Neither woman gave it.
“Me,” he said after a moment. “For one, there is no such thing as a ‘good guy.’ Two...” His dark eyes seemed to become even darker in the dim light. They moved over the length of Lara’s body before stopping at her eyes. “You definitely are no hero.”
His words created an even more pronounced chill in the air. In that moment Lara was certain she’d never been intimate with him. Andrew and Mason had never traded places while with her. She knew Andrew well enough to tell the two apart. While Andrew had done many horrible things, Mason was darker somehow. Not haunted by his past but almost empowered by it. She would be able to tell the two apart with ease. Which meant she’d only ever been with one of the two very unstable and vicious brothers. It was the smallest of silver linings, but she’d take it.
For one long moment Lara thought the man would lose whatever cool composure he was trying to convey and pull the trigger on them both. But, like his brother, Mason seemed to be a man of pride. A man with charm, brilliance and a huge ego. A man who had a story and wanted to tell it, no matter who his audience happened to be. He moved closer again. Like a revolving door set in motion, Lara moved at an equal speed and distance from him until he stopped, the two of them now in the middle of the room. Lara quickly catalogued her surroundings for anything she might be able to use as cover while she got her gun out, but was coming up short. Because of how close he was and how good of a shot he probably also was, Lara’s chances of survival if she tried to run were almost nonexistent. So she stood tall and looked at the carbon copy of the man she’d once loved.
“But I digress,” he continued. Lara made the safe assumption that he liked the sound of his own voice. “Thank you for letting us know about the baby. That was one secret we actually didn’t have. You know, I’ve always wanted to be an uncle.” Mason moved his aim from Lara’s head down towards her chest. The beauty of his dark eyes was only rivaled by the madness behind them.
“You leave that baby alone,” Lara bit out. Mason let out a wild laugh. “That baby is my brother’s blood—my blood—and therefore is rightfully ours,” he said. “There’s nothing that will keep us away. Not even you, Lara. Which brings me to another point. Your partner? He’s dead. No one is going to save you.”
“So you’re just going to shoot me then,” she deadpanned. The image of Nick lying motionless on the docks made her heart squeeze.
“No, I’m about to kill the woman who cost me and my brother our livelihood,” he said, smile still firmly in place. It contradicted the ill feelings he was harboring. It made the exchange even more chilling. “Not to mention my best sniper.”
“The Ghost,” Lara filled in.
“Yes, the Ghost in all his glory and you managed to take him down. All of that work we did together. All that we accomplished, tracking your team, killing off leads... We were brutal and effective, thanks to Cass here.” Cass’s eyes widened, clearly confused. “Oh, don’t play coy, dear. You played a big role in what we were able to accomplish, you have to realize that. All those talks with Katya, sharing information with her, was so easy for you, wasn’t it? The two of you have become close, like sisters even. You couldn’t help the fact that a few names and locations slipped out, could you?” Cass looked momentarily downfallen. She shook her head slightly as if to combat the idea that she’d let any classified information slip, but Lara could see the guilt lining her face. Mason turned his attention back to Lara. “We had everything at our fingertips, and then you took the Ghost out of the game. You.” Mason’s facade of humor began to crack. While he liked to play with his words, he was getting to the heart—or lack thereof, in his case—of the matter. “Do you realize what I’ve done, what we’ve done, to ensure a better future for ourselves? And then you just waltz in and destroy it?”
Lara’s adrenaline started to spike. Was it that easy? Would Mason Moretti simply tell her everything? Would he damn himself to the wire?
“No, I don’t,” she admitted, trying to keep her voice even. She hoped she sounded disinterested. The man in front of her was a prideful person, it seemed. If he truly believed what he’d done up until now was important, Lara not caring would only rile him up more. He’d feel the need to tell her. To convince her that he was smart. That he was cunning.
That he was powerful.
Time to feed his ego and let him damn himself.
CHAPTER FIVE
“By now you must have some idea as to what I’ve done,” Mason began. He lowered his arm, and the gun but kept its aim on Lara. The gun at her side seemed to be burning through her shirt and into her skin, beckoning for her to free it. Though, rationally, she knew she wouldn’t have that kind of time.
I really hope you’re getting all of this, Victoria.
“Growing up, we lived in a run-down home monitored by two humans who never should have reproduced in the first place. But at the time I thought, hey, that’s life. C’est la vie! You, of all people, should have known such a simplistic yet all-encompassing life lesson.” Lara’s eyes widened a fraction. He was referring to her parents. “But then when our parents, thankfully, died, Andrew and I saw an opportunity. One that if we took it could give us a fresh start. Something we more than deserved. So, my dear brother and I decided that Mason Moretti needed to die.”
“The house fire,” Lara said when he paused. Mason was gearing up. He wanted her to know what he’d done. He more than disliked Lara. He loathed her. Without much provocation he was implicating himself. It only proved a point that Lara had come to realize since he’d entered the room.
Lara riled him up, and once he’d started, she doubted he’d stop until she was dead.
Cass, not making one peep since he’d began his long-winded speech, looked between the two of them with focused eyes. She hadn’t moved an inch either. Lara wished she could send the redhead a mental message that asked her to please find a weapon, just in case Victoria and the team weren’t fast enough when Mason got tired of hearing his own voice.
