Danger Under the Mistletoe

  DANGER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

  By

  Alexa Verde

  DANGER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

  By Alexa Verde

  Book 5 in the Secrets of Rios Azules Series

  Amazon Kindle Edition

  Copyright © 2017 by Olga Grun writing as Alexa Verde

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, posted on any website, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations in printed reviews and articles.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyediting by Amy Knupp. Cover art by Marion Ueckermann www.marionueckermann.net. Couple Image Couple ID 71558191 Depositphotos © majdansky.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  ABOUT DANGER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  THANK YOU FOR READING

  WOULD YOU LIKE A FREE BOOK?

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  OTHER BOOKS BY ALEXA VERDE

  ABOUT DANGER UNDER THE MISTLETOE

  Eager to heal after losing her husband, security consultant Rachel Evans moves to the small Texas town of Rios Azules. When one of her clients is found murdered under the mistletoe and her rental is broken into, the former thief realizes danger has found her once again. Her neighbor’s widowed son volunteers to help her. But as Rachel’s attraction to him grows, can she trust him with her heart—or her secret—before someone takes her life?

  CHAPTER ONE

  A KNOCK ON THE DOOR tore Rachel Evans out of her nightmare.

  She blinked, letting her eyes adjust to the darkness, and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She lit the screen. Five minutes after midnight.

  They’d found her.

  The thought was ridiculous, considering Rachel now lived in Rios Azules, where she’d moved from Austin a week ago. Besides, if somebody had come after Rachel, they wouldn’t knock. But old habits died hard, and she tried to decide between grabbing a baseball bat or bolting out the patio doors. Jumping over the fence shouldn’t be that difficult.

  “Rachel, are you there? Sorry to bother you, dear…” An elderly woman’s voice reached her.

  Air left Rachel’s lungs in a sigh of relief. The voice belonged to Mrs. Mora, her sweet neighbor, who was about seventy years old.

  Rachel chuckled nervously as she turned on the lamp with a click and slid her feet into her soft slippers, her neighbor’s welcome-to-the-neighborhood gift. Still clutching her phone to be on the safe side, Rachel tiptoed to the door, plastered herself to the wall, and looked out the peephole. One could never be too careful. Her tough upbringing and her husband’s death years ago had taught her as much.

  Okay, nobody could hide behind the fragile woman who stood on Rachel’s front porch. But what was the old lady doing here in the middle of the night?

  Rachel opened the door and scanned the neighborhood fast. Everything seemed to be peaceful, and she allowed herself to relax a fraction. “How can I help you, Mrs. Mora?”

  The night breeze reached her, so she gestured for the older woman to come inside.

  Rachel’s gaze lingered on all the Christmas decorations outside while Mrs. Mora wobbled into the house. Only seven days were left before Christmas, but Rachel hadn’t put up decorations. Ironic, as she needed the lights, especially the ones that would illuminate her soul.

  She needed them badly…

  As soon as her neighbor was inside, Rachel shut the door behind her, locked the two locks, and slid a bolt and a chain into place. Of course, all this wouldn’t stop a skilled burglar, but Rachel hoped not many people were as skilled as she’d been. For a month before moving here, she’d seen a car following her sometimes, different cars but always with tinted windows. It had made her nightmares return and forced her to take extra precautions.

  “Oh, dear. This is so silly of me. I’m sorry to wake you up.” Mrs. Mora sighed deeply.

  “It’s okay. Are you all right?” Rachel helped her into the nearest armchair.

  “I’m fine, but Cuddles…” The woman’s lower lip trembled. “He didn’t come home today. I searched for him and couldn’t find him. I woke up from his bark near the front door, so I went to look in the front yard. Cuddles wasn’t there. But when I tried to get back in, I realized I’d locked myself out. I was so sleepy I didn’t notice it. I called my grandson, and he should be here soon, but…”

  “You can wait over here. No problem.” Rachel had no idea why her heart skipped a beat at Mrs. Mora mentioning her grandson.

  Sebastian Mora…

  Rachel had been raking leaves in the front yard about five days ago, with no way to avoid her kind but somewhat meddling neighbor. Mrs. Mora had introduced her grandson who was visiting her. Rachel had given him a polite nod. Since then, she’d seen him several times at Mrs. Mora’s place, as he seemed to visit his grandmother often. Rachel had been courteous toward him, plastering a smile that was friendly enough but uninviting.

  Who cared if Sebastian Mora was ruggedly handsome and his broad shoulders and powerful torso had filled a charcoal-black T-shirt rather nicely? Who cared if his blue eyes, such a sharp contrast to his dark hair, made her pulse go faster? Rachel wasn’t in the market for a romance, not after Ryan’s death.

  A familiar pain stabbed her at the thought of Ryan…

  “Would you like some tea?” She’d had many cups of tea at Mrs. Mora’s house, so it would only be fair to offer some in return.

  “No, thank you, honey.” Her neighbor shook her head.

  “A glass of water or juice?”

  “No, thanks.”

