Guarding Her Heart (Guardians Inc. Book 1)

by Belle Calhoune

  “Where are you going?”

  Matt tried to shake off his annoyance. Through gritted teeth he said, “To your sister's house. I can't reach her by landline or cell phone. I've got to get to her.” Unspoken words hung in the air. I've got to get to her...before Andrew does.

  When Tony moved to follow behind him Matt turned on his heel and grabbed Tony by the collar, shoving him into the nearest seat. “What part of stay here don't you understand? Do not under any circumstances follow me! Don't make me lock you up in a jail cell, Tony!'

  Tony held up his hands in surrender, his face filled with terror. “I'm not going to be a problem, Sheriff. Go! Go find my sister!”

  Matt threw him a nod of acknowledgement before he stalked out the door, his long strides full of force and determination. More than anything he wanted Tony to know that he loved his sister and he would go to the ends of the Earth to keep her safe. He sent a heartfelt prayer to the man above, praying that he wasn't too late to save the woman he loved.

  ***

  “What a mess,” Andrew said as he surveyed the shattered glass and the spilled lemonade. With his shoe he deliberately began pushing a shard of glass around on the floor, grinding it under his heel until it was shimmering dust.

  “Y-Yes, I'm so clumsy,” she said feebly as she bent down to pick up the splinters of glass. Her mind was whirling busily as she tried to process the fact that she was face to face with a killer. She had to stay calm. She had no illusions about why he'd come here today. He meant to kill her, to silence her in the same way he'd silenced Ronnie. He knew she was the sole living witness to his crime – murdering his own brother. She quickly palmed a shard of glass in her hand, knowing that if it came down to it she would fight for her life against this animal.

  “Leave it!” Andrew ordered as he pulled her by the arm and jerked her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, then steadied herself, all the while keeping a firm grip on the jagged piece of glass.

  “Why couldn't you just let your lazy brother do his own dirty work?” She looked into Andrew's eyes, shivering as she saw the ruthless glint in them and the cool, calm determination of a remorseless killer. “Why couldn't you just stay out of it?”

  She stared back into his soulless eyes, unwavering as she faced him down. “Because I love my brother. I could never do what you did.”

  He let out a harsh laugh. “You don't know a single thing about my relationship with Ronnie.”

  “I know you killed him.” Once the words were spoken she couldn't reel them back in. She'd thrown all her cards down on the table in the hopes she could catch him off guard and make a break for it. Eerily, his face still remained composed, her words seeming to bounce right off him like rubber.

  “Yeah, I killed him.” He shrugged, his face a cold mask of indifference. “He was trying to take away my business. We went into our enterprise together – fifty-fifty. An even split right down the middle.” Andrew sneered as he reminisced about his twin. “He always thought he was so tough. When we were kids he always called me a Mama's boy. As time went by it became clear who the real Mama's boy was in the family. Whenever things got tough he crumbled. Who do you think he called in to clean up all his messes when he messed up?” he asked angrily, his facial features twisting unnaturally into a grimace that distorted his features. “Then he decided to bail out on me. He wanted to go legit, didn't want anything to do with our enterprise. He threatened to get rid of our product, to throw it all away so we wouldn't get busted. Said he didn't want to spend the rest of his life behind bars.”

  “I still don't understand why you had to kill him.”

  Andrew cackled with laughter, his eyes betraying a hint of madness as he reflected on his murderous actions. “He threatened me. Told me he was going to go to the cops and let them know everything unless I cut him loose and paid him off. Why the hell was I going to give him half of everything when he was bailing on me? I still had Cree to deal with...he wanted a cut of everything too. You know what they say?” he asked in a sing-song voice. “Too many people wanting a slice of the pie. We argued that night at the The Limelight...he wanted to take the cash you were delivering that night, along with a few other bundles of cash. I couldn't let him do that.”

  “You killed your twin brother over a monetary dispute?” she asked in a voice laced with disgust. Although she was genuinely horrified by his actions she was still playing the game, drawing him out so she could make her move.

