Mason McKenzie, an undercover police detective, is so dedicated to his job and protecting
the citizens of Atlanta that he has practically abandoned his family. Unbeknownst to him,
his wife Cherise and younger brother, Vincent have ignited a passionate love affair.
Overcome with guilt, the pair ends the relationship even though they still possess an
undeniable attraction to one another.
Years later, as Mason is asked to participate on a huge drug case. He decides that one last
job won't hurt, and it might allow him to retire at the top of his game. Besides, Mason
realizes that if things get to tough and he has to be away for too long, he can always count
on his brother to step in and take care of his family while he's undercover. What Mason
doesn't realize is that putting Vincent and Cherise back together again could be as
dangerous as his assignment---and tear his family apart once and for all.
Brotherly Love
Mason drove to his office in downtown Atlanta, eager to find out the details of his new
assignment. He had finally gotten burnt out of undercover work and was tired of being away
from his family. That was why he was determined to make this his last assignment and do
something less risky.
As he sat behind the wheel of his car, he reminisced about the times when he went
undercover. In the past he had his brother, Vincent, by his side to help take care of his
family when he was unavailable. Like him, Vincent had moved up the ranks in law enforcement,
but he wanted to go much higher than Mason did. Mason was always appreciative that Vincent
never made him feel inferior once he climbed the ladder of success, and it was Vincent who
made sure Cherise and Mase were safe while he was away. He cut the grass and did other
things around the house when Mason was undercover. Mason missed his brother, who was now a
police chief in Texas. After his promotion, Vincent moved away and Cherise hadn't seen him
in nearly nine years. However, Mason did find time to visit Vincent when he could, which was
rare because of the job's demands.
Vincent's job was the kind that left him little time for himself. They sent e-mails to each
other, but those notes lacked the closeness they were accustomed to sharing. Mason still
wanted to go on the hunting trip they talked about but never got around to taking. Maybe
once this assignment was over, they would make time to come back together as a family. Mason
was jarred out of his trance when a car horn blew behind him. He vowed when this assignment
was over he was going to take Cherise and the kids to see the Grand Canyon and swing through
Texas to visit Vincent. He wanted to put his relationship with Vincent back to where it
needed to be, because the children needed to know their uncle. Mase was a lot younger when
Vincent moved away, and Janelle wasn't even born. Mason smiled because his mind was made up
about visiting Vincent. A good friend is something no one should be without, and he was
determined to have his friend and brother back by his side once again.
Mason finally arrived at work and parked his vehicle in the garage. He exited the car and
greeted several coworkers as they walked into the building together. Once in the office, he
set his belongings down on the desk and picked up his messages. The room was full of
activity. Some of the guys in his unit were on the telephone taking tips on suspected drug
and other illegal activities. Mason looked over and noticed that no one had made coffee. He
put his messages down and took off his jacket.
"I guess you guys expect me to make coffee every damn morning."
"No one makes it like you, Mason," a coworker nicknamed Tank because of his build, announced.
Mason picked up the coffeepots and frowned as he watched Tank stuff a doughnut in his mouth.
If you didn't get there when the pastries arrived, you took a chance on not getting any once
Tank got to them. Tank was a former NFL linebacker and had been in the unit for seven years.
He stood about six feet, six inches tall and weighed close to two hundred-eighty pounds. His
size gave a lot of criminals the perception that he wouldn't be able to catch them. They
learned real quick that Tank was fast on his feet.
"I'm going to collect money from you guys so we can get a couple of those coffeemakers that
you can set on a timer, because I'm not the goddamn maid around here."
"Why are you in such a bad mood this morning?" Rat, nicknamed for his love of cheese, asked
as he leaned back in his chair.
"I'm cool, but you guys are trifling when it comes to pitching in around here," Mason
mumbled as he filled the coffeepots with water.
Rat walked over to Mason so they could talk in private.
"Is everything okay? I mean, we haven't even started the case and you're already grouchy."
Mason poured the water into the reservoir of the coffeemakers and opened two bags of coffee.
He looked over at Rat and sighed. "Nah, man, everything's straight."
Rat picked up a doughnut and bit into it as he watched Mason pour the coffee into the
filters. "I hope so, because from what I've heard, this assignment is going to be a mother,"
Rat commented.
