Locked and Loaded (23 page)

“I don't think it was quite so blatant.” Mason chuckled. “I doubt they were giving detailed instructions or their plans for world domination.”

One corner of Charlie's mouth hitched in a smile. The unassuming—and sexy—expression caught Mason off guard. He felt his jaw go slack and quickly snapped it shut.

“If everything was in code, then Kieran would have to know about it beforehand,” Charlie said. “What sort of code could they have used that both Faction Five and Kieran would have previous knowledge of?”

“Depends.” Mason cupped the back of his neck and massaged some of the tension away. “Smugglers have their own special language. So do thieves and con artists. It would've been easy for Kieran to communicate with anyone who knew how to speak to him. If any of Faction Five's members are law enforcement, they'd be privy to some of that language.”

“Why didn't we put you on the task force from day one?” Charlie shook her head. “We'd be way ahead of where we are right now. My God, Mason. Your knowledge surpasses everyone else's by
miles
.”

He gave a sheepish shrug and tried not to let the bitterness get to him. “I'm sure no one thought they could trust me. Sort of comes with the territory when you're Jensen Decker's kid.”

“You've been totally screwed over.” Charlie's expression turned sad, her eyes wide, limpid pools of blue. “I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be.” He cleared the unwanted emotion from his throat. “It's not like it's nothing I've ever dealt with before. Besides, I'm not bringing that much new information to the table. Just shedding the light from a different angle.”

“Still, this is huge!” Charlie couldn't contain her excitement, and pride surged through Mason that he had been the one to make her feel that way. “We'll have to be careful, especially with Kieran becoming more trusting of us, but we can investigate the library employees and see what we find.”

“It's a start,” Mason agreed.

“Who knows, with this angle, plus my date with Kieran tomorrow, we could finally make some actual headway.”

So far, this undercover operation was anything but typical, and it bothered him. It should have run by the book, especially with the agencies and people involved. It was almost like they'd been given as little intel as possible. Been intentionally confused and left in the dark. He hadn't been able to shake his doubt from day one, and it rankled. And it didn't help that Kieran continued to be equally confusing and cryptic.

Mason couldn't bring himself to express his worry. Not when Charlie's eyes lit with bright enthusiasm and hope. He wanted this for her. Wanted her to have the validation she'd been searching for. A niggling thought at the back of his mind kept scratching, though. He'd wanted to believe that Kieran was acting under duress. That there was no way he'd get involved with a syndicate that could bring so much heat on him. If Kieran was in deep with Faction Five, it put Charlie in even more danger if she was discovered. Mason couldn't bear it if anything happened to her. He needed to be one step ahead of Kieran, and right now he was clearly falling behind.

His only option at this point was to go to the one person who knew Kieran better than Mason did. Looked like he'd be paying dear old dad another visit. And soon.

Chapter Twenty-Three

“I'm pretty sure we don't need a babysitter, Kieran.”

“My diamonds. My rules.”

If Mason had it his way, they would've taken Kieran out of tonight's equation. Charlie would have turned the stones over to the undercover marshals, they would have transferred the money to Kieran's account, and there'd be no need for the pretense. Lazy, maybe. But what he really wanted was to take Charlie back to his place for a repeat of the other day. Kieran had done his damnedest to keep them apart for the past few days, and when they were together, he was always around. Hovering.

“Fine.” Mason did nothing to hide his annoyance. “Then at least make yourself useful.”

He shoved the small case full of stones into Kieran's hands. Charlie gave him a warning look as she climbed out of the car. Mason grumbled under his breath. This wasn't a three-person job by any means. Of course, if anyone was in danger of being cut out, it was Mason. His responsibility was to get the gems through customs. He should have been thankful Kieran decided to bring him along, when he could have simply come here with Charlie.

The last thing Mason wanted was for the two of them to have any more alone time than necessary.

The Marshals Service had commandeered Hendrickson's Jewelers for their front. Running a con on a con man wasn't an easy thing. Especially when dealing with one as infamous as Kieran. Mason swore under his breath. With each passing second his mood further crumbled into an unsalvageable mess.

Charlie stepped up to him, all smiles and feminine charm. “Ready?”

Her blue eyes sparked with fire, and Mason fought the urge to pull her against him and put his mouth to hers. He glanced over his shoulder to find Kieran watching them with more than mild interest.

“Ready.” Mason wanted to get this shit over with and call it a night. The sooner, the better.

* * *

The undercover marshal played his part well. Charlie wheeled and dealed and worked her supposed magic on him. He made counteroffers, rejected some of the imperfect diamonds. Kieran supplied the forged Kimberley certificates. By the time everything was said and done, the marshal had transferred eighteen million dollars into Kieran's offshore account. Kieran verified the transfer from his tablet, pleased as hell to have netted another huge payday. One more job out of the way. Hopefully one step closer to Faction Five. Time to get rid of Kieran for the night so Mason could spend a little one-on-one time with Charlie.

