Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3)

by Hart, Lily Harper

“You don’t know all of it,” he argued. “You can’t know all of it.”

  “I know what came out in court,” Emma clarified. “I also know what didn’t come out in court. There was some stuff … there was some stuff that only made it into the police reports.”

  Andrew watched her expectantly. “And what are the things that you think you know?”

  “I know about the piano wire,” Emma said. “I know that he … tied you to the bench.”

  “That was public record,” Andrew shot back. “Everyone got to know about that.”

  “I know about the basement, too,” Emma said.

  Andrew stiffened. “You know about the basement?”

  “I know about the basement,” Emma said. “I know that he tied you up down there with your hands above your head, and your feet about three inches off the ground. I know that he let you hang there for so long you thought your arms were going to fall off. I know he stripped you, and he degraded you, and that was before he got the belt out.”

  Emma swallowed the sob bubbling in her throat. “I know that when he finally got around to raping you, it was almost a relief,” she said. “Because that meant, when he was done, he would let you down, or at least you hoped that would be the case.

  “And, sometimes he would,” she continued. “Sometimes he would just rape you the one time and be done with you. Then he’d offer you something to eat, maybe even a beer to make you feel better. Then he’d let you go and send you on your way.”

  Andrew was watching Emma, fury and fear warring for dominance on his face.

  “Other times he would leave you up there,” Emma said. “He would go and make himself a sandwich and have a beer of his own while he watched television a few feet away. All the while you would be hanging there – waiting.

  “And you knew,” Emma said. “You knew he would come for you again. And no matter how bad it was, you’d just hang there and hope he’d finish that sandwich and that the beer wouldn’t desensitize him so much that the rape would go on that much longer.”

  “How do you know that?” Andrew asked. “I never told anyone that.”

  Emma ignored him. “And, even after all of that, you felt guiltier about the times he only raped you once,” she said. “You felt guilty because you took the sandwich – and the beer – and then you went on your way and pretended nothing happened. Those were the times you felt dirtiest.”

  “How do you know that?” Andrew hissed, stepping closer.

  “Because he did it to me, too.”

  FINN heard the entire exchange from his hiding spot. After talking to James, he’d been relieved to hear they had a viable suspect. He’d been on the way outside to tell Emma the good news when he realized it was already too late.

  He’d seen Emma and Andrew Wayne talking through the sliding glass doors, recognizing him almost instantaneously. As much as Finn wanted to run right through those doors to get to her, to put himself between her and a mad man, he knew that would be a mistake.

  So, instead, he’d exited the apartment through the front door and made the long trek around the building so he could approach them from behind Andrew. Since the day was warmer, the snow was melting, making it soft. Thankfully for Finn, the soft snow didn’t crunch under his boots. He’d been slowly making his way closer, taking refuge behind the central-air conditioning units positioned outside of each apartment, as he listened.

  Listening hurt worse than trying to get to her.

  Emma hadn’t seen him, Finn was fairly certain of that. She was focused on Andrew. As hard as her words had been to hear, they’d kept Andrew fixated on her and oblivious to what was happening behind him. One more unit – just one more – and he’d be close enough to Andrew to take him down. He just had to wait for his moment.

  “He did it to you?” Andrew was incredulous. “He liked boys. He only did it to boys.”

  “He did prefer boys,” Emma said. “That doesn’t mean he didn’t do it to me, too. With me it was about power.”

  “He said he couldn’t get it up for girls,” Andrew countered. “He said that’s why he had to be with me. He said I was helping him, because otherwise he would go crazy. I was stupid. I believed him. I thought I was somehow special. I thought, even while he was torturing me, that I was somehow special.”

  “He’s a liar,” Emma said. “He lies. That’s what he does. If he couldn’t get it up for women, how do you think he managed to father two children?”

  Finn cursed internally. Emma was purposely baiting Andrew now. While that kept Andrew fixated on her, it also ran the risk of infuriating him to the point where he would attack her before Finn could get close enough to stop him.

  “I didn’t think of that,” Andrew admitted.

  “Andrew, my father was a monster,” she said. “He did monstrous things, and he didn’t do them because he was hurt or broken. He did them because he liked to. He’s a sadist. That’s what they do.”

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

  Emma shrugged. “I kept waiting for my mother or brother to come and save me. I didn’t realize … I didn’t realize that they were both his victims, too.”

  Finn crawled forward, his hands digging into the snow. It was cold, almost unbearable, but he had to keep low. Once he was behind the air-conditioning unit closest to Andrew, he paused long enough to shove his hands under his shirt to warm them up, and then he focused on controlling his breathing so Andrew wouldn’t be able to hear it.

  “They were his victims? But, in court, your brother denied he ever touched him.”

  “He didn’t want to admit it,” Emma said. “He’d already lost all of his friends when they found out. They were teasing him, asking him if he liked it. He just denied it. In some ways it was easier for him. In others … well, he’s paid a terrible price, too.”

  “And your mother?”

  “He did all those things to her, at least that’s what she told me,” Emma said. “She told me before she left. I didn’t believe her then. I thought she was just making excuses for not seeing what he was doing.”

  “Do you believe her now?”

