Heat Flash (21 page)

“Maybe not right away, but eventually, yes. But you can walk out that door right now, and we’ll forget this whole thing ever happened.”

“Shut up! You caused me to lose thousands of dollars. Hundreds of thousands. And you want me to let you go so you can call in your boyfriend to rescue you? Not happening.”

“Boyfriend, right,” Kendall muttered beneath her breath. After this morning she wouldn’t be surprised if she never saw Mason again.

“What did you say, bitch?” He stopped in front of her. Taking her chin in his hand, he squeezed. Hard. “What did you say?”

Through clenched teeth, she managed to get out, “I said he is not my boyfriend.”

He laughed, an evil sound that echoed through the walls of her house. He thrust her chin away and began pacing in front of the sofa. She moved her jaw from side to side, trying to release some of the pain. Foster’s hands shook, but he continued to jut the dirty knife in her direction.

“The money’s gone. It’s all your fault. If Tom had left you out of this like I told him...”

“I swear, I don’t know anything about any money of Tom’s. But if you want money, I’ll give you everything I have.” Kendall stood. She took a deep breath and started to walk around the coffee table. “Just let me get my purse from the kitchen, and I’ll write you a check. However much you want.”

She was halfway across the room, and he wasn’t stopping her. Her heart leaped with joy. She sent up a silent prayer that he was coming to his senses and was going to let her go. He tossed the knife onto the coffee table.

Just before she reached the kitchen, grimy hands wrapped around her waist and hauled her back against his chest. She groaned with disappointment.
So close
…

The stench of cigarette smoke burned her nose as he forced his face into her neck. She twisted in an effort to get away from him, now scared that he wanted a lot more than money.

“Oh baby, don’t fight me.” He nuzzled his lips against the base of her throat. Her stomach roiled in disgust. She was going to be sick. Feeling light-headed, she struggled to free herself from his grasp. His hold tightened. Moving backwards, he pulled her to the sofa and threw her down. Her head hit the arm of the sofa. Dizziness speared through her, blurring her vision for a second.

Before she could gain her composure, he was on top of her, grabbing her hands and holding them above her head so she couldn’t fight. His body sprawled over hers, pushing her deeper into the cushions. Tears streamed down her face while he grinded his hips into her. “Yeah, we are going to have a little fun now.”

“No, please,” she cried.

“That’s it, beg. What do you want, Kendall?” His voice was rough, laden with lead.

“I want you… off… me.” She kicked and clawed at him and didn’t care that she was begging. She’d try anything to make him stop.

He jumped up, retrieved the discarded knife from the table, and stood above her. A derisive smile crossed his face. “For now.”

Kendall released a ragged breath and forced herself to stall the tears. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of watching her break down.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. Was someone in the kitchen? Johnson? Mason? Relief swept through her. Instinct told her to keep Foster talking so that, if she was right, and someone was here to help her, he wouldn’t notice whatever was going on in the kitchen. As much as she hated the idea, she had to keep his attention focused on her. Maybe that would give whoever was there an opportunity to capture Foster.

The seconds ticked by. Foster was still rambling about money and about the vile things he wanted to do to her. Kendall’s heart sunk when she realized she hadn’t noticed anymore movement in the kitchen. Maybe she had only imagined it earlier. What was she going to do now? She didn’t stand much of a chance against Foster’s strength. Not knowing if she was alone, or if she had backup, she had to come up with another plan. She had to take matters in her own hands and do something if she wanted to get away from this maniac.

“So what happens next? What are you going to do with me?” Foster had moved to the far end of the sofa, between Kendall and the kitchen. She sucked in a deep breath before standing up, hoping to move toward the front door and escape.

“Sit back down!” His voice rose in an unsteady pitch.

Kendall dropped back down, defeated. Foster pounced on her, forcing her into the sofa cushions. He held the knife against her throat and groped at her breast with his free hand. She wanted to scream. His touch felt so nasty against her skin. He looked down at her, smirked, then leaned forward. She turned her head from side to side, dodging his attempts to put his filthy lips on her. She clenched her eyes shut. Before she had the chance to scream, she was relieved of Foster’s weight.

