Locked and Loaded (26 page)

The sound of Kieran's voice pierced the quiet. They couldn't have been here too long. Odds were good that Charlie might still be alive. Her voice followed on the heels of Kieran's demand, too frantic and muffled for Mason to make out what she said. A relieved breath decompressed his lungs. She was still alive. Thank God. For how long, though, depended on how quickly Mason could get his ass in gear and come up with a plan to get her out of there.

The sounds of voices quieted once again. Mason could account for Carrera, Charlie, and Kieran. Whether or not Carrera had brought backup, the odds were still stacked against Mason. He wanted to trust that Kieran wouldn't turn against him, but if Carrera had filled him in, chances were good that Kieran was pissed. He wouldn't forgive a betrayal of this magnitude and Mason wouldn't blame him.

He'd done his best over the years to stay as far away from Kieran's business as possible, and Kieran had returned the courtesy. Now though, thanks to Carreras's greed and his own dad's selfishness, he found himself in a position he'd never wanted to be in. What was done was done, though. No turning back now. Charlie needed him, and he'd be damned if he let her down.

Mason stepped up to the patio. Through a small gap in the vertical blinds he saw Charlie positioned between Carrera and Kieran. His heart sank to his stomach as he noted Kieran's outstretched arm and the gun he aimed at Charlie's head. Damn it, Kieran wasn't a violent man, but there were two things that would make him one: when someone threatened his life, or when someone betrayed him.

With his line of sight limited by the blinds, Mason couldn't be sure if there was anyone else in the house. It didn't matter. He needed to get Charlie out of there. Even if all he could do was distract Kieran and Carrera and whoever the hell else was inside long enough for her to run. He'd face a barrage of bullets if that's what it took. He was in love with Charlie. There wasn't a damn thing he wouldn't do to keep her safe.

Too bad he probably wouldn't live long enough to tell her.

Mason watched as Charlie was ushered farther into the living room and out of his line of sight. A flash of movement from inside the house caught Mason's eye. A body moved toward the dining room from the kitchen area and crossed to the patio door. Quick breaths puffed in Mason's chest as he spun away from the sliding glass door and pressed his back against the rough stucco exterior of the house. The patio door slid open with a whisper of sound and Mason waited to pounce.

At the first sign of a body emerging, Mason reached out. He grabbed the guy by the arm and swung him around with a forceful jerk. The gun dropped from his grip and Mason took him into a tight choke hold. He increased the pressure of his grip as the guy shoved and flailed, knocking Mason up against the side of the house. Any sound could alert Carrera to trouble, and Mason quickly shoved away, taking the fight around to the side of the house where there would be less chance of discovery.

The son of a bitch was strong and refused to go down easily. Mason let out a low grunt as he squeezed the bastard's throat in the crook of his arm, willing him to lose consciousness. He clawed at Mason's arm, batted wildly toward his face. His wheezing breaths quieted and he went limp in Mason's grasp.

One down. God only knew how many to go.

Mason retrieved the discarded gun and tucked it into his waistband. He sidled through the open patio door, his footsteps light. With his Glock held at the ready, Mason kept tight to the walls as he crept past the dining room and into the kitchen. The sound of Kieran's voice carried from the living room and Mason paused.

“I want to talk to Jensen first.”

“You can talk to him after Judge Erickson signs off on his release. Until then, you're going to have to take my word for it.”

Charlie scoffed at Carrera's words. Mason rolled his eyes. Could she try to
not
be so damned exasperating when her life was in danger?

“Judge Erickson is set to retire in six months,” Charlie remarked. “A whole hell of a lot of good that's going to do your secret club.”

“What's she talking about?”

Uh-oh
. Kieran's short-clipped words didn't bode well. What Carrera didn't realize was that Kieran played only one side: his own. He wouldn't risk his own safety and freedom by being involved in anything that wasn't absolutely foolproof.

