Heat Flash

by Taylor Anne

  Once again, he glanced around the enclosed parking lot. The place was empty. All the stupid people were inside the mall, shopping. Spending money. Money he didn’t have. Soon that would change. He would get to Kendall and find out what she and Uncle Tom did with all the money promised to him.

  He lifted the metal and plunged it into the rear window of the Rogue. There was a brief hesitation before the glass splintered. Second hit was for the bitch. He knew she had the information he needed. The problem was getting her to give it up. Apparently, she wanted to keep the money all to herself. His calls, threats, and pranks didn’t seem to have much of an effect on her. That meant one thing. He would have to turn up the heat. And he would, soon. Very soon.

  Several more swings and the back windshield of her pretty little Rogue was totally smashed. Dropping the pipe in the back of his truck, he reached into the front seat and pulled out a can of paint. One more sign, to let the bitch know her time was running out.

  Back in his truck, he wiped the sweat from his brow. His heart beat frantically in his chest. Too bad he couldn’t hang around to see her pained expression when she saw his artwork, but, he had to get cleaned up and switch vehicles. One last glance, and a smile spread across his face. Exhilaration at a job well done.

  ****

  Kendall walked out of the mall, an armful of packages weighing her down as she made her way toward the parking garage. She hummed the tune of a popular country song about riding on a pontoon. A carefree summer beat mixed with a little shopping therapy felt so good. It was just what she needed to rejuvenate after the drama of the past weeks.

  Her parents were going to be so surprised with the 52” television Mandy, Bobby, and Kendall purchased for their fortieth wedding anniversary. Now that the TV delivery was set for the day of the party, Kendall could concentrate on finalizing the decorations and food.

  The hot late August sun filled the sky and warmed her face. The rain forecasted for today must be close; the air had a distinct heavy, moist smell. That scent always meant rain was not far away. If she hurried, she could make it home and have time to unload her Rogue before the storm hit. She picked up her pace, feeling alive and refreshed, and took the elevator in the parking garage to level three.

  Her happiness soon dissipated as she neared her red Rogue. Her insides went ice cold, yet her whole body broke out in a sweat. She trembled. The entire back window of the Rogue was cracked. The window was still intact, although there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t have jagged lines running through it. She dropped her shopping bags at her feet and inched closer. Trembling fingers trailed over the red “X” spray painted on the cracked glass.

  Slowly, she pulled her hand away and stared at red fingers. Fresh paint. Nausea rose in her throat, but she managed to swallow past the lump. She was sick and tired of all the incidents. Who could be doing these horrible things to her? And why?

  With her hands shaking, she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. She dialed Mason first, then Detective Marks. Less than ten minutes later, two cruisers pulled up beside her. Marks got out of one and walked toward her, brows drawn together and his mouth pulled tight.

  Foster unfolded himself from the second cruiser. The moment he made eye contact with Kendall, his face puckered up as if he had been eating a sour candy. He glared at her while he placed his sunglasses in his front shirt pocket. After speaking quietly to Marks, Foster sauntered toward Kendall.

  “Well, well. What have we here?” he drawled. “Kendall Reed, you have a way of falling into bad luck.”

  “Yeah, looks like I do, Deputy Foster. If you would find the person responsible for this mess, I could get on with my life.” The man totally creeped her out. She scanned the parking lot, wishing for any sign of Mason. Why hadn’t he answered his phone earlier?

  “Rest assured Ms. Reed, we’re doing everything we can. It would be helpful if you could catch this person in the act. However, if you do see him, don’t confront him. Chances are, he’s dangerous. We don’t want you getting hurt, now do we?” His tight smile didn’t quite reach his beady eyes.

  She shivered at the frostiness in his voice. “Understood.”

  Foster turned his attention to Marks. “Find anything?”

  Marks continued dusting for fingerprints while Foster finished taking Kendall’s report. “Nothing useful, unless we get some prints. I’ll send this to the lab as soon as we get back to the office.”

