Heat Flash (3 page)

Bobby walked up to her, taking her into his strong, brotherly arms. “Hey, sis.”

Leaning her head onto his chest, she welcomed the comfort.

“I’m so glad you’re here, Bobby.”

“Tell me what happened when I went down.” Mason said.

“No,” Kendall interrupted. “Start from the beginning and tell me why my boss was chasing us.” Her voice came out a little harsher than necessary; fear still had its grip on her.

The men exchanged looks. Mason motioned with his free hand for Marks to take the lead. Kendall listened in awe as the three men explained the situation.

“Your boss was into extortion and money laundering. Mason had been following him for about a year in Beaumont before Tom moved here. Tom would buy out these small, but financially stable, investment firms, much like the one where you work. Then, he’d filter money from the company and their wealthy clients into overseas bank accounts. When the FBI finally had enough evidence to take him down, one of their key witnesses suddenly disappeared. Without that guy, they didn’t have the testimony to bust Tom.”

Mason fumbled with the controls until he was able to adjust the bed and sit up a little straighter. He cleared his throat. “We found the witness, but he had suddenly decided not to testify. He was afraid to turn on Tom. At that point, I went undercover. This witness could identify me, and he knew Bobby and I were friends. It wouldn’t have taken long before Tom figured out the connection and discovered Bobby was also FBI. Then you would have been in more danger than you already were.” His blue gaze locked on hers for a mere second. “I had to lay low until we got the rest of the proof we needed to make an arrest.”

“He came after me anyway. What happened?” Her voice was stronger now, surprising even herself.

Bobby gave Kendall’s hand a reassuring squeeze and picked up the story. “I had to make sure Tom didn’t make a connection between you, me, and Mason. Tom knew I was your brother, so I had to watch my step around him. Remember, you introduced us at the Christmas office party?” Kendall nodded. “You never knew, but I was on the case even back then. Tom came after you not because of our connection, but because he wanted to coerce you into his dark world. He knew you were single, and thought you to be vulnerable. He figured he would flash a lot of money in your direction and you would be willing...” His voice cracked slightly. “Willing to do a lot of things for him.” Her brother’s grip tightened on her hands.

“Oh my gosh.” The mumbled words were no more than a whisper. Her stomach churned. What would Tom have done if he confronted her? Would he have forced her to...? She didn’t want to think about that.

“Since I was already undercover, it made sense that I was the one assigned to keep an eye on you.” Mason’s eyes caught and held hers as he continued. The intensity of his stare sent tingles through her body. “Tom followed you everywhere today. Don’t know why he seemed so urgent to get to you, but I had a bad feeling that something was about to happen. When you left the restaurant, I only had seconds to get to you before he did. I wanted to explain, but there wasn’t time.”

She shifted uncomfortably under Mason’s stare. “Oh,” was all she managed to mumble.

“Hey.” Mason smiled. “I had your back.” He tweaked her nose and winked at her. A brotherly gesture that shouldn’t have made her heart flutter.

Marks took that moment to explain the rest of the events. “I had just gotten there and saw the whole thing. Tom fired but instead of hitting Mason, the bullet hit the door. That must have been when the fragment hit Mason, and he fell to the ground. Tom probably thought he had shot Mason. He tried getting to the door where you were, but Mason stopped him. They struggled and Tom aimed at Mason, but Mason got off a shot before Tom.”

“Is he dead?”

“Yep. Won’t bother you or anyone else again. And Mason wouldn’t be stuck in this bed if he’d waited for back up.” Bobby grumbled.

Mason ducked his head sheepishly. “Sorry man. Ken was in danger. I couldn’t take the chance of something happening to her before the cavalry arrived. I tried calling, but you didn’t answer. I wasn’t waiting any longer.”

In his rush to protect her, he put his own life in danger. Kendall shuddered at the thought. She laid her head back against Bobby’s shoulder and listened as the men continued talking. Her eyes closed and she tried to hide a yawn with the back of her hand. Mason must have noticed. His sandpaper voice was smooth when he spoke. “Ken, go home and get some rest. Bobby, Marks, thanks for your help.”

