Christmas Showdown Read online

  CHRISTMAS SHOWDOWN

  Burstyn Blue Series

  Mackenzie McKade

  Published by Mackenzie McKade at Smashwords.

  Copyright 2011 by Mackenzie McKade

  Discover other titles by Mackenzie McKade at MackenzieMcKade.com

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Dedication

  Merry Christmas to all my readers. May your holiday seasons be filled with beauty and laughter, and may the New Year bring you health, happiness and prosperity.

  Chapter One

  The gun pointed at Kelly McMaster’s forehead had fear icing her veins. Blood drained from her face. She didn’t dare breathe or move.

  The red glassy eyes glinting through the assailant’s ski mask were cold, hard. “Do as I tell you and no one will get hurt.”

  Clothed in a worn oversized hoodie, low-riding baggy pants, and dirty, ratty tennis shoes, the man’s build would be unrecognizable. But judging by her height of five-eight, she would guess him to be five-eleven or six feet.

  Rank body odor overpowered the fresh scent of pine from the Christmas tree in the lobby as he shoved a paper sack at her. His hands trembled almost as badly as the one she used to reach beneath her money drawer to press the button alerting security. They would deal with contacting the police and hopefully catch this criminal.

  While she was fumbling with getting the cash into the small sack, thoughts of her son rush to mind. TJ had no one but her. Kelly choked on a silent sob. Why hadn’t she completed her will and guardianship papers when she started this new job in a strange city? If something happened to her, what would become of her child? She couldn’t bear the thought of her parents raising him. Not after the childhood she had endured.

  “Hurry,” the man urged, but all she saw was the barrel of the 9mm closing in on her, and her son, motherless.

  As Kelly pushed the last of the monies into the sack and handed it to him, she glimpsed movement from the corner of her eye. Helen, the bank manager, dragged a customer behind a desk and they both ducked out of harm’s way.

  Kelly didn’t begrudge them. Collier Bank’s protocol was compliance in cases of robbery. No heroes. Just activate the security button, give the money to the perpetrator and get out of the situation safely. She hoped to God it worked.

  When the man’s attention jerked to the left, she automatically glanced over a shoulder. Joe, the teller from the drive-through window, stood paralyzed as he stared at the masked man and his gun. He made the situation even more dangerous when he moved, almost falling as he scrambled to get back to safety behind the wall.

  The robber stiffened. His frantic gaze scanned the area behind him while his hold on the gun waivered. When he realized the two of them were alone, he roared, “Get out here. Now.”

  His abrupt words triggered her flight response. She started to sink beneath the counter, but the pistol waving wildly in her face stopped her midway.

  “I will shoot you.” His warning held enough menace that she believed him.

  Panic-stricken, but still in control of her senses, she moved around the counter, hands up. Nothing bad could happen two days before Christmas, right?

  Tucking the sack into a pocket, he grabbed the back of her sweater, wadding it in his fist. When the pistol jabbed against her spine, Kelly cried out. She couldn’t help herself. Keeping her close and pushing her forward at the same time, he made his way to the door and outside, using her as a human shield against the security guard who appeared with his gun unholstered.

  The momentary standoff ended when the scream of sirens jerked their attention toward the street. In the distance, red and blue lights whirled, vehicles slowing and stopping. But it was her assailant’s panicked curse that shattered her remaining vestige of calm.

  Kelly pinched her eyelids closed against his brutal grip. No way would this man escape. Did he plan to take her hostage or would he kill her here or later? If God were on her side, maybe he’d let her go unscathed when he was finished with her.

  The shove against her back came unexpectedly. Suddenly, she was released and falling. Her arms flailed, but it was too late. Her knees bit the asphalt, pain splintering as her hands braced to catch herself from face-planting. Gravel dug into her palms, stinging. Through moist eyelashes, she glanced up to watch the criminal jump into a beat-up car, tires screeching as he sped away. The smell of burning rubber clogged her nose as a wave of relief wrenched her tears free.

  As she wept, someone placed a warm hand on her back. She looked up to see Carl, the security guard. He dropped to a knee beside her. “Are you okay?”

  Kelly couldn’t speak. Chilled to the bone, her blood felt like liquid ice, razor sharp, moving through her veins unmercifully. The only thing she wanted at that very moment was to hold her baby in her arms and never let him go.

  She looked up as a blur of black-and-white patrol vehicles streaked past in pursuit. One of the squad cars separated from the pack, squealing around the corner and entering the shopping center. The vehicle’s front end bobbed, making a scraping sound when it struck a speed bump. The whirring blades of a police helicopter overhead beat like war drums in her ears.

  Carl helped Kelly to her feet on legs that felt more like jelly than flesh and blood. “He’s gone, young lady. You’re safe.”

  So cold. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling no relief. Would she ever feel warm again?

  The guard glanced at the two officers getting out of their car. “Will you be okay if I leave you for a minute? I need to speak with the officers, but I’ll be back.”

  She nodded weakly. And then she was left alone. With her head down she could hear several more patrol cars speed past in pursuit of the man who had shaken her sense of safety and well-being.

