Locked and Loaded

by Mandy Baxter

  “Kieran, it’s not what you think.” Charlie wasn’t sure what she thought she’d accomplish by trying to defuse his anger. Any attempt to bullshit him at this point was only going to push him deeper into a rage. “Okay, so maybe it is what you think, but you have to understand that you weren’t the target. We were trying to get to Faction Five, and you were our only lead. Mason cares about you. He never wanted—”

  Whip-quick, Kieran pulled a gun from a holster beneath his jacket. The sound of him pulling back the slide effectively silenced Charlie. He leveled the barrel on her face and her heart pumped hard and fast with renewed fear. Carrera had set her up. There was no car with U.S. marshals keeping tabs on her, and even though Mason could keep an eye on her whereabouts through the app on her phone, why would he? As far as he knew, this was business as usual and Carrera had made it seem as though Charlie would be protected. She was miles from the city, miles from her only protection. There would be no rescue, no cavalry to march in and save the day. She’d betrayed Kieran Eagan, and according to Mason, he didn’t take betrayal lightly.

  She was screwed.

  *

  Carrera. That son of a bitch.

  Mason sped through traffic, the engine of his Camaro growling angrily as he punched the accelerator and switched lanes. It had all been a lie. The offer to get him into the program at Glynco, his temporary deputy status, all of it. He’d effectively turned Mason into the one thing he despised, and he’d been so damned eager to believe the lies that he’d swallowed down every spoon-fed bite. He and Charlie both.

  There was no one he could trust. Jensen had refused to reveal the identities of Faction Five’s other members. From his dad’s comments about gaining his freedom, Mason gathered that at least one of them was a federal judge. The other was Carrera. The task force already surmised that one member was a senator, and Mason figured the other could be a programmer or coder. It was pretty safe to assume the remaining member was another federal law enforcement officer. FBI or CIA maybe. It didn’t matter if Mason didn’t know the members’ identities; they’d do anything to protect their secrets. They’d failed to kill them last night, but you could bet they wouldn’t fail a second time.

  Kieran was the only unknown variable. That didn’t do much to bolster Mason’s confidence. His brother would just as soon kill Charlie himself as protect her when he found out who she really was. Kieran didn’t like to be played, and Charlie had used every wile at her disposal to keep him placated.

  No one fooled Kieran Eagan and lived to tell about it.

  Thank God he’d activated the app on Charlie’s phone. Without it, he would have been dead in the water. Jensen sure as hell hadn’t been forthcoming as to where Carrera had instructed Kieran to take her.

  His dad had always only ever looked out for number one. It didn’t surprise Mason a bit, though he couldn’t banish the hurt he felt. That his own father would turn on him, conspire to have him killed, was a wound Mason didn’t think he’d recover from. He’d deal with his own hurt later, though. Once Charlie was safe and Faction Five was put down for good.

  Racing against the clock, Mason took off from San Quentin. The app would lead him to Charlie’s phone, but would it take him to her as well? If Carrera was smart, he would have told Kieran to pitch her phone into the bay or ditch it on the freeway. In which case, he was screwed. Carrera might be a slimy piece of shit, but he wasn’t a seasoned criminal. Mason had to hope that he’d overlook a few details in his haste to get Charlie out of the picture. Then again, Carrera’s haste might seal Charlie’s fate. His heart pounded in his chest. Damn it, he couldn’t get to her fast enough.

  Thirty minutes later, Mason pulled into a subdivision that was so damned cookie-cutter, it might as well have been his own neighborhood growing up. Jensen found it entertaining to hide out among the middle class. He’d always said that their overinflated opinions of themselves didn’t allow for them to suspect their neighbors of any wrongdoing. He hoped that Carrera had taken a page out of Jensen’s book and chosen this place for Kieran to bring Charlie. If not, Mason was back at square one.

