Texas Ransom

He couldn’t see her at first…

But then he spotted a flash of red near the entrance. The stranger who had stopped her earlier was beside her as they moved quickly towards the door.

“Kendall!”

Whether she somehow heard him over the roar of the panicked crowd, or whether the force of his gaze drew her attention, Graham didn’t know. But at that exact moment she glanced back, her gaze clinging to his and he saw her lips move. I’m sorry.

Sorry for what? Graham thought a split second before he found himself pushed back against the wall.

He called out to Kendall, but his voice was lost in the din. Frantic to reach her, Graham tore himself free and fought his way through the terrified mob.

But by the time he reached the door, his wife had vanished.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Graham Hollister – When his wife is kidnapped, he uncovers a web of international intrigue, betrayal and a brutal enemy with a terrifying vendetta.

Kendall Hollister – A woman with a shrouded past.

Leo Kittering – A man who will stop at nothing to avenge his dead son.

Gabriel Esteban – He possesses the name of an angel and the soul of a devil.

Hector Reyes – A henchman caught between a rock and a hard place.

Michael Barron – Graham’s best friend has a few secrets of his own.

Terrence Hollister – Graham’s older brother and bitter rival has a failing business in desperate need of cash.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Stevens is a bestselling author of more than thirty novels of romantic suspense. In addition to being a Romance Writers of America RITA^® Award finalist, she is also a recipient of awards for Career Achievement in Romantic/ Mystery and Career Achievement in Romantic/ Suspense from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. She currently resides in Texas. To find out more about past, present and future projects, please visit her website at www.amandastevens.com.

Texas Ransom

AMANDA STEVENS

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Prologue

A waxing moon rose over the barren countryside as the black SUV bumped along a back road that ran parallel to the border. Two hundred yards away, across the Rio Grande, was Big Bend National Park, a vast terrain of canyons, desert and mountains. A place where a man could stay invisible for days if he needed to.

Leo Kittering sat alone in the back seat and stared straight ahead as the headlights tunneled through the darkness. He glanced back once, made uneasy by their proximity to the border, but the road was clear. Nothing behind them but a swirl of dust that settled slowly in the moonlight.

Kittering turned away from the window. His heart fluttered as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He hadn’t felt this exhilarated in years. And with good reason because soon everything would be in place.

The man and woman…they wouldn’t know what hit them.

He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, though. There was still a lot to be done. Too many things that could yet go wrong. An operation of this magnitude was a delicate balance of careful planning and guesswork.

A part of him wished that he could be there when it all went down, but his time for that kind of work had come and gone. He was no longer a young man or in the best of health. But even if he had still been in his prime, he wouldn’t risk crossing the border. If he was spotted and detained by the authorities, the whole plan would be jeopardized.

Besides he didn’t need to see their faces at the exact moment they realized their lives were over. He could take just as much satisfaction in the aftermath.

He shifted his considerable weight in the seat and rolled down the window for a breath of fresh air. The man in the front passenger seat glanced over his shoulder. He had a cell phone to his ear, which he lowered for a moment to ask in an anxious voice, “Leo, you okay?”

The older man grunted, neither confirming nor denying the query.

The vehicle came to a stop, and to his right Leo could see the glitter of moonlight on muddy water. For years, American tourists and Mexican villagers had crossed the river in nearby Boquillas, a loosely enforced class-B port of entry. Leo himself had come over not far from there, but that had been a long time ago. The crossing was officially closed now, although residents of the tiny village continued to go back and forth with their livestock. And often with even more valuable cargo.

Leo’s mind churned with memories and emotions and with a sudden unease. “They’re not here,” he muttered as apprehension fingered down his spine.

“Don’t worry, they’ll show. There’s too much at stake for them not to.”

I hope you’re right, Kittering thought, his eyes still glued to the water. Because if Gabriel Esteban didn’t come soon, somebody would have to pay.

As if reading his mind, Hector Reyes—the man with the cell phone—shot him a worried look. “I made the arrangements myself. They’ll show,” he said again, as if he, too, needed reassuring.

