Daughter of Texas (13 page)

They'd also wanted to start him on pain meds, but Ben had refused. It was bad enough he'd passed out. He needed a clear head, especially when he saw Jimenez running toward the parking garage. He'd been surprised to see him still so close. Jimenez must have hunkered
down somewhere hoping to escape when the police presence diminished.

Though the EMTs had argued with Ben when he'd demanded to be released from the gurney to go chase after Jimenez, he'd prevailed, promising he'd go have an x-ray as soon as he could. He had something more important to do.

A shudder ripped through him, eliciting a hiss of pain, as he remembered how close that bullet had come to hitting Corinna. He was gratified he'd managed to get to Corinna in time to save her. It was his job to capture the creep after her, but he also wanted to give her peace. He didn't want her living in fear as a target anymore. She deserved to live her life free from this threat.

And Ben would do anything to make that happen.

He just had to bring the guy down and put him behind bars.

When his quarry had pulled out of the garage in a red compact car and roared away, Ben and Anderson wasted precious seconds arguing, until Ben had pulled rank. They'd hustled as fast as Ben's injury would allow to Anderson's truck. Now they followed after Jimenez. And this time, Ben was determined the monster would not get away.

“Drop back a bit,” Ben instructed. “Don't want him to notice us.”

Anderson eased up on the gas and changed lanes behind a minivan. They followed Jimenez down I-37, keeping a couple of car lengths between them. When Jimenez exited, they did the same, taking the off-ramp toward the Alamodome. The traffic became more congested the closer they drew to the sports arena. Ben
thought for a moment they'd been made when Jimenez abruptly took a right turn.

Anderson shot past the street. “Did he make us?”

Ignoring the pulling pain in his side, Ben craned his head to watch Jimenez. “Don't think so. He pulled into the hotel parking lot.”

Anderson drove them around the block and doubled back. Pulling his truck to the curb, they watched Jimenez scurry from his vehicle toward the hotel building, disappearing inside.

“You call for back up,” Ben said opening the door.

“I'll see where he went.”

“Wait! You—”

Ben shut the door, cutting off Anderson's protest.

The driver's door jerked open and Anderson jumped out of the truck. “Dude, don't go all Lone Ranger on me. I'm not losing another captain.”

Ben flinched at the reminder of the way Greg had died. Alone. Because he hadn't kept them in the loop. Inclining his head, Ben said, “Make the call. Then we go in. Together.”

With a grunt that was somewhere between satisfaction and acceptance, Anderson made the call to Cade, then turned to Ben. “He's on his way. He'll let the others know.”

Biting the inside of his cheek against the pain of his burning side, Ben hustled alongside Anderson, down the street and entered the lobby of the cheap motel. Orange carpeting and fake wood paneling hurtled Ben back to the seventies. The stale odor of cigarettes assaulted Ben's nose, burning the already tender flesh. Amaz
ing how a busted nose made his sense of smell more sensitive.

A teenage kid with ear buds attached to an iPod sat behind the counter, reading. His greasy hair didn't move as his head bobbed in time to whatever music he listened to. The kid's gaze was glued to the book lying face up on the Formica countertop.

Refusing to let his pain hinder him, Ben stalked to the desk and waved a hand in front of the kid's face. The kid jerked back, his hands taking the ear buds out, while his expression turned from surprised annoyance to fear when his gaze landed on the star pinned to Ben's chest.

“Ranger Fritz,” Ben announced as he pulled a copy of the sketch from his breast pocket and held it up. “We need to know which room Eddie Jimenez has.”

The kid swallowed and his pronounced Adam's apple bobbled. “I'm not supposed to give out that kind of information.”

Anderson sidled up. “Look, we can drag your sorry hide in for obstruction of justice or you can give us the room number and you get left alone.”

The kid's gaze darted back and forth between them as he clearly weighed his options. With a shrug, he hopped off his stool and moved to the computer. With quick strokes he brought up the hotel registry and turned the monitor around so Ben could see the screen.

