Heat Flash (8 page)

“No problem. It was fun.” He paused before continuing. “You sure everything was okay after that phone call? I didn’t want to say anything in front of the kids, but you looked a little unnerved.”

She considered telling him about the calls and the rats, but decided against dampening the light spirit of the day. It was nice to be able to relax and joke around with Mason. She didn’t want to bring up the incidents. If she were to tell him what was going on, she would have to admit they were starting to scare her. And she did not want to admit fear.

Kendall leaned forward to glance at the screen. “Everything is fine. Like I said, someone dialed the wrong number. So, let’s get down to business. What are we working on tonight?”

He gave her a final questioning glance before turning his attention to the computer screen.

They reviewed several business documents while consuming several beers. Switching to another document, Mason said, “These are different layouts for business cards. Help me pick one for Reed Black Investigations.”

“Ooh. I like the name. Sounds ominous.” Bobby and Mason’s last names paired together had a certain ring to it. Kendall looked at several sample cards Mason had saved. “Wait, go back to the last one.” When she leaned over to get a better look, her breast brushed lightly against his arm. She bristled at the physical contact, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Mason continued staring at the computer, not indicating that he noticed her action. He clicked the screen to bring up the card she pointed out. Gray with black lettering. A bold red border circled the name and phone numbers.

“That one,” she said. “It’s discreet but sends out a message that the job will get handled effectively.”

“Really?” he asked, frowning in confusion. “You get that from a business card?”

“The card, and the fact that I know the two brutes behind the business.” She gave him a teasing smile.

“Brutes?” His strong arm circled her neck in a playful hold. “I’ll show you a brute.” He pulled her toward him and pinned her in a head-lock. She twisted and turned, trying to free herself. No matter how much she struggled, she couldn’t break his grip. And she knew he was not using near the strength he was capable of.

He loosened his hold and she found herself trapped beneath him. His lean body pressed against hers. Playfully he held her arms above her head. “Give? Say it.” His eyes twinkled with amusement and mischief.

“I won’t give up.” Kendall’s body wiggled beneath his. She brought her right leg up in hopes of throwing him off balance. His body settled more firmly against hers. The suggestive contact of their bodies changed the atmosphere between them. The air cracked and sizzled with sexual fire. A growl vibrated from deep in his throat.

Desire darkened his eyes to a deep blue. He lowered his head and captured her lips. He stroked and prodded, plunging his tongue deep inside her mouth. He expertly teased her. Tentatively at first, then more aggressively. She explored inside his mouth. He sucked at her tongue and lips until she thought she would lose all control.

The kiss intensified. It was the kind of kiss a woman fantasizes about. The kind that breaks all the rules. Purely sexual and possessive. The kind of kiss she would expect from Mason, claiming his woman.

His body pushed her deeper into the cushions. The friction of his jeans rubbing hers stirred something inside her. Her head spun. He was hard, oh God, and pressing against her thigh. A little higher and their bodies would be united, if it weren’t for the barrier of clothes. She sighed, want filling her insides. She shifted, causing his erection to press more firmly against the softness between her thighs.

It felt good.

He felt right.

“Oh,” she gasped, slowly coming to her senses. She turned her head and broke the seal of their lips. “I give,” she panted. “Stop.” She scrambled to sit up. Her body fought against her better judgment.

With a hint of reluctance, Mason moved away. He ran his hand down his face, a hiss escaping through his clenched teeth. Kendall allowed a moment for their bodies to calm down. She could see the frustration in him as he shifted into a more comfortable position before sucking down the rest of his beer.

“I don’t think that was a good idea.” What had she been thinking? She wasn’t thinking, that was the problem. She grabbed her own beer and downed the remains.

“Why not?” His voice was rough. He expelled a ragged breath. His eyes scanned the room before landing on hers. “I thought it was going pretty damn good.” His chest heaved up and down.

