Christmas Showdown

Burstyn Blue Series

Mackenzie McKade

Published by Mackenzie McKade at
Smashwords.

Copyright 2011 by Mackenzie McKade

Discover other titles by Mackenzie McKade at
MackenzieMcKade.com

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Dedication

Merry Christmas to all my readers. May your
holiday seasons be filled with beauty and laughter, and may the New
Year bring you health, happiness and prosperity.

The gun pointed at Kelly McMaster’s forehead
had fear icing her veins. Blood drained from her face. She didn’t
dare breathe or move.

The red glassy eyes glinting through the
assailant’s ski mask were cold, hard. “Do as I tell you and no one
will get hurt.”

Clothed in a worn oversized hoodie,
low-riding baggy pants, and dirty, ratty tennis shoes, the man’s
build would be unrecognizable. But judging by her height of
five-eight, she would guess him to be five-eleven or six feet.

Rank body odor overpowered the fresh scent of
pine from the Christmas tree in the lobby as he shoved a paper sack
at her. His hands trembled almost as badly as the one she used to
reach beneath her money drawer to press the button alerting
security. They would deal with contacting the police and hopefully
catch this criminal.

While she was fumbling with getting the cash
into the small sack, thoughts of her son rush to mind. TJ had no
one but her. Kelly choked on a silent sob. Why hadn’t she completed
her will and guardianship papers when she started this new job in a
strange city? If something happened to her, what would become of
her child? She couldn’t bear the thought of her parents raising
him. Not after the childhood she had endured.

“Hurry,” the man urged, but all she saw was
the barrel of the 9mm closing in on her, and her son,
motherless.

As Kelly pushed the last of the monies into
the sack and handed it to him, she glimpsed movement from the
corner of her eye. Helen, the bank manager, dragged a customer
behind a desk and they both ducked out of harm’s way.

Kelly didn’t begrudge them. Collier Bank’s
protocol was compliance in cases of robbery. No heroes. Just
activate the security button, give the money to the perpetrator and
get out of the situation safely. She hoped to God it worked.

When the man’s attention jerked to the left,
she automatically glanced over a shoulder. Joe, the teller from the
drive-through window, stood paralyzed as he stared at the masked
man and his gun. He made the situation even more dangerous when he
moved, almost falling as he scrambled to get back to safety behind
the wall.

The robber stiffened. His frantic gaze
scanned the area behind him while his hold on the gun waivered.
When he realized the two of them were alone, he roared, “Get out
here. Now.”

His abrupt words triggered her flight
response. She started to sink beneath the counter, but the pistol
waving wildly in her face stopped her midway.

“I will shoot you.” His warning held enough
menace that she believed him.

Panic-stricken, but still in control of her
senses, she moved around the counter, hands up. Nothing bad could
happen two days before Christmas, right?

Tucking the sack into a pocket, he grabbed
the back of her sweater, wadding it in his fist. When the pistol
jabbed against her spine, Kelly cried out. She couldn’t help
herself. Keeping her close and pushing her forward at the same
time, he made his way to the door and outside, using her as a human
shield against the security guard who appeared with his gun
unholstered.

The momentary standoff ended when the scream
of sirens jerked their attention toward the street. In the
distance, red and blue lights whirled, vehicles slowing and
stopping. But it was her assailant’s panicked curse that shattered
her remaining vestige of calm.

Kelly pinched her eyelids closed against his
brutal grip. No way would this man escape. Did he plan to take her
hostage or would he kill her here or later? If God were on her
side, maybe he’d let her go unscathed when he was finished with
her.

The shove against her back came unexpectedly.
Suddenly, she was released and falling. Her arms flailed, but it
was too late. Her knees bit the asphalt, pain splintering as her
hands braced to catch herself from face-planting. Gravel dug into
her palms, stinging. Through moist eyelashes, she glanced up to
watch the criminal jump into a beat-up car, tires screeching as he
sped away. The smell of burning rubber clogged her nose as a wave
of relief wrenched her tears free.

As she wept, someone placed a warm hand on
her back. She looked up to see Carl, the security guard. He dropped
to a knee beside her. “Are you okay?”

Kelly couldn’t speak. Chilled to the bone,
her blood felt like liquid ice, razor sharp, moving through her
veins unmercifully. The only thing she wanted at that very moment
was to hold her baby in her arms and never let him go.

She looked up as a blur of black-and-white
patrol vehicles streaked past in pursuit. One of the squad cars
separated from the pack, squealing around the corner and entering
the shopping center. The vehicle’s front end bobbed, making a
scraping sound when it struck a speed bump. The whirring blades of
a police helicopter overhead beat like war drums in her ears.

Carl helped Kelly to her feet on legs that
felt more like jelly than flesh and blood. “He’s gone, young lady.
You’re safe.”

So cold
. She crossed her arms over her
chest, feeling no relief. Would she ever feel warm again?

