“Oh, that’s so romantic,” Heidi said, clutching the spot on her chest right above her heart.
“We spent most of our time at the house,” Mandy admitted.
“Did you swim in the ocean?”
“James did. I kind of sat in the ocean.”
“Why didn’t you swim?” MacIntosh asked.
“Oh, I forgot,” Heidi said. “You’re afraid of sharks.”
“I’m not afraid of them,” Mandy replied. “I just believe they deserve their space.”
MacIntosh broke into a wide grin. “I thought you were obsessed with sharks.”
“I am.”
“But … .”
“I can be obsessed with them and still scared of them,” Mandy said. “I’m obsessed with horror movies, too, but I don’t want to hang out with Jason Voorhees.”
“Who is Jason Voorhees?”
“He’s … it doesn’t matter. Anyway, James kept trying to get me to go out in the ocean, but it never happened.”
“Did you do anything else?” Heidi asked.
“Well, we went to two festivals. I bought you a skirt from one of them, by the way, and there were some fireworks,” Mandy said. “We had some great dinners, and we even got seafood for the first time since the food-poisoning incident.”
“And you didn’t get sick?”
“Nope. Oh, and the best thing was that James surprised me with a shark tour,” Mandy said.
“What’s a shark tour?”
“They take you out on a boat and then they throw chum in the water to attract a bunch of sharks,” she explained.
“That sounds gross,” Heidi said, wrinkling her nose.
“No, it was so cool,” Mandy said. “We saw like fifty sharks. It was amazing.”
“It sounds like a remarkable time,” MacIntosh said, getting to his feet.
“It was.”
“Well, I don’t think today is going to have the same sense of whimsy,” he said, slipping a file onto Mandy’s desk and pushing it in the direction of his court clerk.
Mandy took it, her face bland. “What’s this?”
“That’s today’s docket.”
Mandy flipped open the file. “Wow.”
“Yup.”
“Three wife beaters?”
“Unfortunately.”
“Two armed robbers?”
“Apparently.”
“Oh, I kind of like this guy,” Mandy said.
“The one who blew up his wife’s car because he was convinced she was cheating on him?”
“Yeah.”
“Wait until you hear the details,” MacIntosh said, shuffling to the door. “It turns out she was actually planning him a surprise birthday party.”
“Ah, well, it’s good to be back to work.”
“WELL, well, well, look who remembered he has a job.”
Grady Hardy strode into his brother’s office, his grin mischievous as he met James’ studied gaze.
“You’re up to something,” James said. He was sitting behind his desk looking over invoices from the past two weeks. It seemed his brothers and Jake had been busy at Hardy Brothers Security during his absence.
“I’m not up to anything,” Grady said, tucking his shoulder-length brown hair behind his ear. “Why would you naturally assume that I’m up to something?”
“I’ve met you.”
Grady settled into one of the office chairs. “Wow, for a guy who just had sex for two straight weeks, you’re awfully grumpy.”
“I’m not grumpy,” James replied. “I’m just marveling at how much you guys have done.”
“Yeah, it’s amazing what you can do when you’re not distracted by crazy men with guns stalking your family,” Grady agreed.
James stilled, his eyes sober as they met his brother’s stare. “How did all of that turn out?”
“It’s okay,” Grady said.
“Meaning?”
“I got my gun back and the investigation has been closed,” Grady said. “It was ruled a rightful shooting.”
“I was never worried about that,” James said, his mind travelling back in time to the day before the wedding. “Tony Anderson was going to kill Mandy. He was going to shoot her right in front of me. You saved her life, and mine, that day. You didn’t have a choice.”
“Then what were you worried about?”
James rubbed his jaw, considering. “What … who picked up his body?”
Grady pursed his lips. “No one.”
“What about his parents?”
“Well, once the news stories hit – it’s nice that you missed those, by the way – everyone and their brother knew that Anderson blamed you for the death of his lover. The fact that his lover was another man, well, that just ratcheted things up to ridiculous proportions.”
“I never considered that.”
“His parents kind of … washed their hands of the situation,” Grady said. “They instructed the county to bury him in a pauper’s grave.”
Tony Anderson may have been deranged. He may have been bent on revenge. At one time, though, he had also been James’ friend. The idea of his friend being interred in a pauper’s grave was disgusting to him. “I see.”
“I took the body,” Grady said.
James’ eyebrows shot up. “What?”
“Well, I didn’t take it, but I made arrangements for him to be cremated, and then I called Jeff Pace’s parents in Missouri,” Grady said. “They were very nice people. They knew their son was gay, and while they didn’t agree with what Anderson did, they were open to the idea of him being laid to rest next to their son. They thought the two of them would be happy next to each other.
“So, I had the cremains sent to Missouri, and I bought the plot next to Pace,” Grady continued. “I arranged for a grave marker that said ‘beloved friend’ and the Paces made sure that everything was settled at the cemetery. I hope … he’s at peace.”
James visibly relaxed. “You’re a good guy.”
“I just … it was my responsibility.”
