Armed And Dangerous (The McKinnon Legends - The McKinnon American Men Book 2)

by James, Ranay

  As they rode through the streets of Panama City, Mason pulled the photos out again, trying not to focus solely on Barbara. He needed to see the background and any clue as to where she might be held inside the warehouse. They were very helpful. There was a broken window behind her. He saw a cruise ship parked close to the warehouse and judging from the height she was on the third floor. This also told him that she was located at the far end of the building on the dockside. Just visible and past the steel columns were shoots designed to load the processed fish into containers on the now abandoned docks. There were at least three men guarding her judging from the shadows he saw. Their shadows were cast from the waning evening light that came in through the west windows, letting him know that they were all armed with automatic weapons.

  There was very little else to go on so, so he turned his attention back to Barbara. The look on her face was telling. She was angry and he could see her straining against her bindings. She was not going quietly into the night. Some might, but not Barbara.

  “That’s it, Baby Doll. You just keep that fight going strong in you. Don’t give up. I’ll get you out of there, I promise.” He vowed, running his finger tips across her bloody features in the photo. He promised to always have her back. He would die before he let her suffer even a moment longer than necessary.

  Carlos had dared to touch a woman so cruelly. First, he killed Holly, and now he had Barbara. It was the ultimate sin in Mason’s book. A woman was to be treated fairly and with respect. If that were not enough, Carlos had dared to touch not just any woman, but his newest best friend and partner. That deed would cost Carlos his very soul because Mason was sending the bastard straight to hell if he so much as looked sideways at her.

  He hoped his trying to do this by the book would be enough for Juan to cut him some slack. However, he made no promises that he would follow through with his desires to do this completely legally. Juan understood and agreed that unless it was blatant, cold-blooded murder, he would take the circumstances under advisement.

  Juan saw all the warning signs. Not that he would blame Mason. Still, he had to give him fair warning.

  “If you shoot him in the back then I’ll have a hard time convincing anyone, including myself, you should not be arrested for murder. The Law of the Jungle does not hold sway in my town, Mason. However, anything short of you shooting a man in undeniable retreat might be easily explained and construed as self defense or defense of another.”

  “I appreciate the latitude. I won’t kill the bastard in cold-blood, no matter how tempting it is at the moment.”

  Mason’s fingers itched to drive a knife fully to the hilt through Del Torres’s heart. However, he doubted the man even had a heart to pierce. That act of primal violence would make Mason feel good at the moment. Nevertheless, no matter how good it might feel, the action would make him as much of a monster as the very thing he was stalking. Barbara would understand. She had been in the business long enough to realize this happens and it probably had happened to her. However, she might never accept that he had no other alternative to his actions.

  Not killing Carlos in cold-blood was a promise Mason could keep as long as Del Torres or his men were not perceived as a threat. “And what is the probability of that, do you suppose?” he asked as they continued to ride to the docks.

  “Very slim,” Juan replied while glancing in his rearview mirror to ensure his men were still with them. “But mark my words, Mason, perception and reality must be congruent. You cannot kill him just because you think he is a threat. You must be certain before you kill him or anyone else.”

  The lecture seemed unnecessary to Mason. He guessed Juan had to cover his bases where he was concerned. In reality, he was an unknown factor to Juan. Not to mention they had, just the night before, blown up and destroyed the compound of one of the most feared drug lords and seemly untouchable criminals in Central America. Juan had no idea just what he was capable of doing. It was probably a good thing, too.

  “And I’m not sure I would be able to prove beyond doubt he is a threat. You know as well as I do that we go on gut when the shit is hitting the fan like it is about to do. How high will the body count need to be before it is considered anything other than cold-blood? At what point will you consider it a credible threat, Juan?”

  “That is a sarcastic question and one I will not answer.”

  “I’ll do what I must do to save her, Juan. And then I guess you will do what you have to do. However, I won’t promise that I won’t kill him.”

  Juan was not about to ask him to promise such a thing, either. It was a promise that no man would be able to keep, especially a man like Mason McKinnon, a man with so much to lose.

  “Just don’t put a bullet in his back unless he has his sites on someone else,” Juan advised.

  Mason agreed.

  Therefore, Juan was assured that even if it went against what instinctively Mason might wish to do, he would give Del Torres a fair-fight, at least as far as a fair fight would go in this circumstance.

  “Oh, rest assured, Juan. I’ll give him as fair of a fight as he is giving us.”

  Juan laughed. There was no mistaking Mason’s intent with that statement. “I guess fairness is subjective in nature.” The wise gentleman offered.

  “Yes, it is, and if Carlos so much as attempts to raise a weapon to her or any one of your men, I will personally send him on a permanent reunion with his brother. That, Juan, my friend, is a promise I am fully prepared to keep.”

  Mason hoped Juan would look the other way should things not be exactly to the letter of the law. This was far from usual circumstances. Nor was Carlos a common street thug. Carlos was a vicious serial killer.

  Chapter 45

  It was well past midnight as Juan, Mason, and a very select and trusted few carefully made their way to the inner perimeter of the warehouse complex. Some came by water and others by ground. They had the building surrounded. Mason, Juan, and two others were about to enter silently through a dock door that Mason discovered unsecured and open.

