Heat Flash (2 page)

Frantically, she searched her jeans pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She punched the speed dial for her brother, Bobby. Busy. Dammit. She tried again. Still busy.

She didn’t have to think about the number for the police department. With fingers that shook, she dialed and she was instantly connected to the New Orleans Police Department. It only took a second for the dispatcher to connect her to the detective.

“Detective Marks, this is Kendall Reed. I, umm.” Her ragged breathing made it difficult to speak clearly. “Mason Black asked me to contact you. Someone’s trying to kill us. They’re outside with guns.” A sound like rocks hitting metal pierced her ears, and she paused, trying to hear what was going on beyond the grimy steel door.

“Kendall,” the detective said. “Listen to me. I need to know exactly where you are.”

“We’re in an alley somewhere off Rue LeFranc. Behind a restaurant or coffee shop.” Her voice cracked. “Please hurry.”

“We’re on our way. Stay inside. Don’t go back out into that alley. Understand?”

“Yes, I understand. Hurry.”

Sheer exhaustion brought her to her knees. Her body collapsed on the wet, sticky floor. Her breathing and heart rate slowed just enough to allow her to think about what was happening. Fear gripped her heart. She was completely alone in this small space, while two men were right outside the door trying to kill each other. And one wanted to kill her.

Rustling noises and an occasional gunshot rattled the walls. Tears streaked down her face as she covered her ears to block out the horrible sounds. She couldn’t tell who was firing more, Mason or Tom. Worse, she had no idea if anyone was hurt.
What was taking the police so damn long?

After what seemed like hours, but was actually only minutes, the noises and gunshots stopped. Kendall held her breath and listened. Nothing. Only silence. No, wait, the faint sound of sirens echoed through the air. The police had arrived.

Not knowing what was happening outside drove her crazy. Sitting here alone was making it worse. She eased up off the dirty, wet floor and made her way to the door. She pushed the heavy steel back and peered outside.

Damp, hot air slapped her in the face. She inhaled deeply and instantly wished she hadn’t. Her stomach churned at the sickly sweet stench of something she couldn’t identify. Something more than rotting food in the dumpster.

Civilians and cops were everywhere. Red and blue lights flashed from the police cars, as well as from the ambulance that was pulling to a stop. She glanced down and saw a crumpled body right outside the door.
Mason!
She fell to her knees next to him.

“Mason... Mason, are you okay?” No response. No sign of movement. Tears blurred her vision as she shook him. She rolled him from his side to his back. Wedged between his body and the pavement was the steel of his gun.

“Over here! Somebody help, please!” Blood pooled on the pavement. She pulled her hands away and held them up in front of her. Bright red liquid stained her palms. Nausea roiled in her stomach as panic seared through her.

She barely registered the two strong arms that gently wrapped around her trembling body. “Kendall, come with me. I’ll take you to my car.” Detective Marks tried to guide her toward a police car.

“No. I want to go with Mason. He saved my life.”

As the medics were putting Mason in the back of an ambulance, Kendall twisted away from Marks and ran. Seconds before the doors closed, she jumped into the back of the vehicle, squeezing in next to the EMT. Mason already had an IV inserted into his arm. Fluids pumped into his body. The slow rise and fall of his chest brought another round of unshed tears to her eyes. He was alive.
Thank God
.

She lowered her head and breathed a silent prayer.
Please, please don’t let him die.

Not only had he saved her life, she needed some answers, and she needed them now.

Chapter Two

Kendall waited impatiently in the small private hospital room. She welcomed the solitude once the nurses left after they examined her. They allowed her to stay and wait there instead of in the crowded Emergency waiting area. The frantic atmosphere of the Emergency Room did not appeal to her anyway, although the isolation of the tiny space was wearing on her nerves. A familiar face would be nice. She paced back and forth, praying that everything was okay.
Why was it taking so long for the doctor to come out with an update?

Her phone buzzed in her pocket. She glanced at the caller ID. “Hey, Bobby.”

“Sis. Any news?”

