Last Dance (COBRA Securities Book 14)

by Velvet Vaughn

  “Did you always hate me so much, Colin?” Cassidy asked in a small voice.

  Colin heaved a sigh. “Not at first. I loved you when we were partners. We had a great thing going. Yes, I was pissed that you got picked for SUYCD and I didn’t, but I tried to be the bigger person and for a second, I might have even been happy for you. But then you won. That should’ve been me. And they offered you a spot on DWTC, not me. Don’t you see—you stole my career!”

  He was clearly unhinged. “The falling light, the snake, the letter filled with powder, the car bomb, those were you, too.”

  “Yep. And the notes.”

  “How did you know I’d be in Indiana to try to run me over?” Cassidy’s voice waivered and again, Mason vowed to make Colin pay.

  He laughed and slapped a hand to his thigh. “I didn’t. That one wasn’t me. Probably someone else who wants you dead.”

  “What about the shooting?” Mason asked. “Did you plan that, too?”

  “Sure did. I hired a homeless vet—a former sniper—to do the deed.”

  “He was shooting at you, too. You could’ve been killed.”

  “His orders were to not hit anyone. Just to scare. Genius, right? I had him check in the hotel as Barry Nelson. And hey, I gave him a comfy place to sleep for the night. ‘Course, I had to kill him the next day and dump his body in a park. I couldn’t trust him to keep his trap shut. He’d shoot his mother for a bottle of hooch.”

  Cassidy gasped. Mason’s jaw clenched. He’d killed before, too many times in the name of country. It was never easy, and each death haunted him to this day. Colin made it sound like a walk in the park. “In this grand plan of yours, you killed Barry Nelson and framed him to make the police think the culprit was dead?”

  Colin snickered. “Worked, too. And it was a total ad lib! I had no idea who the man was until that ugly bitch from next door mentioned him. I knew he’d be the perfect fall guy, so I got to him first. The bastard was too easy to lure. I told him I was Cassidy’s best friend and that she told me she wanted to date him, that it’d been a mistake to spurn his advances. Asshat ate it up with a spoon. Told me all about his hatred for Marcus and Russell Ingram. Then I drugged him and locked him away until I needed him.”

  “You’re sick,” Cassidy whispered, her tone laced with disgust. “You act as if killing a person is no big deal. I don’t know you at all, Colin. The boy I grew up with would never hurt anyone.”

  “That boy is long gone,” he yelled. “You killed him. I had to watch you take over my career. Those deaths are on your hands. Enough talking! It’s time for you both to die.” He lifted the gun.

  #

  Mason waited for the perfect moment to spring into action. He wanted Colin to acknowledge all his wrongdoings before he took him down. Colin had made a crucial mistake not confiscating their cell phones. Mason had managed to hit a button and tape his confession.

  The man was sick. Twisted. He blamed Cassidy for all that was wrong in his life. He just hoped Cassidy didn’t take his words to heart. She’d worked hard to achieve success. Colin was delusional, blaming her for his shortcomings.

  They were standing on the edge of a cliff with the ocean churning mightily below. Colin was maybe fifteen feet away. The man was done talking. He lifted his gun.

  “I love you, Mason.”

  He glanced at Cassidy and smiled. “Hold that thought, babe.”

  With a quick jerk, he broke the zip ties and dove at Colin. Colin yelped in surprise and pulled the trigger. A loud boom sounded, followed by a searing pain that shot through his left arm. He ignored it to tackle a wide-eyed Colin to the hard ground. He took satisfaction in the tortured groan. “Now you’re going to pay,” he whispered evilly.

  “Mason!”

  Mason jerked his head around and watched in horror as Cassidy stumbled, her feet losing purchase until she tumbled off the edge of the cliff.

  Chapter 30

  Cassidy couldn’t believe her long-time friend, her former partner, was behind the attacks all along. At one time, she’d been closer to Colin than anyone. He wasn’t the kind of person to murder people in cold blood. At least she thought she’d known him. How could she have been so fooled? His hatred for her was tangible. The things he’d done to get back at her were unconscionable.

