by Taylor Anne
Where had that come from? Here she was in danger and she wanted to talk about their relationship. He couldn’t deal with this right now. He reached up and took her hands in his. He lowered them from his face. His resistance was so weak already, he would cave if she kept touching him. “I don’t know what you mean.”
Hurt flashed in her brown eyes. Damn, he was so tired of putting that look on her face. He was a total ass.
Her voice was nothing more than a whisper. “How can you say that after last night? Didn’t that mean anything to you?”
Running his hands through his hair, he sighed. “Look, it was late. You had a nightmare and were on an adrenaline high. It’s only natural for people to react the way we did. Bodies and emotions get all tangled up.”
“But—“
“If you recall, you asked me to make love to you. It happened. But it doesn’t change anything about us. About me.” Mason’s eyes focused on a picture sitting on her mantel. A recent snapshot of the two of them with her niece and nephew the night she babysat them. He couldn’t look into her eyes while he said these hurtful things, but looking at the picture didn’t make it any easier. It would have hurt less if someone had plunged a knife in his chest. Grabbing all the guts he had, he pulled his eyes back to hers. “I’m not the man you think I am.”
Her mouth fell open, but no words came out. She clamped it shut and tried once again to reach out to him. His skin burned where her hand grazed his bare chest.
“But Mason, I...” Her hand fell away when he stood.
“Look, I have a killer to catch, Ken. I can’t deal with this right now.” Mason grabbed his shirt and keys off the end table and strode out the front door, without looking back.
“Mason...” The broken sob softly escaping through her lips stopped him in his tracks. He almost turned around to go back to her. Almost. Cursing, he told himself this was the right thing to do. He had to leave her if he wanted to keep her safe.
****
What the hell was that all about? How was Kendall going to bounce back this time? She and Mason had become so close over the last several weeks. Was she the only one who felt that bond between them? Or was she missing the truth? Had Mason only used her while working this case? His gentle words and caring hands were only meant to soothe a frightened woman. Job well done.
Scooping up their coffee cups off the table, Kendall stalked to the kitchen to load them in the dishwasher. The smell of the remaining coffee in the pot turned her stomach. Pouring the brown liquid down the drain, she watched until the last drop disappeared. At that moment, she vowed never to let Mason, or any man, hurt her again. Tears filled her eyes, but instead of letting them fall, she fought them back. She refused to be an emotional punching bag for anyone.
Before she could decide what to do next, the home phone rang. Uneasiness plagued her, but she answered anyway.
“Hello.”
“Uh, Miss Reed, this is Deputy Johnson. I’m right outside on your porch. Mason just left and I wanted to let you know I’ll be here if you need anything. Mason gave you my number. Call for any reason. I’m only a step away.”
“Okay, thanks.” She peered out the front window and sure enough, Johnson was standing on the bottom step. They waved an acknowledgement to each other. “Let me know the second you hear from Mason.”
“Promise I will, ma’am. Don’t you worry. Mason and Marks will catch him and things will get back to normal for you.”
Kendall breathed a sigh of relief and let the curtain drop closed. Marks had spoken highly of Johnson. He was one of his top deputies on the force. That, if nothing else about the day, was comforting. She carried her laptop into the living room and tried to get some work done. A local nail salon hired her to look at their balance sheet and make recommendations on how they could be more profitable. That project took longer than it should have. Her mind wondered to Mason and what he was doing. Were they close to catching Foster?
Every few minutes she made a round inside the house, much like the deputy was doing outside. She checked the locks on windows and doors, peeked out of the curtain to catch a glimpse of Johnson. Once, she didn’t see him for several minutes and her heart stopped. Where was he? Had something happened? She was starting to panic when he came around the corner of the house. She released the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding in. Of course, he was just following orders, checking things out.
It was now nearing lunchtime, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything all day. Done with work for now, she closed down the computer. As she was putting the laptop on the counter, her cell phone rang.
Glancing at the caller ID before answering, she breathed a sigh of relief upon recognizing Mandy’s number. “Hello.” Kendall forced a smile into her voice.
“Hey, sis. How are you doing?” Mandy sounded a little too perky today, even for her.
“I’m good. Still waiting to hear something from Mason. I hope this lead they are following helps them catch Foster.”
“So do I, sis. What are you doing there by yourself? You know I can come over.”
“No, I’m fine. I was trying to get some work done to keep my mind occupied. I picked up another client, and their books are a mess. But, I’ll need their business since I’m going to drop Bobby’s.” She couldn’t work with Mason. Bobby would have to understand.
“Why are you dropping our brother’s business?” When Kendall didn’t answer, Mandy prodded. “Let me guess. Mason.”
