“I’m not afraid of him,” Grady said, winking at Peter for good measure. “He loves me. He wants to adopt me.”
“That’s going to make this relationship very uncomfortable,” Sophie deadpanned.
“I’m glad everyone is in high spirits,” Peter said. “We’ve been sorely lacking in things to celebrate lately, and now that most of the hard times are behind us, we can look forward to the future. That being said, we still have things we need to focus on today. With that in mind, where are Mandy and James?”
Grady pointed toward the living room couch, which was visible through the open door of the arboretum, where Mandy and James snuggled. No one could hear what they were talking about, but Mandy giggled as James placed a series of exaggerated “fish lip” kisses on her neck.
“They’re about to go horizontal,” Grady said. “Yell at them and get their horny asses in here.”
“Leave them be,” Peter instructed. “This is the lightest I’ve seen Mandy in ages. They’re cute.”
“You’re not going to think they’re so cute if they do it on your couch,” Grady said.
“I can buy a new couch,” Peter countered. “They’re fine.”
“I’m hungry,” Grady argued. “I know you’re not going to let us eat until everyone is seated, so we need to get them in here.”
“I am not interrupting them,” Peter said, grinning when he heard Mandy squeal. “How can you even think about bothering them?”
“You act like this is a new thing,” Grady said. “They do this all the time. It’s sickening.”
“I think you’re just jealous,” Ally countered, sitting between Peter and Jake and flashing Peter a charming grin. “Sophie doesn’t squeal for you like Mandy does for James.”
“Hey!” Grady extended a warning finger in his sister’s direction. Out of all the Hardy sibling configurations, Grady and Ally were the loudest. “I’m the sexiest Hardy in the land. Don’t kid yourself.”
“Whatever,” Ally said, rolling her eyes. “I hate to side with Grady, but I’m hungry, too.”
Peter released an exaggerated sigh and glanced into the living room. James had Mandy on his lap and was either teasing her or relating some story she loved because the adoration on her face was evident. “I cannot interrupt them. It goes against the very fiber of my being.”
“You’re lucky I don’t have that problem,” Grady said. “Hey, if you two are done humping each other in there, it’s time for lunch.”
Mandy shifted her eyes and clapped a hand over her mouth as James shot Grady a dark look. James helped his wife up from the couch and held her hand as they trudged into the arboretum.
“I’m so sorry,” Mandy said, her cheeks burning red. “I … I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine,” Peter said, patting her hand. “Grady is the one whining.”
“I’m not whining,” Grady argued, smirking when James sat directly across from him. “You look ticked off.”
“Oh, you have no idea how ticked off I am,” James said. “You will when I kill you and Peter helps me dump your body, though.”
“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Grady said. “You’re the only guy I know who would threaten to murder someone while his wife is a suspect in another murder. Good job.” Grady sent James an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
“Who says ‘hump’ anymore anyway?” Ally asked, making a face. “The eighties called and they want their word – and haircut – back.”
“This haircut is a classic,” Grady argued. “And a lot of people use that word.”
“Name one who wasn’t a bad eighties actor.”
“I hate you sometimes, Ally,” Grady said, smiling as the maid set a plate in front of him. “Oh, wow. This looks great. Eggs, corned beef hash, toast, bacon and sausage. I’ve died and gone to culinary heaven.”
“How are you feeling?” Ally asked Mandy, her brown eyes searching Mandy’s blue. “We haven’t had a chance to talk in weeks. I feel guilty I haven’t been around.”
“You shouldn’t feel guilty,” Mandy said. “I’m fine. I’m … better.”
“I still should’ve spent some time with you,” Ally said. “Other than messing with Madeline the day she died – that was some really rotten timing, by the way – we’ve barely seen each other since … .” Ally left the end of the statement hanging in the ether.
“Since I killed Lance Pritchard,” Mandy finished. “You can say it. I’m well aware that I killed him.”
