, butter and syrup. He went back to the oven and returned with a piping-hot pan of diced potatoes.

Ace didn’t hesitate. He filled a plate and surprised her by setting it in front of her. “Dig in.”

She didn’t argue. The hearty food was delicious. As Emiliano and Ace discussed the day, she listened with avid curiosity.

“I’ll finish up around here, and Scrabble and I will head out to check the cattle,” Emiliano said. “Ace can give you the full tour around here.” He crumpled his napkin in one hand and picked up his coffee mug. From across the table he caught her gaze and held it. “Sound good?”

She brightened, picking up on the unspoken message. He wanted to be sure the ranch manager didn’t overdo it. At last—a way to help. “Yes, thank you.”

Pushing back from the table, he started to gather up the dishes.

“Let me do that,” she said quickly. She took the dishes from him and her fingertips tingled when they bumped his. She swallowed. “Ace can help me out if I need it.”

One of those dark eyebrows lanced upward. “All right.” He poured coffee into a thermos before heading to the door. “There’s a conference call in a couple of hours to review the investigation,” he said. “I’ll be back in time for that.”

He walked out before she could ask if there had been any developments.

“He’s grouchy when his mind is on a case,” Ace said, bringing dishes to the counter.

She only smiled, knowing better than to comment on Emiliano’s mood. Shifting the topic to other things while she dealt with the dishes, she got Ace talking about life out in the Hill Country and on this ranch in particular. The man’s love for his work and the Ortega family came through loud and clear, and she relaxed more than she thought possible as he told her how things had grown and changed through the years.

“The boys had their ornery moments for sure,” he said of Emiliano and his younger brother, Dario, as they walked outside. “Brothers do that, y’know.”

She didn’t, but she nodded along. Her friends often fussed about siblings, yet she’d always envied the unbreakable bond of true family ties.

Ace guided her through the barn nearest the house, where the family’s horses were kept in big, airy stalls. He told her about horses and goats, rescue dogs and cats. They found Gordo snoozing in a patch of sunlight, a small kitten snuggled beside him. “Aurelio and Natalia raised ’em right. They put a love for the land and all the animals on it into those boys.”

“Neither of them stay to work the ranch?”

Ace looked almost offended. “They’re capable of it, if that’s what you mean.”

It wasn’t.

“It’s a big world and young men have things to do.” He ducked into a small office and opened an ancient refrigerator. He pulled out a couple of carrots and handed them to her. “Besides, if those boys were here all the time, what would I do?”

“Give ranch tours to city girls?”

He laughed loud enough to wake Gordo. “Allow me to introduce our horses.” He stuck out his elbow and she looped her hand through it.

He guided her around the house to the fenced paddock that bordered the driveway. Under the clear blue December sky, three horses were enjoying the morning sunshine. Ace propped a boot on the lowest rail of the fence and pointed to each of them in turn, giving Marie the names. “Brandy is that solid brown mare. She’s as sweet as they come.” He clucked his tongue and Brandy started their way along with a colorful horse. “Where Brandy goes, Picasso follows. He’s a pinto and the boy never misses a treat since Natalia rescued him years back. Now, that fair color is called palomino. Our gal Rapunzel has a bit of sass.” When he whistled for the horse, she only flicked her tail. “See what I mean?”

Marie laughed. As Brandy and Picasso reached the fence, she started to ease back. The beautiful animals were so much bigger up close. Until today, horsepower was something she only related to cars or the Dallas mounted police. Definitely city girl to the bone, she thought ruefully.

“Don’t be shy,” Ace said to Marie. “And don’t be pushy,” he told the horses. “There’s enough for everyone.”

The old ranch manager showed her how to touch the horses and she reveled in the textures between their soft noses, the sleek coats and the tickle of lips as they plucked chunks of carrot from her open palm. Eventually Rapunzel got jealous enough, or curious enough, to join them. “I haven’t been this close to a horse since a field trip to the zoo as a kid. They’re wonderful,” she said. “Thanks, Ace.”

“Guess that means you don’t ride.”

“Never had the chance to learn,” she replied. She didn’t want to offend him with the truth that she’d never been interested. Her limited knowledge of ranches and rural environments came from entertainment venues like books or movies. Being out here in it gave her a new appreciation for why those characters loved it so much.

“You should ask Emiliano to teach you,” Ace said as they started back to the house.

“Oh, I doubt I’ll be here that long.” Though she couldn’t deny that she found the peaceful area almost as enticing as the man who’d brought her here.

“Time will tell.” Ace gave her a wry smile, as if indulging a child’s idealism while knowing the real world would clear things up soon enough.

There was something she wanted Emiliano to teach her. She needed to learn how to defend herself. In light of the attack on Ace, she decided to approach her FBI protector at the first opportunity.

* * *

Emiliano returned from his circuit of the ranch and caught sight of Ace and Marie with the horses out front. If by chance he’d missed them, Scrabble’s alert would have corrected the lapse. His faithful companion had fallen in love with Marie, effectively the newest rescue on the ranch. The dog often showed more caution around new rescues and the attitude shift baffled him.

More unexpected was the undeniable attraction and connection drawing him toward Marie. Her delighted expression when he’d flipped that pancake had made him feel like a hero. And she’d immediately understood why he wanted Ace to show her around.