A smile of satisfaction tightened Ben's mouth. “Got an extra key for Room 303?”

“I can make one,” the kid said, already reaching for a plastic keycard. With a few keystrokes and a swipe
through the encoder system, the kid handed over the keyless entry into Jimenez's room.

Ben tipped his hat. “Much obliged.”

With Anderson at his heels, Ben prowled toward Room 303. He stopped at the door and withdrew his sidearm.

Anderson mirrored him as he whispered, “Shouldn't we wait?”

Giving a negative shake of his head, Ben readied himself.

Holding up three fingers to indicate they'd move on three, Ben counted down. On the final count, he swiped the card. Anderson turned the knob and pushed the door open. Ben entered the room, the pain streaking through his right side screaming as he aimed his weapon at the man scrambling from the bed.

“Don't move,” Ben shouted. “Hands where I can see them.”

Jimenez froze, his wild-eyed gaze jumping between Ben and Anderson. Slowly, he raised his arms. “Am I under arrest?”

“Have you done something we need to arrest you for?” Anderson stalked forward and patted Jimenez down while Ben kept his weapon steadily trained on the perp's forehead. “We're taking you in for questioning in the attempted murder of a Texas Ranger.”

Ben realized what Anderson was doing. As long as they didn't formally arrest Jimenez, they didn't have to read him his Miranda rights and anything the guy spontaneously said would be admissible in court.

Anderson cuffed the guy. Holding on to Jimenez's arm, Anderson's gaze moved to something over Ben's
shoulder, his eyes widening. “Turn around,” he said to Ben.

Ben whipped around to find himself staring at a collage of photos, starring Corinna, thumb-tacked to the wall. The images were candid photos taken from a distance. Coming and going from Gisella's house, from the studio and even some outside the shelter. Newspaper clippings of Greg's death and the memorial announcement were taped beside the pictures.

Fury exploded in Ben's gut, pushing all pain and legalities of his job aside. Had Greg died because this guy had a fixation on his daughter? But where did coma guy fit in? And why was the sicko out to kill the target of his obsession?

In a swift move, Ben holstered his weapon and pounced on Jimenez, roughly grabbing him by the throat, ripping him out of Anderson's grasp and forcing him backward.

“Why?” Ben roared.

Jimenez shook, fear twisting his face. “What?”

“Why are you trying to kill Corinna Pike? Why did you kill her father?”

Sweat beaded on Jimenez's brow. “What are you talking about?”

“You killed Greg Pike.”

Jimenez looked between the two men, his eyes wide with fear. “No. That wasn't me. I—”

“You're going down.”

Shaking his head, Jimenez said, “I didn't kill her father.”

The sound of sirens bounced off the cheap hotel room walls.

Ben tightened his hold, squeezing Jimenez's wind-pipe. “Why are you trying to kill Corinna?”

Jimenez glanced at the wall of photos. He swallowed, his Adam's apple scraping across Ben's palm.

“Tell me!” Ben snarled. “Or I end you here and now.”

“You can't! You're the law.”

Ben moved in close until his face was a hairsbreadth from Jimenez's. “Today I'm not.”

“Ben,” Anderson interjected close to Ben's ear.

“We've got company. Let him go. We'll interrogate him at the station.”

“No. I want answers now!” Ben's fingers flexed.

Jimenez's face turned red as his air supply diminished. Something in Ben's eyes must have convinced Eddie Jimenez his life span was rapidly narrowing. “She saw me,” Jimenez choked out. “Could ID me.”

“Let me read him his rights,” Anderson ground out.

Even though Ben wanted nothing more than to choke the life out of the creep in front of him, his rational side sprang to life and shoved through anger's haze. He couldn't jeopardize the case by not Mirandizing Jimenez. His admission was already at risk. Ben was stunned by the depth of fury pumping through his veins. Nor could he believe how close he'd come to crossing the line between good and evil.

All because he'd let himself fall in love with the person he was supposed to be protecting. Loving Corinna put Ben's whole world at risk. If he kept on this course of action, Corinna would become his Achilles' heel, his vulnerable spot.

