Heat Flash (4 page)

“Yeah,” Kendall pushed the last bites of food around on her plate. “Once I got Bobby Jr. to sleep, Misty and I watched movies most of the night. Sort of a Girls’ Night slumber party.” She winked at her niece.

Mason turned his attention back to his breakfast. Putting butter and jelly on his biscuit was not an easy task with only one good arm.
There was no way this damn sling was staying on for weeks
. He couldn’t even eat breakfast like a normal person. He was about to give in and eat the biscuit dry. Kendall reached over, grabbed the biscuit, slapped on butter and jelly, and plopped it back on his plate.

“Thanks,” he muttered.

“Sure.” She pushed her chair away from the table. Pulling Bobby Jr. from the high chair, she held her free hand out to Misty. “Come on kids, let’s get dressed.”

“Let me help you.” Connie followed Kendall and the kids out of the kitchen, leaving the men alone.

As soon as they walked away, Bobby pinned Mason with a hard stare. “What was that all about?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He lied. The last thing he needed right now was for his best friend to know the thoughts he was having.
Kendall in his bed, making love to her until that hurt look receded and the sparkle came back to her brown eyes
. Bobby would just as soon kill him.

“Sure. Just remember, she’s my sister. Don’t hurt her.” Bobby sent him a knowing smile before getting up to load the dishes in the dishwasher.

Dishes done, Bobby and Mason settled at the kitchen table, discussing their plans to open their own private detective agency.

A few minutes later, the women and children came downstairs. Kendall immediately excused herself. “Guys, I have a million things to do today. I think I’m going to head home.”

Mason stood next to Ken, towering over her. “I’ll walk you out. I need to get going myself. Bobby, we’ll get together to work out the details later.” He kissed both kids on the tops of their heads and gave Connie a peck on her cheek. “Thanks for breakfast.” After saying their good-byes, he and Kendall walked out together, stopping next to her SUV.

“Ken, I’m sorry about last night. I should’ve realized you didn’t need to be alone.” He took her hand.

She turned stormy eyes toward him. “Don’t worry about it. You did your job by protecting me. Anything after that, well, remember, it’s nothing personal.” The stab of her words pierced him as if she’d punched him in his injured shoulder. Would she ever forgive him?

His phone buzzed, interrupting their conversation. Before he let go of her, he leaned against the door, blocking it so she couldn’t get inside the vehicle. He answered the phone with his only free hand. “Mason Black.” He held Kendall’s gaze. Damn, she was no longer the gawky high school girl he grew up with. Not even the risky college girl. No, she was all grown up. His fingers itched to run along the curves filling out her jeans, taste the sweetness of cleavage peeking out from her tank top. She was all woman, and she stirred him like no one ever had.

The man on the other end of the phone immediately identified himself as Julia’s attorney. “Mr. Black, you really need to get to Beaumont as soon as possible. Your mother’s been in a car accident. ”

“An accident? Is she all right?” His pulse increased a notch. Kendall’s gaze flew to his, her eyebrows shooting up in question.

“She’s pretty much out of it right now. The doctors have her highly sedated, but they tell me she will pull through.”

Although Mason hadn’t seen his mother in a little over seven years, the urgency in Mr. Hernandez’s voice had him mentally rearranging his schedule in his head.

“I can probably get that way in a few days.” The drive to Beaumont was only four hours. But before he took off, there were things he needed to handle in his own life. His mother left him when he was a child, why should he feel obligated to run to her aid now?

No, he wanted some time of his own. He didn’t want to spend any of it with Julia, or her attorney. The move back to New Orleans had been a good decision. He just hadn’t been able to enjoy it, or get settled in his rental house. The case had taken up most of his time over the last several months. Now he wanted a little down time. And a little time to get reacquainted with Kendall.

“Mr. Black, I understand your relationship with your mother. But, you should know, she specifically asked that I call you. If possible, you need to get here soon. I think it would be good for her to see you.”