  He parked his car a block from the address he’d pulled from the find-friends app and said a silent prayer that he’d find Charlie safe and sound. Mason ditched his car and took off at a jog, past the similar façades of the houses crammed next to one another, the perfectly manicured lawns, the luxury SUVs and practical sedans parked in the driveways. It was a life that Mason had been forced to pretend he had as a kid. While other kids’ parents left for their offices and respectable jobs, Jensen was flying out to fence a quarter million in diamonds or con some poor sap out of his life’s savings. He’d resented the lies, the deception, his entire life. And now, he was an unemployed Customs agent with a U.S. marshal’s badge that was probably as counterfeit as the Kimberley certificates they’d been passing off to their buyers all week. Mason had become a vigilante, thanks to Carrera and his dad.

  He’d make sure they paid for it, too.

  Mason rounded the corner and slowed. Kieran’s rental car sat parked in a driveway three houses down. Adrenaline dumped into Mason’s bloodstream. He locked down his nerves and centered his focus as he approached the house and went around to the backyard. Charlie was in that house, and if she was in anything less than pristine condition, Mason would unleash the fury of hell on whoever hurt her.

  Even if that man was his own brother.

  Mason hopped the fence and dropped into the backyard, gun drawn. He strained to hear voices from inside the house but was answered with an eerie silence that made his heart stutter in his chest. The blinds were drawn, offering him cover, but at the same time preventing him from seeing inside.

  “Would someone care to tell me what the fuck is going on here?”

  The sound of Kieran’s voice pierced the quiet. They couldn’t have been here too long. Odds were good that Charlie might still be alive. Her voice followed on the heels of Kieran’s demand, too frantic and muffled for Mason to make out what she said. A relieved breath decompressed his lungs. She was still alive. Thank God. For how long, though, depended on how quickly Mason could get his ass in gear and come up with a plan to get her out of there.

  The sounds of voices quieted once again. Mason could account for Carrera, Charlie, and Kieran. Whether or not Carrera had brought backup, the odds were still stacked against Mason. He wanted to trust that Kieran wouldn’t turn against him, but if Carrera had filled him in, chances were good that Kieran was pissed. He wouldn’t forgive a betrayal of this magnitude and Mason wouldn’t blame him.

  He’d done his best over the years to stay as far away from Kieran’s business as possible, and Kieran had returned the courtesy. Now though, thanks to Carreras’s greed and his own dad’s selfishness, he found himself in a position he’d never wanted to be in. What was done was done, though. No turning back now. Charlie needed him, and he’d be damned if he let her down.

  Mason stepped up to the patio. Through a small gap in the vertical blinds he saw Charlie positioned between Carrera and Kieran. His heart sank to his stomach as he noted Kieran’s outstretched arm and the gun he aimed at Charlie’s head. Damn it, Kieran wasn’t a violent man, but there were two things that would make him one: when someone threatened his life, or when someone betrayed him.

  With his line of sight limited by the blinds, Mason couldn’t be sure if there was anyone else in the house. It didn’t matter. He needed to get Charlie out of there. Even if all he could do was distract Kieran and Carrera and whoever the hell else was inside long enough for her to run. He’d face a barrage of bullets if that’s what it took. He was in love with Charlie. There wasn’t a damn thing he wouldn’t do to keep her safe.

  Too bad he probably wouldn’t live long enough to tell her.

  Mason watched as Charlie was ushered farther into the living room and out of his line of sight. A flash of movement from inside the house caught Mason’s eye. A body moved toward the dining room from the kitchen area and crossed to the patio door. Quic
k breaths puffed in Mason’s chest as he spun away from the sliding glass door and pressed his back against the rough stucco exterior of the house. The patio door slid open with a whisper of sound and Mason waited to pounce.

  At the first sign of a body emerging, Mason reached out. He grabbed the guy by the arm and swung him around with a forceful jerk. The gun dropped from his grip and Mason took him into a tight choke hold. He increased the pressure of his grip as the guy shoved and flailed, knocking Mason up against the side of the house. Any sound could alert Carrera to trouble, and Mason quickly shoved away, taking the fight around to the side of the house where there would be less chance of discovery.

  The son of a bitch was strong and refused to go down easily. Mason let out a low grunt as he squeezed the bastard’s throat in the crook of his arm, willing him to lose consciousness. He clawed at Mason’s arm, batted wildly toward his face. His wheezing breaths quieted and he went limp in Mason’s grasp.