“Because,” she faltered. Fury gripped her. “Because I’m not one of your women you can use only to toss aside when it’s convenient for you.” The words were out of her mouth before she could draw them back.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His sandpaper voice was barely above a whisper. “Ken, I would never use you or hurt you.”

She pulled away from his touch. Pain flashed in his eyes.

“Too late,” she choked out the words. “You did a damn fine job of that once already.”

“Aw, hell.” He put his head down in his hands. When he looked back at her, his words were quiet. “That was four years ago. That was a mistake. There were circumstances involved.”

She waved her hand in the air, dismissing his explanations. She didn’t want to hear any excuses about that awful night. “Doesn’t matter. You rejected me. You betrayed me.” She looked him straight in the eye. “It hurt. And I can’t forget about it.”

He had ripped her heart out four years ago. The entire family, including Mason, had gotten together to celebrate her father’s early retirement from the FBI. Kendall had a little too much to drink that night and she practically threw herself at Mason. He encouraged her advances and led her on almost to the point of them leaving the party to go to her room. Then he did one of the worst things a man can do to a woman. He blatantly rejected her.

She was devastated by his rejection, but more so when he left the party, flaunting another woman in Kendall’s face. She vowed that night never to let him have even a scrap of her heart again.

Nothing he could say now would make her pain go away.

“Ken.” He took her face in his hands and gently turned her toward him. “Look at me. That night…. it was nothing….”

“Nothing personal.” She retorted. “I know. That’s what you whispered in my ear when you left the party with your playmate.” She jerked her head out of his grasp. “Get the hell out of my house.”

Without another word, she gathered up their empty beer bottles and went into the kitchen, leaving him to see himself out.

****

“Thank you Mr. Sandeford.” Kendall shook the hand of her newest client. She smiled. This was going to be a big client for her. “I look forward to doing business with you and your wife.”

“Same here, Miss Reed. And call me Art. We welcome the opportunity for an independent local to handle our accounting instead of contracting with a large corporation. Edith’s boutique isn’t quite ready for corporate minds. Actually, Edith isn’t ready for the corporate minds.” Mr. Sandeford’s laughter filled the air.

Kendall let out a small chuckle. Mrs. Sandeford was a short, round, jovial woman who couldn’t care less about the corporate world. She only wanted to bring her boutique items to middle and lower class people who couldn’t afford to shop in larger, more extravagant shops.

“Well, you tell Mrs. Edith I can’t wait to meet with her again.” Kendall did a complete walk around her Rogue before stopping next to the drivers’ side door. Uneasiness rolled off her in waves.

“Ma’am, you all right?” Concern lit the older man’s eyes.

Kendall shook off the shiver running down her spine. “I’m fine. Still a little concerned about those flats I had the other day when we met at Cajun Roy’s.”

Shielding his eyes from the late afternoon sun, Art shook his head. “I can imagine that was a shock seeing both your front tires slashed. I’m still convinced it was a case of mistaken identity. Why would anyone want to do that to you? I wouldn’t put much thought into it. You know this city is full of criminals and mischief.”

“You’re right.” Kendall slid behind the wheel. Of course he would think nothing of the act. He wasn’t aware of all the other incidents and phone calls. Someone was trying to get her attention and the slashed tires were definitely a scare tactic. “Thanks again for putting your trust in me to handle your business relations.”

An eerie cold gripped Kendall’s throat as she pulled away and headed toward her home across town. The short drive from Art and Edith’s shop to the interstate was hectic with afternoon traffic. A horn blared behind her, jolting her thoughts back to the task of driving and away from maniacal stalkers. She forced the edgy feeling down and let the elation of securing another client fill her with happiness.

Pulling off the interstate, she picked up her cell to call Layla and give her the good news. Before she could dial, a blur of activity through the back windshield caught her attention. She dropped the phone on the seat next to her, putting off the call until later. Several vehicles behind her, a pick-up truck weaved in and out of traffic. By the time the truck pulled off the exit ramp and caught up with her, Kendall was turning onto the long stretch of untraveled road that led to her subdivision.