He sighed wearily. “I’ll see what I can do.” Kendall’s brow wrinkled in question while her hand rubbed at her throat. She stood in front of him, fidgeting with her keys, probably anxious to get away from him. They hadn’t exactly gotten off to a good start. He mouthed that he’d be off the phone shortly. She nodded then turned to watch a cat playing in the yard, chasing a bird up a nearby tree. Her face lit up with amusement.

Finally, the call ended. The attorney’s details were as vague as Mason’s responses. He knew there’d been an accident, and his mom would not suffer any long term injuries. But he didn’t understand the urgency expressed by Mr. Hernandez. It sounded like he wanted Mason to drop everything to be by his mother’s side. Mr. Hernandez said it was important that they speak as soon as Mason arrived in Beaumont. The sooner the better.
His mother had asked for him
. Mason’s curiosity was piqued. His gut told him he needed to follow up on this. And his gut feelings were usually right on the mark. He made up his mind to clear his schedule for the next few days and head to Beaumont.

He slipped the phone back in his jeans pocket.

“Is everything okay?” Kendall’s head tilted in question.

Mason ran his free hand through his hair. “I’m not really sure. All I know is my mother was in a car accident. Even though she will be fine eventually, her attorney wants to meet me. And he said mother wants to see me.”

“I hope she’s okay. You should go see her.”

He sighed. “I haven’t made up my mind yet. I’d really like to stay and catch up with you. Maybe we could go out to dinner one evening.”

Kendall shoved him away from the car door so she could open it. She was still pissed, and he couldn’t blame her. “I need to go,” she said icily.

He gently stilled the hand she had been using to rub her throat. He tugged until she was standing only inches from him. Close enough he could look down into her chocolate eyes. Her head tilted sideways; her questioning gaze never leaving his. Soft, kissable lips were so close to his mouth. The scent of Gardenias wafted up to fill his nostrils. The warm summer breeze tossed her brown hair around her shoulders. Mason released her hand only to wrap his in the softness of her hair, and eased her closer. His eyes dropped briefly to the rise and fall of her chest. Her breathing sped up.

Twenty-nine years old, and he had never felt what he did when he was around Kendall. Following her and watching out for her safety over the last several months, he realized he wanted to spend more time with her. Time not discolored by the vile acts of her scum boss. He wanted to talk with her, share things with her, touch her. She got to him in high school, and she was getting to him now. But, she was the one woman he could not allow himself to have feelings for. In the end, he would break her heart. He wanted her, but she deserved someone that could give her a lifetime, not one night. Mason was not the lifetime kind.

“Go,” he whispered hoarsely. He released her and took a step back. His gaze held hers a moment longer before she turned and slid behind the wheel.

****

Kendall grabbed her keys and rushed out of the house. Detective Marks had asked to meet with her and several other employees of the investment firm to clean out the offices. She was running late and didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer. She gasped and came to a dead stop before stepping off the porch.

“What the hell?”

She stared at the mess laying on her top step. A rat, barely alive, squirmed and tried to drag itself off the steps. Its tiny legs twitched, and its head jerked. The tiny brown chest rose and fell as it fought for its last breath. Finally, it gave up and went limp. She shuddered, disgust warring with sympathy.

The neighbor’s cat must be responsible for leaving this half eaten rodent to die on her doorstep. The black cat had free run of the neighborhood and often carried around its kills until someone noticed and gave her praise for her acts. A pat on the head and a “Good girl,” was all it took. Bella would then take off to devour her prey in private. However, this was the first time Bella left her prize either uneaten or unburied. Kendall made a mental note to tell Mrs. LeBlanc about the crazy antics of her cat the next time she saw the elderly woman.

Nausea surfaced in her throat. She had to take care of this before the hot sun baked the rat to a crisp. In this summer heat, it wouldn’t take long. The stench was already irritating her nostrils. She hurried to the shed and grabbed a shovel. Even as she slid the shovel under the body, she looked around the neighborhood one more time.
Crazy. It was the cat
. She was a little too jumpy since her near attack. She shook off the uneasy feeling nagging at the back of her mind. She dumped the contents into a plastic bag, tied it shut, and dropped it into the trashcan. Thankfully, tomorrow was pick-up day.