“Come on, sis. I’ll take you to get your car.” Bobby put his arm around her shoulder and led her out of Mason’s room.

****

Kendall couldn’t get home soon enough. Laying her head back against the headrest in Bobby’s car, she let her thoughts drift to a refreshing, long, hot bath. That and a glass of wine would soothe her aching body. But images of the night’s events kept popping into her head, tearing at her, pushing peaceful thoughts aside. Bobby finally pulled into the parking lot next to her Rogue. The sight of her vehicle reminded her of the chase and her dead boss. The last several hours had been pure hell.

Thankfully, they found her keys on the ground where they had fallen from her hands earlier. Picking them up, she took one last look around the empty parking lot. Next time she would park in the front parking lot where there were always people about. Not in the back alley parking lot that allowed her to enter her friend’s restaurant from the employee entrance. Layla was going to be horrified when she found out what happened. A chill ran down Kendall’s spine, but she brushed it away like a piece of lint on her tattered shirt. She only wanted the peace and comfort of her home.

Bobby pulled up right behind her and followed her into the house. He insisted she take a bath while he was there. He fixed himself a glass of tea and settled in front of the TV while she indulged in a hot bath.

She found him watching the local news when she was done.

“Sis, you sure you want to stay by yourself tonight? You know you can sleep at our house. Connie and the kids would love having you.” He stood and wrapped his arms around her.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine. I’m going to have a glass of wine, then hit the bed. Don’t worry about me.” The youngest of three, someone was always looking after Kendall, although she could handle things well enough on her own. One day she would be able to convince her family of that fact. After he left, she poured herself a much needed glass of sweet Café Zinfandel.

Kendall sipped the wine and tried forcing herself to relax. Flipping through the channels, she stopped on a re-run of
Law and Order
. Probably not a good choice considering the ordeal she experienced earlier tonight. But just like on the show, in real life, the bad guy was caught. Well, in her case, he was dead. And the victim gained back her independence.

Kendall loved her independence and prided herself on not being scared to stay by herself, as some of her friends were. She had never felt afraid in her own home. Until tonight. It wasn’t so much fear that had her uneasy as the rush of adrenaline leaving her body. And the unanswered questions about her boss and his actions. It didn’t take long once she was alone for the aftershock to hit. The thought of sleeping in the house by herself had her double checking locks on all the doors and windows. After she made three rounds making sure things were secure, she gave up.

It was no use. She couldn’t relax. Didn’t feel safe. Couldn’t stop herself from picturing Mason lying on the pavement, hurt. She wondered how he was feeling. Was he in pain? What was he doing now in the hospital? Sleeping? Thinking of her? No. Probably not. But she couldn’t get his face out of her mind. Almost without conscious thought, she grabbed her keys and climbed into her Rogue.

Minutes later, she anxiously walked into the room and smiled at the startled expression on Mason’s face.

“What the hell are you doing here?” His sharp words stung.

“I figured I’d come by to see if you needed anything.” She tried to put some excitement in her voice to hide her tremors.

“No, I don’t.” His eyes had a question in them. “Why are you here?”

“I, uh,” she stammered. “I thought you could use some company.” She couldn’t tell him that she was scared to stay by herself. He would think she was crazy. She stood by the chair next to his bed and ran her fingers along the back.

He sat up and glared at her with icy blue eyes. “Ken, you don’t need to stay here with me.”

“Look,” she said, irritation lacing her words. “I know you don’t want me here. You did your duty by protecting me. You saved my life tonight, and now you’re stuck here. The least I can do is keep you company.” She silently hoped that explanation would satisfy him. She was wrong.

He watched her. A flicker of some emotion flitted across his face before he rasped, “It was my job to watch after you. This,” he gestured to the bed and rumpled sheets pooled around his waist. “This is one of the drawbacks of my job. It’s something I’ve learned to get used to. And, it’s just that, my job, it’s nothing personal. You don’t need to babysit me.”

“I see.” She turned away from his cold stare so he wouldn’t see the hurt his words had caused. He dismissed her, just as he had done in the past. So much for thinking they could talk. So much for the flutter in her heart at knowing that Mason was back in town. She fought hard to hold back tears.