  Marks made his way toward her while Foster headed back to his police unit. “You okay?” he asked with genuine concern, unlike Foster’s demeaning words.

  “Holding up. I just wish y’all would catch this guy. It’s starting to get scary just going home from an afternoon out. I’m not used to looking over my shoulder at every turn.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to take the chill out of her body. Who ever heard of a chill in the air in New Orleans during the month of August? “What do you think they did this with?”

  “Probably used a bat, or something similar. I’m going to look around the garage and see if anything looks out of the ordinary.”

  Her attention focused on Foster driving away. When she could no longer see his car, she turned to Marks. “I thought you and Foster rode together.”

  He shifted from one foot to the other before answering. “We usually do, but I had something else I needed to tend to this morning, so we took separate vehicles today.”

  “I see.”

  “Hey, hang in there.”

  ****

  Mason woke early in the morning to the blaring ring of his cell phone and his mother’s attorney insisting he needed to see Mason, right away. Mr. Hernandez claimed this was an urgent matter and could not wait. Somehow, Mason didn’t believe the urgency was all the attorney made it out to be. Regardless, he left New Orleans and passed the hours listening to old country songs.

  Just as he suspected, his mother had taken off again. She was nowhere around when needed. She couldn’t even find the time in her schedule to be at this so called “important” meeting. And again, the matter could have waited another day or two. But Mr. Hernandez seemed hell bent on doing whatever he could to please Julia.

  “Your mother’s parents were killed in an auto accident around the same time she had her accident. She’s now in Phoenix, settling their estate.”

  “I didn’t realize she was out of the hospital.”

  “Personally, I think she should’ve stayed another day or two, but she claimed she felt well enough to do this. It appears her parents were well off and left everything to their only daughter. According to Julia, they were never aware she had a son.”

  He grunted. He was a little hurt, but not surprised that Julia wouldn’t have mentioned a son. That bit of information explained why he never knew his grandparents. The attorney relayed the rest of Julia’s story. Something she never felt obligated to tell her son herself. Hell, she was never around long enough talk about her past.

  Mason was taken aback to find out his mother ran away as a teenager and lost all contact with her parents until two years ago. At that time, she was so ashamed of how she’d lived her life—running away, eloping without telling anyone, even a period of her life when she was too dependent on alcohol—she still didn’t mention having a son to her parents. Was she that ashamed of me?

  “So how does any of this affect me?” His stomach was in knots. This was not what he was prepared to hear when he made the drive from New Orleans to Beaumont.

  “Your mother is relinquishing all rights to her parents’ estate. Everything goes to you.”

  He sat back in the chair, startled, shaking his head in refusal. “No. I never knew them. I don’t want anything.” He shifted through the legal documents in front of him, realizing for the first time, the size of his grandparents’ assets. They had made smart investments over the years, of which most had paid off very nicely. He didn’t feel right taking this money from people he never knew, even if they were blood relatives. Hell, they weren’t aware they had a
grandson. “I can’t accept this.”

  “Regardless of what you want, this is the way it plays out. Julia has every right to sign this over to you.”

  “Well, just sign my portion back to her.”

  The tall, robust man sat back in his big, leather chair. Diplomas lined one wall of his office. Another wall held a massive bookcase filled with books. He exuded an air of confidence and power whenever he spoke, and Mason found himself trusting the older man’s judgment.

  “Sorry, but it doesn’t work like that. She’s put a clause in that states nothing can be reassigned back to her.” He regarded Mason from behind his glasses. “In my opinion, if the two of you would make amends, you would have a much easier time convincing her to keep some of this for herself.”

  “Mr. Hernandez, I know my mother said she wants to make up for abandoning me as a child, but I don’t know how much truth that holds.”

  He sighed, took his glasses off, and laid them next to the phone on his desk. Then he looked Mason directly in the eye. “Look, I believe Julia when she says she wants to make up for things.”