“Baby … .” James had no idea what to say so he watched Mandy knot her napkin on her lap.
“Why did you have to bring that up?” Sophie asked Ally. “They were so happy and you totally ruined it.”
“We’re still happy,” James said. “She is a downer, though.”
Ally scowled. “I want Mandy to put killing Pritchard behind her so she’ll hold Avery,” she said. “She’s breaking Emma’s heart.”
“You know what? Emma is an adult and no one is breaking Emma’s heart but Emma,” James said. “When Mandy wants to hold that baby, she’ll hold him. Until then, both of you need to back off.”
“But … he’s so cute,” Ally said. “I just want to hold him all day.”
“We’ve noticed,” Grady said dryly. “Finn thinks you’re trying to edge him out of his own baby’s life. You might want to give it a rest.”
“I’m helping,” Ally snapped.
“Then set up regular babysitting times and stop dropping in on them,” Grady countered. “That’s annoying, especially when you have an exhausted mother trying to set a schedule for a newborn.”
James knit his eyebrows together. “How do you know that?”
“I saw it on The View,” Grady replied. “I’m serious, Ally. Instead of obsessing over why Mandy won’t hold Avery, why don’t you focus on yourself and stop bugging Finn and Emma every single day. People dropping in without calling is beyond annoying.”
“You can say that again,” James said. “For example, a couple of days ago I was spending some alone time with my wife and Grady let another woman barge into the guesthouse and she saw us naked.”
“I told you why I did that,” Grady said. “She wouldn’t stop calling and you two horndogs left your cell phones in the main house.”
“When you said they were feisty, you weren’t kidding,” Givens said, grinning as he dug into his omelet. “How do you guys get any work done when you’re fighting like this?”
“Very, very carefully,” Jake replied, causing everyone to laugh.
“When is Mandy going to be in the clear?” Ally asked. “You got a win today, but does that mean they’ll leave her alone?”
Givens shrugged. “I don’t believe Sheriff Morgan suspects Mandy of being a murderer,” he said. “I also don’t believe he has any other suspects thanks to Detective Mason’s shoddy police work.”
“What’s going to happen to him?” Jake asked. “Will he be charged?”
“Not likely,” Givens said. “Morgan will not want to draw attention to what his subordinate was attempting to do. That’s also the reason that I don’t think we’ll be hearing anything from the sheriff’s department again.
“Mason’s ties to Keats are hardly tenuous,” he continued. “The financial trail is clear for anyone looking for it. I’m surprised Mason wasn’t smarter about his dalliance.”
“There have been rumors for years that Keats had inside men in the sheriff’s department,” Peter supplied.
“Like you do?” Mandy asked.
“Baby,” James warned, shaking his head.
“It was an innocent question,” Peter chided. “No, not like I do. I have information sources in the department. One of those sources provided us with Mason’s personnel file, which was useful.
“Keats had people actually conducting business for him while wearing uniforms,” he continued. “Mason was one of those people, and Keats’ attorney was the one making payments to Mason.”
“Russ Thorpe?” Mandy asked.
Peter nodded.
> “I don’t like him,” Mandy said. “He’s the one who told Judge MacIntosh that James and I had sex in my office during lunch hour.”
Grady and Jake snorted in unison.
“Baby, come to find out everyone already knew that,” James said, squeezing her hand. “I’m still really sorry about all of that. I’m not sorry about the sex, mind you, but I am sorry everyone found out. Maybe we should get one of those really loud fans that drowns out noise for next time.”
Givens chuckled appreciatively. “I see your reputation wasn’t exaggerated.”
“There’s no exaggeration required where those two are concerned,” Peter said. “Thorpe has been on Keats’ payroll for years. He’s gives off an air of being superior and above everything, but he’s just as much of a bottom dweller as Keats.”
Mandy pushed her eggs around on her plate as she considered Peter’s statement.
“Mandy, you need to eat,” James said. “I know we’re not officially clear on this, but you’re too thin. If I can see your ribs, you need to put on some weight.”
