Heat Flash (18 page)

Needing to settle his growling stomach, Mason rummaged around in the refrigerator until he found a bagel and strawberry cream cheese. He dialed Bobby’s cell phone while waiting on the bread to toast.

“Hey man, there’s something I need to tell you.”

“Yeah, like why you and my sister got in a fight and ran off last night.”

“We didn’t have a fight. Exactly.” He stalled.

“Well, what happened? Exactly.” Irritation laced his voice.

Mason told Bobby about Kendall leaving the party, and what he found when he finally caught up with her at her house.

“Dammit, man. How can one person evade us for so long? How the hell did this happen?” His rage was almost as fierce as Mason’s.

“Calm down, Bobby. Getting upset isn’t going to help Kendall. She’s a mess right now. We need to keep it together around her so she doesn’t lose it completely.” He recalled how shook up she was last night. How her body trembled. Her voice wavered. Her skin, bruised but soft. How he wanted to take her in his arms and... “Shit,” he bit out.

“This is bullshit. Between you, Marks, and me we should have more on this guy by now. Hell, we should’ve caught him already. What’s the problem?”

“Marks is following up on some leads on Tom’s nephew. But he keeps running into dead ends. Whoever this guy is, he knows how to avoid being caught.” Mason slathered cream cheese on his bagel, then set the plate aside until he could get off the phone. “After last night, don’t worry, we will find this bastard.”

“You’re taking care of her, right?” Mason didn’t miss the concern in Bobby’s words.

“You know it.” Mason hung up the phone and sat down to enjoy his breakfast, finally able to settle the hunger in his stomach.

Halfway through the bagel, he heard a noise in the living room. Getting up, he headed out of the kitchen only to run right into Kendall.

“Whoa. I’m sorry. Didn’t realize you were up.” He reached out to steady her as she stood before him on wobbly legs. She wore a thigh length black nightshirt, satin surrounded by lace. The soft material bunched in his hands, the satiny softness catching on his calloused fingers. He sucked in a sharp breath, recalling the soft curves that lay under the material.

“That’s okay. Please tell me you made coffee?”

Mason followed her into the kitchen.

“I did. Want some breakfast? Eggs, bagels, pancakes.” He poured her coffee while she waited at the counter.

“No, thanks. Just coffee. And some Advil.”

The swelling on her face was not nearly as bad as he thought it would be. Still, her eyes were puffy and red. “How do you feel this morning?” He handed her the pain medicine and a cup of steaming coffee.

“Like I was beat up and left for dead.”

“Sorry.” The vise around his stomach tightened. This was his fault.

“Have you talked to Marks or Bobby? Anything new?”

“We’re all working on it.” He didn’t want to reveal too much of what they found out just yet. Better to be sure than to get her hopes up and find out they had nothing.

Kendall picked up the remains of his bagel and finished it off. “I’m sure he was talking about Tom. I mean, who else could he have meant?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this whole mess has something to do with Tom.”

“How difficult can it be to track down someone in his family?”

Mason poured her another cup of coffee. Handing it to her, he noticed the scratches on her arm. His anger resurfaced.

“Like I said, we’re working on it.” His words were sharper than he intended.

“Mason, it’s not your—“

“Yes, it is my fault.” He gulped down his third cup of coffee of the morning. He needed more than a jolt of caffeine right now. Anger at himself coursed through his veins. “I’m going to take a shower.”

****

A few hours later, Mason was working on some case files while Kendall dozed on the couch. The doorbell chimed, stirring Kendall out of sleep. Mason got up and opened the door to face a bouquet of balloons, which were followed by Mandy. Connie was directly behind her carrying a full grocery bag.

“We stopped by on our way back from Baton Rouge. How is Kendall?” He stepped aside so they could enter. The two women took turns consoling Kendall, smothering her with questions, demands, and hugs.

He sat in the chair across from them, trying to concentrate on the files on his laptop. Instead, he kept glancing at the women, making sure Kendall wasn’t overdoing it. Her eyes caught his. He had to hold back a laugh when she rolled her eyes while Mandy tended to her bruises. That, at least, brought a smile to her face. At one point, he thought Kendall was going to explode. She’d had enough coddling.

“Look, guys, I appreciate your concern, but I’m okay.”