“No,” she mumbled gloomily. “The doctor said it would be a little while longer before anyone could go in to see him. You coming up here soon?” Someone besides herself needed to be there for Mason.

An only child, raised by a single father who drank himself to death, Mason had no other family members except a mother who was never around. Growing up, the Reeds had been like a second family to him. He and Bobby had been best friends and inseparable during high school. Most of the time Kendall was right there, tagging along with them, until the boys hit high school and their interest turned to girls. Kendall gladly gave them their needed space then. They were incorrigible. Mason was the worse. He went through girlfriends as often as she changed her clothes.

One night after breaking up with one of Kendall’s friends, he fell apart. The desolation and confusion in his eyes and voice nearly tore her heart in two. “Ken, I just don’t know if I have what it takes to make a commitment to one person. If a girl even hints at getting too close, I shut her out and move on. Must’ve gotten that from my mom.”

Her brother’s voice brought her back to the present. “I’ll be there as soon as Marks and I finish up these reports. Sorry I wasn’t there earlier, but I was stuck on another call.”

“That’s okay. Bobby,” she hesitated. “When did Mason come back to New Orleans?”

“Oh, probably about four months ago.”

Kendall sat on the doctor’s stool and rolled it next to the far wall so she could lean her head back. She listened intently as her brother explained the circumstances that brought his best friend back to their hometown. The joy in his voice at having Mason back in town struck a chord deep inside her. Bobby hung up with a promise that he would hurry.

Kendall sat, lost in thought at what Bobby had revealed to her. It wasn’t coincidence that Mason was in New Orleans. Kendall was in more danger than she would have ever dreamed. People she knew and worked with weren’t the people she thought them to be. Her nice quiet life wasn’t so quiet after all. And according to Bobby, Mason was hell-bent on saving her. Joy and trepidation swarmed in her head.

When Mason and Bobby graduated from high school, Kendall was only a junior. Bobby had stayed in New Orleans while Mason had moved to Beaumont. Both wanted to pursue careers with the FBI, only Mason wanted to get away from New Orleans. Since then, Kendall could count on one hand the number of times she and Mason had seen each other. Once she enrolled in college in Baton Rouge, their paths crossed even less. Except for once during her fourth year at LSU. A night she would much rather forget.

Now it was an unexpected shock to see him again after so long. And to think he was in the hospital, hurt, because he tried to keep her out of danger. Who would’ve ever thought he would put his neck on the line for her? Protecting her from Tom. And why had her boss been chasing her through an alley, shooting at her?

The hospital door swung open, startling her out of her thoughts. Dr. Webster placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Miss Reed, you can come back now.”

****

Kendall’s heart pounded crazily in her chest. She rubbed her neck and throat, trying to calm her jittery nerves. Even though the doctor said Mason would be fine, she wouldn’t let herself believe it until she saw with her own eyes. She tried to convince herself that checking up on him didn’t involve personal feelings; she just had to see if he was all right. She owed him that much considering he saved her life tonight. It was the right thing to do. She hesitated outside his room before pushing open the door.

Inside, the cool, antiseptic air hit her in the face. Her stomach lurched as she took in the sight of him. Whatever she was expecting to see, it wasn’t Mason laid up in bed, helpless. Helpless and dependent on others. Not how she pictured this man in her mind.

The head of the bed was elevated, and he was lying on his back, eyes closed. His knees were slightly bent to allow his big body to fit on the small hospital bed. An IV hose stretched from his right arm up to a machine holding a bag of fluids. His left arm was in a sling, held snug against his chest. He clenched and unclenched the hand sticking out of the sling. Every time his hand fisted, the muscles in his upper arm bunched.

Kendall took a moment to reign in her nerves and steel herself for the confrontation. When she pushed the door shut, a little louder than necessary, Mason’s eyes popped open. His gaze swept from her head to her feet before a strained smile crossed his face.

“Hey,” he muttered wearily.

“Well, if it isn’t Mason Black, back in New Orleans just in time to save my ass.” She glared at him.