“No, it was my responsibility,” James countered. “You made it your responsibility.”
“It’s taken care of.”
The serious moment was too much for both brothers, so they were thankful when their younger brother, Finn, made an appearance.
“Hey, married man,” Finn said. “How was the honeymoon?”
“It was good,” James said, forcing the melancholy from a moment before out of his mind. “We had a great time.”
“How great?”
“Don’t be crude.”
“Who was being crude?”
“I know you.”
Finn made a face.
“Actually, I do have one funny story,” James conceded.
“Is it dirty?”
“Pretty much,” James said. “So, I woke up one morning and she wasn’t in bed. I found her out on the beach making a sand castle.”
“This sounds like a really lame story,” Finn said.
James ignored him. “So, one thing led to another, and we kind of did it on the castle.”
“This story is getting better.”
“When we were done, we realized there were three surfers watching us from a few feet away,” James said. “They applauded.”
Grady barked out a hoarse laugh. “How did Mandy take it?”
“Not well.”
“Oh, are you talking about Mandy finding the body?” Jake asked, stepping into the office with a file in his hand.
Confusion washed over Finn’s face. “Mandy found a body? When were you going to get to that?”
“I thought that’s what you were talking about,” Jake said, shooting an apologetic look in James’ direction. “Sorry, man. I didn’t mean to take over the conversation.”
“It’s not a big deal,” James said. “I wasn’t keeping it a secret.”
“What were you talking about?” Jake asked.
“James and Mandy putting on a sex show for local surfers,” Finn teas
ed.
“Oh, yeah, Ally told me about that,” Jake said. “I don’t think Mandy found that funny.”
“Ally told you about that?” James asked. “How does she even know?”
“They were on the phone for like an hour last night,” Jake said.
“When?”
Jake shrugged. “How should I know? Ally is always on the phone.”
“Yeah, but … Mandy was busy all day yesterday.”
“Busy doing what?” Grady prodded.
“Get your mind out of the gutter,” James shot back.
“Women talk, man,” Finn said. “They were apart for two weeks. What did you expect?”
“I just don’t understand when she did it.”
Grady rolled his neck, seeing a downturn in the conversation in their future. “So, let’s talk about work,” he said, changing the subject. “What do you think about the six jobs we cleared while you were gone?”
“Impressive,” James said. “You guys did a good job.”
“Thank you.”
“What do we have pending this week?”
“We’ve got two chauffeur gigs,” Finn said. “The first is Saturday. Martin Henderson is coming to town to attend a wedding, and he wants us to handle his security.”
“And who is Martin Henderson?”
“He owns some big tech company out in Seattle,” Finn answered. “He seems to think that people are out to kidnap him because they want his mind. Apparently, it’s beautiful.”
James snorted. “So, easy gig?”
“Yeah. I’m taking it. Emma has some fashion show out in Novi anyway, so it’s no hardship for me.”
“Okay,” James said. “What’s the other one?”
“That’s Charles Baker,” Jake said. “He’s some banker from London. He’s going to be carrying a briefcase full of diamonds to sell to a local jeweler. I’m picking him up at the airport and transporting him to Birmingham. After the sale, then I’m taking him right back to the airport. He’s just worried about the diamonds being in Detroit.”
“You’ve got to love people who watch Beverly Hills Cop and think Detroit is all thugs and stolen cigarette trucks,” James mused.
“Pretty much.”
“What else have we got?”
“We’re installing a new security system at Peter’s house,” Grady said. “He hired us for an upgrade.”
“Peter who?”
Grady ran his tongue over his teeth. “Peter Marconi.”
“Sophie’s mobster foster father?” James asked, referring to Grady’s girlfriend and her dubious attachment to the reputed organized crime figure.
“That would be him.”
“Is there a reason he came to us?”
“Sophie suggested it at dinner last week,” Grady said.
“You guys are having dinner now?”
Grady made an exasperated sound in the back of his throat. “It’s important to Sophie.”
“And you’re whipped,” James teased.
“And he’s helped us more than once,” Grady countered. “He’s not a bad guy. It’s not like he talks about his business in front of us, and installing a security system that his people are going to run doesn’t put us in a bad position.”
“I didn’t say it did,” James said.
“You have that look.”
James held up his hands in mock surrender.
“It’s going to be fine,” Grady said. “And I am not whipped.”
“You’re so whipped,” James said, laughing. “So very whipped.”
“I hate you sometimes.”
Seven
“Why are you unpacking now?”
Mandy was sitting cross-legged on the bedroom floor, the entire contents of her and James’ suitcases spread out around her. “Because we haven’t done it yet.”
“But why are you doing it now?”
Mandy shrugged. “I just decided it needed to be done.”
“Everyone is going to be here in thirty minutes,” James said. “We’re going to have a barbecue and a party. Laundry and cleaning don’t say party to me.”
“I … just give me a few minutes.”
James knelt down next to her, pushing her hair out of her face so he could study her. “What are you really doing?”