  Andrew pointed a finger in her face, his voice filled with explosive rage as he shouted, “Don't you judge me!”

  “And Cree? You killed him too, didn't you?” she asked, her fingers tightening around the shard of glass.

  Andrew raised his hands and began slowly clapping them, the noise ringing out in the silence of her home. “Bravo, Marissa. I snuffed out Cree. He knew too much...he got too greedy. He was threatening to go to the cops about Ronnie unless I gave him the lion's share of the profits. It makes you wonder what kind of a fool he took me for, doesn’t it? I shot him with the same gun I used on Ronnie, then I made sure his prints were all over the weapon. As a final touch I wrote a letter confessing to Ronnie's murder that I left near Cree's Body. It was like an episode of one of those crime shows,” he said with a demented chuckle. “You're a hell of a lot smarter than the cops. What's that Sheriff's name...Cerrado. Crusberto.” He snapped his fingers as the name came to him. “No, it’s Cruz, isn’t it?” Andrew leered at her and licked his lips as he looked her up and down. He leaned towards her and caressed the side of her face, his closeness making her shiver with disgust. “It seems you've gotten awfully close to Cruz, haven't you? Staying at his place, just the two of you shacked up there. Can't say I blame him. You are one beautiful woman!”

  Without warning Andrew leaned towards her, placing his lips on hers in a forceful, demanding kiss. She seized the moment and raised her arm in the air, slashing downwards at his face with the jagged piece of glass. As the glass pierced his flesh Andrew let out a wild wail of pain, accompanied by a slew of curse words. Marissa didn't hesitate for a moment. She pivoted towards the front door, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she scrambled to escape. The entire time she offered up prayers, asking God for deliverance from this nightmare. Marissa felt herself being pulled backwards by her shirt, and she fought against his fierce grip, knowing she was fighting for her very life against this madman. The sound of the ripping fabric rang out in her ears and she let loose with a scream as Andrew wrapped a muscled arm around her waist and pulled her tightly towards him.

  “You're going to pay for that!” He reached into his waistband and pulled out a gun, pointing it at her temple as she struggled against him. She let out a yelp of pain as he punched her in the back and an agonizing sensation shot through her.

  He grinned as her knees buckled under the weight of intense back spasms and she let out a low, keening moan. “Told you I'd make you pay for that!” he said as blood trickled down the side of his face where a deep cut lay exposed. “You made me bleed. You cut up my face!” he screamed, releasing her so he could sop up the blood on his face with his shirt. He muttered angrily as he wiped the blood away, only to have more blood flow from the open wound. “This is bleeding like a stuck pig,” he said as he pressed the fabric against the cut and applied pressure.

  The front door burst open and Tony stood in the doorway, his face filled with anxiety as he called out her name. “Marissa! Where are you?”

  Marissa watched her brother's eyes widen as he caught sight of Andrew holding the gun against her head.

  “Andrew, put the gun down. Just let her go, man. Please don't hurt my sister!” he begged.

  Andrew tightened his grip on her, his fingers digging into her skin. “Your sister shouldn't have stuck her nose in my business.”

  “She's not responsible for any of this, man. It's my fault, all of it. I sent her to the Wharf that night, something I never should've done.” He sent his sister a look of deep regret. “She was just in the wrong place
at the wrong time. Because of me, Andrew. It was all my fault.”

  “You're right about that,” Andrew said with a sneer.

  With an eerie grin plastered on his face, Andrew raised the gun, pointed it in Tony's direction and fired it. A popping sound filled the air as he fired the gun a second time and Tony cried out and clutched his abdomen, doubling over in pain. Marissa let out an earth shattering cry to wake the dead. It felt like an out of body experience as she watched in horror as Tony's blood soaked body hit the hardwood floor with a thud. Again, she heard the loud bang of gunfire and she braced herself to feel the crushing pain of being shot at point blank range. She watched in shock as Andrew slumped forward, his body slamming to the ground as blood gushed out of his temple. She saw Matt rushing towards her, heard concern and emotion in his voice as he asked her if she was okay. She nodded her head, then pushed him away, scrambling over to where Tony lay slumped on the floor.