  “Ma’am, are you okay?” The deep male voice forced her head up to meet the eyes of the police officer speaking to her. His expression tightened.

  “Kelly?”

  This can’t be happening.

  For a brief moment, Kelly forgot about the robbery and the fact her life had hung in jeopardy. Instead, her thoughts were hurled back to a wintery night in Denver.

  Trey had been attending a conference, while she had been out on the town with her friends. Fate had them ending up at the same honky-tonk, or that’s what her romantic heart had thought at the time. She had been young. He had been charming. One thing led to another and she had woken up in this man’s hotel room minutes before he had to leave to catch an airplane.

  He had been her first and last one-night stand.

  It had been what her friend, Sally, called a wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am kind of moment—a moment that would remain with Kelly for the rest of her life.

  As Carl continued to speak to the other officer, Trey shucked his black leather coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. His all-male scent surrounded her. Funny how she remembered it so clearly.

  “Are you hurt?” He brushed a strand of her long red hair out of her eyes. “Do you need a paramedic?”

  “No,” she managed to say, even though she was anything but fine. She’d had a gun waved in her face, poked against her spine, her knees and palms were bleeding, and now the only person who could really hurt her stood before her.

  “Sergeant Burstyn?” a short, redheaded officer called out to Trey.

  “I’ll be back,” he said, squeezing her arm before he turned a
nd walked away.

  So Trey’s last name was Burstyn. She hadn’t caught that small detail two years ago.

  Kelly didn’t have time to ponder the issue as Helen came running out of the bank straight for her. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry.” The mid-forty-something woman hugged Kelly tightly.

  “Helen, there’s no need to apologize. Really. There wasn’t anything you could do.”

  “The branch is on lockdown,” Helen informed her. “Ohmygod! Look at your knees—your hands. We should get you back inside. The police will want to talk to you and get a statement.”

  As they headed toward the glass doors, Kelly glanced over her shoulder to find Trey watching her. After two years, not much had changed. He was six-foot-two of lean muscle—a devastatingly handsome man whose long black eyelashes framed to-die-for baby-blue eyes that had made her swoon when she first met him.

  Entering the bank, she was immediately joined by the teller from the drive-through and two other coworkers, who had been in the vault during the confrontation. They chatted excitedly at the same time.

  “Were you scared?” asked one of the women who had been safely tucked away. “I was scared and he wasn’t even pointing the gun at me.”

  “I almost shit my pants when I saw the gun.” Joe’s eyes were still wide with disbelief. His nervous laughter filled the brief silence.

  “How much money was in your drawer?” Helen asked.

  How much money?

  At the moment, Kelly had no idea, but she knew it wasn’t over their drawer limit if that’s what the woman was getting at. “I’d just reduced my till and had only three customers before it happened.” She always adhered to policy, even though only thirty minutes remained to her shift, which ended at two. “He couldn’t have gotten more than a thousand dollars.”

  Helen looked pleased. “Did you get a good look at him?”

  Kelly didn’t get a chance to answer because two paramedics approached carrying bags. The female EMT was a stern-looking woman who eyed Kelly’s coworkers. “If all of you could move back, we’ll have a look at her injuries.” While the man began to take her vitals, the woman began cleaning pieces of gravel out of her palms. That’s when Carl, Trey, and the redheaded officer walked into the bank.

  While his partner Larry accompanied the security guard to a secure room to view the tapes, Trey began interviewing the witnesses, starting with Kelly. She grimaced, hissing when the female paramedic put antiseptic on one of her wounded palms. The male EMT began to administer attention to a knee. Trey couldn’t help roaming his gaze up one of her bare, shapely legs—legs that had been wrapped around him one snowy night.

  His cock twitched with the memory.

  Not many women left him with unfulfilled yearning, but this one had, as sure as if she’d marked him. There had been something about her that had called to him long after that one night. He had attempted to find her, but even he knew that distance made for a poor bed partner. They had been just strangers passing in the night.

  But now she was here—in his city.

  As he drew closer, the scent of an antiseptic warred with her soft flowery scent. Damn. He found himself wanting to drag her into his arms and taste those luscious full lips. He smiled when they made a little pouty gesture as a large rectangular bandage was placed over one of her wounded knees. Smaller coverings were placed on her hands.

  “Kelly, could you answer a couple questions?”

  She looked up at him with those mesmerizing green eyes. “Sure.”

  As the paramedics rose and gathered their supplies, he took a seat by Kelly on the couch. “So when did you move to Mesa?”

  A frown joined the stiffening of her spine. “Are you insinuating that I had something to do with this?”

  “No. God, no. I was just wondering when you moved to Arizona.” She would be under investigation, everyone in the bank would be, but he personally didn’t suspect she was involved.

  “Oh.” Her shoulders relaxed and she eased her back against the cushion. “I’ve been here less than a month.”

  “I’ll need your full name and address. For the report,” he quickly added. After she supplied the information, he jotted it down on a small tablet before continuing. “Can you tell me what happened?”