  Mason didn’t ask why he believed her, he just nodded for the man to continue.

  “I hired Julia to help Linda, my wife, when we found out she had cancer. The two of them became instant best friends. We couldn’t have made it without Julia’s help. She ran errands, got Linda to appointments and sat with her after her treatments. She was there almost more than I was. She was such a natural when it came to helping Linda. And she stuck with her until the end.” He picked up a framed photo of himself and a woman who Mason assumed to be his late wife.

  “I’m sorry about your wife, Mr. Hernandez.”

  He looked at the picture once more, then set it aside. “Thanks. Anyway, after Linda passed, Julia moved out, but we stayed in touch. Since then, things have begun to develop between us. I know firsthand that she is definitely not the same woman she was all those years ago. She does hurt because of what she did to you and your father.”

  It was obvious that Mr. Hernandez’s feelings for Julia went deep. And maybe, just maybe, there was some truth to what he said about her changing.

  Mr. Hernandez agreed to put the estate on hold for a little longer. And Mason agreed to think about talking to his mother.

  Mason left the attorney’s office, dreading the four hour drive back to New Orleans. Before he hit the long stretch of interstate out of Beaumont, Kendall invaded his thoughts. Needing to hear her voice, he dug his cell phone out of his pocket, turned on the hands-free, and dialed.

  She answered on the second ring. Her timid, “Hello,” tugged at his heart.

  “Ken, what’s wrong?”

  “Oh Mason. You should’ve been here. Someone bashed up my Rogue while I was at the mall.”

  “Dammit. What happened?” She relayed the details of the incident at the mall, his gut tightening at every word. By the time she finished, his knuckles were white against the black steering wheel.

  “Sweetie, I’m sorry I wasn’t there. Are you okay?” Silence stretched between them. “I just left Beaumont and am still a few hours away, but I’ll stop by your place when I get back.” Anger boiled inside his head. Whoever did this to her would pay, dearly.

  He blamed himself for screwing things up between them once already. He didn’t want her to blame him a second time. If only he were the man she deserved, maybe their relationship could move forward and she would welcome his help.

  “I’m fine. Mandy just left. All I want to do now is soak in a hot bath and get some sleep.” She sounded like a truck had run over her.

  “Ken, it’s no problem for me to come by. Really.”

  “No, Mason. I’ll probably be sleeping by the time you get back anyway. I’ll call you in the morning.” She sounded so alone, just as loneliness ate at his insides.

  ****

  “Ken, I’m really sorry I wasn’t there this afternoon. I was already in Beaumont when you called. And I turned my phone was off.”

  “Don’t worry about it. Marks and Bobby made an appointment to drop my Rogue at the body shop later this week. Thankfully I can still drive it until then. They practically handled everything for me.”

  “Yeah, but I should’ve been there for you. How are you holding up?” Tension laced his words.

  “The whole situation rattled me quite a bit at first. But I’m okay now. I’ll be so glad whenever y’all catch whoever is responsible for this.”

  “Trust me, sweetheart, we’re getting closer. He’s starting to get sloppy in cleaning up his trail. We’ll get him.”

  “I know. Be patient.” She had heard that more than once from Mason in the past several weeks. She was beginning to lose all patience though. “I hope everything went okay at your meeting.” She poured herself a glass of red wine while talking. All she wanted was to relax and get some much-needed sleep. “Are you on your way back now?”

  “Yeah, still several hours away, but getting closer.” His words were clipped as he recounted his visit with Julia’s attorney. “I just don’t get what her angle is. She’s never been around for me before. Why is she suddenly trying to plant herself in the middle of my life?”

  Kendall chose her words carefully, knowing the pain he endured growing up without his mother. “Mason, sometimes it takes time for people to realize what they’ve missed out on. Give her a chance to prove herself, and earn your trust.”

  “That’s pretty much what Mr. Hernandez said too. But she’s had a lifetime to prove herself, and hasn’t done it yet.”