“Nice to see you too.” He stared at her blankly. She probably shouldn’t have been so abrupt with him, but she couldn’t help herself, the words poured out of her mouth before she could stop them.

“I hear you’ve been busy lately. Have you enjoyed following me?” Frost laced her words. The idea that Mason had been watching her every move was unsettling, to say the least, even though his snooping had allowed him the opportunity to pull her out of danger. He followed her to and from work and the grocery store. He trailed her on her shopping sprees. Did he know her every move? Who she ate dinner with, went to the movies with? Had he invaded her privacy and watched her inside her house?

“How did you find out?” he asked sharply.

“I spoke to Bobby a few minutes ago. He told me everything.” Her heart stirred and some of her irritation eased as she watched him struggle with the simple act of trying to sit up. After their ordeal tonight, she was fine, yet he was laid up in the hospital, confined by tubes. Gratitude wiped out most of her anger. She paused at the foot of the bed, ready if he indicated he needed help.

“Did he also tell you that your boss was scum? That Tom wanted you to be more than a co-worker?”

A shiver ran down her spine. “Why were
you
assigned to watch me? You could have turned the duty over to someone else.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her voice, no matter how much she tried.

“Why do you think? Because I’m the best,” he quipped, a crooked, sexy smile lighting his face. She knew he was telling the truth. Bobby ranted and raved more than once about how Mason had turned out to be one of the best FBI agents in the states of Louisiana and Texas. Everyone wanted him on their cases. Kendall looked over to see him smiling at her. She allowed herself to relax a little.

“Come here.” His whispered words taunted her.

Slowly, she went to him and clenched his outstretched hand. The instant his skin warmed hers, the whole night’s events flashed before her eyes. She was back in that dark alley, running for her life. She fought to hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes. She didn’t want to cry. His grip tightened, and he tugged until she moved closer.

“It’s okay, Ken. It’s all over.”
Ken
. She smiled at the nickname. He was the only person who ever shortened her name from Kendall. He said it was because she was ‘one of the guys’, always hanging out with him and Bobby. He let go of her hand to wipe away the dampness on her face. “You know, you look like crap right now.”

She blinked the tears away and could clearly see his teasing smile. Always teasing her. This was the Mason she remembered from their teenage years. In the worst situations, he could always bring a smile to her face.

“Yeah, well, I’m not the one lying in a hospital bed.” She ruffled her fingers through his jet-black hair. Hair still matted together from sweat and dirt. Her fingers itched to smooth it out. Catching a glance of herself in the mirror above the sink, she realized just how right he was. Dirt and grime streaked her face; her blouse was ripped in several places, revealing a small bruise near her right shoulder. She was a mess.

“Doc says I’ll be here for a day or two. I twisted my shoulder when I hit the pavement after shooting Tom. Bruised it up real bad, but at least it’s not dislocated, again. It’ll heal okay. I just have to take it easy for a couple of weeks.”

“Why is he keeping you here for that?” An injured shoulder didn’t sound serious enough to be in the hospital for days, or even overnight.

Mason squirmed in the bed and fumbled with the covers. He adjusted the rails and motioned for her to sit next to him on the edge of the bed. He managed to pour a glass of water on his own, waving away her offer of help.
Definitely stalling
.

“What are you not telling me?”

He sighed. “A stray fragment from Tom’s gun lodged into my side. Luckily, they were able to take it out with no problems. The doctor says I have to stay overnight as a precaution to make sure there’s no internal bleeding or infection. I should be able to get out of here tomorrow afternoon.”

****

A knock at the door interrupted his explanation. Detective Marks sauntered into the room, Bobby right behind him. Picking up on the end of the conversation, Bobby’s words came out laced with laughter. “Come on Mason. You mean to tell me you’re going to lie here all night and most of tomorrow? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sit still longer than a few hours, much less days.”

“Ha ha. Maybe I can sweet talk the nurses into letting me sneak out early.”

“I don’t think so.” Kendall spoke up. “You’re going to stay right here until the doctor releases you.” All three men laughed. She didn’t understand what was so funny. She let her gaze rest briefly on each of the men in turn.