  “I hope you are right about this location, Mason,” Juan whispered after signaling his men into position.

  “Me, too,” Mason agreed checking his weapon one more time. “If I’m wrong, then Barbara will be dead before we can find her.”

  Barbara could already be dead. It was not a reality he was prepared to accept. Yet, he had gotten nothing more from her after the initial vision in which he saw the warehouse. He rationalized it was nothing to be concerned about, not yet. The connection they shared was not as strong as it would be were she bonded to him and not just him to her.

  There would always be times like this when he would not feel or sense her. Not that he liked it, but there was nothing he could do to change it. He would just have to learn to relax and control the alarm. This advice came to him via the geneticist, the beautiful and intelligent Dr. Sara Reed who had married his cousin Gage; she had been studying the abnormal gene that allowed some McKinnons to form a lifelong bond with their mates. Sara had advised him to focus past the feeling of dread. Just because he could not feel the contact with her did not mean she was already dead. Normal couples deal with this daily, she reminded him.

  Until he had met Barbara this was the way all his prior relationships had been. However, now he had experienced and tasted the connection, and he could never go back. He would adjust. Just as he was adjusting now. She was not dead. It was a belief he would carry until he was proven otherwise.

  So Mason, better than anyone, understood the ramification if he miscalculated and was not in the right location. He also understood the ramifications even if this was the correct place.

  Carlos was using Barbara as bait. Mason was the real target in this sick game Del Torres was playing and setting the rules as he went along. If Carlos knew that he was here, then Barbara would lose her value as a pawn. Carlos would not have a reason to keep her alive. Carlos would not hesitate a minute to kill her, and Mason understood that at the most ba
sic level.

  So, a trap was a forgone conclusion if Carlos had even the slightest clue that he and the National Police knew where to find him. It was just fortunate Carlos had chosen to bring along his band of criminal lowlifes.

  They could wipe out the whole den of snakes in a single act.

  This could also be a trap. The door being open was almost too easy. However, they were prepared, and it was the quickest and easiest way into the building. The calculated risk would pay off if he did not end up with a gun to the side of his head the second he rolled under the door.

  Juan lifted the door only inches off the ground. Mason slipped the small hand held mirror under to get a better look at what was on the other side. It looked clean. The door was opened just enough for him to roll under. Juan followed as soon as Mason confirmed the entry point was secured.

  Easing their way deeper into the warehouse, they heard Barbara scream. Juan grabbed Mason’s arm to stop him from rushing forward.

  “No! Center yourself,” Juan warned.

  It was all he could do to regain control. She was in severe pain. He knew her level of tolerance for pain was extremely high. If she were screaming, it meant one of two things: She was either aware that he was close and was giving away their location in the building, or God help her, she was being tortured. He feared Carlos or one of his men had her and was doing something to her to leave her writhing in pain.

  She screamed again. “No! Don’t! Don’t. Please, no!” she sobbed. “I swear I don’t know anything. You have to believe me. I don’t know what you are talking about.” Again, she screamed in pain at the hands of her captor.

  Mason pulled from all his years of training to re-center himself. Foolish and impulsive actions would get them all killed. He had to be methodical and unemotional if he wanted to save her. He pushed the urge to charge forward deep into his core.

  Mason nodded affirming to the men he was back in control.

  Juan followed his lead. This was the McKinnon’s line of expertise, and it relieved him of any responsibility if things turned sour. Mason had agreed without hesitation to give him this culpable deniability. However, Juan’s gut was telling him if anyone could pull this off it was this man. Juan had several hours to observe him. He was intelligent, experienced, and honorable. From Mason’s profile, Juan got the sense he was maybe a little too reckless in his personal life, but not when he was involved in a mission. Perhaps that would change now that he had a woman in his life worth dying for but more importantly a woman worth living for.

  Juan would like to count Mason as a friend and colleague when this ordeal ended. There was much he could teach his department. The man was a consummate professional with a skill set surpassing anything he had ever witnessed up close and personal. These men and women existed. Any prudent person understood this as a fact. However, seeing these mercenaries in action was a treat few would ever witness. He was just glad they were on the side of the good guys.

  Juan understood that there were more individuals involved in last night's raid than just Mason and Barbara. It was executed too well. They left him not a single shred of evidence that would lead the investigators to believe the explosions and subsequent deaths were the results from anything other than a disaster caused by the lightning storm. Mason had admitted that ballistics would verify that all the men were killed with Del Torres guns. That told him that they had someone on the inside to get the guns they needed. Mason had neither admitted nor denied the fact there was an undercover informant inside the operation. He also did not divulge any names past his own. Juan really did not want names. In this instance, he would look the other way as long as they never stepped foot back in his country. He could tolerate lawlessness only so far, even if justified.

  They eased through the warehouse single-file. Raising his fist, Mason gave the single for everyone to stop. Pulling out the tiny mirror he peered around the corner. He could see her just on the other side of a fenced divider. It looked to be some kind of cage holding old parts. Her back was to him, so he could not see her face. However, her head was hanging, and her arm was covered in blood.