The dark truck eased up to the rear-end of her Rogue, riding a little closer than necessary. Ice ran through her veins. The driver stayed behind her for several seconds before slacking off and putting a little distance between them. Kendall breathed a sigh of relief. She slowed to make a right hand turn onto Wisteria Lane. As soon as the truck turned behind her, his engine revved and he was on her tail again.
Back off, idiot!

Damp palms gripped the steering wheel, trying to hold her vehicle steady. She glanced in her rearview mirror. Dark tint on the windows obscured any chances of identifying the driver. She couldn’t even tell if it was a male or female.

Again, the truck backed off, putting a little space between them. Kendall ran a shaky hand through her hair. Up ahead, the rickety bridge crossing the gulley loomed in the distance, beckoning to her. The old bridge was badly in need of repairs and not wide enough for more than one vehicle. It was nearly impossible for two vehicles to cross side by side. The locals were courteous and knew to take turns on the bridge. But the maniac in the truck was attempting to pull alongside her, which would put them both on the bridge at the same time. Or, it would force her to take the steep ditch to her right. Maybe that was his intent. Run her off the road. Her blood boiled. This made no sense at all.
Who could be driving that truck? The same person who slashed her tires? And left dead rats on her doorstep? Why?
A shiver inched its way down her spine. She shrieked out loud, pressed the accelerator, and jerked the wheel to the left. The Rogue moved into the middle of the road, forcing the truck to fall back behind her.

“What the hell is your problem, asshole?” On the other side of the bridge, an oncoming car was getting closer. The truck tailing her would plow into her if she stopped to allow the other vehicle to pass over the bridge. Besides, she really didn’t want to be left on this side with a crazy person behind her. Not knowing what else to do, she flashed her lights, hoping the other driver would notice even though it was broad daylight out.

Another quick glance in her rearview showed the truck trying to move alongside her again. Her stomach tightened in knots, and panic rose in her throat. Images of her in the ditch, unconscious for hours flashed through her mind. Someone was going to end up losing control of their vehicle soon, and she didn’t want that someone to be her.

The front of the truck was now even with her back door. Kendall looked ahead to see the oncoming car only seconds away from reaching the bridge.
Now or never
. She slammed on the brakes and watched as the truck sped past her, barely crossing the bridge before the other car swerved in time to avoid a crash. The small silver car laid on its horn and drove right by Kendall without a backward glance. So much for friendly drivers.

Thankfully, the truck kept going. When she could no longer see it, Kendall put her head in her hands. Her body shook from the terror. After several minutes of letting her pounding heart calm down, she fumbled on the seat for her cell phone.

****

Mason lingered in the hospital cafeteria a little longer than necessary. He made phone calls, checked emails, anything to stall going back upstairs to his mother’s room. He sent Kendall several texts that went unanswered, as expected. It had been three days since he last saw her and he couldn’t get her out of his mind. He was fully aware he hurt her four years ago. But regardless of what she thought, it was not intentional. That hurt was still evident at times when she looked at him. There was a blank distance in her big brown eyes. He felt like a jerk knowing he was responsible for putting that look there.

Getting up to dump his coffee cup in the trash, he ran a hand over his face in exasperation. He had to make it better between them. But how?

Before he dealt with Kendall though, he had to deal with his mother. Julia was not even aware he had visited her right after the accident. The doctors kept her sedated to help ease the pain from the significant injuries she had sustained. The accident had totaled her car. The Jaws of Life had to cut her out of the vehicle. After several surgeries to repair bone and tendons, she was well on her way to a full recovery. Julia would survive with very few scars.

Mason couldn’t explain what it was, but something compelled him to make a second visit to the hospital. He inhaled deeply before opening the door to his mother’s room. In the short days since he last saw her, she made great healing progress. Her appearance hadn’t changed much in the seven years since Mason had seen her last. Even wearing a hospital gown, she looked like a runway model. Not a strand of her jet black hair out of place; make-up applied to perfection. Too bad she couldn’t hold a family together like she held herself together.