Unwinding enough water hose to stretch to the porch, she washed the blood off the shovel and the steps before running back inside to scrub her hands. She locked up and left the house for the second time. Just as she was getting into her SUV, her cell phone rang.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Did you get the present I left you?”

The voice was muffled, ominous sounding. She quivered. “What? Who is this?”

“The rat. It reminded me of you. Did you like it?” The man sounded far away, like he was on a speakerphone, or trying to disguise his voice.

Her heart skipped a beat. Sweat broke out on her palms. Her mind raced back to the dead rat she assumed Bella had left. Fear rose up in her throat at the realization someone put the rodent on her doorstep intentionally. “Who is this?” she demanded. Ominous laughter filled the line before the call ended. Kendall’s hands shook as she checked the caller id. Unknown name. Unknown number.

****

A mixture of sadness and relief weighted Kendall’s chest as she loaded the last box from her empty desk into her Rogue. She shielded her eyes from the bright sun, looking back at the empty offices. The heat was oppressive. She could feel the sheen of sweat running down her back.

She still had a hard time accepting the fact that her boss had been a criminal, wanted by the Feds. When Tom had taken over as president of the investment firm a year ago, the business had been profitable. As Senior Analyst, it was Kendall’s only source of income. Now that the FBI had decided to shut the offices down until a complete investigation could be completed, Kendall would have to find another means of income.

Looking back, she could now see how strange Tom acted when asked about the company losing money. It was only a few months after he took over before the firm’s profits began a downward slide. Whenever she tried to discuss the stability of the small firm, he would run his fingers nervously through his hair. He always managed to change the subject before she could get solid answers from him.

As it turned out, he was filtering that money into other accounts for his personal gain. She chastised herself repeatedly for not questioning him more. She knew the numbers were not adding up, but he always had a reason. She should’ve noticed something odd last month when Tom outright refused to show her the financial statements. Those reports had always been available to every employee. After reviewing the books over the last week, it was obvious he had gotten himself in too deep. He had also gotten sloppy with his dealings. His carelessness led to his downfall.

Kendall sighed. It was all over with now. Tom was dead. She and Olivia, and several others, were unemployed. She sluggishly walked back into the office where Detective Marks and Olivia were deep in conversation.

Kendall was going to miss those early morning coffee breaks she shared with Olivia. The woman made the best caramel mochas, and she was such a pleasure to work with. Widowed for a little over a year, her only child away at college, Olivia liked to stay busy. With her experience and cheerful personality, she was the best receptionist a company could ask for.

“Kendall, is there anything I can help you with?” Marks asked.

She hesitated briefly. She should tell him about the dead rat left on her doorstep hours earlier. And about the hang-up calls that had started the day of Tom’s funeral. Up until today, she had dismissed them as nothing, but after the disturbing incident earlier, she wasn’t so sure. She had not mentioned this to anyone, not even her brother or sister. If she told Marks, it wouldn’t be long before Bobby, and Mason, found out. Then they would all be hounding her for information and trying to protect her.

Running her hands through her hair, she sighed. “No, I don’t think so. Looks like we’re all packed and ready to clear out, and move on. I still can’t believe this happened.”

“Me neither,” moaned Olivia. “Think I’ll take a break for a while; maybe do some traveling before I try to find another job. Monica’s been after me to go for a visit.”

“That sounds like a good idea. Just don’t get into any trouble in that college town.”

“I promise to stay away from all those young men.” Olivia’s eyebrows moved up and down in a comical way. Olivia, Marks, and Kendall laughed. “What are you going to do Kendall?”

“Actually, I’m thinking about starting my own accounting business. See what that brings. I’ve already made a few contacts that look promising. And I don’t think I’m ready to go to work for someone else right now.”

Layla put the idea of opening her own business in Kendall’s head. She offered to be her first client and let Kendall handle the accounting books of Cajun Roy’s. She said it was the least she could do after Kendall’s attack outside her restaurant. After agreeing, Layla and Kendall put their heads together and found several other small businesses willing to give her a chance.