  Emma shrugged. “I think I do.”

  Andrew shook his head from side to side violently. “That’s not right.”

  “What’s not right?”

  “You covered for him. I know you did.”

  Emma ran her tongue over her dry lips. “I guess, in a way, I did. I should have told someone what was happening to me. It wouldn’t have saved everyone. He was doing it to other boys for years before he started in on me. It would have saved the boys after, though.”

  “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”

  “Shame.”

  “Do you think that’s a good enough reason?” Andrew pressed.

  “No, but it’s the only reason I have.” Emma studied Andrew, her face nonplussed. “Can I ask you something?”

  “I guess.”

  “Why did you decide to come after me?”

  “I wanted revenge,” Andrew said. “You knew and you did nothing. I wanted to take something from you – like he took something from me. I’d been following you for weeks when I finally decided I couldn’t take it any longer. I had to do something.

  “I kept seeing you at all those modeling gigs. You were always smiling and happy,” he continued. “I haven’t been happy since before I met your father. I certainly haven’t smiled since I met him. I didn’t think you deserved to be happy.”

  “I probably don’t,” Emma said. “I’m partially to blame for all of this. I was never happy at any of those jobs, though. I was paid to smile – so I smiled. I was paid to laugh – so I laughed. Can I ask you something else?”

  “You might as well,” Andrew said. “I’m still trying to decide what to do with you. You might as well have your answers.”

  “When you set the fire at my apartment, did you even think about the other families in the building?”

  Andrew balked. “What?”

  “Those other families, they were innocen
t,” Emma said. “I can see some form of retribution on me. What about the innocent people who were in that apartment with me? One of them almost died, you know. And she’s never done anything but help people.”

  “I wanted you to know what it was like to lose everything,” Andrew said.

  “I knew what that was like even before my father was arrested,” Emma said. “His arrest only cemented that in my mind. That doesn’t explain going after all of those innocent people. They didn’t do anything to you.”

  “It’s not like anyone in that building is ever going to amount to anything,” Andrew scoffed. “Those are losers and miscreants.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do know that,” Andrew said. “I know that everyone in that building – including you – is nothing more than a drain on society. They’re not like me. Do you know I have a genius IQ? No? I didn’t think so. Do you know I’m flunking out of my program? Do you think that’s because I’m not smart enough? Do you think that’s because I don’t work hard? No, it’s because I’m haunted. Your father haunts me. You and your … indifference … haunt me.”

  “I’m haunted, too.”

  “I think you’re just saying that,” Andrew said. “I don’t believe you.”

  From his position behind the air-conditioning unit, Finn had a clear view of Andrew. The man had grown more and more belligerent as the conversation progressed. Now, he was fiddling with something in his pocket. Finn had no idea what it was – but he knew it couldn’t be good.

  He had to make his move.

  “What is that?” Emma asked when she caught sight of the vial in his hand.

  “It’s what’s going to fix me,” Andrew said.

  “H-h-ow?”

  “It’s going to take you out of this world,” Andrew said. “It’s going to cleanse you and, by extension, it’s going to cleanse me. Once you’re gone, I’ll be better. I’ll be able to focus on something else. I’ll be able to get my mind back. I’ll be able to get my life back.”

  Finn was moving now. Andrew caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye, turning to face him, but it was too late. Finn was on him, wrestling him to the ground. Andrew clutched the vial to his chest as Finn unloaded, punching him as hard as he could. Finn’s assault was so brutal, at one point he shattered the vial, scattering the liquid all over Andrew’s chest.

  Finn jumped back, expecting the caustic liquid to start burning. He figured he could take his shirt off and roll around in the snow to wash it off if he had to.

  Only his skin wasn’t burning. Finn lifted his hand up, touching some of the splattered liquid with his finger, and then bringing it to his nose. He felt Emma move in behind him, her body shaking. He held her back with his arm, relishing the warmth of her body as she pressed herself to his back.

  “What is it?”

  “I think it’s some sort of gasoline mixture,” Finn said, turning his attention back to Andrew.

  If Finn’s arrival had taken Andrew by surprise, the loss of his vial was almost more than he could bear. “What did you do?”

  Finn really wished he had a gun. Unfortunately, his was locked in the glove compartment of his Escalade. It was too far away to claim now. If he’d been thinking earlier, he would have stopped long enough to grab it. Getting to Emma had been more important.

  “I’m not going to let you finish what you came here to do,” Finn said. “You just need to sit there until the police arrive.”

  “The police aren’t coming,” Andrew scoffed.

  “They are. I called them before I came outside. I wanted to make sure, even if something happened to me, that Emma would be safe.”

  “You wanted to protect the daughter of a monster?”

  “I wanted to protect the woman I … care about,” Finn corrected. “Lance Pritchard being her father isn’t her fault. You have to realize that. She was a victim, too.”

  “Oh, she’s lying.”

  “She’s not lying.”

  “She’s a lying whore,” Andrew screeched. “She’s a lying whore!”

  Finn wanted to hit him again. He wanted to stay close to Emma even more. The sound of booted feet on the snow filled Finn with relief. He glanced up to see two uniformed officers descending on them from either direction.