  “Tony!” She screamed out her brother's name, kneeling next to where he lay on the floor, cradling his head in her hands. Matt nudged her out the way and began doing CPR, his hands pumping against Tony's chest in rhythmic motions. Marissa watched in shock as Matt felt his pulse then continued to thump his chest. “Get a towel! Now!” he yelled as he continued his frantic movements. She ran towards the kitchen and rummaged through the drawers, pulling forth her favorite red and white tea towel. Scrambling, she made her way back to Tony, not wasting a second as she pressed the towel against his gunshot wound and tried to stem the flow of blood.

  “Please, God, don't take my brother. Please, God,” she mumbled incoherently as thoughts of her parents raced through her mind. Tony looked so lifeless and weak, so unlike the larger than life man he was in everyday life. Scenes from the past floated through her mind – Tony taking on her childhood bullies, walking her home from school every day, giving her spending money when he got his first job, dropping off her favorite rocky road fudge at her office. There was so much good in him, she thought. Way more good than bad.

  Please God. I don't want to have to give my parents bad news. I don't want to tell them their son is dead. I don't know how they'll get through this! Hang on, Tony! Please, don't leave us.

  “I've got a pulse!” Matt cried out, his voice filled with a tension she'd never before heard in him.

  He held her gaze, his soulful eyes imploring her to not give up. “He's a fighter. He's fighting to stay here.”

  A slew of officers stormed the house at the same time as the EMTs charged through the front door and ran towards Andrew. Matt waved them over to Tony and two of the EMTs began assisting him, placing him on the board and strapping him down as they prepared to take him outside for transport. She turned to look at Andrew, anger flaring within her at the sight of the EMTs giving him medical assistance. She jumped up from her kneeling position, her arms flailing as she shouted, “Don't you dare take him first. He's the shooter! He tried to kill me, and he may have killed my brother!”

  Matt pulled her towards him, wrestling her as she fought against his attempts to quiet her.

  “Shh, baby. Shh. They have a job to do. Just let them do it.” He cradled her against his big chest, his hands smoothing back her hair as he soothed her with comforting words. “See. Look, they're taking Tony out first.”

  “How did this happen?” she asked Matt mournfully. Her mind was whirling in a dozen different directions; She needed to know why things had gone down the way they had.

  “Tony was at the station earlier. He came by to give me some information he was holding onto about Andrew. While he was there he heard Beau give me the forensics information about Andrew. I did everything I could to stop him from coming here, baby, but he wanted to save you. I have no idea how he beat me here.”

  She heard a loud buzzing noise in her ears, and she stumbled for a moment, stunned by what she'd just heard. Matt reached out to steady her and she brusquely placed her hands on his arm and pushed him away. “I've got to ride along in the ambulance with Tony. He needs me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Matt felt as if he was about to jump out of his skin. All hell had broken loose after he'd shot Andrew. The paramedics had arrived to transport Tony and Andrew to the hospital. Andrew had been pronounced dead in the ambulance, and although it killed him to have taken a life, he knew he'd had no other choice. Protecting Marissa had been utmost in his mind – then, now, always. He'd take down a hundred bad guys like Andrew if it meant keeping his lady in one piece.

  Marissa had ridden with Tony in the ambulance, and Matt had raced to join her at the hospital after securing the crime scene and waiting for back up. When he saw Ed and Carmen in the waiting room he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Tony was still fighting for his life. Carmen was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue while Ed appeared to be a shadow of the man he'd been mere days ago. Folks from the community had gathered to support them, Matt realized, as he looked around the waiting room and spotted a dozen familiar faces. Pastors. Church ladies. Schoolteachers. Realtors. They had all gathered to support the Santana family in their time of need.

  Matt made his way over to the Santanas, hating to bother them in their darkest hour, yet knowing he needed to find Marissa. The last time he'd seen her she'd been at Tony's side in the ambulance, her face full of dread and endless tears. Carmen jumped up when she saw him and threw her arms around his shoulders, showering him with praise for taking Andrew down and giving Tony CPR.

