THE SOUND of gunfire jolted the women, and they huddled closer.
“What’s happening?” Emma asked.
“It’s got to be the police,” Sophie said. “They’re moving into the house.”
“Do you think they think we’re still in there?” Ally asked.
Mandy shrugged. “I don’t know. We just have to wait now.”
“Maybe we should get off the roof,” Emma suggested. “Maybe we aren’t safe here.”
“We’re safer here than on the ground,” Sophie said, grabbing Emma’s arm. “It will only be a few minutes now.”
The gunfire suddenly ceased, and the sound of muffled orders could be heard from the front of the house.
“They’re ordering them to surrender,” Ally said.
“Do you think they will?”
“They don’t have any hostages, they’re going to have to,” Mandy said.
“Can we get down yet?” Emma asked.
“Not yet.”
“IT’S CLEAR,” James said into the phone. “We’ve got two dead, one of whom Sophie apparently plugged in the upstairs hallway. We have two more wounded, and there are eight in custody. We’re clearing the house right now. Get them down. We’ll be out there in a second.”
“Were any of the cops hurt?”
“No. They’re fine. What about … ?”
“I’m alone,” Jake said. “I’m moving. I’m getting them now.”
“Hurry,” James said. “We’ll meet you on the patio.”
“I CAN’T take much more of this,” Emma admitted. “I really have to go to the bathroom.”
“I haven’t heard anything for a few minutes,” Sophie said. “I think it’s over.”
“I hope so,” Ally said. “I need to find … Jake!” Ally jumped to her feet, scrambling toward the edge of the roof when Jake emerged from his spot behind the guesthouse.
He broke into a run when he saw what she was doing, catching her in his arms as she tumbled over the edge. “What the hell are you doing?”
“I thought you were dead,” Ally admitted, throwing her arms around his neck. “We heard the gunshots … I … .” She burst into tears.
Jake tightened his arms, holding her close as he fought the urge to cry. “I was so scared for you, angel. I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to rush the house because I didn’t know where you were, and then I saw you on the roof. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my life.”
He kissed her, pulling her face flush with his. After a few moments, he pulled away. “Is everyone okay?”
“We’re fine,” Mandy said. “Emma really has to go to the bathroom, though. Get her down first.”
Jake managed to disengage from Ally and hold his arms up. “Come on, Emma. Finn is inside. He’ll be out here in a second. They’ll all be out here in a second.”
JAMES pushed open the door, Grady and Finn close on his heels. The minute he saw Mandy, he scooped her up in his arms. “You scared the shit out of me!”
“You scared the shit out of all of us,” Grady said, pulling Sophie to him tightly.
“Is everyone gone from inside?” Mandy asked.
“Yes,” James said. “Some of them are dead, some of them are wounded, and the rest have been taken into custody. Are you guys okay?”
“We’re fine,” Mandy said.
“What happened?” Grady asked. “I thought you were all locked in the office. James said there was no way out.”
“That’s because he doesn’t know how resourceful his sister is,” Mandy said. “Ally knew to look for an attic door in the closet. So, while Sophie kept threatening them in front of the door – she is terrifying, by the way – we got everyone up.”
“Then, once we were in the attic, Mandy remembered the window you had to have replaced,” Ally said. “We figured that if we were on the roof, someone would see us and not worry about hitting us when they went into the house.”
“You were very smart,” James said, kissing Mandy’s forehead. “So smart.”
“Sophie was the one who scared the crap out of them,” Ally said. “Peter gave her a very interesting skill set.”
Grady smirked. “I bet.”
“She completely took them by surprise,” Mandy said. “She was a hero today.”
“You were all heroes,” Jake said, rubbing his hand through Ally’s hair.
“I wasn’t,” Emma said. “I hid under the desk and they had to make me come out.”
“It’s okay, sweetie,” Finn said. “It’s not like you’ve been in a situation like that before.”
“I was a coward.”
Finn kissed her cheek. “You’re the bravest person I know, Emma. Don’t get all down on yourself. This was a horrible situation, and we all survived. If you ask me, that’s cause for celebration.”
“Hey,” Ally said, looking around. “Where’s my Olive Garden?”
