Lawfully Courageous

Chapter 4

He crept around the corner, gun held out, and came face to face with a masked man. He was holding a terrified Davy in his arms, a hand over the boy's mouth while his feet scissored the air.

It was the Surgeon. "Lay your gun down, nice and slow," he ordered coldly, "or you know what I'll do to your son."

Horror billowed through Sergio's chest in suffocating waves. So it had come to this. Where are you, God? I need you now — more than ever before. He nodded mutely and bent toward the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Surgeon relax his hold on his own weapon and lower it a few inches from Davy's temple.

"Let him go!" Sal's voice was low and deadly as she climbed through the shattered living room window, a weapon in hand that Sergio didn't recognize. "One wrong twitch out of you and I assure you the neighbors on either side of us won't even hear the shot."

The Surgeon blinked and paled a few shades behind the mask that covered his eyes. His angry gaze locked on Sergio's, and the arm holding his weapon yanked upward.

Then he fell.

Sergio lunged forward to catch his son before he hit the floor; and, by some miracle, the Surgeon's gun never went off. Sal pressed her foot to the top of the Surgeon's revolver and dragged it out of reach – not that it was necessary. He was gone, eyes staring in dazed disbelief at the ceiling.

Their home was soon immersed in flashing lights and first responders as emergency vehicles converged on them.

The sheriff determined that Sergio and Sal had defended their home and son in self-defense. The Surgeon was rolled away on a stretcher in a body bag, leaving Sergio and Sal to clean up the glass and seal their front window as best they could with cardboard and tape. Fortunately, they had a few boxes handy, leftover from opening Christmas gifts. They placed an after-hours call to management at the condominium to request the window repair.

"It's over," Sal finally sighed, rocking back on her heels and dusting her hands. She'd gone over the floor at least three times with a hand-held vacuum.

"The bad hombre is never coming back, is he?" Davy was huddled on the couch in his PJ's and his favorite fuzzy blanket — one that Sal had specially commissioned for him as a Christmas gift with Chaz's face on it.

"No, the bad hombre is gone for good, querido."

"Bueno!" Davy promptly hopped off the couch and slid to the floor to start tugging on a chew toy with Chaz, who liked nothing better than a good wrestling match with his favorite boy.

"About that gun you used," Sergio said softly. He joined Sal on the couch, sliding his arm around her shoulders so he could speak directly in her ear.

And nuzzle a particularly sensitive spot he'd discovered beneath her earlobe...

"Is there something you need to tell me, chica?"

"I can't," she confessed, catching her breath when his mouth traveled down the side of her neck. "I'd rather gift you with plausible deniability on this one."

He drew back at the serious note to her voice. "Sal—"

"No. Please don't ask." She pressed two fingers to his lips. "If it's any comfort to you, the gun is gone and the bullets are untraceable."

"What do you mean? Where is the gun?" he asked carefully.

She shrugged. "I believe the sheriff took it in as evidence."

"You said it was gone."

"Did I?" She arched her brows in complete innocence at him.

Understanding hit him. "Your father got involved, didn't he?" Dark foreboding streaked through his chest. "Mon Dios! What have you done, chica?" There would be a price to pay for accepting a favor from a drug lord, even if the man was her father. There was always a price to pay.

"I did what I must to put a stop to this, Sergio. It's over. I can't promise we'll never face any more difficult times together as a married couple, but this I can assure you: The Abilos Gang will never bother us again."

Sergio drew a finger down Sal's cheek, wanting more than anything to believe her. "You have to give me something, chica. You can't just expect me to live in the dark forever."

She gave a delighted laugh. "I was so hoping you would say something like that. Wait here." She hopped up from the couch, dashed to their bedroom, and returned with her electronic tablet. Sliding back on the couch next to him, she tapped a few buttons and held up the screen to him. "This is the current balance in an offshore account my father opened for us on Christmas day. It was his wedding gift to us. Well, mainly to you. He figured some extra cash might come in handy now and then while keeping your lifelong promise to have and to hold, to love and to cherish me."

Sergio felt like the breath had been knocked out of his chest as he stared at the impossibly large figure and the ridiculous number of zeros that followed it. "This is a joke, right? One of those white elephant New Year gag gifts? Haha. Very funny."

She made a face at him and flipped off the screen. Tossing it on the couch cushion beside her, she snuggled against him once more. "You can laugh all the way to the bank muchacho, but it won't change the fact that I am now married to the richest deputy in Texas. Probably in the country!"

Sergio ran a hand through her silky, dark hair, too dazed for words just yet. If his new wife wasn't joking, he was an honest-to-heavens billionaire. A billionaire!

"Say something," Sal pleaded. "You're starting to freak me out here. At least, tell me you still love me."

He chuckled and tugged her closer. "I can't believe you have to ask. Of course, I still love you, chica. More than my own life." He tucked her head beneath his chin. "I suppose this means we're going to have to ditch my bachelor pad soon. You'll be wanting a real house."

"With a bigger kitchen and a pool, cariño. A heated one," she said hopefully.

"I think we can swing everything on your wish list, princesa, thanks to your father's exorbitant generosity." He tapped her nose. "Are you sure his gift doesn't come with any strings attached?"

"Father's gifts always come with strings attached," she assured in a laughing voice.

His heart sank. That was what he'd feared.

"But I don't think you'll find these strings too burdensome. All he is asking in return is that you love and protect me until the end of my days. He wants to see his only daughter happy, so he's setting us free."

Free! Sergio finally understood. The only way Sal's father could have accomplished that miracle was by ending the reign of the Abilos Gang. It meant the man had fought and won a war for the sake of his daughter's happiness. It was mind-boggling.

Sergio planned to do his part by spending the rest of his life defending and protecting Sal's happiness. "This calls for a celebration." He stood and tugged his bride to her feet.

"What do you have in mind?" Her gaze was fixed on his in joyous expectation.

Sergio winked over her head at his son. "What do you think we should do next, Davy?"

"Hot chocolate!" the boy shouted, bounding to his feet, "and another board game."

Sergio waggled his brows in challenge at Sal. "He's a keeper, isn't he?"

"Yes! You both are." She stepped into Sergio's arms and stretched on her tiptoes to seal her words with a kiss. "Forever and always!"

"Gross," Davy groaned from behind them. "You're kissing again, aren't you?"

<<< THE END >>>

I hope you enjoyed Sergio and Sal Desoto's story! Keep turning the page for a preview of Coco Winslet & Sergeant Luke Jordan's story — .

Much love!
Jo Grafford