“We just want to make sure you’re not hurt too badly.” Mandy and Connie fluffed the cushions on the sofa next to Kendall and tried to cover her with a blanket.

“Stop it.” She pushed away the throw blanket. “I’ll be fine. If you don’t stop fussing over me, I’m going to kick you out.” The two women looked at each other then instantly changed the subject.

While Connie sat next to Ken, Mandy disappeared into the kitchen. Coming out a half hour later she stated, “I made some spaghetti so neither of you have to cook tonight.”

Mason stood to join the women gathering at the door. “Thanks ladies. We appreciate it.”

“Thanks.” Kendall hugged her sister and sister-in-law tightly before they left.

When they drove off, Mason shut the door and led Kendall back to the couch, sitting next to her and gathering her in his arms. Her body still trembled. After a few minutes of him holding her, the pent-up air escaped, and she relaxed.

“Listen.” She raised her hand to cup her ear. “Peace and quiet.” Her eyes gleamed.

He tweaked her nose. “Yeah, but you know they love you.” What he wouldn’t give to have such a close family.

She laughed. “Yes they do. No matter how loud and obnoxious they are, I know I can count on them.” She turned her face, fixing her gaze on him. “You know,” she cooed softly, “we all consider you part of our family.”

Mason’s heart twisted in knots. The ache in his chest was a heady combination of pleasure and warmth mixed with longing.

Chapter Thirteen

Darkness surrounded Kendall. She forced one foot in front of the other, trudged up the driveway, toward the steps of her house. Icy fingers of fear squeezed at her heart. Cautiously, she turned her head, first to the left, then to the right, looking for anything out of sorts. All that was visible was the faint moon behind dark black clouds.

She swatted at the mosquitoes buzzing around her ears. Their hum echoed in the stillness of the night. Shaky fingers tightened over the keys in her hand. The hard metal in her palms offered little protection, but it made her feel better.

She climbed the steps and was seconds away from reaching the front door when out of the shadows a gloved hand clamped over her mouth. The scent of stale tobacco filled her nostrils. Kendall choked back a sob. Not wanting to be the victim of another attack, she knew she had to fight back. Terror filled her bones, giving her the strength to fight the unknown assailant.

She kicked, her heeled foot hitting him in the knee. A grunt echoed in the air, but otherwise he didn’t seem to be bothered by her efforts. Anger boiled inside her. She swung her arms wildly, and felt a brief surge of power when her fingernails dug into his grimy face. He lowered his hands from her mouth to swipe at the small droplet of blood on his lips. His evil eyes pinned her with a death stare.

Seizing the opportunity, Kendall screamed. Her weak voice continued to call out for help while the dark figure stood there laughing. Why wasn’t he trying to stop her from yelling? Surely he knew a neighbor would hear and come to her aid. He just stood over her, laughing for what felt like minutes.

Finally, the man grabbed her by the arms and threw her to the ground. Kendall’s body landed on the porch seconds before his steel-toed boots made contact with her ribcage. She jerked back from the force of his kick. Every bone in her body hurt like hell. Doubled over in pain, she grabbed her sides as he continued to kick her, over and over.

She strained to lift her head so she could get a look at this man. Nausea rose in her throat. Damn. His face was a blur. Kendall couldn’t I.D. him in a line up if her life depended on it. Her gaze dropped. She watched as he...

“No!” she screamed. Light flooded the night. Someone was calling her name. The voice was getting closer. She shivered, not sure if it was friend, or another attacker.

“Ken, wake up.”

Confusion muddled her senses. Where was she? Who was saying her name? Where did the man disappear to?

“Kendall, sweetheart.” Strong arms wrapped around her trembling body and held her securely until she was finally able to open her eyes. “Sweetie, it’s okay. A nightmare. I’m here with you.”

“Mason.” She clutched at him, needing his strength. “Mason, I...” Her body relaxed against him. Kendall buried her head in his bare chest. Soft hairs combined with his distinct woodsy male scent, tickled her nose. Yes, it was Mason.

“Shh, it was a nightmare, that’s all.” Warm hands gently stroked her back, soothing her fears.

After a moment of collecting her thoughts, she sat up, pulling the blanket to cover her chilled body. “I saw him...”

“Who, what is it?”

“It’s Dep...” Kendall shuddered. “Deputy Foster. He’s the man who attacked me.”