Fear of going home to an empty house turned her stomach. She lifted her hand to rub her throat. She had to get control of her emotions. She wasn’t afraid of much and didn’t want to allow herself to be scared now, even though the night’s events justified a little fear. With confidence she mustered up from somewhere, she took a deep breath, removed her hand from her throat, stubbornly set her jaw, and faced the man lying in the bed.

Her clipped words took them both by surprise. “Nothing personal. It never is with you, is it? I would—”

“Ken, don’t go there.” He struggled one handedly to sit up in the bed. The blood pressure cord stretched to its limit, coming loose from his arm and falling to the floor.

“I would say it was good seeing you after all these years, but I would be lying. I’m thankful you came to my rescue tonight. Like you said though, it was your job.” She held his gaze. “I hope you have a speedy recovery.”

He stirred uncomfortably, still restrained by the IV hose. “Dammit, Ken. You don’t have to leave. Stay.”

She felt his eyes on her back as she walked to the door. “Goodbye Mason,” she said without turning around.

She briskly walked out of the hospital room, ignoring the sounds of his struggling to get out of bed.

Chapter Three

Mason pulled into Bobby’s driveway just after noon the next day. His gut tightened the instant he recognized the red Rogue parked behind Bobby’s jeep. The same Rogue he had followed for the past four months. He would be able to identify the vehicle, and its owner, anywhere. He could point out the recent dent in the side door caused by someone running a buggy into the SUV in the Grocery-Mart parking lot. Parked several spots down, Mason had witnessed the accident, but couldn’t do a thing about it. Now he pulled his Tahoe next to the vehicle, making sure not to block her exit.

As he normally did, Mason walked into the house without knocking. This time he found himself right in the middle of mayhem. The disorderly living room was out of character for Bobby and Connie, who lived by the idea that everything had a place, and everything should be in its place. Even with two small children, Connie managed to keep her house spotless. Except for today. The sofa bed lay open; sheets tumbled everywhere. Half-empty glasses of Kool-Aid and a nearly empty bowl of popcorn were scattered among the end tables. The smell was...the same sweet scent that tormented him last night after Kendall walked out of the hospital room. Gardenias. Her own special scent. He shook his head and followed the sound of voices into the kitchen.

Five happy faces looked up at him from the table. He focused on one in particular. Although she was smiling, her chocolate brown eyes shot daggers in his direction. Dark circles lined her eyes. She looked tired. He gestured to the scrambled eggs, bacon, and biscuits that filled the kitchen table. “Breakfast? Don’t you people know its lunch time already?”

“Uncle Mason.” Misty squeaked. Mason paused next to the five-year-old.

“Hey precious girl.” He tweaked her hair and smiled when she let out a soft giggle.

“It’s brunch, considering we just woke up about a half an hour ago. Help yourself.” Connie handed him a plate.

“Thanks.”

Bobby got out an extra cup and poured coffee for Mason before refilling his, Connie’s, and Kendall’s. “How did you manage to get out of the hospital? I thought you had to stay until this afternoon.”

“It wasn’t easy. I had to sweet talk Doc. And promise her I would go to her office next week so she can check the wound. If it weren’t for the fact that her brother and I went to college together, I don’t think she would have let me leave. It’s good to have friends.” Bacon and eggs nearly overflowed from his plate. Connie’s cooking would hit the spot left empty by the skimpy hospital food.

After sprinkling pepper over his food, he began eating the scrambled eggs. “So, what hurricane went through this place last night?” he said after he swallowed.

“When I got home last night, everyone was still up. Connie wasn’t feeling good, and both kids were wide awake. Before I could get them to bed, Kendall showed up. Thankfully, she took care of the kids for me.”

Mason’s eyes darted to Kendall. So, she hadn’t shown up at the hospital just to comfort him. Realization hit him like a lightning bolt. After all that had happened, she probably hadn’t wanted to be by herself last night. The chase down the alley had been a traumatic experience for her. And, being the idiot that he was, he practically threw her out when she was scared and alone. “I see.” He tore his eyes away from hers and focused them on Bobby and Connie’s oldest child. He playfully punched Misty in the arm, just to hear her giggle again. “Looks like you had a popcorn party.”