Ben suddenly appreciated Greg's determination to keep his daughter as isolated from his life as possible. Ben would have to follow suit.

Giving one final squeeze to Jimenez, Ben abruptly let go. Jimenez staggered. Anderson grabbed the guy by the arm and dragged him out of the hotel room.

Ben took one final glance at the wall of pictures. Rage shuddered through him. He was going to nail Jimenez to the wall. For himself, for Greg. For Corinna.

 

“Are you out of your mind?” Corinna shouted at Ben, preventing him from entering the interrogation room where Jimenez was being held. Fear for what he'd done and relief that he was all right mingled to create a confusing jumble inside of her, making her upset over the events of the evening even more intense.

She'd been with Daniel and Gisella when they received the call informing them that Ben and Anderson had tracked the suspect to a hotel, instead of going to the hospital. Daniel and Oliver had taken off, leaving Gisella and Corinna to wait at the hospital for a taxi. When news came that the shooter had been apprehended and taken to the SAPD, Corinna had convinced Gisella they needed to go to the station. Corinna had needed to assure herself that Ben was alive and safe.

From the moment she arrived at the station, she'd been hounding the Rangers to let her talk to him. Now that she had him in front of her, her outrage at his lack of common sense for running after the bad guy while injured cooled.

Ben was ashen, making the dark bruises around his
nose more pronounced. Her heart ached for him but at the same time she was angry. Though she couldn't see the bandages wrapped around his side, the singed hole on his shirt made her shudder. It could have killed him. She remembered her own searing pain when she'd been merely grazed by a bullet. She was just so thankful he'd had on his bullet-proof vest.

“Corinna, not now. I've got to question Jimenez.”

Though Ben's voice was gentle, she could hear the tension in the undertones. Empathy for the pain he had to be feeling arced through her. “Let someone else question him. You need to see a doctor.”

“I'm fine. The EMTs patched me up.”

He didn't look fine. She reached out to touch his arm. She'd lost her father. She couldn't lose Ben, too. “Sit, before you collapse and hurt yourself more.”

His hazel eyes narrowed and his jaw worked. “I'm not going to collapse. I've got a job to do.”

“You already did your job.”

“I have to see it through to the end.”

The door to the interrogation room opened. Anderson stepped into the doorway. “You coming?”

“Yeah.” Ben covered her hand on his arm. “Go home with Gisella.”

She shook her head, unwilling to leave him even for a moment. She loved this man and would make sure he took care of himself. That was her job. “No. I'll wait here.”

He swiped a hand over his face. “This might take a long time. I need you to go. Please. I can't deal with you right now.”

Stung by his last sentence, she shook her head. “I don't care how long it takes. I'll stay.”

His expression hardened. “There's no reason for you to. You're safe now.”

Her fist clenched. Stubborn man. “I know I'm safe. It's you I'm worried about. I want to make sure you're all right.”

His eyebrows pulled together. “I'm not your concern.”

“But you and I—”

He cut her off. “There is no you and I. We're done.”

Taken aback, she blinked.
We're done.
Misery hit her between the eyes. He couldn't be any clearer. She'd been a job. A promise kept. Nothing more. He had his bad guy and she was dismissed.

Hoping her expression didn't give away the anguish burrowing deep into her heart, she turned and walked away.

Obviously, her concern wasn't wanted or appreciated. She doubted her love would be, either. Good thing she hadn't confessed her deeper feelings to Ben. The last thing she needed right now was rejection.

How could she have been so stupid not to see more clearly?

Being a Ranger came first. It always had with her father. It always would with Ben. But Ben…

Pain seared her soul.

She'd thought this was…different, special.

But it wasn't. She wasn't.

She was just another case. Just another victim. Time
for him to move on to the next hapless soul who needed his help.

Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.

She'd just have to learn to live without Ben.

