Shelby: A Forbidden FBI Bad Boy Romance (The Bang Shift Book 4)

by Mandy Harbin

  “God, you’re not going to let this go, are you?”

  “No. Make it happen. I want to talk to her as soon as possible.” He just hoped he could stay detached when he saw her. Regardless of his need to inform her of what was really happening, it didn’t change what had happened to them. What she had done to him.

  Jerome cursed as he pulled out his phone. This time, he stomped out of sight. Mason didn’t care. As long as the man got his meeting with Shelby, that was all that mattered to him.

  When his contact walked back in, his face was pale, and he was moving too fast. Mason stood on instinct. “They don’t know where she’s at.”

  “What?” Mason asked, narrowing his eyes, his tone much calmer than he actually felt.

  “She was pretty upset, so she took some time off.” Mason swallowed the guilty lump that rose in his throat and forced himself not to defend any unspoken accusations. “She went to Arkansas and hung out with some people we’ve worked with. That’s a long story, but she got back on Friday and was expected to be in the office tomorrow. When I told Rick you demanded she be brought in on everything, he put me on hold to call her. She didn’t answer. He tried Viola, but the last word she got was a text on Friday saying she’s back in town and was coming over, but she hasn’t heard from her since. Darrell isn’t answering his phone.”

  “Fuck, he’s got her.” Mason jogged to the door where he’d taken off his shoes and grabbed them.

  “We don’t know that.”

  Yes, they did, or Jerome wouldn’t have looked panicked when he walked back in. Darrell had too much at stake, and if he thought Shelby was onto him, he’d take her out. Mason just knew it.

  “You know where Viola lives?” Mason asked.

  “I can find out.”

  “Do it.”

  “I’m coming, too,” Jedrek said, standing. Mason didn’t question if the motivation was to see Viola again or if he wanted to help find Shelby. Didn’t matter.

  “C’mon. I’ll take all the help I can get.”

  Shelby stared out the window overlooking the beach. Pretty swanky for a safe house. The FBI had hideouts all over the place to stash witnesses, but she hadn’t been to one this nice. Not that she got to enjoy it. Much like she’d been trapped here for her own protection, she’d been a prisoner of her mind, lost in thoughts of Mason’s illegal actions.

  And sensual touch.

  Why did she have to love everything he did to her? Love the man himself? Was it possible to hate what he did and still feel this way about him? Yes, yes, it was. She couldn’t explain it, but that didn’t make it any less true.

  She wished she had Viola to talk to. Shelby hadn’t realized how much she’d relied on their friendship over the years, thinking they were close coworkers at best, until the last couple of cases they’d worked together. Viola would listen to her, even without having to hear the words first. Her friend would take one look at her, notice anything eating away at her sanity, and make her talk. If only Dave’s trip hadn’t been disguised as a romantic getaway for the two of them. Darrell had said that Viola would make Dave reschedule once she’d learned about his spontaneous plan, but her mentor had insisted he had everything under control. After hearing this, Shelby had agreed with Darrell. Viola and Dave had some marital issues to work on, and they needed a little alone time. Shelby wouldn’t dream of condemning Viola to being locked up with her when she could be with her husband instead. Besides, it was just for the weekend. She would be here late tonight after her trip anyway, and Shelby could talk to her then.

  Darrell usually was attuned to her and was pretty good at communication, but he was too focused on this case and her safety to notice how much she was hurting inside. Even if he hadn’t taken her phone before they’d left to keep anybody from triangulating its signal, she didn’t need to call anybody else.

  She’d already had girl time with Anna and the ladies in Arkansas.

  She’d hung out with the guys of the Bang Shift.

  Her brother was in his SEALs rotation, not that she’d want to tell him—or her dad, for that matter—about any of this.

  She sighed, stepping away from the window and rubbing her upper arms to comfort herself. She had many wonderful people in her life, but for some reason, she felt lost without Mason. That totally confused her. Was it need or want? She didn’t know, but what she was slowly discovering was that the reason didn’t matter. She loved him. It wasn’t a healthy love because it was born out of lies, nor did she harbor any beliefs that her feelings were returned. It was best that they weren’t. It didn’t make any of this any easier to accept.