  Her heart hurt. Even though they’d grown apart the last few years, she still counted him as one of her closest friends. They’d known each other since they were young. Mason thought that Colin was in love with her, but apparently there was a fine line between love and hate, and he’d definitely crossed over to the dark side. His betrayal would leave a wound that she didn’t think could ever be repaired.

  When she’d regained consciousness in the car, waiting for him to return, she’d prayed that he’d only take her and leave everyone else out. Mason would worry, and he’d look for her, but she didn’t want him anywhere near Colin’s evil. Then the door had opened and she heard what sounded like a pipe hitting a brick wall and a pain-filled grunt before the car bounced with added weight. Though she couldn’t see from under the blanket, she knew Mason was in the car with her. She felt his strong presence and she worried about what Colin had done to him. Was he dead? She might eventually get over Colin’s betrayal, but she would never get over the loss of Mason. He was her everything. He was the light in her life, the wind beneath her wings. Her soulmate.

  She’d been so overjoyed when he’d spoken softly to her that tears flooded her eyes. He was alive. He would get them out of this and they would go on to lead a long, happy life together. At least she hoped he felt the way she did. She wanted marriage, kids, a dog, the whole nine yards. She knew he was gun-shy from having been married before, but she wouldn’t give up on him. There would never be anyone else for her.

  Now, as they stood at the edge of the cliff with Colin holding a gun on them, she didn’t see any way out of this. Colin would kill them both without an ounce of remorse. Would he ever be caught? No one suspected him. He’d play the part of grieving friend and then go on his merry way, knowing he’d killed the person he thought was responsible for all his woes.

  When he lifted the hand holding the gun, she knew time had run out. “I love you, Mason.”

  “Hold that thought, babe,” he replied with a wink.

  The next thing she knew, he’d broken free of the plastic tie around his wrists and tackled Colin to the ground. Colin had managed to pull the trigger and blood had exploded from Mason’s arm. She didn’t have time to react as the bullet passed through him and grazed her, knocking her off balance.

  “Mason!”

  She stumbled, trying to regain her balance but it was no use. Her feet lost purchase. Then she was falling off the cliff.

  A small ledge protruded from the side and she frantically reached for it. The tie binding her hands caught and a searing pain shot through her arm when she was jerked to an abrupt stop. Her knees crashed into the side of the rocks.

  Her shoulder was on fire and she didn’t know how long the band would hold her weight. She was afraid to move, not wanting any friction to saw through the plastic.

  “Cassidy!” Mason’s beautiful head appeared. Relief tore a sob from her throat. “Hold on, babe, I’ve got you.”

  “My shoulder,” she gasped when he reached down to grab hold of her wrists. She cried out in agony.

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry. This is going to hurt, but I need to pull you to safety.”

  She gritted her teeth and nodded. Mason clamped his palms around her forearms just as the zip tie loosened and then snapped. He lifted her to safety, chanting, “I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.”

  When her head crested the cliff, she spotted a dazed Colin sitting up and pointing a gun at them. “Mason, look out!”

  A loud shot rang out.

  #

  Mason lost ten—no twenty—years off his life when he saw Cassidy tumble out of sight. He crashed a fist into Colin’s temple, knocking him out, before springing off him and diving for the edge of the cli
ff. His damaged arm screamed in protest, but he ignored it. He was afraid to look over the side. It would gut him to see Cassidy’s broken, battered body lying on the rocky shore. Instead, he glanced into wide blue eyes, rounded in pain, blinking up at him. She’d managed to grab on to a ledge.

  At her cry of pain, he knew her shoulder was probably dislocated, and he hated like hell to hurt her more, but he needed to get her to safety. He fought through tears, knowing he was hurting her, and kept apologizing as he lifted her up. He was just so thankful that she was alive.

  She didn’t make a sound as he hauled her up, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Her toughness was just one in a long line of reasons he’d fallen head over heels in love with her. As soon as he had her on solid ground she yelled, “Mason, look out!”

  He spun around to see Colin, though dazed, had regained consciousness. He must’ve concealed another gun on him because Mason had tossed the other one away before he ran to Cassidy. He hadn’t had time to check for backup weapons.