  Rachel shifted from one foot to the other. Was it the right choice to move to Rios Azules? The sense of danger sent a shiver down her spine, though everything seemed to be silent outside. She could take her business anywhere in Texas and had been overdue for a vacation. Being followed by cars with tinted windows in Austin had been the last straw.

  After going through the motions for years in Austin after Ryan’s death, she’d needed a quiet place where nothing would remind her of her heartache and her challenging past. According to her friend January, January’s hometown in south Texas was just the place, where Rachel wouldn’t be disturbed. Obviously, January hadn’t counted on Mrs. Mora.

  But a warm feeling entered Rachel’s heart as she brought a blanket for Mrs. Mora. It felt… nice to be needed.

  The old lady took the blanket, but then her eyes widened, and her hands shook. “Oh, no!”

  Rachel tensed. “What happened?”

  Mrs. Mora paled. “I think I need my medicines.”

  “Would you like me to call 911?” Rachel listened intently, hoping for the sound of a motor. Where was that grandson of Mrs. Mora’s? Not that she wanted to see him. No matter that she’d glimpsed interest in his eyes when she’d met him. Or that she’d felt a surprising spark of her own.

  “No, no need to call 911. I’ll be fine, dear.” But judging by the fear in Mrs. Mora’s pale eyes, she wasn’t sure about that.

  Rachel’s heart squeezed from worry about her neighbor. Mrs. Mora had befriended her, a stranger in town, showing up at her doorstep with a pum
pkin pie the first day Rachel had moved into the tiny cottage. Gradually, after several conversations over endless cups of tea, Rachel had started getting attached to her kind, caring, and just a tad absent-minded neighbor.

  That neighbor now needed her help.

  An idea entered Rachel’s mind.

  No, that was crazy.

  And borderline stupid.

  She’d put her past behind her.

  She should just call 911. But she didn’t want to upset her neighbor and ruin the fragile budding friendship.

  “Do you have an alarm system?” she asked carefully.

  Mrs. Mora shook her head. “No. I know, I should have one. Sebastian tells me to get one all the time. But it’s always been a safe neighborhood…”

  “Where do you keep your medicine?” Rachel was only gathering information. She’d made a promise to herself not to use her skills again and had kept it all these years.

  “First bottle on the left, bottom shelf in the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.”

  Should be easy enough to find.

  No.

  Don’t even think that.

  Mrs. Mora could probably wait until her grandson’s arrival. Couldn’t that Sebastian Mora hurry up a little?

  “I’ll be fine, dear.” The old lady paled again, and her hands shook more, contradicting her words.

  Rachel swallowed hard.

  She couldn’t take the chance of something happening to her neighbor, one of the few people who’d been kind to her. Should she tell Mrs. Mora she could probably find a way to enter her house and ask for permission to do so? But Rachel wasn’t ready to see disappointment in the older woman’s eyes, wasn’t ready to divulge her secret.

  She was going to regret this.

  Definitely.

  Rachel dashed to her bedroom and grabbed her purse. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to check on your front door. Maybe you only thought you locked it.” She was out the door before she could stop herself.

  She made it to Mrs. Mora’s entrance in no time, but once there, her common sense told her that she really, really shouldn’t do this.

  But how could she not help her nice neighbor?

  The windows in the nearby homes were dark, and the neighborhood was quiet. Rachel still positioned herself in a way that people couldn’t see what she was doing, in case her neighbor’s loud knock on her door had woken somebody up. Rachel got to work before she had a chance to change her mind.

  She wasn’t going to steal anything, just grab the medicine and leave.

  Fast.

  A familiar rush went through her, and she stifled the jolt of joy when the door opened easily in barely seconds. All it took was a pin, concentration, precision, and a little talent. She made sure she opened the doorknob with the side of her sweater.

  Now, to the medicine cabinet and out before anybody would be any the wiser. As she usually did in any place she’d gone, she’d automatically memorized the layout of Mrs. Mora’s house from her previous visits. Finding the bathroom was easy.

  The lights from the large Christmas tree in the living room illuminated some of the way. Nostalgia entered Rachel’s heart. She’d helped Mrs. Mora decorate the tree, and her neighbor had already invited her to spend Christmas with her family.

  Family…

  Rachel didn’t think she knew the true meaning of the word, not until she’d married Ryan. Her brother, Sean, had cared for her as much as he could when they’d been kids and teens, but even that had ended badly…

  Back to the present.

  Out of habit, she surveyed the house as she crouched down and crept to the bathroom. It was a good thing that the neighborhood was safe. The house had way too many security vulnerabilities, starting with the flimsy lock and the patio doors that looked like they could be opened with a strong shoulder shove, not to mention the windows. And Rachel had noticed several antique heirlooms in the living room that could be sold easily. Working as a security consultant for five years had sharpened her skills of observation, and those had been excellent to start with.

  She’d need to have a talk with Mrs. Mora. Or her grandson. Her heart rate increased. No, better with Mrs. Mora.

  Rather out of habit than necessity, Rachel didn’t flip on the lights and opened the medicine cabinet in the darkness. She grabbed the first bottle on the left and placed it into the pocket of her sweat pants.