Kittering closed his eyes for a moment, letting the humid air wash over him. He’d brought L.J. here once, when they’d been on a camping trip in Big Bend. The boy couldn’t have been more than seven or eight because they’d still been living in San Antonio at the time. Leo had owned his own business even then, been a well-respected member of the community. Happily married, a settled family man. Then a few risky deals had soured and he’d found it necessary to relocate in something of a hurry to Mexico.

His wife, Nina, had refused to come with him. She’d tried to turn L.J. against him, too, but the foolish woman had learned the hard way that you did not keep a father from his only son.

Nina, God rest her soul, had been dead nearly thirty years, and L.J. was gone now, too. But it gave Leo no comfort to imagine that mother and son were reunited in heaven.

The only thing that gave him any pleasure since his son’s murder was the promise of revenge. It had been a long time coming. But now the day of reckoning was almost at hand.

“What about Houston?” he growled. “Our contact there can be trusted? You’re certain?”

Hector Reyes turned again, his gaze meeting Leo’s in the dark. “He knows the consequences of betrayal. Nothing will go wrong.”

“An operation like this…we can’t be too careful.” Leo sank back into deep thought. He wanted to turn his mind away from the past. He needed to get his head back in the game before the others arrived so that he could be on guard for even the smallest hint of treachery.

Leo had never met Gabriel Esteban, but his violent reputation preceded him. Leo wasn’t afraid of very many things or very many men. Not after everything he’d seen and done in his sixty-three years on this earth. But the stories he’d heard about Gabriel Esteban chilled even his blood.

Doing business with an animal like that…

Leo shuddered.

His men were jittery, too, especially Hector, who would accompany Esteban and his crew to Houston. Leo didn’t blame Hector for being nervous. He was in a difficult position. If he refused to go with Esteban, he risked Leo’s wrath. And if Esteban turned on him once they were across the border, Hector would wish that he’d never been born. The poor man was caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

Leo felt only a slight twinge of guilt over Hector’s predicament, even though the younger man had worked for him for years. Hector had started in the organization as a kid, a penniless street urchin who’d turned up at Leo’s front gate one day, demanding a job. Leo had admired the boy’s bravado and his determination to take care of his family, especially his younger sister, Maria. So Leo had given him the odd job around the estate.

But behind Leo’s back, Hector and L.J. had become fast friends, and sometime later Leo discovered that the boy had moved into the house. He’d take a room down the hall from L.J.’s and had never left, even when Leo’s son went off to university.

After L.J.’s death, Hector had become Leo’s right-hand man, and eventually Maria had moved into the house, too. Leo thought the world of both Hector and Maria, but still he didn’t hesitate to send him on this dangerous mission. Because when all was said and done, blood was still thicker than water.

A movement in the dark caught Leo’s attention, and his eyes narrowed as he focused on the water. A few yards downstream, a teenage boy crossed the shallow river with a donkey. Leo watched until the boy was out of sight, and then he turned slowly as approaching headlights illuminated the interior of his vehicle.

“That’ll be him.” Hector glanced nervously over the seat. “Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked in Spanish. “Gabriel Esteban is a very dangerous man. Once you agree to his terms, there’ll be no turning back.”

The driver, who had spoken very little during the drive, cast a wary glance at first Hector and then Leo.

Leo knew what he was thinking. There would be hell to pay for anyone else who dared challenge Leo’s judgment.

Everyone who worked for Leo knew of his temper. His control had a way of snapping when it was least expected over the seemingly most inconsequential incident. Part of that was by nature and part of it by design. Leo enjoyed seeing the men’s fear. It kept them on their toes.

He’d been a little too lax with Hector. That was another reason he was sending him across the border with Esteban. Hector had become too complacent. And that could spell trouble very quickly in their business.

“I know what I’m doing,” Leo snapped. “Now, leave me, both of you. I want to speak to Esteban alone.”

Hector and the driver climbed out of the vehicle, but they didn’t go far. Leo could hear them muttering in Spanish through his open window.

The headlights on the other vehicle went dead, and all at once the darkness of the countryside seemed to envelope Leo. He felt an unfamiliar tightness in his lungs, as if something heavy was pressing against his chest.