  He thrust Cassidy behind him and when shots rang out, he flinched, waiting for the searing pain. He prayed the bullets didn’t pass through him and hit her, but the pain didn’t come. Instead, Colin tumbled backwards and crashed to the ground.

  Sawyer and Kellan rushed forward, approaching from each side. He wasn’t sure which of his coworkers nailed Colin in the head, and he didn’t care. The man was dead. He couldn’t hurt Cassidy any longer.

  He spun around to her, her eyes wide in horror.

  “How did they know where to find us?”

  “I have a panic button on my watch. I managed to push it when I woke up in the car. They were able to pinpoint our location through GPS.”

  She was cradling her arm and he could tell it was definitely dislocated. He wanted to wrap her into his arms, but he needed to take care of the injury first. He’d performed the maneuver dozens of times in the military, but those were big, strong men. Cassidy was delicate and fragile and he’d give his life to never hurt her.

  “Cass, honey, I need to pop your arm back in the socket so you aren’t in so much pain.”

  She nodded, clearly in shock. “Okay.”

  He brushed a kiss on her lips because he needed to taste her as much as he needed his next breath. Then he positioned his hands on her and with one quick move, snapped the arm in place.

  She gasped but didn’t cry. As soon as the ball joint was back in the socket, he did what he’d wanted to do since he realized she was lying in the floor of Colin’s car: He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight.

  “Mason, your arm. You’ve been shot. You need to go to the hospital.”

  “Shh. It’s fine, babe. The only thing I need—I’ll ever need—is you.”

  Chapter 31

  Cassidy watched the scene in front of her feeling as if she was detached from her body. Cops in uniforms and others in plain clothes had descended like a swarm of bees. A young woman wearing a jacket with the letters CSI on the back snapped photos of Colin’s lifeless body sprawled on the ground. She turned away. She wanted to be sad that he was dead, and once the numbness wore off, she would be, but right now, the only thing she felt was relief.

  A paramedic applied butterfly bandages to the furrow on her arm from the bullet. Her other arm was secured in a brace to stabilize the shoulder. They’d disinfected the cuts and scrapes on her legs and knees. She’d need to go to the hospital to make sure there was no serious damage, but she was waiting for Mason to accompany her.

  A car pulled up and Harlow jumped out, still wearing a sequined blue number trimmed in white faux fur that was designed for her last dance, a waltz. She made a beeline for Sawyer and threw herself in his arms. After a kiss that made Cassidy want to avert her eyes, she broke away and scanned the area. When she spotted her sitting on the step of an ambulance, she rushed over.

  “Oh my God, Cassidy, are you okay?” Harlow’s hands reached out but didn’t touch. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “I want to hug you, but I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “I’m okay,” she told the other woman and then thanked the paramedic when he finished with her arm. Her sparkly gold dress was ruined, but she was alive and that was all that mattered.

  “All this time, it was Colin? I can’t believe it.”

  Cassidy glanced at his corpse again. Crews were zipping up a black body bag. “I can’t either.” She would have nightmares for years remembering her oldest friend holding a gun on her. She faced Harlow again. “What happened with the show?”

  “Russell freaked when no one could find you. They switched the order and Emma and Jonny took your place. Poor Trey was beside himself with worry for you. Then Sawyer got the alert that Mason needed help and he told Russell that something had happened to you. They aired the dress rehearsal footage instead.”

  “I should call Trey, let him know I’m okay.” Her heart ached when she realized she wouldn’t be able to dance in the finale tomorrow. They’d practiced their freestyle routine and it was one of her all-time favorites. But it featured flips and leaps and things she wouldn’t be able to do with her damaged arm.

  “I told him I’d keep him posted. He begged to come with me, but I wouldn’t let him. He didn’t need to see this.” She swept a hand over the area. Colin’s body was being loaded on a stretcher.

  “You don’t need to see this, either.”

  “I’ve seen much worse,” she murmured, and Cassidy remembered reading the story of Harlow’s nightmare in Coslos.