Maybe for once, Charlie's tenacity would come in handy. Creating a little tension between Carrera and Kieran might just be the distraction Mason needed. Either that or her smart mouth would sign her death warrant. Mason hoped that for once luck would be on his side.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Charlie's brain raced to form a plan of attack. It seemed that division was her best bet at staying alive. If she could sway Kieran to doubt Carrera—and the security of Faction Five—even a tiny bit, she might be able to buy herself the opportunity to make an escape.

“The fuck sort of operation are you running, Carlos?” Kieran demanded. “Does Jensen know about this?”

“Charlie doesn't know what she's talking about.” Carrera kept his gun trained on her, his expression emotionless. “The judge isn't going anywhere. Not when he stands to make hundreds of millions.”

“What about Mason?” Kieran's dark eyes narrowed on Carrera.

“What about him?”

Kieran stared Carrera down. Charlie had never seen him look so dead serious and threatening. The silence grew thick with tension. Charlie looked from one man to the other.

Carrera let out a long-suffering sigh. “Someone's got to take the fall. As far as anyone knows, Mason went rogue. By the time we're done with him, there won't be a jury in the county that won't believe he stole the government's money and killed Charlie to cover his tracks. It'll work out to our advantage.”

Charlie couldn't contain the words or the rage that scalded a path up her throat. “You son of a bitch!”

“Jensen knows about this?” Kieran's tone hinted at disbelief. Charlie couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His sense of family was so strong he couldn't conceive that Jensen would turn on his own son.

Carrera laughed. “Hell, it was his idea.”

Something in Kieran's demeanor snapped. He swung his gun around and pointed it at Carrera. Charlie fought the urge to celebrate prematurely, but for the first time since she'd walked through the door, she felt a slight glimmer of hope.

“Bullshit.” Kieran forced the word from between clenched teeth. “I don't believe you.”

“Take it easy, Kieran.” A slight tremor shook Carrera's voice. “I told you, he didn't want you upset, and that's why he didn't tell you.”

“Tell me what?” he spat. “That he was using both of us to raise his buy-in for your fucking organization? What happens to me now that Jensen's freedom has been purchased? You gonna take care of me too,
Marshal
?”

Carrera's lip curled at the sneer in Kieran's voice. “Don't forget who you're talking to and what I'm capable of.”

Kieran smiled. Cold, devoid of emotion. Serious and deadly. Charlie eased to the edge of the couch and dug her feet into the carpet. If bullets started to fly, she wanted as far from the action as possible.

“I think all of that perceived power is going to your head, Carlos.”

“Perceived, my ass.” He looked Kieran up and down, the disdain clear. “Fuck up Jensen's chance at freedom, and I'll be the least of your worries.”

Kieran let out a sarcastic chuff of breath. “Jensen doesn't own me.”

Carrera's brow arched curiously. Charlie fought the urge to shake her head at his arrogant stupidity.

“Fuck you,” Kieran said. “Fuck Jensen, and
fuck
Faction Five.”

The sound of a scuffle broke out from the kitchen, and all hell broke loose. Kieran turned and Carrera used his diverted attention to his advantage. He brought his gun up and fired. Charlie hit the deck. The shot went wide, missing Kieran, and he squeezed off a couple of retaliating shots, clipping Carrera's arm in the process.

“Get out of here, Charlie!”

Kieran's words stunned Charlie to the point that she could barely move. Was he actually going to help her? She scrambled to find her footing, but a hand wrapped around her ankle and jerked her backward. She kicked with her free leg and Carrera let out a grunt of pain as her heel connected with his face and he lost his hold on her. Her fingers dug into the thick pile of the carpet as she fought to stand. Kieran reached down, grabbed her wrist, and hauled her to her feet.

Never in a million years would Charlie have thought any of this would play out this way. But she was damned glad it had.

“Come on!”

They turned toward the front door, only to find their way blocked by another armed man. Charlie had counted three men besides Carrera when they'd come in, and two of them were currently unaccounted for. Whoever he was, this guy wasn't messing around. He brought his gun up, aimed . . .

The shot rang out. Kieran hauled her against his body and turned, shielding her from the impact, and Charlie squeezed her eyes shut. She waited for the pain of a bullet tearing her insides to shreds but it never came. The sound of a body hitting the floor prompted her eyes to open and she found their assailant bleeding out on the floor.