Suddenly he couldn’t wait to be home, safely ensconced behind the high stucco walls that protected his home from the prying eyes of the federales. In the past five years, since L.J.’s death, he’d rarely ventured outside those walls. Now he remembered why. After nearly three decades, the Mexican landscape still seemed foreign to him.

A few minutes passed before Leo saw a tall, dark shadow emerge from the other vehicle and walk slowly across the dusty road toward the SUV. The approaching stranger said something to Hector and the driver, and then Leo heard a soft laugh before Gabriel Esteban opened the door and slid onto the backseat beside him.

The interior light had been disengaged, but moonlight flooded through the windows and Leo could see the barest hint of a smile still lingering at the corners of Esteban’s mouth. His was not a nice smile, more like a vicious smirk. His face was pitted with acne scars and his thick eyebrows rose in points above his dark eyes, giving him a demonic appearance befitting his reputation.

In spite of the physical imperfections, Leo had a feeling that Gabriel Esteban never wanted for female companionship. There was something about him, a perverse charisma that would draw a certain kind of woman like a moth to flame.

Gabriel eyes met Leo’s in the moonlight and the unpleasant smile deepened. “Señor Kittering.”

The sound of his voice drove an icy chill straight through Leo’s heart. He was not a man easily intimidated. He’d operated for too many years on the seamy side of society and had turned a blind eye to the havoc his profession wreaked on innocent lives. He’d arranged the “accident” that had removed his wife from his son’s life, and he’d never so much as fingered a rosary in regret.

But now the thought of what Gabriel Esteban would do with Leo’s money filled his heart with a black, freezing dread. Leo was surely on the road to hell now. He had been for a long time, but now there was no turning back. For what he and Gabriel Esteban had planned, there would be no forgiveness.

“Señor Esteban.” He said the name with the respectful wariness befitting two powerful rivals who suddenly found themselves co-conspirators in a diabolical scheme.

“You have the money?”

Leo reached for the laptop on the seat between them. “Half will be transferred into your account now, the other half when the job is finished. Just as we agreed.”

Gabriel Esteban nodded. “Then let’s get on with it, shall we?”

It took Leo only a few seconds to transfer the funds to the numbered bank account in the Caymans that had been set up for the operation. Once Esteban was satisfied the transaction had gone through, he glanced up. “Relax, mi amigo. In a matter of days, we will both have what we want.”

“I’ll relax when the woman is safely across the border.”

“And the man?”

“Do whatever is necessary to gain his cooperation. Then kill him.”

Esteban grinned as he opened the door and climbed out, then briefly turned to say over his shoulder, “I’ll be in touch. Have your man ready to leave at a moment’s notice.”

Leo watched him walk back to the other car. The headlights came on, and the vehicle turned, heading down the road in the direction from which it had come.

The front doors of the SUV opened and Hector and the driver got in. Hector glanced at the laptop on the seat beside Leo.

“It’s done then?”

“It’s done.” Leo drew a long breath, settling into the corner of his seat as his gaze went back to the river.

God help him, it was done.

Chapter One

“It feels a little like heaven up here, doesn’t it?”

“Only a little?” Graham Hollister teased as he surveyed the city lights from the rooftop of the PemCo Tower, an eighty-five-story glass-and-granite monolith that was now the tallest skyscraper in the Houston skyline.

The building would soon become the oil company’s world headquarters, but for now, tonight, it was the culmination of all Graham’s dreams.

When he closed his eyes, he could feel the building sway beneath them, and a wave of dizziness washed over him. He fought it off. He didn’t want anything to spoil this night.

He tightened his arms around his wife’s slim waist. “Only a little like heaven,” he mused. “Damn. I must be doing something wrong.”

She pulled away and shot him a look over her shoulder. “Will you stop fishing? I told you earlier the earth moved. What more do you want?”

“Tell me again. I’m feeling insecure.” His hand trailed down her bare arm. “Or better yet, show me.”

She slapped at his hand. “Up here? No way! I’m not an exhibitionist.”

“Tell that to Myron.” Myron was the stray tabby they’d adopted a few months ago when he’d crawled over the fence one day and caught them skinny-dipping in the pool. He’d gotten quite an eyeful before either of them had noticed him stretched out on one of the loungers.