She opened her eyes to see Mason’s fist contact with Foster’s face. Reeling from the punch, Foster tried raising the hand with the knife. Mason didn’t give him a chance. He grabbed the man’s hand, twisting until the knife fell to the floor. Kendall sat up, motionless, speechless. Although she was safe from her attacker, her heart still raced, her breath still uneven.

The pounding of flesh on flesh raked over her nerves. Mason repeatedly hit the man in the face. Blood and spittle formed around Foster’s mouth and nose. Foster struggled to get out of Mason’s grasp, but clearly Mason had the upper hand. His size was double that of Foster’s, and he was far stronger. Someone grunted.

Kendall jumped to her feet, shivering. Fear and worry gripped her. Mason hadn’t taken any hits, but what if Foster had another weapon?

Mason’s fist came down and landed on Foster’s jaw. Foster let out a moan. Someone kicked the knife and it flew across the floor, landing at Kendall’s feet. She turned her eyes away from the offending object, back to the battle in her living room.

Mason slammed Foster’s body up against the wall, slapping handcuffs on his wrists. His hand circled the man’s throat, forcing Foster to gasp for air. Even in that uncomfortable position, Foster’s eyes caught Kendall’s. His face was already black and blue, bruises and cuts distorting his appearance. An ugly sneer crossed his face. One look from him made her feel dirty all over.

Mason increased the pressure on the man’s throat until Foster gasped for breath. His face turned red, and his body convulsed. He fought to suck air into his lungs. He tried to jerk free, but Mason’s deadly hold held him in place.

“I should kill you right now.”

Kendall heard the harshness in Mason’s voice. She knew he was capable of murder. Right here, right now. In her house.

“Mason…” The soft plea escaped her lips.

He didn’t look at her, but the muscles in his jaw and arms tightened. Mason increased the pressure against Foster’s throat. Any second, the man would stop breathing. Mason could easily kill him with one flick of his wrist. Kendall shuddered at that thought.

She rushed to him, tugging on his arm. “Stop, you’ll kill him.”

Without looking at her, Mason growled, “He touched you. He deserves to die.”

A groan escaped through her lips. This time Mason turned his head to look at her. Their gazes locked briefly. What she saw sent fear down her spine. The fierceness of the FBI agent. The intent to kill if he needed to. This was what he meant when he said she didn’t know him. This man was dangerous.

Turning back to Foster, Mason released his hold, but not before grabbing a handful of hair and pulling the man’s head sideways. “If you ever come near her again, I. Will. Kill. You.”

A sound at the door caught Kendall’s attention. She turned as Marks entered the house, gun drawn. His gaze took in the scene, and he holstered his gun. He grinned. “Let me guess, he fell down.”

“Yeah, something like that.” Mason thrust the limp body toward Marks.

Marks looked at Kendall. “You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Be right back.” Marks shoved Foster out the door.

Kendall moved back to the sofa, dropped onto it, overwhelmed. Her living room was in shambles. Throw pillows were scattered on the floor. The vase and candles, normally neatly situated on the coffee table, were now halfway across the room, next to the upturned table. The air was filled with the rank aroma of stale cigarette smoke and sweat. The whole atmosphere had an eerie tension to it.

Mason was barely breathing hard. His black T-shirt was un-tucked from his jeans. His black hair was rumpled. The man looked sexy as hell. And, he was striding toward Kendall with a fire in his eyes.

In less than a second, he was at her side. “You okay?” he asked softly, running gentle hands over practically every inch of her face and body. Gone was the anger she witnessed a few minutes ago. In its place was a caring, compassionate man.

Fatigue overwhelmed her, and she collapsed against his solid chest. “I’m okay now, but I was so scared. Oh Mason.” Her voice cracked. The emotions that she held in earlier rocked out of her, racking her body with sobs.

Mason hugged her tight against his chest. “I was scared too. But it’s going to be fine now, Ken. It’s all over.”

“What happened? I thought y’all were following Foster out of town. You left this morning, and I thought... You said… I thought you were gone for good.” She was rambling but couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t follow a thought all the way through. Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper.

“I’m sorry about this morning.” He softly kissed her lips before continuing. “Marks had a tip that Foster was running.”