  “We'll never forget what you did for our family tonight,” Carmen said in a tear-filled voice.

  “I wish I could've done more, Mrs. Santana,” Matt said in a somber tone.

  She patted his hand and gave him a shaky smile. “Carmen. Please call me Carmen. You've surely earned the right to call me by my first name.”

  “Carmen,” he said as he glanced around the room, “I'm looking for Marissa. I haven't seen her anywhere.”

  “She went to the chapel to light a candle for her brother,” Ed explained. “The Doc said it was touch and go, so we're all praying for a miracle.”

  “She won't be able to take it if something happens to her brother,” Carmen said as she blotted her tears away with a tissue. “She's always been like a second Mama to him, fretting and fussing over everything he says and does.”

  Matt gripped Carmen's hands in his own and gazed straight into her eyes as he said, “Your son is a fighter. He's not going anywhere. God is with you.” He raised her hands to his lips and kissed them, his eyes filled with compassion and hope.

  As he made his way to the hospital chapel, Matt started thinking about his own relationship with the man upstairs. He considered himself a man of faith, but he knew his faith could be stronger. He could be better. Although he hated to admit it, he tended to reach out to the Lord only in times of dire need. Like today, he thought, when Marissa's life was on the line. He'd said more prayers in one hour than he'd uttered in a lifetime. Aurelia had started him on his path toward a better relationship with the Lord. Loving Marissa had brought him even closer to God. Now, he just had to continue on his path.

  He had a lot to be thankful for, he realized. If things had gone just a little differently, he'd have lost the woman he loved. Never again, he vowed, would he withhold his feelings from Marissa. Starting today, he was going to let her know in a million different ways how much he loved her. Life was way too short to let fear stand in your way.

  He paused in the chapel doorway so he could get a good look at Marissa before she saw him. Her face was drawn and tight. Her eyes were puffy and she looked as if she was carrying the weight of the world on her thin shoulders. She looked weary, and he just wanted to pull her into his arms and kiss away her fears. He wanted to make everything all right, to pull out some magical wand that would turn this nightmare into a happy ending. But life didn't always end up happily ever after, he reasoned. Sometimes the bad guys did major damage along the way.

  He strode towards her, wanting to help her in any way he could, even if it was merely being ther
e as moral support. “Marissa! How are you holding up?”

  He reached out to place his arm around her, and she swatted his hand away, her face darkening with rage.

  “How do you think I'm holding up, Sheriff Cruz? My brother was shot twice in the abdomen.” Her lips quivered as she spat out, “He's in the operating room fighting for his life, battling to make it through the surgery.” Marissa laughed bitterly, her beautiful face twisted in anger as she stared him down. “All because you filled him in on Andrew’s whereabouts. He never should have been at my house today. You gave him information that may have gotten him killed. You're supposed to serve and protect. Isn't that your motto? Your creed? What about duty and honor? You throw around words like that all the time when it suits your purpose. Where was your honor when you placed my brother directly in the line of fire?”

  Her words were like daggers, piercing his heart and leaving him bloody and wounded. He shook it off, determined to make his way through all the anger and show her the truth.

  “It wasn't like that. I would never have placed Tony in harm's way -.” He reached out for her, touching nothing more than air as she twisted her body to move away from him.

  “You hate him, don't you? You've always hated him. What was this? Payback for his run-ins with the law? Your twisted sense of justice?”

  “You're upset,” he said in a soothing voice. “You don't know what you're saying.”

  “Yes, I do,” she said through gritted teeth. “I know that you're not the man I thought you were. I don't even think you're the man you thought you were.” A look of revulsion passed over her face and she looked at him in disbelief. “I can't believe I thought I loved you.”

  “You do love me!” He looked at her fiercely, angrily, and he could feel the flush of rage flowing through him as her words registered in his brain. “You're not the type of woman who would say those three huge words if you didn't mean it. You can't take that back!”