B
en watched Corinna march away. There'd been no mistaking the hurt in her pretty dark eyes. He couldn't help that now. He hadn't meant to be short with her or so blunt. Pain from his busted rib and the anger smoldering near the surface were hard enough to control. He just hadn't the strength to confront her concern or expound upon the knowledge that loving her put them both at risk.

It tore him up inside that he couldn't tell her he loved her, but she would be better off without that information because a relationship between them wasn't possible.

Desolation spread through him. He didn't belong with her. Never had and never would. He'd only taint her life with the evil he dealt with every day and put her, himself and his team at risk.

If Ben were to allow a relationship with Corinna to develop to something lasting, there wouldn't be any way to keep her safe. And she deserved to be safe. She deserved so much more than him.

Feeling hollow inside, he forced her from his mind.

He entered the square utilitarian interrogation room.

Eddie Jimenez sat in a metal folding chair, his hands
cuffed to the metal table. A pad of paper and a pen lay off to one side. Purple bruises marred the olive skin covering his throat. Ben had come as close as he'd ever had to wanting to take another life.

Disappointment for losing control ate him up, making him feel ten years old. He could only imagine how disappointed God must be with him right now.

Anderson leaned against the wall, his arms crossed over his massive chest. He made an intimidating presence. Ben gave the Ranger a nod before he pulled out the chair opposite Jimenez and sat down.

“So tell me, why did you kill Greg Pike?” Ben said.

Jimenez frowned. “I told you, man. I didn't kill him. And I don't know who did.”

“I don't believe you,” Ben stated, keeping his voice even. He had to play this cool; he didn't want to get Eddie too wound up, then he'd be asking for a lawyer that Ben wasn't going to offer. “What happened? You became obsessed with his daughter and he found out?”

Jimenez shook his head. “No. You got it all wrong.”

“Then enlighten me,” Ben said.

When Jimenez stayed silent, Ben said, “The killing of a Ranger is a capital offense. You know what that means, right?”

Ben leaned in closer. “Lethal injection.”

Jimenez flinched. Beads of sweat dripped down the sides of his face. He licked his lips. “I never met Pike,” he stated, his voice raising an octave.

“Until you killed him.”

“No, man. I promise. I'll take a lie detector test and everything.”

Ben sat back digesting the offer. The test wouldn't be admissible if he didn't pass. But would still be damaging. Would Jimenez really submit to taking a lie detector test if he had killed Greg? He didn't think so. “Why did you try to kill Corinna Pike?”

Jimenez's gaze dropped to his hands. Silence stretched.

Ben decided to yank Eddie's chain. He pushed back his chair, the metal legs scraping on the concrete floor making a hideous sound. “Too bad, Eddie. I guess it's the needle for you.”

Jimenez's chin jerked up, his eyes flashed with panic. “Hey, no. I'm telling you, I didn't kill no Ranger. I was hired to do a job. That's all. The girl saw me. I couldn't let her ID me. But I didn't kill anyone.”

Alarms went off in Ben's head. “Hired? By who and for what?”

Horror flooded Jimenez's face. “No one. I don't know.”

Interesting. He was more afraid of the person who hired him than he was of jail time. Ben resumed his seat. “Come on, Eddie. It will go a lot better for you with the DA if you cooperate.”

Ben leaned back as if they were having a relaxing conversation. The posture was to put Jimenez at ease and hopefully make him feel more inclined to talk. “What were you looking for in the Pike house?”

Jimenez once again dropped his gaze to the table.

“Eddie. Eddie, come on.” Ben bent his head trying to make eye contact. “Did the Lions of Texas put you up to this?”

Jimenez's body jerked and his eyes widened with
terror. Ben's shot in the dark hit pay dirt. “Tell me about the Lions of Texas. Are they a gang related to La Eme?”

Jimenez blinked then barked out a laugh. “No.”

Frowning, Ben said, “Then what?”

Turning his head away, Eddie didn't say anything.

Remembering the rap sheet he'd read on Eddie, Ben threw out, “Is this your drug cartel?”

“Not mine,” Eddie said, then clamped his mouth tight with a stricken expression.