“Let's celebrate!” Kieran was in high spirits, of fucking course. He'd just made a mint.

Mason's own cranky snort in response had more to do with his displeasure at having to share Charlie with anyone for another second than Kieran's excitement over another successful sale.

“You're such a foodie,” Charlie teased. That she'd gotten to know Kieran well enough to realize that, only served to further agitate Mason's temper. He had no problem admitting to himself that he was jealous. What bothered him was that he'd never felt it with such a burning intensity before.

It wasn't because of Kieran. He'd competed with him for girls' attention before. No, Mason was jealous because Charlie meant something to him.

“And proud of it.” Kieran climbed into the driver's seat of the rental, leaving Mason once again to sit in the back. Alone. The enamel ground on his teeth as he clenched his jaw shut. At this rate, it would be hours before he got Charlie alone. “And in that vein, we need to hit Gary Danko. They've got a juniper-crusted bison steak that's amazing. Another huge payday deserves a five-star meal.”

“We can't eat there.” Charlie gave a rueful shake of her head. “It'll cost a fortune.”

“Yeah,” Mason grumbled. “Let's just hit a drive-through and grab a burger.” Whatever got rid of Kieran faster.

Kieran's mocking laughter let Mason know that a drive-through wasn't an option. “You need to get used to luxury, Charlie.” He leaned over the center console toward her, and Mason fought the urge to jerk him upright. “You're going to be a very rich woman, thanks to me.”

Mason rolled his eyes. He wasn't sure how much more of Kieran's flirtatious banter he could take. Kieran straightened and checked the rearview mirror. Both of the side mirrors. Mason caught his reflection and his suddenly serious countenance.

“What is it?” Kieran could rock the playful and carefree vibe, but he never let his guard down. He had eyes like a hawk. And he took his personal security very seriously. He didn't respond, and the fine hairs on Mason's arm stood on end. “Kieran?”

He glanced Charlie's way, further intensifying Mason's anxiety. “We're being followed.”

Charlie turned to look at Mason from over her shoulder, her usually soft face lined with concern. It could have been the marshals tailing them, but he didn't think so.
Shit
.

“You sure?”

“Three cars back, older dark blue BMW,” Kieran replied.

In the gray twilight, the color was tough to make out, but Mason noticed the car. Way too conspicuous for someone with any training. What the hell?

“Mason?” Charlie's voice quavered.

“It's all good.” Kieran didn't hesitate to offer up assurance. “Comes with the territory.”

Or rather, assurance in the way that criminals assured one another. Mason reached out to lay a hand on her shoulder and gave a tight squeeze. “We've got about twenty thousand in diamonds on us still.” Any hustler with half a brain who saw them go into the jewelry store after hours would have known what they were up to.

“Oh my God, we're about to be robbed, aren't we?”

Kieran laughed at Charlie's horrified tone. Not helpful. Not even a little bit. “If worse comes to worst, we're out twenty K to some punk-ass gangbangers. That's all.”

Mason rolled his eyes. Kieran, always so damned cavalier.

“Can you lose them?” Given the choice, Mason would rather end the night conflict-free.

Kieran's eyes met his through the mirror and he flashed a confident grin. “Won't know until I try.”

Oh Jesus
. “Hang on, Charlie.”

Kieran swerved into the next lane and hooked a hard right. Charlie gripped the oh-shit handle with one hand and braced her other on the dash. The tires squealed and the back end fishtailed before Kieran righted the car. Mason kept a lookout for any sign of the BMW.

“To your right, Kieran!”

The BMW cut through a side alley and emerged beside them. Kieran hit the brakes before Mason could get a good look at the car's passengers, and swerved to the left. Horns blared as he cut across traffic. Charlie let out a squeal as an oncoming car nearly clipped their bumper.

“Jesus Christ, Kieran!” Mason's heart lodged in his throat. If they'd been T-boned, Charlie would have been toast. “Be careful!”

“Do you want careful, or do you want to shake these guys?” Kieran stayed insufferably calm despite their circumstances. “Because you can't have both.”

“Not dead or dismembered would be good,” Charlie said.

Kieran chuckled. “I'm not making any guarantees.”

“You're not funny.”

Mason seconded that. Kieran might live for the thrill, but Charlie didn't. Mason didn't want her near danger of any kind. He checked under Kieran's seat and found the two Glocks they'd tucked there for safekeeping. They'd learned their lesson after L.A., and Mason decided not to go anywhere with Kieran unarmed. He'd rather be prepared to make a stand than go down before he had a chance to defend himself.

Kieran hung a left into a narrow alley and doubled back the way they'd come. “My guess is, they'll try to cut us off again. They won't think we'll double back.”

Wrong.
Kieran came to an abrupt halt as the BMW blocked their way out of the narrow alleyway. He threw the car into reverse and another car pulled in at the other end, boxing them in.

“Son of a bitch.” Kieran let out a snort of disgust. “Guess we're in it now.”