“Charlie!”

“Oh my God, Mason!” Relief washed over her as he rounded the corner from the kitchen to get to her. And just as quickly turned to panic as he was tackled to the floor by Carrera.

“Charlie, get the hell out of here!”

Kieran's words barely registered as he gave her a shove toward the door. Fear froze her in place as she watched the butt of Carrera's gun come down on Mason's head. His grunt of pain gutted her, and the starch seemed to melt from her spine. If he died trying to protect her, she'd never forgive herself. Nothing in this world meant more to her.

The emotion clogged her chest and stole her breath. She loved Mason Decker.
Holy shit
. Probably not the best time for that epiphany, considering they weren't even close to being out of the woods yet.

Charlie gave herself a mental shake. This wasn't the time for self-reflection and searching her emotions. She compartmentalized that shit on the double and focused instead on getting the hell out of there like Kieran told her to. No one knew where they were and no backup would be coming. All she needed was the opportunity to alert law enforcement and get them here.

Carrera had fucked with her task force. Charlie was going to fuck with him.

She took off for the front door at a sprint. The muted sound of the silencer made the shot almost hard to hear, but Charlie sure as hell felt the wind of the passing bullet breeze past her ear. The threat stopped her in an instant and she turned to find Carrera on his feet, his gun leveled on her. Mason was stunned but not unconscious, on the floor cradling his head in his palms. Kieran remained calm through it all, his own gun trained on Carrera. His chest barely moved with his breath. Not a bead of sweat marred his brow. This was his world after all; Carrera was just visiting. The crooked marshal would be wise to remember that, but Charlie doubted he'd be smart enough to give credit where it was due.

“Mason? You good?” Kieran's voice didn't so much as quaver.

“Yeah.”

Charlie allowed herself a breath of relief at Mason's grunted response. From the kitchen, one of Carrera's men emerged, looking a little worse for wear. Obviously the one Mason had fought with in the kitchen. Blood trickled from his lip and a split above his left eye. He limped to Carrera's side and hauled Mason to his feet by the scruff of his shirt and laid his fist into Mason's gut.

“Ooof.”

The sound knotted every muscle in Charlie's body and she swore she felt the blow in her own stomach. The man's fist swung around one more time and Charlie flinched as Mason slumped over.

“Lay into him again,” Kieran said to Carrera's guy, “and it'll be the last thing you ever do.”

“You're not in charge here, Kieran,” Carrera said. Charlie wanted to punch him in the face, bash him over the head with something blunt and heavy. She could barely contain the anger that churned and boiled with every smug word out of his mouth. “Jensen said you'd play ball.”

“Well, Jensen was fucking
wrong
,” Kieran ground out. “I'm not anyone's bitch. Not his, and sure as fuck not yours.”

“Why protect Mason when he's willing to sell you out? He would have arrested you. In a heartbeat.” Carrera's incredulous tone only further prodded Charlie's temper. The man was a decorated U.S. marshal, for Christ's sake! What could have prompted him to turn his back on the vows he'd made to uphold the law?

Oh, right, millions of dollars and unchecked power.

“I offered him a fast track to a U.S. marshal's badge in exchange for your arrest, and he took the offer without even blinking.”

Kieran's elbow dipped and his gun lowered a couple of inches. Charlie's stomach lurched up into her throat. “Is that true, Mason?”

Mason met Kieran's unflinching gaze. “More or less. You know how it goes, Kieran.”

Charlie's jaw went slack. That wasn't true. The task force wanted Kieran for intel. His arrest had been the least of their worries. What was Mason up to?

* * *

Kieran's eyes narrowed and one corner of his mouth twitched. What Mason had promised to do was use Kieran's knowledge to help bring down Faction Five. Carrera wanted Kieran to believe differently. But how Kieran chose to interpret the truth of Mason's confession was a different story altogether.