  Carlos was standing there with his knife hovering above her only inches from her face. He was pushing his fingers into the arm. Twisting the damaged flesh, she screamed again. Mason immediately raised his gun sighting Carlos. One shot one kill. That was all it would take. However, the rest of the men were not in place. If shots rang out now, Barbara could still be killed while sitting defenseless and strapped to that chair. He brought the gun back down and fought the frustration boiling inside his body.

  “Juan, are your men in place?” he whispered.

  Juan nodded.

  They heard Carlos growl in frustration. “He has left the hotel. Call him!” Carlos commanded cutting her hands loose, then handing her his phone. “Call him and tell him to come alone, or I will cut your throat just like that bitch at the hotel. Tell him!” he yelled.

  “Holy shit,” Mason cursed under his breath. He quickly reached for his phone and made a hasty retreat out of earshot.

  “I don’t know his number.” It was the truth. She had never had reason to call him directly; she always went through the paging service or Robert. It wasn’t like she had him on speed dial.

  That earned her a back slap. “Liar! Call him.”

  She called the service and asked to have him paged. “It is the best I could do,” she told Carlos just before he slapped her again.

  Mason called her back almost immediately.

  “Barbara, are you on speaker?” he asked calmly. He was not about to speak until he was certain it was her on the other end and that there were no other ears except hers.

  “No,” she said flatly looking Carlos square in the eyes. What she saw there frightened her for the first time in her life. There was not a single shred of humanity remaining behind those eyes of cold, dark coal. He was an animal, crazed and without reason or compassion.

  “Don’t act surprised and do not look back. Understand?” he gave her warning.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m in the building. I’m right behind you,” he reassured her.

  “Mason, he’s rigged the building to blow!” she yelled before Carlos grabbed the phone slapping her in the process. It knocked her over and to the floor. Her hands were still free, and she took the opportunity of Carlos’ distraction to free her legs. She jumped up and tried to get the gun. She reached and knocked it off the table as her legs gave way and she went down hard to the ground. However, she took Carlos with her, pulling him down around the waist. Then the fight was on with Carlos taken by surprise.

  Juan had given the go ahead, and they were taking on heavy fire from inside the warehouse. Juan’s men were slowly taking control as flash bangs reverberated off the walls and smoke filled the air.

  Mason charged forward taking advantage of the commotion. In quick succession, he put a bullet into two men rushing forward toward him. He could not shoot Carlos for fear of killing Barbara who was fighting hand-to-hand with him. They were still wrestling on the floor. The Brazilian jujitsu, in which she was so proficient, was not as effective with her limbs failing to respond. However, it was enough to gain him time and that was what he needed. The gun was just inches from her. If only she could turn him lose long enough to gain the upper hand by getting her hands on that gun. She tried to reach for it, but had to loosen her hold to reach for it. Carlos took full advantage, jamming his fist fully into her arm. On reflex, she recoiled turning him loose all together.

  Mason charged forward with his gun drawn and waited for the opportunity to open fire. With Mason closing the gap, Carlos grabbed the gun, scrambled to his feet, and ran disappearing into the smoke.

  “Cover me!” he yelled to Juan as he moved forward to go to Barbara. She was defenseless and needed cover.

  He knelt down beside her. She was bloodied and cut, lying on the floor desperately trying to get the feeling back into her limbs. She was a liability to him if she were not able to run.r />
  Anger deep and boiling came to the surface. Mason saw the blood on her face and the marks Del Torres dared to put on her. Her blouse was ripped open, and she had small cuts crisscrossing her creamy flesh. Carlos had already begun his handiwork on her.

  Pulling the rest of the restraints from her body, Mason quickly helped her to her feet. He could not carry her or it would leave them both vulnerable.

  “Can you stand,” he asked.

  “Yes, but he is getting away. We have to go after him.” She pointed in the direction he was last seen running. “He has the detonators. I heard him say that he was going to get out through the processing receiving doors which lead under the building and directly to the water. That was how he brought me into the building.”

  He helped her to stand, and she felt her legs give way. The circulation was beginning to return as painful sensations shot through her limbs.

  “He killed the woman I saw you with on the beach.”

  “I know.” Mason pulled off his vest. “Here, put this on.” She was going to fight him for certain. He understood her at least that well.

  “No. it's not S.O.P., you’re Lead.”

  Mason needed it worse than she did. He was leading the way and was more likely to take on gunfire. She would follow up on his six.

  “Don’t argue with me.” He pulled it over her head, strapping the sides together. It was too big for her, but it was better than nothing, he surmised.

  “Mason, we have no time for...”

  With Barbara facing Mason, she was able to see Carlos coming back from around the corner over Mason's shoulder. His gun was drawn, the red beam of the laser sight set on Mason’s back which was now unprotected.

  “No!” she yelled.

  She did not have time to think. She just reacted. She was trained to take the fire and to protect the people she loved and protect the people within her charge. Grabbing Mason by the shirt, she found the strength to forcefully spin their bodies around covering him with her own.