“Yeah.” Mason handed one of the Glocks over the seat to Kieran. “I guess we are.”

Kieran didn't waste any time getting out of the car. All they needed was for his smart mouth to get them into trouble. Mason leaned over the seat and said close to Charlie's ear, “Stay put. It'll be okay.”

She gave him a tight nod of acknowledgment, her eyes wide with fear.

What an absolute fucking nightmare. He'd hand over the diamonds, no questions asked. Anything to defuse what could be a deadly standoff.

* * *

Charlie thought she might swallow her tongue. She was sick and tired of people telling her everything was going to be all right when it clearly wasn't. The whole just-another-day-at-the-office mentality was getting old. Fast.

Mason got out of the car and put his back to Kieran's. If this was the sort of thing that regularly happened undercover, Charlie wanted none of it.

“Lose the piece, motherfucker!” an angry voice called out.

Kieran's mocking laughter didn't do anything for Charlie's fraying nerves. Was there anything that scared him? “Yeah, that's not gonna happen.” His stance remained relaxed, his expression calm.

“Whatever you think we have, you're welcome to it!” Mason said. Kieran gave him a look from over his shoulder that said,
Really?
“We don't want any trouble.”

“Speak for yourself,” Kieran said in a conversational tone. “I have zero patience for gangbangers. No imagination and totally not willing to work for a living. I think we should put them in their place.”

Charlie's eyes rolled so hard she thought they might fall right out of her head. Dialing 9-1-1 seemed like a much better solution to their problem.

“You might not want trouble, but you got it!”

Charlie took note of their assailants. Rough, tough, clearly violent, and without conscience. Kieran might be right that they lacked imagination, but it was clear they meant business. They had something these men wanted. Nothing was going to stand in the way of that.

“Here!” Charlie scrambled out of the car and held the black case with the remainder of the diamonds aloft. “This is what you want, right? Take it and leave.”

Kieran looked at her as though she'd lost her damned mind. He might not be willing to let go of twenty grand, but Charlie would much rather let the diamonds go than die.

“Don't you think that's the sort of decision we should be making as a group?” His brow arched curiously. “I mean, the stones are mine after all.”

Really?
“No, I don't. You said it yourself, worst case, we're out twenty K. I'm not dying over a few thousand dollars in flawed diamonds, Kieran.”

Kieran laughed off her comment. “No one's going to die today, Charlie. At least, none of us.”

Again, not the response she was looking for.

“I have a better idea!” Kieran shouted. “Why don't you come over here and suck my cock!”

Oh dear Lord
. Charlie's gaze flitted to Mason, who didn't look the least bit surprised by Kieran's cocky show. “Get in the car, Charlie.” The urgency of his instruction got her moving in a hurry. “Now.” Apparently, Mason had been in similar situations with Kieran. She ducked back into the front seat at the exact moment Kieran opened fire.

Oh God!
She was going to die in a dirty back alley.
Not
the way she wanted to go out.

Gunfire erupted around them like angry thunder. Bullets struck the window and Charlie ducked well below the dash. Adrenaline dumped into her bloodstream and her teeth chattered from the violent tremors that shook her body. Both Kieran and Mason dove back into the car. The engine roared to life. Kieran rolled down his window and stuck his arm out, squeezing off several wild shots before he put the car into reverse and punched the accelerator. The tires squealed in angry protest and Charlie covered her ears as more shots rang out, this time from the backseat.

If they made it out of this alive, it would be a freaking miracle.

“Hang on!”

Charlie was really beginning to hate those words. Not a second after Kieran said them, she was thrown forward with a violent jerk. Her head smacked into the dashboard and the coppery tang of blood invaded her mouth as her teeth bit into her cheek. The screech and smash of metal meeting metal as they crashed into one of the cars caused Charlie's heart to lurch up into her throat. Dark spots swam in her vision and her breathing became rapid and shallow. Passing out would definitely be a better alternative than dying from a heart attack at this point. At least if she was unconscious, her heart might stop trying to beat out of her rib cage.

They met resistance and Kieran punched his foot down on the accelerator. Angry shouts accompanied the thunderous gunshots and Charlie couldn't tell what was friendly fire and what wasn't. Kieran put the car into gear, drove forward, threw it back into reverse and crashed into the vehicle blocking them one last time. Their car swung out into the street and once again Charlie felt as though she was being whipped from one end of the vehicle to the other.

“Hold on, Charlie!”

Mason's voice was a beacon, reaching through the confusion in her mind. She held on to the sound, to the unflinching reassurance in his deep, rumbling tone. He wouldn't let anything happen to her. She knew it as well as she knew herself. They'd get out of this alive because Mason would make sure they did.

Kieran slammed the shifter into drive and the tires squealed against the pavement as he took off down the street. Charlie didn't dare look up, and chose to remain blind to their surroundings as the car lurched and wove through traffic. Kieran's countenance remained calm, his jaw set with concentration. He probably got into dicey situations like this regularly. Charlie, not so much.