“He needs something to hold on to when you’re playing shark,” Grady teased.
“I need my wife to be healthy,” James clarified.
“I’m not being fussy about the food,” Mandy said. “I’m just thinking.”
“About what?” Ally asked. “I want to see that shark projector James installed for you, by the way. We’re going to have to do it alone, though. I’ll be traumatized if you jump him in my presence and he told Jake that all he has to do is flip the switch and you jump him.”
“Really?” Mandy said, making a face.
“It’s true, baby,” James said, his expression solemn. “You’re a sex goddess. That’s why we fit so well together.”
“Oh, I can’t be angry when you’re so cute,” Mandy said, pinching his cheek.
“Ugh. I’m going to puke,” Grady muttered.
“What were you thinking about?” Peter prodded. “I’m perfectly happy hearing how cute you and James think the other is, but you seemed serious there for a moment.”
“Oh, yeah,” Mandy said, returning to the task at hand. “Thorpe approached me the day after he announced to the world that James was a sex god. He seemed proud of himself, even though he apologized. I was annoyed at the time, but thinking back on it I can’t help but wonder if he was feeling me out.”
“To what end?”
“Maybe he wanted me off the case,” Mandy suggested. “I have no idea who has been filling in for me in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom, but maybe Thorpe wanted to put someone in my seat who could either help him or give him an option for declaring a mistrial at a later date.”
“That is a very astute observation, young lady,” Givens said, his mind clearly busy. “I like this. It explains a lot.”
“My little genius,” James said, kissing Mandy’s cheek.
“Oh, good grief,” Grady said, rolling his eyes. “Hey, little genius, eat your breakfast like James told you to do. I agree that you’re too thin.”
“We need to call the judge,” Ally intoned. “He should know what’s going on.”
“I’ll handle that,” James said. “We need to run a more thorough background check on this Thorpe guy, too.”
“I’ll handle that,” Peter said. “For now, Mandy is reasonably safe. Morgan is going to have his hands full with Mason. While Madeline Stokes’ death is unfortunate, she made a lot of enemies. Between her enemies and our enemies, Mandy could never be convicted.”
“I don’t want her arrested,” James said. “I don’t want her spending one second in a cell. If that becomes a possibility … .”
“Stop right there,” Peter chided. “You’re not going to confess. If I have to fit you with shackles and lock you in a safe house myself, you’re not doing it.”
“I had no idea he was considering it,” Mandy said.
“That’s because you’ve been distracted,” Peter supplied. “Had you been on top of your game, you would’ve seen what he was planning. He didn’t tell you because he was afraid you would sneak off in the middle of the night and confess to protect him.
“The biggest problem you two have is that you’re both willing to throw yourself on your respective swords to save the other,” he continued. “Until this matter is resolved, swords have ceased to exist. I don’t want either of you doing something incredibly stupid … and that includes running.”
Ally stilled, surprise washing over her angular features. “Running?”
Mandy dropped her eyes to the table while James shifted in his chair.
“I won’t let anyone take Mandy from me, Ally,” James said. “We’ve figured out a way to get out of the country should it become necessary.”
“But … what about me?”
James pinched the bridge of his nose as Grady chuckled.
“It all comes back to Ally,” Grady said. “We were going to join them later, Ally. James and Mandy would’ve run first and we would’ve cleaned up the mess here and then followed.”
“How come nobody told me?”
“Because you’ve been obsessed with Avery and you have a huge mouth,” Grady answered.
Ally turned her accusatory eyes on Jake. “Did you know about this?”
“Angel, I helped plan it,” Jake said, refusing to lie. “If it would’ve come down to that, we would’ve only had a small window. We were ready to move. The good news is that it doesn’t look like it’s going to come to it.”
“You were going to leave without saying goodbye to me?” Ally screeched, turning on Mandy. “How could you?”