Growing up with a con artist and a liar, you learned pretty damned quick how to protect yourself. Kieran and Mason never lied to each other. At least not outright. His dad had constantly played them against each other when they were kids, just like Carrera had tried to do. Over the years, they'd learned to communicate in a way that would circumvent Jensen's bullshit. Kieran was more Mason's brother than Jensen had ever been his father. Mason trusted that Kieran would do the right thing.

He was a con artist and a thief, true. But he wasn't a heartless bastard. Not by a long shot.

“I think it's time we renegotiated terms,” Kieran said.

“I don't have to negotiate shit.” Carrera's disdainful sneer wouldn't do much for Kieran's mood, that was for sure. “Take her into the kitchen and sit her ass down,” he said to the bastard who'd just used Mason's gut as a punching bag. “Mason too. And keep an eye on them without getting your ass kicked this time. I don't want any more trouble before we wrap this up.”

Wrap this up
, meaning put a bullet in their heads. Nothing had gone according to Carrera's plans so far, proving that he wasn't the criminal mastermind he thought he was. When his partners got wind of how badly he'd fucked this up, there'd be hell to pay. If Mason got his way, they'd all have plenty of time to hash it out behind bars.

Charlie's gaze met his and Mason fought to suppress the rage that boiled in his veins. At least she was in one piece and unhurt, but that she'd had to go through any of this at all made him want to beat the shit out of someone for retribution. The asshole to his right would do just fine. Mason would get his chance soon enough; he simply had to play it cool and wait for the right moment.

Kieran was going to get him that moment. He had no doubt.

Mason had barely made eye contact with Charlie. His worry for her damn near ate him alive and he couldn't risk losing his focus for even a second. But in the post-scuffle calm, he took in her wide, frightened eyes, pale complexion, and drawn mouth. His need to comfort her almost overrode his desire to beat Carrera and his cronies to a bloody pulp.

“It's going to be okay, Charlie.” Her eyes met his, glistening with tears. “I promise.”

She gave a shallow nod of her head as Carrera's goon grabbed her by the arm and led her into the kitchen. With one of his guys slumped against the wall, bleeding, and the other still unconscious in the backyard, their odds were even. They could tip at any moment though, so Mason needed to make the most of every second.

Likewise, Kieran needed to get to the point. They didn't have time to fuck around.

“Jensen didn't raise your multimillion-dollar buy-in,” Kieran said. “
I did
.”

Carrera's partner poked the barrel of his Glock into Mason's back. A growl rose in his throat but he headed toward the kitchen and left Kieran to do what he did best. They continued to argue, Kieran talking circles around Carrera, and the crooked U.S. marshal doing his best to placate Kieran, before Carrera was forced to make a deal with him as well as Jensen.

In the kitchen, Mason reached out and caught Charlie's hand in his. A tremor vibrated from her fingers into his and his jaw clenched. He stepped up close behind her until her back met his chest. The warmth of her body was heaven. It banished every ache and pain that plagued him.

“How could I be so stupid?” He barely heard her whispered words. “He played us both.”

“He did.” Mason let her fingers slip through his grasp. “But he's not going to get away with it.”

From the living room, a gun fired. No silencer, meaning Kieran had shot first. Mason brought his elbow back with enough force to crack the other man's skull. A pop of cartilage accompanied his shout of pain. Mason spun and brought his left fist around and connected with his gut. The guy went to his knees, doubled over, his face cradled in one palm.

Kieran's aim must not have been stellar. The sound of bullets hitting drywall added to the cacophony. “Charlie, get under the table!” Mason shouted. He watched from the corner of his eye to make sure she did what he'd asked while he wrestled the Glock out of Carrera's accomplice's hand.

“Behind you!”

Charlie's warning shout drew Mason's attention. He whipped around in time to see the guy he'd put the choke hold on storm through the sliding glass door. He fired off two shots to Mason's one. The breath lodged somewhere near his sternum as he braced for the impact, but instead, the other guy slumped to the floor.

Too much demanded Mason's attention. By facing one assailant, he left the other unguarded. The crack of wood and a shout of pain had him spinning once again to find Charlie standing over the unconscious body of the guy he'd put the sleeper hold on, a dining room chair clutched in her fists.