  Harlow grasped her face in her hands and looked into her eyes. “Are you really okay?”

  Tears blurred Cassidy’s vision. She was so thankful to be alive and so overwhelmingly happy that Mason was okay, even though he was walking away with an extra hole in his body. But the sadness of losing one of her closest friends was her undoing. Still, she kept a brave face, nodding at her friend. Harlow gently wrapped her arms around her, careful of her various injuries.

  “Hey, that’s my job,” a deep voice rumbled.

  “You’ll get your turn,” Harlow told Mason. She released Cassidy and then turned and threw her arms around him. He grunted but hugged her back with his good arm. “Thank God you’re both okay.”

  #

  After a night spent getting patched up in the Emergency Room and then being grilled by detectives, Cassidy had crashed as soon as they returned home. She only managed a few rough hours of sleep, her painful shoulder not letting her rest. She finally gave in and took the painkillers the doctor prescribed.

  She’d spoken with Trey and he was more concerned for her well-being than at any shot he might have had at the Golden Shoes. Russell had given him the option of dancing with another partner for the final night, but he’d refused. There was no way they could win without the points that would be added to their scores, so he’d basically relinquished his shot at the title.

  It’d been painful to get dressed for the finale, have her hair styled and makeup applied, knowing she couldn’t dance. But she was a professional and she would walk out on the stage and pretend like everything was fine.

  As she stepped out of the makeup trailer, she almost ran into Irina. She braced herself, waiting for the cutting remarks. Instead, the other woman surprised her by hugging her awkwardly.

  “I am sorry for what happened to you, Cassidy. We may not be friends, but no one deserves to go through such an ordeal.”

  She was stunned speechless. “Thank you, Irina.”

  The other woman nodded and then ascended the steps to the trailer.

  Mason was waiting for her, having refused to let her out of his sight for any length of time, even though Colin was dead. She was okay with that.

  He narrowed his eyes at Irina’s retreating form. “What did she say to you this time?”

  “That she was sorry for what happened and that I didn’t deserve it.”

  Mason’s brows lifted. “Huh.” Then he pulled her into his arms, careful of her damaged shoulder and kissed her senseless.

  “You�
��re ruining the lipstick that Rose just applied,” she said between kisses.

  He grunted and then before she realized what was happening, he swept her into his arms.

  “Mason, put me down. It’s my shoulder, not my legs. And you were shot. Remember that extra hole you’re sporting?”

  “Don’t care,” he rumbled. “Just need you in my arms.”

  Her heart flipped in her chest and she burrowed closer to him. He smelled divine, a mixture of woodsy aftershave and all male, a scent that she would recognize anywhere.

  “I’m going to throw my arm out of the socket so I can be carried by a big, strong Adonis,” Crystal Brady joked, shaking her head as they passed by. Cassidy just smiled at the other dancer.

  Mason carefully placed her on her feet before they approached the area where all the competitors were gathering for last-minute instructions. All the eliminated couples were back, and they would each dance one last time before the three final couples performed their freestyle routine.

  Trey skipped over and nudged a surprised Mason out of the way to wrap his arm around her good side. “You get her the rest of the time. Tonight, she’s mine.”

  Mason raised a brow at the shorter, younger man but conceded with a smile and nod.

  Russell went over final instructions, making sure everyone was on board. Besides the dancing, there were two musical acts, including the man who’d won the latest star search show.

  “We’ve kept this a secret,” Russell announced, “but the other performer tonight is Layla Brooks Colton.”

  Excitement buzzed through the group as she turned to eye Mason. Over the weeks spent with him, she’d learned all about his coworkers and the astonishing—and romantic—stories of how they’d met their spouses. Layla was married to one of his bosses. “Did you know?” He gave a shrug that said he did.

  The audience filed in and an electric excitement filled the arena. It’d be a good show tonight. The theme music started, and the couples were introduced one last time. She took the arm Trey presented and they walked onto the stage to deafening cheers. Harlow and Glen were last and when they appeared, Harlow promptly burst into tears. She almost ran to her friend until she realized they were tears of happiness.