“Don’t blame her,” James snapped. “She didn’t want to run. I told her how things were going to be. Believe it or not, this isn’t about you, Ally. This is about my wife and me.”
“Well, it’s obvious I haven’t spent enough time with Mandy if she’s keeping huge secrets like this from me,” Ally said. “I think we need to spend a lot of time together over the next week to make up for it.”
Mandy groaned.
“For the next week, Mandy is spending all of her time with me,” James countered. “She’s feeling better, she needs to eat, and we have a new shark projector that turns her on like you wouldn’t believe. We have no time for you to cluck, hen.”
“That did it,” Ally said, tossing her napkin on the table. “I’m going to rip your hair out.”
Peter grabbed Ally’s arm to still her. “The Hardy shenanigans can wait until this is over with,” he said. “You’re angry. You might want to ask yourself what you’re truly angry about. You’re usually very observant, missy. How come you missed the signs on this one? They were obvious.”
“But … .” Ally pressed her lips together. “Fine. I’m not angry. Well, I am angry. I’m not going to do anything about it, though.”
“That’s good,” Peter said. “We’re not out of the woods yet … although they’ve thinned considerably. Mandy, you are to eat your breakfast before we all force it down your throat. Then you’re to let your husband take you home and do … whatever weird things you do involving sharks.
“The rest of us will suss out Mr. Thorpe’s part in all of this,” he continued. “I also want to find out what is going on with Detective Mason. Other than that, we seem to be in a good position. I would like to keep it that way.”
“Someone needs to explain the sharks to me,” Givens said. “I’m fascinated.”
“No, you’re not,” Grady said. “You’ll have nightmares if I tell you. I’ve seen what happens when the girl fills her head with sharks. It’s … freaky.”
“You’re not freaky, baby,” James said, kissing her cheek. “You’re perfect.”
“And I’m ready to throw up again,” Grady grumbled.
22
Twenty-Two
“You didn’t have to take me shopping and to dinner,” Mandy said as James pulled into their driveway just as darkness began to descend. “I would’ve been perfectly happy getting naked in the Orca and watching sharks all n
ight.”
James chuckled as he killed the engine to his Explorer and turned to study his wife. “I love you, baby.”
Mandy’s face was earnest. “I love you, too.”
“We’re going to have to put a time limit on how long you can spend with the projector in the Orca, though,” James said. “I’m really worried you’re going to live there if I’m not careful.”
“I don’t want to live there,” Mandy scoffed. “We need a bed on the main floor if we’re going to do that.”
“I was actually considering getting one of those funky hammocks for that open corner once you finish your mural,” James said. “I’ve never had sex in a hammock. I’m betting it’s going to be difficult, but if anyone is up to the challenge, I think it’s us.”
Mandy grinned. “That sounds fun. I still want to watch the sharks tonight.”
“You can watch the sharks as long as you want tonight,” James said. “I’m looking forward to you watching the sharks. Why do you think I bought that eight-pack of Gatorade? I’m going to need to keep my electrolytes in balance since you’re going to be jumping me every chance you get.”
“Ha, ha.” Mandy’s face sobered. “Can I ask you something?”
“No.”
“Come on,” Mandy prodded.
“Mandy, I can’t deal with one of your deep questions right now,” James said. “Do you want to know something? I have an answer ready. If I could go back in time and change things I totally would. I would embrace my inner pervert and run off with fourteen-year-old you. To hell with what’s right and decent.”
Mandy pressed her lips together to keep from laughing.
“Is that what you wanted to hear?” James prodded.
“Actually, no,” Mandy said, giggling. “I was going to ask if you thought Detective Mason would be a threat if he loses his job. Now that you’ve given me that other answer, though, I’m going to hold it over your head forever.”
“Oh,” James said, rubbing his neck. “I don’t know, baby. That’s a pretty good question, especially given your history with crazy people. I’ll make sure the security system is set once we’re inside. We put a new one out in the guesthouse, too, and you need to know how to work it.”
Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17) Page 17