The guard glanced at the two officers getting
out of their car. “Will you be okay if I leave you for a minute? I
need to speak with the officers, but I’ll be back.”

She nodded weakly. And then she was left
alone. With her head down she could hear several more patrol cars
speed past in pursuit of the man who had shaken her sense of safety
and well-being.

“Ma’am, are you okay?” The deep male voice
forced her head up to meet the eyes of the police officer speaking
to her. His expression tightened.

“Kelly?”

This can’t be happening
.

For a brief moment, Kelly forgot about the
robbery and the fact her life had hung in jeopardy. Instead, her
thoughts were hurled back to a wintery night in Denver.

Trey had been attending a conference, while
she had been out on the town with her friends. Fate had them ending
up at the same honky-tonk, or that’s what her romantic heart had
thought at the time. She had been young. He had been charming. One
thing led to another and she had woken up in this man’s hotel room
minutes before he had to leave to catch an airplane.

He had been her first and last one-night
stand.

It had been what her friend, Sally, called a
wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of moment—a moment that would remain
with Kelly for the rest of her life.

As Carl continued to speak to the other
officer, Trey shucked his black leather coat and wrapped it around
her shoulders. His all-male scent surrounded her. Funny how she
remembered it so clearly.

“Are you hurt?” He brushed a strand of her
long red hair out of her eyes. “Do you need a paramedic?”

“No,” she managed to say, even though she was
anything but fine. She’d had a gun waved in her face, poked against
her spine, her knees and palms were bleeding, and now the only
person who could really hurt her stood before her.

“Sergeant Burstyn?” a short, redheaded
officer called out to Trey.

“I’ll be back,” he said, squeezing her arm
before he turned and walked away.

So Trey’s last name was Burstyn. She hadn’t
caught that small detail two years ago.

Kelly didn’t have time to ponder the issue as
Helen came running out of the bank straight for her. “Are you
alright? I’m so sorry.” The mid-forty-something woman hugged Kelly
tightly.

“Helen, there’s no need to apologize. Really.
There wasn’t anything you could do.”

“The branch is on lockdown,” Helen informed
her. “Ohmygod! Look at your knees—your hands. We should get you
back inside. The police will want to talk to you and get a
statement.”

As they headed toward the glass doors, Kelly
glanced over her shoulder to find Trey watching her. After two
years, not much had changed. He was six-foot-two of lean muscle—a
devastatingly handsome man whose long black eyelashes framed
to-die-for baby-blue eyes that had made her swoon when she first
met him.

Entering the bank, she was immediately joined
by the teller from the drive-through and two other coworkers, who
had been in the vault during the confrontation. They chatted
excitedly at the same time.

“Were you scared?” asked one of the women who
had been safely tucked away. “I was scared and he wasn’t even
pointing the gun at me.”

“I almost shit my pants when I saw the gun.”
Joe’s eyes were still wide with disbelief. His nervous laughter
filled the brief silence.

“How much money was in your drawer?” Helen
asked.

How much money?

At the moment, Kelly had no idea, but she
knew it wasn’t over their drawer limit if that’s what the woman was
getting at. “I’d just reduced my till and had only three customers
before it happened.” She always adhered to policy, even though only
thirty minutes remained to her shift, which ended at two. “He
couldn’t have gotten more than a thousand dollars.”

Helen looked pleased. “Did you get a good
look at him?”

Kelly didn’t get a chance to answer because
two paramedics approached carrying bags. The female EMT was a
stern-looking woman who eyed Kelly’s coworkers. “If all of you
could move back, we’ll have a look at her injuries.” While the man
began to take her vitals, the woman began cleaning pieces of gravel
out of her palms. That’s when Carl, Trey, and the redheaded officer
walked into the bank.

While his partner Larry accompanied the
security guard to a secure room to view the tapes, Trey began
interviewing the witnesses, starting with Kelly. She grimaced,
hissing when the female paramedic put antiseptic on one of her
wounded palms. The male EMT began to administer attention to a
knee. Trey couldn’t help roaming his gaze up one of her bare,
shapely legs—legs that had been wrapped around him one snowy
night.

His cock twitched with the memory.

Not many women left him with unfulfilled
yearning, but this one had, as sure as if she’d marked him. There
had been something about her that had called to him long after that
one night. He had attempted to find her, but even he knew that
distance made for a poor bed partner. They had been just strangers
passing in the night.

But now she was here—in his city.

As he drew closer, the scent of an antiseptic
warred with her soft flowery scent.
Damn
. He found himself
wanting to drag her into his arms and taste those luscious full
lips. He smiled when they made a little pouty gesture as a large
rectangular bandage was placed over one of her wounded knees.
Smaller coverings were placed on her hands.

“Kelly, could you answer a couple
questions?”

She looked up at him with those mesmerizing
green eyes. “Sure.”

As the paramedics rose and gathered their
supplies, he took a seat by Kelly on the couch. “So when did you
move to Mesa?”