Here we go again.
Teresa inhaled a steadying breath but couldnt keep the sarcasm out of her voice. Its December in Missouri? Snow happens.
Dont get smart with me. Emilia tugged a lock of her recently bobbed hair behind her ear, practically clucking like a mother hen. Itll be dark soon. But the sun was bright enough today to melt some of the snow. You know when the temperatures drop, it will refreeze into ice. Driving will be very dangerous.
Although she wouldve liked to blame this overprotective streak on Emilias pregnancy and the fact their mother had passed away just over a year ago, Teresa was far too familiar with her older siblings smothering concerns. It was both a blessing and a curse to be part of such a tight-knit, loving family. While she knew she was loved and would never lack for someone to care about her, she was the baby of the family, and asserting her independence was a challenge shed been working on for most of her twenty-nine years.
Thanks for the weather report. But Ive been driving since I was sixteenin worse conditions than this. Ill be fine.
You know we promised Mama wed look out for you. Why hadnt that dictate been given regarding any of her older sisters and brother? Maybe their fathers murder when she was a baby or the fact shed been mugged her first summer out of high school or having a veteran cop for a big brother made them all unusually cautious about protecting their own. Still, it would be nice if one day her brother and sisters would see her as an equal adult and not that fatherless baby or traumatized teen. I want you to head for home as soon as your shift is done, Emilia cautioned.
Teresa risked a little nudge toward independence. I need to pick up some groceries. And I was planning to do a little Christmas shopping.
Teresa
Then Im going straight to my apartment to bake cookies for Laila and the other pediatric patients to decorate. What kind of trouble can I get into buying baking goods and Christmas gifts?
Emilia arched a dark brow. Gamberro aka Troublemaker is your middle name, Teresa. She tempered her skepticism with a smile and a hug. Just remember you can call any of us if you have a problem with your car or the roads. I dont want you stranded out in the cold.
Were any of her older siblings getting the same lecture? Of course, they all had spouses and children at home expecting their arrival, whod worry if they didnt show up at a certain place at a certain time. Teresa didnt even have a cat waiting for her at her apartment. She should be more appreciative of their concern.
I wont be. But just in case, Ive got an emergency kit in my trunk, complete with blankets and flares, and Ill keep my cell phone in my pocket. Teresa tightened her arms briefly around her sister, then pulled back to touch Emilias distended belly. Now you go home and get off your feet. Hug Justin and my nephew and get yourself and this little one some rest.
The tension in her sisters face eased as she placed her hand beside Teresas. I think this one is going to be like her tía Teresa.
Pretty and smart?
Emilia laughed. A handful. I swear this one tosses and turns twenty-four hours a day. Not at all like when I was pregnant with her big brother.
Teresa sobered with concerns of her own. Do you need me to drive you home? Is your blood pressure spiking again?
No, no. Really? Her family wouldnt even let her do this little thing? Justin is coming by the hospital to get me after he picks up Joey from day care. Im fine. You just take care of yourself. Unless you want Justin to drive you home, too?
Teresa bit down on her frustration and summoned a smile for her sister. No, thanks. Ill be fine.
Emilia cupped Teresas cheek before turning away. Have you decided what youre doing for the holiday yet?
Im planning a Christmas party for the children here the afternoon of the twenty-fifth.
I mean Christmas morning. It would be fun for all of us to help with your party later in the day. We could make extra food and bring gifts. Joey and our nieces and nephews would have fun playing with the boys and girls here. Teresa knew that lookthe one that said I love you and Youll need our help at the same time. But youll be joining us all at AJ and Claires to unwrap presents and eat brunch, right?
Teresa understood mixed emotions all too well. Just as much as she loved her family, she wanted them to respect her skills and maturity and desire to be who she needed to be. But that battle was for another time. Not the holidays.
Her answer was sincere. I wouldnt miss it for the world.
Chapter Two
Nash couldnt remember how long hed been driving, and he had no clue where the highway was taking him.
Shaking off the fogginess in his head, he pulled off the next exit ramp and drove through some cookie-cutter neighborhood mecca. The front yards were dotted with wire reindeer and giant inflatable lawn ornaments. The snow and suburbia were as foreign to him as the need to find an ally who could help him.
He blinked away the frost forming on his eyelashes as his brain skipped from one random thought to the next. It was freaking cold here in Missouri; he had no drivers-side window to roll up and hed lost his hat. He loved that hat. It was a sentimental homage to the boys ranch where hed lived and worked and gone to school after his parents deaths at the hands of a pair of drugged-up teenagers whod invaded their home. Nash had grown up and taken a job with the DEA to combat the flow of drugs into Texas and other parts of the U.S., to stop another tragedy like his parents murders, to help troubled kids like hed been find a healthier way to deal with the crap life threw at them.
He usually oversaw or handled undercover operations where an agent infiltrated a gang or cartel or independent meth lab to gather information to stop the drugs being made, trafficked or sold. But two of his agents had been exposed as cops and killed. So hed gone undercover himself to find out how and why and who and had ended up with too many suspects and too little concrete evidence.
Somehow, Berto Graciela had found out he was a cop, too.
He was driving in circles.
Tommy Delvecchio was dead.
Ah, hell. A moment of painful clarity put the brakes on Nashs rambling thoughts.
Hed come to Kansas City with one desperate plan in mind. Without knowing whod betrayed him in Houston, hed gone elsewhere to find a sanctuary where he could lie low long enough to safely figure out his next move.
He reconsidered calling Jake Lonergan, whod left the DEA due to a nearly fatal head injury that had robbed him of his memory. Jake probably didnt want any part of the violence chasing Nash to enter his happily-ever-after life. But, sitting in a pool of his own blood and panting for nearly every breath, Nash knew his luck was running out. It might cost him a friendship, but Jake was all he had left.
Taking his hand off the reloaded gun at his side, Nash brushed the snow off his lap at the next stoplight and reached inside the bag Tommy had brought him to pull out the untraceable phone. Even that subtle shift in his seat renewed the pain like a stab in the back. Thug One had winged him in the leg, creating a discomfort he could simply throw a bandage over. But Thug Three had got him good. He still couldnt tell if the bullet had gone through or if it was lodged inside him somewhere. All he knew was that he was hurt. He was bleeding. And he wasnt going to get any better on his own.