  One down. God only knew how many to go.

  Mason retrieved the discarded gun and tucked it into his waistband. He sidled through the open patio door, his footsteps light. With his Glock held at the ready, Mason kept tight to the walls as he crept past the dining room and into the kitchen. The sound of Kieran’s voice carried from the living room and Mason paused.

  “I want to talk to Jensen first.”

  “You can talk to him after Judge Erickson signs off on his release. Until then, you’re going to have to take my word for it.”

  Charlie scoffed at Carrera’s words. Mason rolled his eyes. Could she try to not be so damned exasperating when her life was in danger?

  “Judge Erickson is set to retire in six months,” Charlie remarked. “A whole hell of a lot of good that’s going to do your secret club.”

  “What’s she talking about?”

  Uh-oh. Kieran’s short-clipped words didn’t bode well. What Carrera didn’t realize was that Kieran played only one side: his own. He wouldn’t risk his own safety and freedom by being involved in anything that wasn’t absolutely foolproof.

  Maybe for once, Charlie’s tenacity would come in handy. Creating a little tension between Carrera and Kieran might just be the distraction Mason needed. Either that or her smart mouth would sign her death warrant. Mason hoped that for once luck would be on his side.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Charlie’s brain raced to form a plan of attack. It seemed that division was her best bet at staying alive. If she could sway Kieran to doubt Carrera—and the security of Faction Five—even a tiny bit, she might be able to buy herself the opportunity to make an escape.

  “The fuck sort of operation are you running, Carlos?” Kieran demanded. “Does Jensen know about this?”

  “Charlie doesn’t know what she’s talking about.” Carrera kept his gun trained on her, his expression emotionless. “The judge isn’t going anywhere. Not when he stands to make hundreds of millions.”

  “What about Mason?” Kieran’s dark eyes narrowed on Carrera.

  “What about him?”

  Kieran stared Carrera down. Charlie had never seen him look so dead serious and threatening. The silence grew thick with tension. Charlie looked from one man to the other.

  Carrera let out a long-suffering sigh. “Someone’s got to take the fall. As far as anyone knows, Mason went rogue. By the time we’re done with him, there won’t be a jury in the county that won’t believe he stole the government’s money and killed Charlie to cover his tracks. It’ll work out to our advantage.”

  Charlie couldn’t contain the words or the rage that scalded a path up her throat. “You son of a bitch!”

  “Jensen knows about this?” Kieran’s tone hinted at disbelief. Charlie couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. His sense of family was so strong he couldn’t conceive that Jensen would turn on his own son.

  Carrera laughed. “Hell, it was his idea.”

  Something in Kieran’s demeanor snapped. He swung his gun around and pointed it at Carrera. Charlie fought the urge to celebrate prematurely, but for the first time since she’d walked through the door, she felt a slight glimmer of hope.

  “Bullshit.” Kieran forced the word from between clenched teeth. “I don’t believe you.”

  “Take it easy, Kieran.” A slight tremor shook Carrera’s voice. “I told you, he didn’t want you upset, and that’s why he didn’t tell you.”

  “Tell me what?” he spat. “That he was using both of us to raise his buy-in for your fucking organization? What happens to me now that Jensen’s freedom has been purchased? You gonna take care of me too, Marshal?”

  Carrera’s lip curled at the sneer in Kieran’s voice. “Don’t forget who you’re talking to and what I’m capable of.”

  Kieran smiled. Cold, devoid of emotion. Serious and deadly. Charlie eased to the edge of the couch and dug her feet into the carpet. If bullets started to fly, she wanted as far from the action as possible.

  “I think all of that perceived power is going to your head, Carlos.”

  “Perceived, my ass.” He looked Kieran up and down, the disdain clear. “Fuck up Jensen’s chance at freedom, and I’ll be the least of your worries.”

  Kieran let out a sarcastic chuff of breath. “Jensen doesn’t own me.”

  Carrera’s brow arched curiously. Charlie fought the urge to shake her head at his arrogant stupidity.

  “Fuck you,” Kieran said. “Fuck Jensen, and fuck Faction Five.”