“So the Lions of Texas are running drugs.” Ben exchanged a glance with Anderson. “That's a long way from murder, Eddie. Could be good for you, if you cooperate.”

When he didn't reply, Ben slammed his palms on the table. Jimenez jumped. “Who's in charge?”

“I don't know,” Eddie mumbled. “I'm too low. I was just hired to see if there was anything incriminating on the Lions in Pike's house. That's all I was doing. When the girl saw me, I knew the Lions would kill me if I didn't silence her.”

A blast of anger blew through Ben, but he maintained his composure. “So who hired you? Come on, I'll put in a good word with the DA if you give me a name.”

“I don't have a name. That's not how it works,” Eddie said.

“Okay. Then how
does
it work?”

Eddie swallowed, hard. “Man, they'll kill me if I say anything more. I took an oath.”

“You'll get the death penalty if you go away for Pike's murder,” Ben stated, watching the words sink
in. “Right now, I'm the only one who believes you didn't kill him.”

“This ain't right. I didn't kill him.”

“I know. But, hey.” Ben held his hands out, palms up as if to say “sorry.”

“You gotta give me something to take to the DA.”

A tick formed near Jimenez's right eye. “I don't know anything.”

“You said you swore an oath. What kind of oath? And to whom?”

“I never saw them. I was blindfolded.”

“That's putting a lot of trust in someone you don't know, Eddie. A little unbelievable.”

Jimenez shrugged. “I swore to support the Lions of Texas in their bid to open the Mexican borders. They pay me well.”

Ben leaned in with horror running roughshod over his anger. “Human trafficking?”

“Naw, man. Like you said, drugs.
Llello.
White gold. Cocaine.”

Ben sat back. On the one hand he was glad this wasn't about human cargo. He didn't even want to contemplate the various ways that scenario could play out. Yet, on the other hand…drugs. The bane of every law enforcement agency across the country. The war on drugs was a drain on society.

His fist clenched at his sides. And the Lions of Texas wanted to bring the poison in freely across the borders, infiltrating the schools and neighborhoods of America. Ripping more lives apart. Destroying families. “How were you contacted?”

Eddie blew out a breath. “You gonna protect me?”

Shooting another glance at Anderson and seeing in his eyes the same excitement at how close they were getting, Ben said, “We'll protect you.”

Jimenez assessed Ben for a moment before saying, “I picked up my instructions at a drop site. I don't see anyone and I don't talk to no one.”

Shoving the pad and pen so that Eddie could use them, Ben said, “Write down the directions.”

Picking up the pen, Eddie paused. “You'll talk to the DA. Tell him I didn't kill anyone.”

“Is Corinna Pike still in danger?” Ben countered.

Jimenez pulled a face. “Naw. No reason for anyone to go after her now. I'm the only one she can identify. And that ship has long sailed.”

The weight of worry lifted off Ben's shoulders, making him feel lightheaded. Corinna was safe. No one was coming after her again.

“Yeah, sure, I'll talk to the DA.” Ben's lip curled. He'd make sure the creep went to prison for a very long time.

A knock at the door brought Ben to his feet. Anderson opened the door and Daniel waved them out into the hall.

From the excited light in the Ranger's eyes, Ben hoped they'd had a break in the case. Anticipation mounted.

“A man called saying he'd seen coma guy's picture on the television. Says he saw him out by some animal rescue center up I-10 between here and Austin,” Daniel said.

“Get the witness down here,” Ben ordered.

“Already sent Oliver and Marvel to pick him up.”

“Good job.”

Ben motioned for the two Rangers to follow him back into the interrogation room. “You know anything about an animal rescue center?” Ben asked.

“Hey, that's here,” Eddie said, stabbing the pad of paper with the pen indicating the directions he'd just written out. “Rodger's Exotic Animal Rescue Farm.”

Ben didn't believe in coincidence. The Lions of Texas and Captain Pike's murder were connected. Greg must have discovered the organization and its operation. Now if they could just figure out how coma guy fit in and who was behind the Lions of Texas….