  “My last customer had just walked out the door and I was cracking the seal on some quarters. When I looked up, he was standing there. He pulled a gun from the pocket of his hoodie and pointed it at me.” Licking her lips, she trembled.

  Trey wanted to console her, shelter her in his embrace, but that would be inappropriate, so he clenched his pen and paper tighter and listened as she gave the color and shape of his eyes, his height, and what she could about his clothing and build.

  “Did he wear gloves?”

  “No.”

  “Any defining marks, scars or tattoos?”

  Her eyes lit up like glowing emeralds. “Between his thumb and forefinger, he had a jagged scar. His right hand, I think. Yes. The hand he held the gun in.” Another tremor assailed her.

  He asked a couple more questions before giving her a form and instructing her to write down everything she could remember. While she completed the report, he began to interview another employee.

  The forensic van arrived as he was wrapping up the interview with the bank manager. She glanced toward Kelly. “Can I dismiss my staff now? It’s been over two and a half hours.”

  Trey had what he needed. “Yes.”

  As she moved away from him, Larry joined him. “You know the shapely redhead?”

  “Yes.” Trey glanced at Kelly once more. When he had last seen her she had been thinner, willowy. But his partner was right. She had filled out. Nicely. Her breasts were a little fuller than he remembered, and her hips more rounded, which made her that much more attractive. Of course she’d been only twenty-one when they met.

  Larry smirked. “Well?” The true meaning behind that single word was not lost on Trey.

  “Just someone I met at a conference.” Someone who had rocked his world.

  Larry gave him one of his famous yeah, right expressions. “You don’t look at her like a casual acquaintance.”

  “Hell, Anderson. What do you have to talk about? You’re looking at her like she’s tonight’s dessert.” And Trey didn’t like his partner’s leer—not one little bit.

  “Yeah. Sharing the same hair and eye coloring with her, I thought we’d make beautiful babies together,” the officer jested. “Or at least have fun trying.”

  Trey balled his hands into fists, barely restraining himself from coldcocking the jerk. “Let’s wrap things up. I want to go home.” He had a couple more hours to his shift. Finishing the paperwork involved with this call would take him longer than that to take care of. Then maybe he’d swing by Kelly’s place and see how she was doing.

  Just then Trey’s radio erupted. He listened.

  They had the man responsible for the robbery at gunpoint. A minute later, the arresting officer announced the suspect was in custody. Score one for the good guys.

  Chapter Two

  Home.

  Kelly released a sigh, happy for the very first time to see the small, cramped condominium. It wasn’t much, but it was better than living with her folks, which had been pure hell. Her father bitched every time he heard a squawk from his grandson. Her mother hadn’t been any better.

  No. They definitely wouldn’t be ideal candidates for raising her son should something ever happen to her.

  Putting her purse on the kitchen table, she thought of her brother. Perhaps Stu would consider guardianship? Currently stationed in Iraq, he had one more year in the Marines. Of course she had no idea whether he planned to reenlist.

  It was either Stu or her best friend, Sally. Both were single, an instant family would be a hardship on either of them. As Kelly saw it, she had little choice.

  Gazing at her meager surroundings, emotion swelled in her throat, making it difficult to swallow. A teddy bear lay on the second-hand couch, a truck b
eneath the small stand that held a television set she bought from a yard sale. A five-dollar Christmas tree was tucked in the corner with strands of popcorn garlands. A dozen cheap bulbs placed up high so TJ couldn’t reach them, and a strand of lights with only half of them blinking off and on, also adorned the branches. Tears bloomed in her eyes at the five gifts wrapped in the same candy-cane paper. All of them purchased for less than thirty dollars.

  Kelly hated how she felt. She was a fighter—a survivor—not this wimpy woman who leaned against the table for support.

  But today had mentally kicked her in the teeth. Then, when all she wanted to do was see her child, hold her baby in her arms, the babysitter hadn’t been home. Kelly had texted Lori and discovered she had taken the children she cared for to a nearby farm to tour and play with the animals. After that they were grabbing a bit to eat. It would be approximately three hours before TJ was home.

  Which reminded her, Kelly hadn’t eaten anything since this morning. She strolled into the kitchen and paused. How long she stood there she didn’t know, but she was trembling. When her knees threatened to buckle, she moved toward the table and drifted into a wooden chair.

  That’s when the tears began to fall.

  Kelly sobbed uncontrollably, convulsive gasps that made her shake even more. Cradling herself, she rocked back and forth. By the time her outburst ended, her nose was stuffy and she could hardly breathe. Her body felt boneless, unable to move.

  Time ticked by before she found the energy to stir. When she did, a whiff of sour body odor touched her nose and she cringed. The scent must have rubbed off on her when the man pressed his body against hers. Thank God they had caught the guy. But what she needed this moment was a bath.

  Pushing away from the table, she stood and started to undress as she climbed the stairs. When her sweater covered her face, the offensive stench rose again. She briefly considered burning her clothes. Only the fact that she didn’t have the money to replace them stopped her from further wanderings.