“Different situation entirely,” Kendall said. “And besides, Myron doesn’t have a judgmental bone in his body.”

“And I do?”

“You’re not the one I’m worried about. Getting caught in flagrante delicto by the Mexican ambassador is not my idea of a fun evening.”

“No, but I bet it would be his,” Graham said as he drew her back against him.

Her shampoo smelled like flowers, but her perfume was something darker, headier. That was Kendall. Always a dichotomy. Insecure, dauntless and perfectly flawed. A woman he found endlessly fascinating, even after seven years of marriage. More like five, though, if you counted the long separation.

But Graham didn’t want to think about that tonight. He and Kendall had never been happier, so what did it matter that she’d once left him? He hadn’t tried to stop her. The truth of the matter was he’d been relieved when she walked out on their marriage.

That had been a long time ago. Things were different now. They were different.

And yet there were times, such as earlier tonight before they’d left the hotel, when Graham sensed that maybe everything between them wasn’t as perfect as he wanted to believe. Sometimes, when Kendall didn’t know he was around, he’d see a look come over her face. Sad, pensive…lost. Graham tried to chalk it up to her past. She didn’t talk much about her family, but he knew she’d had a difficult childhood and a troubled adolescence. He’d never pressed for details. He wasn’t keen on airing his dirty laundry, either, but at times, he still felt as if he’d barely scratched the surface of who she really was.

“I love you. You know that, right?”

She turned. Was it his imagination or did her smile seem tentative? Wistful? “I love you, too.” She lifted her hand to trace his jawline. “It’s going to be okay.”

His heart did a funny little somersault against his chest. “What is?”

“Tonight,” she said, but there was a slight hesitation before she answered.

He nodded and managed a smile although suddenly his mouth had gone dry. Something was going on with her. Something she didn’t feel she could share with him.

“Kendall?”

“Yes?”

“Are you sure the earth moved?”

She punched his shoulder. “Forget it. We’re not having a quickie on the rooftop to stroke your ego when there’s a whole roomful of people waiting downstairs to tell you how wonderful you are.”

“Not the same thing at all.”

“Seriously, Graham. I’m so proud of you,” she said, her eyes suddenly glistening.

That was another thing that had Graham a little concerned. Kendall had been so emotional these past few days. He had no idea what that was all about, and she didn’t seem to want to tell him.

“All right,” he said reluctantly. “You’ve convinced me. I suppose we should go downstairs and at least make an appearance.”

She nodded. “I need to freshen up first. My hair must be a mess.”

“You look beautiful.”

“I never look beautiful,” she said with a resigned shrug that always broke his heart.

He resisted the urge to trace one of the scars on her face with his fingertip, but she wouldn’t like that. Since the last surgery, the imperfections were barely even visible, but she knew they were there. And even after all this time, she was still a little self-conscious in social situations.

To Graham, though, she would always be beautiful.

She started for the elevator, but he caught her arm and she turned back. “What is it?”

He gazed into her eyes. “Are you happy? With me, I mean.”

Her lips trembled and for a moment, he thought she was going to cry. Instead she smiled and lifted herself on her tiptoes to remove his glasses before she kissed him.

“Being with you is like being in heaven,” she whispered.

“YOU’RE ONE lucky bastard, Graham. I hope you know that.”

Graham nodded as he surveyed the glittering crowd that had assembled to celebrate the post-construction phase of the PemCo Tower. “I’m doing okay.”

“Doing okay?” Michael Barron, his best friend since their college days at Rice University, clapped him on the back. “I think most folks would say you’re doing a little better than okay. Gorgeous wife. Big house. Your own company. And now this…” His blue eyes twinkled. “You’re living the dream, buddy.”

“You’re not doing so badly yourself,” Graham said, his gaze still on the crowd. Where the hell was Kendall? She’d gone to freshen up as soon as they came down from the roof, and he hadn’t seen her since. That had been several minutes ago. He didn’t know why, but her absence made him uneasy.

Or maybe his apprehension that evening had more to do with the argument he’d had with Terrence that morning. He hadn’t told Kendall about their latest disagreement because he knew how much she hated the combative relationship he had with his older brother. Terrence always knew how to push his buttons, and Graham should have known better than to let him get to him. After all this time and all the success he’d achieved, he certainly had no reason to feel intimidated.