Energized by this new development, Ben motioned the Rangers back into the hall and closed the door to the interrogation room.

“Somehow this animal rescue center plays a part in Greg's murder and the Lions of Texas. We need to keep Eddie under wraps so he can't warn anyone off the site.” Ben's mind raced. “Anderson, you up for a little covert operation?”

The big blond Ranger grinned. “You bet.”

With an approving nod, Ben said, “Find out everything you can about this animal rescue center and its employees. Someone there's got to be involved. And whoever it is, I want them taken down.” Turning to Daniel, Ben said, “Help Anderson with his cover. I'll call the Governor and the DEA. We've got to get ahead of this.”

“Will do,” Daniel said.

The two men turned in unison and stalked away. Ben had every faith that they would soon find the answers to the mystery of Greg's murder. His team wouldn't rest until the case was closed. No matter how long it took.

If only he were as confident about his relationship with Corinna. Unfortunately, it wasn't a mystery. His and Corinna's relationship was going nowhere.

 

Saturday morning rushed at Corinna, just as it had done every day for the past week. Now that she was no longer in danger, she and Gabby had moved back into the Pike family house and were readjusting to being home. Most of her days were spent either at the shelter or the dance studio and every night, she paced the rooms of her lonely house, alternating between missing Ben and being angry at him.

She'd told herself to let go of her feelings for Ben and her dreams of a future with him. He'd made his feelings clear. He didn't want her. It was time to move forward with her life.

Except her heart was broken.

But what could she do?

Healing would come with time. Surprisingly, she'd found comfort in her Bible and in prayer. But loneliness seemed to be a constant companion.

The door bell rang. For a split second her heart jumped. Ben? Had he remembered they'd made a date for today?

Quickly, she squelched the thought. Ben wouldn't be coming over ever again. She knew who was at the door. Gisella had called to say she was stopping by on her way to the gym. Their friendship had blossomed while Corinna had lived with the Ranger. Corinna jerked the door open. “Hi. Come in.”

“You okay? You don't look too good,” Gisella said as she entered the house. She wore jersey shorts over
a bright multi-colored racerback swim suit. Her dark hair was pulled tightly back into a braid. Her flipflops slapped against the hardwood as she followed Corinna to the kitchen.

“How long does a broken heart take to heal?” Corinna muttered as she moved to the coffee maker and poured the hot liquid into two mugs.

She'd confided in Gisella of her feelings for Ben and then promptly swore her to secrecy. Gisella had made excuses for Ben, saying he'd been stressed and hadn't meant what he'd said. The man had just been shot, was trying to solve a murder and had been angry that Jimenez had gotten so close to Corinna.

Corinna would have liked to give him the benefit of the doubt. Except she was too afraid to let her hope rise. More heartache lay down that path.

Frowning, Gisella took the mug of coffee. “You really should try to talk to him again. Now that things have settled down some.”

“No. I know the score. Now that he doesn't have to protect me anymore, he doesn't want to have anything to do with me.”

She couldn't help the self-pity worming its way through her. She'd lost so much in the past month. Her father. Now Ben. She mentally scoffed. She never had Ben to begin with. And who's fault was that?

Her own. She hadn't told him how she felt, though she doubted it would have made much difference. His feelings for her were set long before her father's death. Ben had been in her life for over a decade and she'd never given him the time of day, until she'd needed him. How selfish and self-absorbed she'd been.

She'd been told often over the years that she was cold and closed off. He probably saw that as well. Could she really blame him for not wanting her? He'd fulfilled his promise to her father. He was done. He'd said as much.

She really should let go of her love for him. Just move on with her life. She would do fine without love.

The problem was she didn't want to go forward without Ben. She loved him and longed for him to love her back.

She could think of a very good reason why a future with him seemed ludicrous. He lived a life of danger. Just like her father. She'd vowed to leave that world behind.

Did she really want to put herself at risk of going through that kind of agony again? Could she survive the death of another person she loved?

God hasn't given up on you, so don't give up on Him.