  When they drew near, Finn warned them of Andrew’s predicament. “He had a vial of something. I think it’s flammable. It spilled all over him.”

  One of the police officers nodded. “Sir, we’re going to ask you to face the wall and spread your arms out so we can cuff you. When we get you back to the station, we’ll get you out of those clothes.”

  Andrew looked like the last thing he wanted was a peaceable surrender. “I’m not going with you.”

  “Sir, you have to come with us,” the cop replied. “You’re wanted for questioning by a few different districts.”

  “I’m not coming with you,” Andrew repeated.

  “Sir … .”

  Andrew turned so he could focus on Emma. “You did this. You did all of this.”

  “I … .”

  “I want you to see what you’ve done.”

  Andrew reached into his pocket, rummaging around until he ultimately pulled out a lighter.

  “Sir … .”

  “I’ll see you in your nightmares,” Andrew said, holding the lighter to the front of his sweater and flicking it, never moving his gaze from Emma’s face.

  His sweater ignited almost instantly, swallowing Andrew in a ball of fire. Finn reached for Emma, pulling her to him so he could shelter her face. The fire spread over Andrew quickly, engulfing his entire body. While the flames hid Andrew’s face – his screams were another story. Those echoed throughout the snowy courtyard so everyone in the adjacent apartment buildings had no choice but to listen.

  “Oh, God,” Emma moaned.

  Finn pulled her tighter to him. “Don’t look, sweetheart. Don’t look.”

  Andrew’s screams were primordial, animalistic. The police officers tried to direct him to the half frozen water of the manmade lake, but they couldn’t get close enough to physically prod him.

  Andrew flailed about for what seemed like forever, finally collapsing onto the ground. The snow put the flames out from the front. The flames on his back continued to burn until the police shoveled snow on top of him to stop it.

  Finn watched, impassive, as one of the officers checked for a pulse. He looked up, meeting Finn’s gaze as he shook his head.

  Finn kissed the side of Emma’s face as she sobbed. “It’s over, sweetheart.”

  Twenty-Seven

  James, Grady, Mandy, and Sophie descended on the apartment complex – everyone in separate vehicles – when news broke of what had happened. The police kept them away until they were done with their questioning, finally relenting and letting everyone reunite in the back of the apartment building.

  Emma was a mess.

  Finn was glued to her side, never moving his arms as he let her absorb his warmth, swaying from side to side to comfort her.

  Mandy and Sophie immediately headed toward her, pulling her away from Finn so they could draw her inside. Her exposed skin was cold – colder than what either woman deemed safe. They loaded her into a warm shower, making her stay there until they were satisfied the scalding water had washed away the chill.

  The water wasn’t strong enough to wash away the memories.

  Mandy and Sophie helped Emma climb into warm, flannel sleeping pants and a fuzzy sweatshirt, her silence worrying them every step of the way. Even with the warm shower, she was still cold. They combed her hair out, pulled socks on her feet, and finally led her out of the bathroom.

  The three Hardy brothers were sitting at the dining-room table drinking coffee and talking in low voices when they emerged.

  Finn jumped to his feet. “How are you?”

  “I’m okay,” Emma said. “I’m just … .”

  “You need something to eat,” Mandy announced, moving to the kitchen. “Is there anything i
n here?”

  “I went shopping the other day,” Finn said. “There’s not a lot, but you should be able to put something together for her.”

  Mandy rummaged through the refrigerator, pulling out a bag of shredded potatoes, some milk, and a carton of eggs. She grabbed two pans, dumping the potatoes in one before turning back to the counter so she could whip the eggs into an omelet. She pulled a tomato, onions, and cheese out of the refrigerator a few minutes later, and immediately started dicing them.

  Finn had forgotten that she could cook. Something about that knowledge made him feel better.

  “The police said that they might have more questions tomorrow,” James said. “I think they’re done for today, which is something, I guess.”

  Finn nodded, pulling Emma down onto his lap as he settled back into the chair. He needed her next to him and, he had a feeling, she needed the human contact, too. He needed to touch her. He was only hoping that his touches would break through her mute countenance. He brushed her damp hair away from her face and rested his forehead against her cheek. “I figured.”

  “We’re giving them access to the boat show footage and the footage Mandy managed to dig up at the courthouse,” James said. “She already called the judge and he cut through the red tape, which makes it a lot easier for us. They should be picking it up there tomorrow.”

  “I can’t believe you found it,” Finn said, glancing up at Mandy, who was busily mixing the onion and tomato with the eggs.

  “Your brother says I’m like a dog with a bone when I get something in my head,” she said. “I knew I recognized him.”

  “I didn’t recognize him,” Emma said, her voice hollow.

  “No one blames you for that,” Mandy said, forcing her tone to remain even. “There were so many people going in and out of the courthouse for the trial – and he was older now. There was no way you could have recognized him.”

  “Still … I should have remembered.”

  “You remembered the story,” Finn said. “That’s what’s important.”

  Sizzling noises emanated from the kitchen as Mandy folded the bowl of eggs into the second pan. “He was unbalanced, Emma,” she said, her back to them. “He didn’t know what he was doing.”