But somehow in Terrence’s presence, Graham always reverted to the insecure geek who’d grown up in the shadow of his football-star brother.

“Oh, don’t get me wrong.” Michael deftly plucked a champagne glass from the tray of a passing waiter. “I’m living the good life, too. It’s just that my career has taken a few unexpected turns. Not you, though.” He took a long sip of his drink. “You’ve had the same goal since we were roommates in college. You always said you were going to design the tallest, grandest building in Houston, and by damn if you didn’t pull it off. I admire your focus, Graham. I really do.”

Graham tried not to wince at the accolade. Sometimes he wasn’t so sure his dedication was anything to be proud of. Career tunnel-vision had almost cost him his marriage, but ever since he and Kendall had reconciled five years ago, he’d made a promise to her and to himself that their relationship would come first no matter what.

He’d been worried when he first took the PemCo contract that it would put too much stress on their marriage. From inception to completion, the project had consumed nearly two years of his life, requiring endless meetings and arduous hours at the computer drafting version after version of the building until a design was finally accepted by the team.

And then came the politics, the disagreements, the costly delays and untold man hours that were inevitable with such an ambitious project. The tension had only escalated once the alliance between Houston-based PemCo and Pemex, the Mexican state-run petroleum company, became public. One of PemCo’s refineries had been firebombed in protest, and the mastermind, a former head of the oil workers’ labor union named Joaquin Galindo, had been arrested in Mexico City and sent to prison.

There were times when Graham wondered if the project would ever be completed under such volatile conditions. But through it all, Kendall had been supportive in a way he could never have imagined before the accident. The near-death experience had changed her, softened her, made her reevaluate her priorities just as it had Graham.

He really was a lucky guy, Graham thought, taking a sip of his own champagne. He had everything any man could ever want.

“I just never thought I’d find myself working for your brother,” Michael was saying. “Let alone occupying the office that should have been yours. That wasn’t my plan when I first passed the bar.”

Graham shrugged. “You’re a better vice president than I ever would be so it all worked out for the best.”

“Maybe. But I still say if your old man had lived, he would have eventually worn you down.”

“Not a chance. I’ve never wanted to do anything but design buildings. Dad would have finally accepted that fact. Besides, there’s no way I could work with Terrence. One of us would kill the other.”

Michael scowled. “This is none of my business, but we’ve been friends for a long time so I hope you won’t take my advice the wrong way. You need to cut Terrence some slack. The company’s going through a rough time, and he’s got a lot on his plate. That knock-down-drag-out you two had earlier didn’t help.”

Graham frowned. “What are you talking about? Hollister Motors has always been financially sound.” The company his father founded nearly forty years ago had given them all the kind of lifestyle most families could only dream of. Graham was well aware of the fact that his inheritance had allowed him to open his own architectural firm in Austin at a time when many of his contemporaries were still struggling to pay off school loans.

“And it will be again,” Michael said adamantly. “But there’s a lot of new competition for the kind of specialized engines we build, and to stay ahead of the game, we’ve got to become more innovative with our designs. Research and development is expensive. We need an infusion of cash right now, which is why Terrence is proposing selling off some of the family assets rather than incur more debt.”

“We own property besides Dad’s ranch. The downtown warehouses have got to be worth a small fortune.”

“Only if you hold out long enough to find the right buyer. Terrence already has someone interested in the ranch. These guys will fork over a check as soon as the papers are signed. We could have that money in a matter of days.”

“I’m not trying to be difficult about this, but—”

“But what?” Michael cut him off impatiently. “The deal makes sense and you know it. Hey, I like playing cowboy as much as the next guy, but we’re all adults now with busy lives. When’s the last time you drove out there?”

Graham couldn’t remember the last time. Still, he was hesitant. “Dad loved that ranch. I don’t feel right selling off something that he put his heart and soul into.”