  The sound of a scuffle broke out from the kitchen, and all hell broke loose. Kieran turned and Carrera used his diverted attention to his advantage. He brought his gun up and fired. Charlie hit the deck. The shot went wide, missing Kieran, and he squeezed off a couple of retaliating shots, clipping Carrera’s arm in the process.

  “Get out of here, Charlie!”

  Kieran’s words stunned Charlie to the point that she could barely move. Was he actually going to help her? She scrambled to find her footing, but a hand wrapped around her ankle and jerked her backward. She kicked with her free leg and Carrera let out a grunt of pain as her heel connected with his face and he lost his hold on her. Her fingers dug into the thick pile of the carpet as she fought to stand. Kieran reached down, grabbed her wrist, and hauled her to her feet.

  Never in a million years would Charlie have thought any of this would play out this way. But she was damned glad it had.

  “Come on!”

  They turned toward the front door, only to find their way blocked by another armed man. Charlie had counted three men besides Carrera when they’d come in, and two of them were currently unaccounted for. Whoever he was, this guy wasn’t messing around. He brought his gun up, aimed …

  The shot rang out. Kieran hauled her against his body and turned, shielding her from the impact, and Charlie squeezed her eyes shut. She waited for the pain of a bullet tearing her insides to shreds but it never came. The sound of a body hitting the floor prompted her eyes to open and she found their assailant bleeding out on the floor.

  “Charlie!”

  “Oh my God, Mason!” Relief washed over her as he rounded the corner from the kitchen to get to her. And just as quickly turned to panic as he was tackled to the floor by Carrera.

  “Charlie, get the hell out of here!”

  Kieran’s words barely registered as he gave her a shove toward the door. Fear froze her in place as she watched the butt of Carrera’s gun come down on Mason’s head. His grunt of pain gutted her, and the starch seemed to melt from her spine. If he died trying to protect her, she’d never forgive herself. Nothing in this world meant more to her.

  The emotion clogged her chest and stole her breath. She loved Mason Decker. Holy shit. Probably not the best time for that epiphany, considering they weren’t even close to being out of the woods yet.

  Charlie gave herself a mental shake. This wasn’t the time for self-reflection and searching her emotions. She compartmentalized that shit on the double and focused instead on getting the hell out of there like Kieran told her to. No one
knew where they were and no backup would be coming. All she needed was the opportunity to alert law enforcement and get them here.

  Carrera had fucked with her task force. Charlie was going to fuck with him.

  She took off for the front door at a sprint. The muted sound of the silencer made the shot almost hard to hear, but Charlie sure as hell felt the wind of the passing bullet breeze past her ear. The threat stopped her in an instant and she turned to find Carrera on his feet, his gun leveled on her. Mason was stunned but not unconscious, on the floor cradling his head in his palms. Kieran remained calm through it all, his own gun trained on Carrera. His chest barely moved with his breath. Not a bead of sweat marred his brow. This was his world after all; Carrera was just visiting. The crooked marshal would be wise to remember that, but Charlie doubted he’d be smart enough to give credit where it was due.

  “Mason? You good?” Kieran’s voice didn’t so much as quaver.

  “Yeah.”

  Charlie allowed herself a breath of relief at Mason’s grunted response. From the kitchen, one of Carrera’s men emerged, looking a little worse for wear. Obviously the one Mason had fought with in the kitchen. Blood trickled from his lip and a split above his left eye. He limped to Carrera’s side and hauled Mason to his feet by the scruff of his shirt and laid his fist into Mason’s gut.

  “Ooof.”

  The sound knotted every muscle in Charlie’s body and she swore she felt the blow in her own stomach. The man’s fist swung around one more time and Charlie flinched as Mason slumped over.

  “Lay into him again,” Kieran said to Carrera’s guy, “and it’ll be the last thing you ever do.”

  “You’re not in charge here, Kieran,” Carrera said. Charlie wanted to punch him in the face, bash him over the head with something blunt and heavy. She could barely contain the anger that churned and boiled with every smug word out of his mouth. “Jensen said you’d play ball.”

  “Well, Jensen was fucking wrong,” Kieran ground out. “I’m not anyone’s bitch. Not his, and sure as fuck not yours.”