“Yes! The house fire! Someone get this woman a brand-new car,” Mason exclaimed in a mock game announcer’s voice, booming throughout the once-hopeful restaurant. His grin had gone from teasing to terrifying. “With our parents out of the picture we were afraid that we’d be separated in foster care. That wasn’t an option. We really had no other choice but to get creative. Plus, being in two places at once? So easy for us! Thus the great fire was executed with beautiful precision.”
He was gloating so hard that Lara thought he might ask for a treat or a scratch behind his ear.
“Joseph Penzey,” Lara said, already knowing the truth—that someone innocent had been killed to fit the needs of a set of imbalanced, violent children.
Mason laughed. “We befriended the loser runaway who trusted more than he should have questioned. Physically he was very similar to us. Mentally? He was a lost kid who wanted so desperately to escape just as we did. Two birds, one stone? Setting him up to burn was child’s play.” Mason’s grin transformed into a look of pure, evil mirth. It twisted Lara’s heart. She had no doubt it had been easy for the man in front of her to kill so young. “Andrew played his part brilliantly. Soon everyone was singing, ‘Poor Mason. Dead at seventeen.’ Little did they know that I was finally free.” He closed his eyes for a second, apparently reveling in what he liked to believe was a good memory.
“So you just left, then? Took off and went where?” Lara realized as she asked, she was more than just trying to get his story on a recording. She was genuinely curious. Mason Moretti was a special kind of madman—one who should be locked up and have his socializing withheld—but she couldn’t help but be utterly intrigued. It wasn’t everyday one secret cog in an infamous crime syndicate squealed its life story.
“I made my way to Europe and slowly built myself up,” he continued. Still very much happy with himself. “Living abroad under an alias, tasting all the riches that life has to offer... I was living the dream while my brother made his own way in the world. De
spite the ocean between us, an inseparable bond stayed, connecting the two of us. A bond that I cherish most in this world.”
His smile disappeared in an instant. Lara’s blood ran cold. Mason was done disclosing his past. His dark eyes ran up and down the length of her body.
“Then you took down my brother by screwing your way to the bust. It’s time to pay you back in kind.”
Okay, now it’s time to come in, Victoria, Lara thought.
Mason might have been brilliant, charming and quite the talker, but he seemed to be equally unhinged. He was volatile. All ingredients that, when mixed with revenge, made a deadly concoction. Mason turned his glare toward Cass, still standing in silent shock.
“Thanks for being so easy to manipulate, Cassandra,” he said. “It was fun playing you like a pretty, little puppet.” He swiveled his gaze back to Lara. Mason moved the gun back up with his arm. His finger moved toward the trigger.
“Wait,” Lara yelled, realizing she had one last way to slow him down. The command, however, was meant for everyone outside as much as it was for inside. Mason, thankfully, listened. “There’s still something I don’t understand.” He raised his eyebrow, finger paused next to the trigger.
“Yes?”
“The murders,” she said. “The little girl, Sean Dunst, Lara Bowman, Elizabeth Grant, Nadia Green, and kidnapping Victoria Russo’s daughter?” She hoped that last part stopped Victoria from bursting through the two doors, guns at the ready. She knew the mother wanted this answer most of all. “Was that all you, or is someone else fucking with us?” Even as she asked, Lara knew without a doubt the man in front of her had been behind each. Including the two men outside the Fluff-N-Fold. He was a planner.
“When you say it all out loud, it sounds quite impressive,” he said, a small smile returning. Lara hid the disgust she felt at how obviously proud he was of what he’d done. Ending the lives of the innocent without a second thought. “I wanted to make your first day fun, Lara. I arranged for Dunst to kidnap and sell that little girl, to mark her with the Moretti insignia and send you proof afterward. When Dunst went his own way, I brought him back in line, leaving him no other way out but to climb out on that hotel ledge. I even made him think that calling you was his idea. Joining a new task force was a big step for you. Your new team would see all of this and think your big coup at taking down the Moretti crime syndicate was nothing but a big joke.” He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I knew Dunst wouldn’t jump, but I couldn’t have him break under pressure at the FBI headquarters. He would have ruined the surprise. So I ordered the hit, just as I did with the rest. As for Russo’s daughter? Ha, that was just for fun. Ransoming her was just a way to throw you all off, make you really work for the bigger truth behind all of this.”
“What truth?” Lara asked, afraid.
“Andrew and I were just waiting for you to resurface so we could start our revenge on your psyche. And, oh how much fun that’s been.” Lara swallowed. Mason was finishing up his speech, his finale. “But, now Agent Grant, the fun is over.”
Cass’s body went rigid. Mason was about to tie up his loose ends. She had to realize that meant her, too. Her eyes flitted over to Lara. Despite everything Cass had done, Lara felt the instant need to protect her.
And to protect herself.
Lara tightened her grip around the Maglite flashlight in her hand just as Cass made a weird noise. It caught Mason’s attention.
