“Marks received a tip that Foster is on the run. We need to check it out, but I’m not leaving you alone. He’s sending someone over to stay with you.”
Kendall shook her head. “I don’t want anyone in the house with me.”
“It’s not an option. You need protection.”
She put a hand on his arm. “No. He can stay outside and keep an eye on things from there. Besides, if Foster were to show up here it would make more sense for the deputy to catch him outside before he got inside to me.” Her voice lowered to a plea. “He’s already taken so much of my life. He can’t take everything from me. This is my house and I don’t want to feel like I’m trapped in it.”
Instead of answering her, Mason turned his attention back to the phone. Marks must have put Johnson on the line. Kendall felt Mason tense next to her. Even though his hands on her were gentle, his voice to the deputy was not.
“Get over here and do not leave until I tell you to. Patrol around the entire house. Check and double-check every window and door you walk past. Stand guard over her house. Call Kendall every fifteen minutes. Is that clear?” Mason waited for the man to respond before continuing. The venom in his voice cut Kendall to the bone. “If anything looks out of kilter, you move on it. Get inside and make sure Kendall is safe. Johnson, don’t fuck this up.”
Chapter Fourteen
After Mason threatened the deputy beyond his life if anything happened to Kendall, he waited while he put Marks back on the line. “I hope you’re right about this. My gut tells me something is wrong. Why would Foster leave now?”
“Because he knows we’re on to him. He doesn’t have much of a choice except to run. The sheriff’s department called in the plates on the truck. The driver ran several red lights and was driving recklessly. Either he’s been drinking, or he’s trying to get caught. But I assure you, it’s his truck. They say he’s headed toward Lake Pontchartrain Causeway. We have to catch him before he hits that bridge.”
“All right, I’m trusting you on this. As soon as Johnson gets here I’ll catch up to you.” He flipped the phone closed and took a deep breath. Marks was certain Foster was on the run, but a nagging sensation at the back of Mason’s mind told him otherwise. He had to convince himself, as well as explain to Kendall, that it was best for him to meet Marks and leave her under someone else’s care.
He sat with her on the sofa and gave her a brief rundown of their plan to catch Foster. When she reached out to touch him, he dodged contact with her hands. Color rose in her cheeks. His fingers brushed against her thigh. Quickly, he pulled away. Kendall’s hands rose to rub at that spot on her throat. She was hurt and confused.
This was the hardest part of his job. Mason knew better than to get personally involved in any case. That has always been his one golden rule. Somehow he thought this one would be different. Seeing the fear in Kendall’s face nearly broke his heart. If only he could pull her into his arms. Tell her the truth. That was not possible. Not now. He had to get moving if he wanted to catch Foster. And he desperately wanted to catch the asshole. He had to bury his feelings for Kendall until this mess was resolved. She was going to think he was a total bastard for leaving her at a time like this, but it was unavoidable. And right now he would agree with her, he was being a bastard. He couldn’t let her emotions get in the way. Or his.
She moved closer to him. Her soft hands cradled his face, turning his head so their eyes met. “Mason, forget about Foster and Tom for a few minutes. We need to talk. About us.”
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.”