  Quickly, Rachel slipped out of the bathroom and stilled. Her instincts screamed at her to stop and pay attention.

  For a long moment, she didn’t hear or see anything suspicious. But her instincts had never deceived her before.

  There it was.

  A breeze of air, as if the door opened and closed.

  Somebody was inside the house!

  And she’d been sure she’d locked the door behind herself.

  Her heartbeat went into overdrive. Safe neighborhood, her foot! If it was so safe, why had two people decided to break into the same place in the same night?

  Technically, she wasn’t breaking in. She’d just tried to help her neighbor, who needed her pills even more now.

  Oh, no.

  Like the police would believe that explanation, with Rachel’s history. Yes, her juvie records should be sealed, but one never knew.

  Moving noiselessly, she slid into the nearest room, the bedroom, and hid behind the door. She grasped for ideas. Ryan had taught her to be optimistic and find the way out, no matter what.

  First, even though desperate for her pills, Mrs. Mora was safe in Rachel’s place and not in danger of discovering an intruder. That was good. Second, while Rachel knew about the burglar, he or she didn’t know about her. Rachel had an advantage she intended to use.

  She needed to get out of here unnoticed and take the pills to Mrs. Mora. Rachel would call the police from her place and say she’d seen an intruder entering her neighbor’s house. Her own house was close enough, and she was a good runner. There wasn’t a second to waste. She rushed to the window. She wasn’t wearing gloves, but it was too late to worry about it now. She’d use a part of her sweater to open the window.

  Uh-oh.

  Footsteps in the hall.

  The footfalls were quiet.

  Careful.

  But with her trained hearing, she could distinguish them in the silence. They neared.

  Oh, no!

  The intruder was moving in the direction of the bedroom. No wonder, because this was the place where many people hid their jewelry.

  She needed to get out of here fast! Urgency pulsed in her head as she clicked the latch open and pulled up the frame.

  Too late!

  Half of her body was out the window when she was pulled back. Her heart leaped into her throat. She had to fight.

  Her brother had given her lessons in self-defense in her teen years, and it had already saved her life twice.

  Rachel stepped on the burglar’s foot with force, but it didn’t have much effect, as she’d worn slippers and not heavy boots. Not fazed, she jammed her elbow into his stomach. She was met with such stout muscles, as if they were made of steel. The intruder’s scent of fresh cologne seemed vaguely familiar, but she didn’t have time to place it.

  Her hands fisted, she hit his arms, making sure the heavy ring Ryan had given her connected with the burglar’s skin. The guy groaned but didn’t let her go.

  Still, his grip loosened a little, giving her a chance to duck and throw a punch into his jaw. But his arm flew up almost at the same time hers did, and he blocked her punch. The next moment, only an excellent reaction saved her from taking a hit in her solar plexus.

  Clearly, her skills were no match for his, not to mention the fact that he outweighed her by half a hundred pounds or more.

  Rachel leaped back, trying to regroup. She was running out of options. She couldn’t see his face in the darkness, but she had a feeling she’d seen this body build, this posture. And that scent… But she was sure it wasn’t somebody she’d worked with before.

  Wh
at could she do now?

  If the guy wanted to kill her, he would’ve already done it. Or was she a witness who had to be eliminated?

  Rachel breathed hard, as if she’d run for miles. Gathering her strength, she geared up for a leg kick. Her legs were stronger than her hands, so if the kick was successful…

  It wasn’t.

  He caught her leg effortlessly, and she lost her balance.

  The next thing she knew, she was pinned against the wall with no possibility for escape.

  CHAPTER TWO

  SEBASTIAN MORA REALIZED EARLY ENOUGH that the intruder was a woman, but he didn’t expect her to be such a fighter. With his experience in martial arts, he figured he’d neutralize her quickly and call the police.

  By the time he managed to secure her without the possibility of her moving, his knuckles and his self-esteem were bruised. At least the anger that had shot through him like hot lava at the sight of a burglar had subsided a bit. As he held her close, reaching for the light switch, her scent drifted to him. It was vaguely familiar. She smelled of flowers and damp leaves and…

  Sebastian clicked on the light switch, and light flooded the room.

  His eyes widened. “Rachel?” His grandmother’s neighbor. Huh. “What are you doing here?”

  He glanced back at the empty bed. No wonder the commotion hadn’t woken up his grandma. She simply wasn’t there. “And do you know where my grandmother is?”

  Rachel hiked up her chin. “She’s at my house.”

  As curious as he was, he lingered for a moment before letting her go.

  For some inexplicable reason, he enjoyed having her close, inhaling her scent of flowers, seeing the honey dots in her hazel eyes, her slightly parted lips. Her breathing was rapid but there was relief rather than fear in her beautiful eyes.

  Interesting.

  He’d been intrigued by his grandmother’s new neighbor from the first time he’d seen her working in her yard. A tall, impossibly slim blonde with sad, doe-like eyes. She’d reminded him of a gazelle, ready to run at the first noise. Her ring finger had been bare, and from his grandmother’s words, nobody had visited the newcomer in the time she’d been here, except for Grams, of course.