  Kendall winced at the hopelessness in his voice. “There’s still time. If you allow it.”

  “I just wish—”

  His wistful sigh revealed more to her about his wish for a mother than he could know.

  She felt his pain.

  Chapter Nine

  After arriving home, Mason berated himself for not following his gut and driving to Kendall’s house anyway. It was the least he could’ve done since he hadn’t been there for her that afternoon. His nerves would have unwound a little bit if he could’ve seen for himself she was okay. Exasperated, he tried drowning his shortcomings with whiskey. Only that wasn’t helping. The more he drank, the more irritable he became. The irritation passed only to be replaced with loneliness for the one woman who gave his life a ray of hope. Kendall Reed.

  Pacing around the house was not taking the edge off. He poured himself another whiskey and continued, back and forth, from the kitchen to the living room. Every nerve in his body was on edge. This had been one hell of a day, and the night was not any better.

  He knew he was in deep trouble whenever Kendall’s face took over all of his thoughts. Her warmth, caring, and softness could get him through this night. Silky skin against his body. Fire hot kisses from her soft lips. Whispered murmurs in his ears. Chocolate brown eyes begging him to fill her. His groin tightened. Hell, the woman could destroy all his sanity without realizing her power.

  He closed his eyes on a groan. The glass in his hand soared across the room and shattered against the wall. The liquid trailed down, pooling on the hardwood floor.

  If he picked up the phone and called, she would answer. Only, hearing her sweet voice would make him want her more. “No,” he muttered to himself, “don’t call.” Stalking through the darkened living room to the kitchen for another glass, he poured himself a double shot as he reached for his cell phone.

  Her sleepy voice filled the line after the second ring. “Hello.”

  “Ken.” That one word was like honey on his lips.

  “Mason, is something wrong?” Her voice rose a notch. She suddenly sounded wide-awake.

  “Kendall,” he slurred. “It’s a quarter after one. I told myself I wouldn’t call. But...”

  When he didn’t continue, Kendall gently broke the silence. “But what, Mason?” Her soft whisper floated over the phone line. Somehow, he sensed that she knew what was coming next. It could’ve been the way her voice turned sultry and seductive. Or, the sigh that escaped
her lips and drifted through the phone.

  “I said I wouldn’t call, but, I... I need you. Now.” There, he said it. He admitted his weakness. He needed someone. No. He needed Kendall.

  ****

  Kendall hung up the phone and took a minute to catch her thoughts, and her breath. Her hand rubbed at her neck as she tried to calm her jittery nerves. The raw emotion in Mason’s voice touched somewhere deep inside her. His urgent need pulled at her heartstrings.

  Where had that need come from? Needing her? Or needing to release his pent up frustration over his visit concerning his mother?

  And where did that leave her? Running to him because of his confused feelings for his mother? Or, because deep down, she needed him, regardless of his feelings for her? She could give him this one night and walk away after that. He didn’t say it in so many words, but she wasn’t an idiot. She knew what his late night phone call was all about. Just as he knew she wouldn’t demand any type of commitment from him. Just one night. No matter how painful it will be to walk away afterward.

  Less than twenty minutes after hanging up the phone, the door jerked open before she had the chance to raise her hand to knock. Deep blue eyes full of desire and hunger fixed her with a stare. Silence filled the air as she took a tentative step into his house.

  Kendall found herself backed against the wall, drowning in the raw emotion in his eyes. Eyes that slowly roamed from her head to her toes, then back up to linger on her lips. Instinctively, her tongue ran across her bottom lip. Her pulse increased a notch when Mason’s thumb came up to rub the moisture her tongue left behind. Then he planted his arms next to her, against the wall.

  He didn’t touch her. Just stared down into her eyes, his warm, whiskey tainted breath inches away from her skin. “Ah, Kendall.” Her name barely escaped his lips. His head turned, his next words tickling her ears. “I want you.”