“I’m trying to find Ally’s gift,” Mandy admitted. “I lost it. You told me to be careful with it, and I swear I was, but it’s gone.”
“You didn’t lose it,” James said. “I put it in the safe.”
“You did?”
“We have a maid now,” James said. “I just didn’t want to leave anything tempting out.”
“Just because she’s a maid, that doesn’t mean she’s going to steal something,” Mandy scoffed.
“I know,” James said. “It was just instinct.”
“Can you get it for me?”
“Can you clean up this mess?”
“Fine.”
James kissed her cheek and moved to get back to his feet, a flash of bright color catching his attention. He leaned over and snagged the blue garter belt on top of the pile and held it up. “I’ve never seen this.”
“That’s because I never got a chance to wear anything that I got at my bachelorette party,” Mandy replied. “You had me naked before I could dress up in anything that you would want to take off of me.”
James smirked. “I don’t suppose you’d wear this tonight, would you?”
Mandy tilted her head to the side, considering. “Perhaps.”
“Are you negotiating?”
“No,” Mandy said. “However, I would like to actually make it to the bedroom before we do it tonight.”
“Why?”
“Because we haven’t done anything but sleep in our new bed.”
“That’s not true,” James said. “We … holy crap, you’re right. We haven’t broken in the new bed.”
“I think the blue will be nice for that, don’t you?” Mandy snagged the garter belt from his hand and tossed it on the comforter.
James eyed the mattress with interest. “You know … .”
“We don’t have time to break the mattress in before your family arrives,” Mandy said, standing up and straightening her skirt. “And, after your mother and my mother caught us having sex in the studio, I have no interest in cutting it close.”
“We really need to work on your sense of adventure,” James said, dropping a kiss on her forehead and moving toward the bedroom door. “Pick up that mess.”
“I am very adventurous,” Mandy shot back. “I just don’t find the same joy in public sex that you apparently do. Don’t forget Ally’s gift.”
“On it.”
Once he was gone, Mandy regarded the mess on the floor. She’d only torn everything out of the suitcases because she was desperate to find Ally’s gift. Now, she had no inclination to clean up the mess she’d wrought.
Mandy bent over, digging through the mound of clothes until she found the blue garter’s matching pieces and tossed them onto the bed haphazardly, knocking her purse off the edge with the effort.
“Great, more mess,” she muttered.
Instead of sorting through the clothes, Mandy scooped everything up and carried it into her closet, unceremoniously dumping the pile into the hamper. She’d deal with it later. She gathered the empty suitcases and tossed them into James’ closet, shutting the door to hide her lazy housekeeping.
She collected the items that had spilled from her purse, making a mental note to switch out the hobo bag with something more appropriate for a court clerk as soon as possible. For now, she just shoved everything back inside the bag.
Her eyes fell on a strange object peeking out from under the bed, and when her fingers closed around it, she was even more confused. It was a flash drive. She had no idea where it had come from. She shrugged, dropping the flash drive on the nightstand, figuring it belonged to James and he would be looking for it.
After hanging her purse on the handle in her closet and shutting the door
, she looked over the bedroom. As long as no one opened the closet doors, they would never know.
James appeared back in the bedroom, Ally’s jewelry box clutched in his hand. “That was fast.”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, it was nothing.”
James shifted his gaze over the room. “How did you clean it up so fast?”
“I’m very efficient.”
“Uh-huh.”
James stalked to the first walk-in closet and threw open the door, smiling when he caught sight of the overflowing hamper. “You didn’t sort through anything, did you?”
“It all needs to be washed,” Mandy said. “It smells like vacation.”
James ran his tongue over his teeth as he opened the second closet door. “And the suitcases?”
“They like it there.”
James chuckled, shutting the closet doors. “Every time I think I can’t love you more, you do something that proves me wrong.”
“Being a slob makes you love me more?”
“Everything you do makes me love you more.”
Mandy smiled. “See, now I’m looking forward to breaking in the mattress.”
“THAT smells great,” Ally said, bopping up and down next to James as he turned the steaks on the grill.
“Steak is great,” James agreed.
“Well, it smells good.”
“Ally, is there something you want?”
“Where is my present?” Her brown eyes were piteous.
“Mandy has it,” James said, his tone dry.
“And where is Mandy?”
“I didn’t realize it was my day to babysit,” James teased.
Ally punched him in the arm. Hard.
“Hey,” he said, rubbing his bicep. “I forget how hard you can punch sometimes. You’re all tiny and little and … girlish … but you pack quite the wallop.”
“You taught me how to punch,” Ally said.
Jake approached the grill, a beer in his hand. “Are you two fighting?”
“We don’t fight,” Ally scoffed.
James raised an eyebrow.
“All you two do is fight,” Jake said. “What are you fighting about now?”
“She hits like a dude,” James said.
“She hits hard,” Jake agreed.
“She’s hit you?”
“She’s excitable.”
“She is definitely excitable.”
Deadly Honeymoon (Hardy Brothers Security Book 7) Page 5