  Darrell walked in the room, texting on his phone. He pocketed it when he looked up at her.

  “Hungry?”

  She shrugged. She hadn’t had much of an appetite lately, so she defaulted to eating when Darrel ate.

  “I have some stew and cornbread cooking now. It’s not much, but I don’t want to get out unless we have to.”

  “You told me that already,” she said, smirking.

  “Sorry, little bit. Been distracted since the shit hit the fan on Friday.”

  She smiled. “I know. It’ll be okay, though. Viola will be here tonight and you can take a break.”

  He nodded slowly and opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang. He pulled it out, glanced at the display, and silenced it. “I’ll check on the stew.”

  He walked into the kitchen, looking at his phone.

  Yes, the man was distracted, and she didn’t blame him.

  For the next fifteen minutes, she heard his phone go off a few more times while he was in the kitchen and she in the living room, scanning the television channels for a distraction to watch. When he came back into the room, he carried two bowls of stew and some grilled cheese sandwiches.

  “Yum,” she mumbled, taking the plate he offered. “This smells so good.” She stirred the contents in the bowl and spread her sandwich apart so it could cool. She took a sip of the broth and hummed appreciatively. Since it was too hot to dig right in and eat, she picked up half of her sandwich. “Any news yet?” She hadn’t kept track of the number of times she’d posed that question to him, but half the time it was out before she could stop herself from asking. She nibbled on the cheesy crust and looked at him expectantly.

  “No news from Rick.”

  Darrell’s phone rang again, and he silenced the call.

  “Who keeps calling you?”

  His head snapped up, and he stared at her two seconds longer than she felt comfortable. Did he think she was prying into his personal affairs? Was she? “I’m sorry. I just hoped it was related to the case.”

  He rubbed his face and grabbed his spoon. “Yeah, it’s related to the case. I’ve put some feelers out on Showalter, but none of my contacts have come through yet.” He took a few bites of the stew. “Don’t worry. We’ll catch him.”

  She wasn’t worried about that, but she was starting to be concerned about Darrell. “You’re working too hard on this.”

  He shook his head, a smile tugging on his lips as he took another bite. “Anything for you, little bit.”

  His phone rang again. This time, he accepted the call and left the room. Shelby pushed any worry for him from her mind and ate her stew. When he returned with some crackers, she’d already eaten most of her food.

  He chuckled as he put the crackers on the table. “I guess you were hungry. Want more before I sit back down?”

  She blushed, shaking her head. “No, you eat.” She was full, but the food was there and comforting her.

  “We have a bead on Showalter.”

  Shelby’s heart started racing. “Yeah?”

  Darrell nodded and took a bite of his stew. She pushed the last of hers away, not able to eat anymore, snuggled into the couch, and turned down the television before giving him her attention again. “Yeah. He’s still in the state, but Rick wants me to bring you back now that they’re watching him. They’re not letting him out of their sight.”

&
nbsp; “When?” she asked, sitting up straighter.

  “As soon as we’re ready.” He dropped his spoon into his bowl and began stacking their empty dishes.

  “I’ll pack the stuff I bought when we got here.” She stood.

  The room spun.

  “Whoa.” Darrell lunged for her and steadied her before she fell.

  She rubbed her head. “I guess I stood up too fast.” Did her words just slur?

  Why was the room becoming fuzzy? She was being lowered to the couch, and Darrell sat beside her, stroking her hair. What was wrong? Was she having a stroke? Had the stress been too much for her body?

  “You’ll be okay,” he said softly. “You’re just taking a little nap.”

  Nap? She wasn’t tired. She couldn’t move her limbs. Those were completely different things. “What’s hap-happening?” she asked slowly, trying with what little strength she could gather to get the words out.

  “No time to explain. We have to go before they find us.”