Lara saw her chance and lunged forward, swinging for all she was worth. Mason moved but not fast enough. The Maglite hit his cheekbone hard, throwing him off balance. Lara dropped the flashlight, needing both hands free. Mason didn’t drop the gun, but his aim was off both women. Lara wanted to keep it that way. She sent her knee upwards towards his groin. This time her hit didn’t meet its target and, instead, only seemed to anger the man more. He started to turn his elbow, readying to shoot, when Lara made a grab at his wrist. If she couldn’t get the gun, then she’d try to make sure he at least couldn’t level it to shoot.
Mason was taller, had more muscle, and was undoubtedly clever. However, what Lara didn’t have in height or weight, she had in determination. She would not let Mason Moretti get the best of her. As his strength pushed through her hold, his arm lowering almost to her face, Lara reapplied both hands to his wrist and squeezed. Mason let out a growl and used his free hand to swing. She turned her body enough that the punch landed against her side. Adrenaline smoothed over the pain and helped her return a wild kick to his crotch.
This time it landed and Mason roared in pain. Lara put all of her strength into squeezing his wrist at the same time. The man finally lost his grip as he doubled over slightly. The gun fell from his hand and clattered to the ground. Afraid she wouldn’t be able to grab it in time, Lara kicked back with her heel and was satisfied when she heard it skid across the concrete.
“Get it,” she grunted to Cass who had been slowly moving from out of the corner and more toward the middle with them. The redhead didn’t waste time and began to hurry, as best she could with her limp, over near the front door. Her actions confirmed Lara’s suspicion that the tech guru hadn’t brought her own weapon. Which had been a smart move when they all thought their meeting was a private one.
Mason might have been hurt, but that didn’t mean he was down and out. Lara dropped his wrist just as another punch slammed into her cheek. The force made her stagger. She tried to return one in kind, but Mason ducked backwards, bending again to catch his breath. Apparently the kick hadn’t felt good at all.
Lara pivoted quickly and ran toward Cass. She was in the process of picking up the fallen gun when two things happened almost at once.
As Cass was less than a hair away from the gun’s grip, Lara heard a gun cock from behind her just as she reached Cass. Confused yet simultaneously understanding what was happening, she kept her momentum going. Instead of reaching for Mason’s discarded gun, Lara grabbed the other woman and pushed her to the side seconds before a shot rang out.
Of course he has two guns, Lara barely had time to think as she pivoted yet again. This time grabbing her own gun, unholstering it from beneath her jacket. Swinging it wide, while keeping Cass behind her, Lara shot in Mason’s direction. Indecision split within her as to whether or not she wanted the bullet to find its mark. True, Mason was an evil son of a bitch, and the world would be a better place without him. However, with him the Bureau stood a much better chance at answering all of their questions regarding the crimes both Moretti brothers had committed throughout the years
Lara still didn’t know if she was hoping he’d be alive or dead when her eyes readjusted on the man. Another shot barely missed Lara, splintering the wall behind them.
He was definitely still alive.
CHAPTER SIX
“The stairs,” Lara yelled to Cass. “Now!”
Another shot ricocheted off the wall next to them as they hurried to the stairs. The sound of glass breaking followed, but Lara didn’t have time to wonder if that was Mason or her team finally swarming. She had to deal with the facts in front of her.
She was being shot at.
She had no cover.
She was trying to protect the woman who had betrayed them.
Lara half pulled, half pushed Cass up the open stairs and nearly threw them both around the corner and up the last stretch. She paused a moment at the top to get her bearings.
The second floor was also open and, her best guess, would have most likely been turned into a bar. There were more rooms toward the back, but Lara focused on two doors to their left. Bathrooms.
Perfect.
Lara ushered the woman to one of the doors and gave a push. “Hide,” she whispered, hurried.
“But—”
Lara shook her head. “I don’t want to have to worry about you,” she interjected, handing her a gun. “Take this and don’t come out until I say so. Got it?”
Cass gave her a pained look; whether that was guilt, resentment, or actual pain from her leg,
Lara didn’t know. She also didn’t care. It was true Cass was an agent with the FBI and was subsequently trained, but right now Lara couldn’t trust her fully. Sure, she didn’t think Cass would try to cause her harm, but she needed someone to have her back. Everything the redhead had done so far had made Lara question that ability. The trust she wanted from her just wasn’t there when she really needed it. A realization that made her think of her partner. Acute fear seized her stomach, but she wouldn’t pay it any mind at the moment. Cass looked as if she wanted to object again, but Lara’s mind was already formally made up.
If Cass couldn’t have Lara’s back, then she’d have to hide behind it.
Cass finally seemed to see reason and started to retreat into the darker room.
The sounds downstairs intensified. Another shot was fired. Lara needed to help stop Mason. He said he’d texted his brother when he arrived. Andrew couldn’t get a text in jail, right? Mason had to be lying. But Lara couldn’t take the chance. Mason could not leave this building.
“Wait,” Lara said as a worry so powerful took hold of her. There was no time to waste, but she had to know the truth about one more thing. She raised her gun and aimed it just to the left of Cass’s head, though the fear in Cass’s eyes let her know the woman didn’t realize she wasn’t at point-blank. “You didn’t tell anyone else about the baby?”
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