“How do you know?” His hands stilled on her back for a second before they continued rubbing up and down.

“I know it was a dream, but it was so real. I couldn’t see his face, it was blurred, and he wore a hat low on his head. But, he was chewing a toothpick that he spit out right before he kicked me.”

Mason wrapped his arms around her shoulders, but didn’t speak.

“I remember that from the other night.” She said.

“Are you sure? This wasn’t just part of the dream?” Doubt filled his raspy voice.

“No, I distinctly remember. He spit the toothpick out, like he always does. Mason, every time I’ve seen him, he’s had a damn toothpick in his mouth, and every time he spits it out, right in front of me. Almost like he’s doing it deliberately.”

“I’ll call Marks in the morning and have him run a check on Foster. If it’s him, you need to watch your back. Being a cop, he’ll know how to get around loopholes and cover his tracks.”

This would explain why they hadn’t been able to catch him so far. Could it be one of Marks’ deputies? Mason’s gentle hands swept a piece of hair behind her ears. His touch lingered before he turned her head up until she faced him.

“Don’t worry, sweetie. We’ll get him.” His clipped words barely contained his anger.

“I’m sure it’s Foster. All the snide looks and sarcastic comments make sense now.” Kendall rubbed her eyes, exhaustion creeping into her body.

She yawned, and Mason started to pull away. “Get some sleep. I’ll come up with a plan by morning.”

She placed her hand on his arm. “I, I don’t want to be alone. Stay with me. Please.”

“Always,” he whispered, sliding in the bed next to her. He pulled her closer, and covered their bodies with the comforter. It was then that Kendall became aware of what Mason wore to bed. Or rather, what he didn’t wear. Boxer briefs were the only piece of clothing covering his lean body. Her insides jerked when his leg rubbed against hers. It took all she had to ignore the butterflies that were buzzing around in her stomach.

After a few minutes of snuggling against his warm body, his chest hairs tickling her nose, he broke the silence. Kendall listened as he strained to get out his story.

“Ken, I was working a case that involved a major drug dealer in the Baton Rouge area. The FBI tried every trick in the book to trap this woman. Nothing worked. Her father was a well-known dealer in Houston, and over the years Nikki learned how to avoid the law. I mean, what kind of father introduces his own daughter to the ugly world of drugs? Nikki was damn good at what she did. She didn’t care who she took down with her.” He shifted on the bed and began massaging her head while he talked. “You comfortable?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” His body would tense beneath hers and then relax. Wherever this story was going, it was important for him to get it out.

“Anyway, after months of research and undercover work, I was introduced to Nikki and finally gained her trust. It was tough at first but I showed her I could be the best pusher she had. I only had two things working against me. One, Nikki couldn’t control me like she controlled the rest of her people. And two, I was engaged, and she didn’t like that. But I managed to spend a lot of time with her which soothed her a little. She thought I was an accountant, trying to get a big promotion with my fiancées father’s firm, where I worked.” He paused. “What’s so funny?”

She twisted her head around so she could see his face. “You, an accountant. I can’t picture that.”

He smiled his sexy smile before tweaking her nose and guiding her head back down to lie on his chest.

“Well, it worked for Nikki, and since she had several ‘customers’ at this accounting firm, it made perfect sense for me to be her runner and deliver the drugs to them. The case was getting stronger against her every day. Only we needed more hard evidence. So, in order to get her full trust, and to get the inside dealings, my fiancée and I had a huge fight. This allowed me to spend more time with Nikki. ”

“I see.” Kendall froze, unable to move a muscle. “So, basically, you slept around to get the information you needed.”
Where did that come from?

He tensed. “Actually, no. No, I didn’t. See, this fiancée was also a coworker and an undercover agent. So nothing happened between us. The engagement, fight, it was all part of the case. It was the perfect plan, because now Nikki felt like she had me. She started opening up to me about her ‘business’. But, she also started making advances toward me. On the job or off, I didn’t want anything to do with that. When she realized I wasn’t interested in her that way, she got mad. She said she thought I felt the same. I dodged her advances by telling her that I was trying to work things out with Stefani. One night Nikki and I got into a huge fight about it. I stormed out of her apartment and didn’t expect to see her again until the next day. I was wrong.” He stopped speaking.