James stilled. “What?”
“You promised me Olive Garden if I was good,” Ally said. “I was very good. I want my Olive Garden.”
Jake chuckled. “Angel, I’m going to buy you ten pounds of Olive Garden,” he said. “And then we’re going to take it home and eat it in bed.”
“Hey,” James warned. “That’s still my sister.”
“And somehow I don’t care,” Jake said, leaning down and kissing Ally with unabashed passion.
Funnily enough, James found that he suddenly didn’t care either. He kissed his wife with equal passion, and thanked the heavens above for keeping his family safe.
Twenty-Seven
“Home sweet home,” Mandy said, dropping her duffel bag on the floor and glancing around the apartment ruefully. “Kind of.”
Given the damage to the house, and the fact that the police were still treating it as a crime scene, James and Mandy had been forced to make a decision: Either they were going to have to move into the guesthouse for two weeks, or they had to move back to the apartment over Hardy Brothers Security they’d shared before the wedding.
Given how loud – and messy – construction was, they’d both agreed the apartment was the better option.
“It won’t be for long, baby,” James said. “And, look at it this way, all of the furniture is still here. I hadn’t even had a chance to move the pool table out yet.”
“Oh, you’re not moving the pool table out.”
James arched an eyebrow. “I’m not? I thought I was going to get to put the pool table out in the saloon to enjoy.”
“Yes, but you guys like coming up here to play,” Mandy said. “I figured this could be the place you could escape to when you needed a guy’s night. You can’t do that without the pool table.”
“And what makes you think I’m going to need an escape from you?”
“Maybe escape was the wrong word,” Mandy conceded. “I still want you guys to have your space. The pool table stays.”
“But I had all these grand plans for a pool table in the saloon,” James said. “I was going to order one of those kitschy lights to put over it – and then we were going to have sex under the light.”
Mandy sighed, sinking down onto the couch. “This is going to ruin my surprise, but I’m going to tell you anyway.”
James waited.
“Do you remember when I told you the new gaming table for the saloon had to have purple felt?”
James wrinkled his nose. “Yes.”
“Well, that’s because I ordered a custom-made pool table for the saloon,” Mandy said. “It’s ornate, and it has all of these cool carvings, and the felt I picked for that was purple, so I wanted them to match.”
James stilled. “You ordered me a pool table?”
“Yes,” Mandy said. “Your birthday is in two weeks, and I was going to surprise you with it then. Now, as it stands, it should be delivered just in time for us to move back into the house and have a big party for you.”
James smiled, shifting Mandy’s legs up so he could settle on the couch next to her. When he dropped her legs
back down, they were across his lap. “So, you were going to surprise me with a pool table and a party?”
“I was,” Mandy said. “It’s ruined now.”
“But you don’t like surprises.”
“I like them for you,” Mandy countered. “I just don’t like them for me.”
James lowered his mouth to Mandy’s and kissed her. “Nothing is ruined, baby. It’s just not a surprise anymore. We’re together. Nothing could ever be ruined as long as we’re together.”
Mandy rested her head against James’ shoulder. “Given what we went through today, I guess we should feel lucky,” she said. “Getting all worked up about a ruined surprise seems like a stupid way to spend the night.”
“It does.”
Mandy looked around the apartment again. “It seems sad without all of our stuff here.”
“The only stuff we need is here,” James said, pulling her hand to his chest and pressing it to his heart.
“I know.”
James kissed her forehead. “You know, baby, we’ve been through some horrible stuff together, but today … well, today was too much. Knowing I was across town and there were men with guns threatening you, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it … well, I almost lost my collective shit.”
“We’re okay,” Mandy said. “We’re always going to be okay.”
“We are,” James agreed. “I’m so proud of you, baby. What you, Ally, and Sophie managed to pull off today … that was nothing short of amazing.”
“We had good teachers,” Mandy said. “And, more importantly, we had something to live for.”
“Was that me?” James teased.
“And Grady, and Finn, and Jake.”
“And family,” James added.
“And family.”
“Well, look at it this way, we’re going to be able to christen every room in the house again when we get back,” James said. “It will all be new again.”