  “Who?” she asked, frowning. Hadn’t he said Mason wasn’t anywhere around here? She heard a door open but couldn’t see over the couch since she couldn’t turn her head.

  His smile was sad. “I really don’t want to have to kill you, little bit. Be a good girl, and we might let you live.”

  Panic shot through her at his words, but the face that came into view chilled her to the bone.

  William Baxter.

  “You’re in no position to make such a promise,” the man she’d only seen before in photographs and video said. “Everything ready?”

  “Yep. We’ll be out of the country by this time tomorrow.”

  She looked at Darrell and opened her mouth to begin asking him all the questions that bubbled up in her hazy mind, but the blackness surrounding her vision closed in, carrying her into an even darker reality.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Mason killed the engine to his car and bounded up the steps to Viola’s house. Jedrek and Jerome Parker were behind him in Jerome’s car, but he didn’t wait on them. He pounded on the door three times before it was yanked opened. A tired-looking Viola stood in the doorway, gripping a gun.

  When she saw who it was, she raised her weapon lightning fast.

  His hands flew up. “Whoa.”

  “Viola, don’t!” Jerome called out as he and Jedrek came running up the stairs. She glanced to the side, frowning at him.

  “Parker? What the hell’s going on?” she looked at Mason and sneered. “What are you doing with him?”

  “It’s a long story. Can we come inside? I’ll explain as fast as I can.”

  She waved Mason in with her gun and kept it trained on him. He left his hands up for good measure, hoping it was proof she didn’t have to worry, but if Shelby believed he was a killer, then Viola did, too. Unless she was in on the real reason for their involvement. The way she was glaring at him, hand at the trigger, led him to believe that wasn’t the case. “You have two minutes.”

  Jerome gave her the super condensed version of the story, and Mason watched as her face changed from anger to confusion to rage. When she finally dropped the gun, he took a calming breath and let his hands fall to his sides.

  “Darrell,” she growled, and stomped to the couch where she opened her laptop. Mason and the guys huddled in and sat on the sparse furnishings. “Looks like he’s in North Carolina.”

  “How do you know that?” Jedrek asked. Her head snapped toward him, seemingly just realizing the man was here.

  “Tracking device.” She shrugged. “Rick had me tag everybody on the team. He wanted cars, suitcases, briefcases, jackets, anything that anybody might be traveling in or have on them. He wanted to know where everybody was when this mission started.”

  “So you know where Shelby is,” Mason said, hope flaring in his chest.

  She shook her head. “Not yet. I put one in her wallet behind an old prescription card. Nobody uses those things unless you need to scrape ice off your windshield. Give me a few seconds, and I’ll see if she’s carrying it.”

  A few seconds turned into minutes, and Mason started bouncing his knee. He didn’t like sitting idle when he could be out looking for Shelby. Yes, he knew he’d have better luck using Viola’s skills, but his analytical side was panicking, too.

  “Hmmm.” Viola frowned.

  “What?” All three guys asked at the same time. Mason glanced at them and noticed he wasn’t the only one feeling on edge.

  “She’s in North Carolina, too.”

  “I knew he had her.” Mason grabbed his phone and called the charter service his company used after selling their private jets several years ago to help their company image. After the housing market crashed and the economy tanked, corporate excesses had been frowned upon. Right now, he praised having that connection with the company. He could get there much faster with them than if he took a commercial flight. They answered on the third ring, and he rattled off instructions to get ready to fly out, and because they appreciated his business, they’d be ready in an hour.

  “She’s not with him, though,” Viola said, frowning. “The signals are miles apart.”

  “Maybe he’s stashed her somewhere. I don’t give a shit about him. I’m going wherever she is.” He stood and pocketed his phone. “You can come with me if you want. Plane will be ready soon.”

  “And what if she is with Darrell?” She pointed to her computer screen. “All this tells me is where her wallet is, and you can’t go off half-cocked with just that. Besides, you are not law enforcement. I’ll call Rick and have him notify the FBI office out there. Her signal isn’t moving. His is. Those agents can get there before we can, and if she’s there, they can retrieve her. If she’s not, then that’s one less place we have to look.