“Yeah. I don’t think I can work with him. And Bobby knows nothing about accounting.” Mandy made very few comments as Kendall replayed the morning’s events. “I don’t get it. He’s so tender and loving. He does everything he can to please me and make my life easier. Then he puts up this wall that I can’t break through.”
“Is it because of his mom? You know he always dreaded growing up to be like her.”
“I don’t think that’s it. He knows he’s nothing like her. And he acts like he really wants to work on their relationship.” Her growling stomach convinced her it was time to eat. She fixed a ham and cheese sandwich while talking to Mandy. “His leaving was so definite this time. Honestly, I felt like last night was all part of his plan.”
“I’m sorry, sis.”
The ringing of the back doorbell startled Kendall, causing her to slosh milk out of her glass. Wiping up the spill, she ambled to the kitchen window. “Hang on Mandy, someone’s at the door.” Pulling back the curtain she could see Johnson standing on the back porch. The view from the window only allowed her to see a portion of his uniformed back. Just for precaution, she called out, “who is it?”
“It’s Deputy Johnson, ma’am. I, um, need to use your restroom.”
A relieved sigh escaped her lips. “Mandy, it looks like my babysitter needs the facilities. I’ll call you back.”
“Okay. Be careful, sis.”
“Promise.” She hung up the phone and opened the door to the deputy.
The instant the door swung open, the man quickly turned to smirk at her. She had made a huge mistake. The face glaring back at her was none other than Foster, or Miller, or whatever the hell his name was. Kendall tried to slam the door, but he stuck a booted foot in the way. He pushed at the door, until he was standing in her kitchen, looking down his nose at her. The ominous click of the deadbolt sent a shiver down her back.
Fear wrapped around Kendall’s heart. She wanted to scream, but couldn’t squeeze anything out of her clogged throat. She forced herself to take a deep breath so she wouldn’t panic, and to fight off the nausea lining her stomach. She knew what she had to do. If there was any way to escape Foster’s wrath, she had to stay calm. Where was Johnson? Had Foster gotten to him? Why the hell had Mason left this morning?
“What the—” She didn’t have time to get another word out. Foster’s fingers bore into her shoulders, jerking her around the room, shoving her into the living room and onto the sofa. The smell of alcohol and stale smoke mixed with sweat emanated from his body, turning
her stomach. Head still spinning, Kendall eyed the man standing in front of her.
“What’re you doing?” She knew what this was about, but maybe she could play dumb. Convince him that she didn’t know why he was here, that she didn’t know it was him all along.
“It’s your turn to pay.” Reaching behind his back, he pulled out a knife, the kind her dad used to skin a deer. The silver blade with a gut hook on the end flashed before her eyes.
Inside she was terrified, but she had to keep her head clear in order to anticipate his moves. Otherwise, she wouldn’t get out of this safely. She couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her family again. Never seeing Mason.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kendall flinched as he sliced the knife inches from her face.
“Sure you do. You remember Tom. You and your fucking boyfriend killed him. We were so close to having everything. We were days away from cashing in and getting out of this damn country. Not anymore. You’ve ruined my life.” Spittle flew from his mouth. Nervously, he glanced around the living room, eyes wild. Every time he moved, he jutted the knife in her direction, causing her to flinch. He was not stable, physically or emotionally.
Palms sweaty and throat tight, she thought her heart was going to pound right out of her chest. Her insides quivered so badly, it was a wonder he didn’t notice her shaking. Calm down and think.
Foster rambled on and on about her ruining his life. As he talked, all the remaining pieces fit into place with the information Mason shared with her earlier. She sat up straighter on the sofa. “So, it’s been you all along. All these pranks. Am I right? No wonder you weren’t doing anything about them.” She shrank back into the cushions at the coldness in his eyes. “How did you do it? I know you and Marks were together on most of the calls. How did you manage the dead rats on my porch?”
He sneered derisively. “It’s amazing what you can get a kid to do for money.”
“You would stoop so low as to pay a kid to do your dirty work?”
Foster’s sinister laugh chilled Kendall to the bone. He bared his teeth, eyes piercing hers. He ran the blade of the knife up and down the finger of his other hand. This unstable lunatic was scaring the hell out of her. She had to get through to him somehow, calm him down. Buy some time if nothing else. He didn’t seem to mind talking. And when he talked, he focused on himself and not so much on her.
“Foster, think about this. You don’t want to get yourself in trouble. You’re in law enforcement, so you know what the consequences will be if you hurt me.”
“You assume I’ll get caught.”
“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 wa
s 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.”