“And the hot tub?”
“And definitely the hot tub,” James said.
“Well, what are we going to do now?”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Well, we’ve eaten, and there’s a big bed in the other room just calling my name,” Mandy said.
“We could do that,” James said, reaching down into the bag at his feet and rummaging through its contents. “Or, we could watch this first.”
Mandy’s eyes brightened when she saw the movie in his hand. “You didn’t?”
“So, do you want to go straight to bed? Or do you want to watch Jaws first?”
Mandy instantly started serenading him with the theme music from the movie, bopping her head to the beat and causing James to smirk. “I love you, wife.”
“I love you, husband,” Mandy said, kissing him senseless. “I always will.”
“Come on,” James said. “Innocent beachgoers are just waiting to get eaten. Oh, and I have a suggestion.”
“What’s that?”
“Let’s watch it naked, just like old times.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be a proper movie night in this apartment if we did it clothed,” Mandy said, pulling her shirt over her head. “And I’m nothing if not proper.”
Fifteen minutes later, they were settled on the couch, their limbs and hearts entwined, and the horrors of real life were nothing but a memory.
Yes, marriage was treating James Hardy well, and he was never looking back.
Up Next
Grady Hardy’s life is going well. He’s living with the only woman who has ever managed to hold his attention for more than a night, business is booming at Hardy Brothers Security, and he’s ready to take the next step and tell Sophie Lane he loves her. There’s just one problem: He’s terrified she won’t say it back.
Sophie Lane is riding high, and she’s never been happier. She’s one of the top reporters in the area, she’s a member of a real family for the first time in her life, and she’s living with the man of her dreams. There’s just one problem: She’s scared to say the three little words she so desperately needs to hear Grady say back.
When Sophie’s foster father Peter Marconi approaches Hardy Brothers Security with a local rumor about working women going missing across the Canadian border, the Hardys take on the case and find themselves embroiled in a whole mess of trouble.
Jake has to go undercover in a dark world, and Ally is chafing under the pressure.
Emma feels guilty when she realizes the story a fellow model told her months before may actually be true, and she starts doting on the woman – who has a few issues of her own.
James and Mandy are busy settling back into their house – and trying to keep the roughened edges of their family from fraying.
Everyone is having issues – and everyone is struggling to keep it together.
When things come to a head, Sophie finds herself in more trouble than she bargained for. Will Grady find the strength to get over his issues and give Sophie what she needs? Or will he lose her to an evil force that is greater than them both before he gets the chance?
Deadly Questions hits shelves May 5, 2015. Purchase it here.
Author’s Note
I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.
When approaching the Hardy Brothers Security series, I decided to do it differently than a normal series romantic suspense series. I started out with James and Mandy – and I’ll continue on to the other Hardy family members – but I plan on continuing everyone’s stories in each progressive book.
What does that mean? It means you’ll see progression with James and Mandy in Grady’s story. You’ll find progression with James, Mandy, Grady and Sophie in Finn’s story – and so on. Everyone is going to get a shot at love – and story fulfillment.
I love these characters and I want them to live on. Each book will not be strictly about one couple’s story. I want everyone to grow together.
If you’re interested in upcoming releases, follow me on Facebook and Twitter. I do not spam. I don’t believe it and, as a reader, I find it annoying. Only new release information and special sales promotions will be posted.
This book is available for lending. Please do so. I want people to fall in love with the Hardys – and all their friends.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
Books by Lily Harper Hart
Hardy Brothers Security
Deadly Intentions
Deadly Intuition
Deadly Illusions
Deadly Proposal
Deadly Prospects
Deadly Ever After
Deadly Honeymoon
Deadly Questions
Deadly Addition
Deadly Vacation (Coming July 2015)
Deadly Secrets (Coming August 2015)
Deadly Storm (Coming September 2015)
Deadly Dealings (Coming October 2015)
Deadly Christmas (Coming November 2015)
A Maddie Graves Mystery
Grave Homecoming
Grave Insight
Grave Delight (Summer 2015)
Grave Misgivings (Fall 2015)
Deadly Honeymoon (Hardy Brothers Security Book 7) Page 21