Mason pushed the button and watched as the hot coffee streamed down into the coffee pots. He
folded his arms and directed his attention to Rat. "How so?"
"I heard we're going after some heavyweights this time, but that's all I know," Rat said as
he picked up another doughnut.
Mason looked across the room and watched as his unit prepared for their upcoming meeting.
Some were on the computer pulling up criminal profiles, while others were mapping out the
perpetrators' territory. Seconds later, his commanding officer, nicknamed Domino, called him
and the other members of his unit into the conference room so they could go over the details
of their assignment. Mason had been a part of the Anti-Crime Unit Task Force for several
years, and he enjoyed bringing down the bad guys. He knew in his heart this assignment would
be no different, and he was ready to get it over with so he could concentrate on his family.
Cherise walked through the house to make sure everything was locked up before her cab
arrived. She glanced at Janelle's calendar on the refrigerator to see when her next social
event was scheduled. Eight-year-old Janelle was a serious social butterfly. Cherise had to
keep a separate calendar for all the birthday parties, baseball games, slumber parties, etc.
that she was involved in. Somewhat of a tomboy, Janelle was always challenging her brother
to wrestling matches and other physical activities. And though she had her mother's looks
and personality, she also loved wearing her thick, wavy brown hair in a ponytail, mostly
because it fit perfectly under her baseball cap that she wore daily. She was a daddy's girl
and sought every opportunity to talk to him about improving her baseball skills. She was
already on the All-Star team and recently started talking to Mason about playing basketball.
Cherise wanted her to do more girlie things, but she didn't try to hold her daughter back
from doing what she really enjoyed, which was sports.
Cherise smiled when she saw Mase's picture on the refrigerator. Mason Jr., an aspiring
basketball player, was turning fourteen next month. He was already nearly as tall as his
dad, standing around six feet, one inch. Everyone called him Mase, and he was quiet and very
protective of the women in the family. He looked like his father with the exception of his
thick eyelashes, which he had inherited from Cherise. Mase had already filled out in all the
right places, especially since he had started lifting weights. His physique gave him the
appearance of a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old, which was beginning to attract older girls.
Cherise was having a hard time keeping the older girls at arm's length from her young son.
She knew that sooner or later she would lose the battle. She'd already gotten Mason to talk
to their son about girls and sex because they weren't ready to risk becoming grandparents.
Mason happily took him on a relaxing fishing trip to break it down to him. Most of what
Mason told him, Mase already knew; however, this gave Mase the opportunity to ask his father
questions he knew he wouldn't get a straight answer on from his friends.
Reminiscing about her family made Cherise lose track of time briefly. She took one last sip
of her coffee before rinsing her cup out in the sink. As she did so, she couldn't help but
worry about Mason and the dangerous job he had. She was trying not to let it get the best of
her, but she could feel her stomach quiver. When she first met Mason, she wasn't sure what
she was getting herself into by dating a police officer. It didn't take long for her to find
out, but by then, she was madly in love with him. Standing at the sink, looking out over
their backyard, Cherise remembered it like it was yesterday.
She was coming out of a boutique when Mason ran right into her, knocking her down on the
sidewalk. He and another man were chasing someone who had just committed a crime. When Mason
realized he had hurt someone, he immediately stopped but told the other man to keep going
after the suspect while he attended to her. After helping her up from the sidewalk, he
noticed blood running down the side of her head, staining her pink silk blouse; she had deep
scrapes on her arms and legs. He quickly took out his handkerchief and applied it to her
head wound.
"I'm so sorry. Are you okay?"
"I'm not sure," she answered, clearly dazed.
He spotted a bench in front of the store she had just exited and helped her over to it.
People were starting to stare as they walked by, and the manager of the store rushed out to
assist him. "Do I need to call the paramedics?" she asked.
Mason removed his handkerchief to inspect her wound and frowned. "No, ma'am, I don't think
she needs the paramedics, but if you have a first-aid kit, that would help."
The young woman thought for a minute. "I think we do. I'll be right back," she said.
Within moments she returned and assisted Mason with the gauze and tape. Cherise was getting
embarrassed with all of the attention. Onlookers continued to hang around to watch what was
going on. Mason picked up on the fact that she was uncomfortable and he turned to the crowd
and flashed his badge.