  “Fuck,” Mason breathed. He gritted his teeth as he stared at her. “Fine. Make the call.”

  “Wasn’t asking for permission,” she muttered as she whipped out her phone and called her boss. She relayed what Mason’s intent was, and she seemed to be defending the need to go to Shelby…until she mentioned Shelby and Darrell’s locations in another state. The atmosphere changed at that moment. When Viola got off the phone, he knew their boss was playing ball.

  “He’s getting Carson and we’re headed to North Carolina. You’re not going.”

  “The hell I’m not—”

  Viola held up her hand. “Listen. Rick will not allow you to travel with us. What you do on your own is your business. I can’t keep you from showing up, even if I stepped out of the room and you happen to look at my computer to get the address.”

  Mason nodded, immediately understanding. Viola would go with her team, but he would still take the private jet. “Darrell is still moving, though.” An address to his current location wouldn’t help Mason when he landed in a few hours.

  “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.” She shook her head. “Give me your number. When we touch down, I’ll give you an update. Happy?”

  Not yet, but he would be once he knew Shelby was safe. Thank God she had a friend like Viola. Then she asked the one thing he hadn’t prepared for. “Mind telling me how you found out she was an agent? Parker seemed to skip that part of the explanation.”

  He shut his eyes and silently cursed her husband.

  “I’ll tell her,” Jedrek said, and Mason’s gaze went to him as he slowly stood, his chest expanding as if challenging Mason for the right. Jedrek was an oddly quiet man who didn’t like to get in the middle of other people’s shit, but he’d obviously taken a liking to Viola. If the big brute wanted to break the news to her that her husband was a worthless piece of shit, Mason would let him. He’d rather focus his energy on finding Shelby anyway.

  So he nodded and turned away, concentrating on his own problems while Jedrek exposed Viola to one of her own.

  When Mason found Shelby, he wasn’t sure what he’d tell her. He loved her, so he’d stop at nothing to make sure she was safely away from Darrell Tobin, and they needed to clear the air betwe
en them. It would not change what happened or the lies she’d told him, nor would it change their relationship. Mason was a Dom at his core. He craved sexual obedience, but he demanded trust.

  He no longer trusted her, and that was the core of the problem. He might never be able to again. He had to prepare himself for that. The thought also occurred to him that none of this would matter. He was, after all, just an assignment for her. He didn’t know how intricate the web of lies was. She could have a boyfriend. He doubted it. He also completely rejected the possibility that she could be married. No way would a husband let his wife get close to another man like that. He’d seen it in the lifestyle—poly relationships—but those were molded out of communication and trust. Two things that he and Shelby sorely lacked.

  “Why didn’t you contact me?” Viola screeched, jerking Mason out of his reverie. He looked at her and Jedrek only to realize she’d directed her question at Mason. She stared daggers at him, her hands fisted in her lap.

  “He’s been in the middle of a pity party,” Jedrek said softly, and Mason gaped at how tenderly he was looking at Viola, as if witnessing her pain was hurting him, too. Oh, hell. The man was clearly smitten. He didn’t know much about him, had never seen him with a woman more than once, but the man couldn’t take his eyes off her. It would never work, and Mason knew the man would never act on whatever attraction he felt. Jedrek didn’t believe in relationships, and the woman was married. Her husband was worthless, but he was her husband nonetheless.

  “Yes. Major pity party. I’m sorry. You deserved to know the truth right away,” Mason said, trying to ease her.

  “And you told Shelby?”

  “Not about how I found out, but she knows I know the truth about the investigation, which, I apparently know a whole hell of a lot more than she does.”

  “Oh my God,” Shelby breathed. “She was a mess when she left your place. You hurt her, you son of a bitch.” She stood and Jedrek rose with her. Great. Just what he needed—a pissed off woman with a gun and a behemoth of a man ready to avenge her. “What did you do?” she asked slowly.