“But he was here. What went wrong?”

He tried to kiss Kendall again, but this time she dodged his touch. The things he said this morning still hurt.

“Marks had a positive ID on Foster’s truck. We knew we had to catch him before he hit the interstate. So we rushed out of here hot on his trail. Johnson arrived here just as I was leaving the house, so I knew you were in good hands. Unfortunately Foster was one step ahead of us. We stopped the truck. But Foster wasn’t in it. He had paid some punk to make sure the truck was seen and to dodge the police as long as he could. Foster must’ve been hiding around here the whole time. When the opportunity came up, he jumped Johnson and stabbed him.”

“Oh my gosh. Is he going to be okay?”

“He was still alive, and the medics were on their way to him. I hope he’s okay. When I realized it wasn’t Foster in the truck I hauled ass back here. I tried calling you and Johnson. Neither of you answered so I knew something bad was happening. I called for backup to meet me here, but I got here before they did and I wasn’t waiting. I used the spare key to unlock the back door. I walked in and saw him on top of you. I swear, when he touched you, I lost it.” He shook his head. She could reach out and touch the pain and anguish on his face. “You know the rest.” He rubbed her arms, but his efforts to soothe her were rubbing her the wrong way.

“So, all those things you said this morning... about us…”

“All bullshit. This Foster crap had me in such turmoil, I couldn’t think straight. But when I saw you in here with that creep, I realized I have to have you in my life. ”

He tweaked her nose and grinned.
Did he think that made everything okay?
He circled her neck with his hand. The same hand that could’ve so easily killed a man minutes ago. Kendall shivered at the thought, and pulled away from him.

“I need to be alone. Please go.”

His mouth dropped open, his eyebrow shot up. “What’s wrong? I’m not leaving you alone. Ever.”

She shook her head. Every time they got a chance as a couple, something threw a curve into that idea. It would be easier for her to give up on any hopes of having a real relationship with him. Her resolve to keep all men out of her life pressed to the front of her mind.

“No, just go. And get your things out of the guest bedroom.”

Marks chose that moment to walk back in. “Foster’s on his way to the station for booking.” He took one look at Kendall and asked, “Everything okay here?”

Mason bit out, “Everything’s fine. Let’s wrap this up and move on.”

“I need to get a few more pictures and take Kendall’s statement first. I’m sure she’d rather do that here than go downtown.”

She nodded her head in agreement.

While Mason and Marks talked, Kendall took the opportunity to call Mandy. She said Marks had already phoned her and she was now pulling up outside. She was in Kendall’s living room before Kendall hung up the phone. Mandy rushed toward her sister, only to be halted by Mason.

“Mason, let go of me. I need to see my sister.”

“Hold on one minute. Marks needs to finish getting her statement. Let’s wait in the kitchen.”

Kendall nodded to Mandy to go ahead, she was okay. She watched as her sister and Mason stepped out of sight, into the kitchen. Kendall managed to finish giving her statement to Marks. When they were done, Marks gave her a big hug and promised that now things were going to be fine.

“Thanks, Marks. Finally, I can get my life back to normal.” Whether or not that normal included Mason, she wasn’t yet sure.

“Mason, let’s go.” Marks’ shout brought Mason and Mandy back into the living room. Mandy rushed to her side.

Mason stopped at the door before he and Marks left. He didn’t speak, just sought out her gaze. Their eyes locked. His expression was closed, unreadable. Kendall turned away.

“Come on Mandy, let’s get out of here.” She didn’t know where, she just knew she had to get some air.

Chapter Fifteen

Tom lost his life. Kendall lost her job. A maniac stalked her. Mason appointed himself as her guardian angel. That was more like dealing with the devil himself. Betrayed by his callous actions and words, Kendall vowed to reign in her feelings for him and let him go.

Kendall and Mandy spent the next several hours at Cajun Roy’s.

Roy’s fried shrimp was delectable, as always. The flour battered crust, seasoned to perfection, almost melted in her mouth, even around the tears that threatened to fall. The Riesling wine complimented the sweet taste of the seafood while giving Kendall the courage she needed to put men where they belonged. At the bottom of her to-do list.