“The ranch was a hobby at best. He put his heart and soul into Hollister Motors. He’d be all for this plan and you know it.” Michael’s gaze hardened. “The company needs that money. If you’re holding out just to spite your brother—”

“Give me a little more credit than that,” Graham said angrily. “I was blindsided this afternoon. I had no idea Terrence was even considering selling off assets, let alone the ranch. Maybe if I’d been given some warning instead of having papers shoved under my nose and ordered to sign, I might have been a little more agreeable.”

“He went about it the wrong way, no question. But what else is new? Terrence is a straightforward kind of guy. Forget how it was put to you. You’ve had time to mull it over, and you know what’s at stake if we don’t sell.”

“Why didn’t Terrence tell me all this himself?”

Michael drained his champagne and reached for another. “Because he’s as mule-headed as you are. And he probably didn’t want to admit that the company’s hit a rough spot. Not to you. Not after all this.” He turned toward the windows and gestured with his hand at the twinkling lights of the Houston skyline. “You’ve got it all, Graham. You’ve won. Now you can afford to be generous. Especially when it comes to family.”

Graham shoved his glasses up his nose as he studied the skyline. He didn’t feel as if he’d won anything. He’d busted his ass to get where he was today. And, yes, Hollister money had helped him get there faster, but he didn’t appreciate Michael’s implication that his success was the result of some kind of contest with his brother.

“I just wish someone had told me before now how bad things were at the company,” he muttered.

Michael glanced over at him. “Does that mean you’ll sign the papers?”

“Of course, I’ll sign. The company means a lot to our family.”

Michael let out a breath of relief. “We never had this conversation.”

Graham shrugged. “Fine. Then I guess you’ll want me to tell Terrence the news.”

“What news?”

Graham turned in surprise. He hadn’t expected his brother to show up tonight even though he and his wife, Ellie, had been issued invitations weeks ago.

Graham felt the same old pang of resentment he always experienced in his brother’s presence. Terrence was three years older, and, right up until Graham had turned eighteen, he’d been at least three inches taller. A late growing spurt had put Graham at eye level with his brother, but somehow he still had the impression of having to look up to him.

Growing up, Terrence had been everything that Graham was not. A star athlete with almost palpable charisma, he’d been big man on campus in both high school and college while Graham had been hardly more than his quiet, more intellectual shadow.

Terrence was just like their father and Graham had always envied their closeness. But no matter how hard he tried, there had always been a distance between him and the old man.

Rugged, handsome, and gregarious, Nate Hollister had been a real man’s man. He hadn’t known how to relate to a son who didn’t excel at sports and who spent most of his free time in his room studying and reading.

Graham swallowed past his resentment and smiled. “I’m glad you guys came tonight.”

“We wouldn’t have missed it for the world.” Ellie stood on tiptoes to brush her lips against Graham’s cheek. “This place is amazing. I’ve watched it go up from the day the slab was poured, but seeing it now all lit up against the skyline and knowing that you designed it…” She trailed off with a shiver and held up her arm. “See? I’ve got goose bumps.”

Graham laughed and gave her a light hug. No matter how awkward and uncomfortable he often felt in his brother’s presence, Ellie had a way of making him relax. She was seven months pregnant with their third child and it obviously agreed with her. Her eyes and complexion glowed as she beamed up at him. Tiny and blond, she was still as lovely at thirty-eight as she had been back in high school when she and Terrence had been voted the most popular couple.

“I didn’t exactly do it on my own,” Graham said. “I had a little help.”

“It was still your vision. We’re all so proud of you. Aren’t we, Terry?”

His brother’s gaze didn’t quite meet Graham’s. “I’m just sorry Mom couldn’t be here tonight.”

“She’s where she needs be.” Their grandmother had fallen a few days earlier and broken a hip. Their mother, Audrey, had driven up to Lufkin to be with the older woman while she underwent surgery and physical therapy.

Michael placed his hand on Graham’s shoulder, a friendly reminder of their earlier conversation. “I need to mingle. I’ll see you later.”

After he was gone, Graham and Ellie chatted for a few minutes while Terrence watched the crowd with a brooding scowl. When there was a lull in the conversation, Graham said, “I’ve had time to think about our earlier discussion. I’d like to drop by and sign the papers in the morning before Kendall and I head back to Austin. That is, if you’ve got time to see me.”