“How do you know that?” Sophie asked, her countenance shifting from bored to alert in mere seconds.
“You said his name,” the man said.
“No, we didn’t,” Sophie said, moving closer to Mandy. “We might have said his first name, but we certainly didn’t say his last name. Who are you?”
“I’m an old friend of James’.”
Ally regained her footing, her purse clutched in her hand. “How do you know my brother?”
“I told you, we’re old friends.”
“How do you know who we’re talking about?” Sophie pressed.
“You said his name,” the man said.
“No, we didn’t,” Sophie replied. “You’re … get away from her.”
“What?”
“Get away from her,” Sophie ordered, grabbing Mandy’s arm and jerking her away from the man.
“Hey, I’m looking out for you,” he said.
“We don’t need looking out for,” Sophie replied. “We’re perfectly fine.”
“You go away,” Emma ordered.
“Really? A bunch of drunken whores lounging around in the middle of the street? I think someone should be looking out for you. Hardy clearly isn’t going to do it.”
Ally frowned. “Who are you calling a whore?”
The man ignored her, focusing on Mandy instead. “You know he’s not who you think he is, right?”
Mandy took a step back. “Who are you?”
“He’s not a good man,” the stranger said. “He’s not loyal. He’s not what a woman like you should aspire to. He’s a liar, and a traitor.”
“Who are you?” Mandy repeated.
“He’s a bad man,” he said. “He’s a horrible man, and he’s going to get what’s coming to him.”
The man’s face jerked to the side as Ally’s purse made contact with his jaw. “You get out of here,” she threatened.
“Don’t you even think of hitting me again,” the stranger warned.
Ally made a face, raising her purse in warning. “Don’t ever tell me what to do.”
The man covered his head as not one but four purses started raining down on him.
“You’re horrible,” Emma said.
“I’m going to see you fry,” Sophie warned.
“You better stay away from my brother and my best friend,” Ally threatened.
“We’ve seen you now,” Mandy said, clawing the side of the man’s face for emphasis.
He reached over, trying to secure his grip around Mandy’s wrist. The vigorous pummeling pushed him off, and when Ally’s teeth sank into his arm a few moments later, he gave up and fled. Once he was gone, Ally fixed Mandy with a look. “James is going to be really pissed.”
Thirteen
James tried to keep his panic in check when he pulled into the parking spot in front of the bridal boutique. The police were already on the scene taking statements, and all four women were standing there, clearly unhurt.
That didn’t stop James from mentally kicking his own ass every time he thought about what could have happened. In his zest to keep Mandy happy, he had been lax on his primary goal: Keeping her safe. Jake zipped into the open parking spot next to him, the two men exchanging a grim look before jumping out of their respective vehicles and heading toward the women.
“Jake,” Ally said, squealing when she saw him. “Thank God you’re here.”
The officer taking Ally’s statement looked like the last thing he wanted was another distraction, but he dutifully waited as she moved past him and threw her arms around her boyfriend’s neck.
“Are you okay?” Jake asked, rubbing the back of her head.
“We’re fine,” Ally said, waving off his concerns. “I even think I’m mostly sober now.”
The police officer made a face, while Jake fought the mad urge to laugh. Ally was many things at the present moment – excited, flushed, irritated, annoyed – but sober was not one of them. Jake picked up the bottle of water Ally had kicked over in her haste to get to him and handed it to her. “Drink this.”
“Don’t bother,” the police officer said. “We’ve been trying to get her to drink that since we got here.”
Jake didn’t respond. Instead, he shook the bottle of water in Ally’s face again. “Drink this.”
Ally pushed her bottom lip out into a pout. “I am not drunk.”
Jake smiled indulgently and gave her a kiss. Her pout was just too cute to ignore. “Drink it,” Jake ordered. “I need you to regain your faculties.”
“I’m perfectly sober,” Ally argued.
“Drink it,” Jake ordered, looking Emma and Sophie up and down. “How are you two?”
“I’m fine,” Sophie said.
“My head hurts,” Emma admitted, rubbing her temple.
“Finn and Grady are on their way,” Jake said. “Just sit tight.”
Sophie wrinkled her nose. “Why did you call them?”
“Because you guys were attacked,” Jake said.
“We weren’t attacked,” Sophie replied. “We were viciously questioned and then we did the attacking.”
Jake couldn’t hide his smile. “Well, that sounds fun.”
“Ally was the one who bit him,” Emma said. “I think she had the most fun.”
Jake’s smile tipped down as he regarded his wide-eyed girlfriend. “You bit him?”
Ally raised an eyebrow dubiously, crossing her arms over her chest in an obstinate manner. “He had it coming.”
Jake shook his head, focusing his attention on James. For his part, the elder Hardy brother hadn’t bothered trying to argue with Mandy. Instead, he’d scooped her into his arms and then proceeded to hold her there as he swayed back and forth.
“You’re smothering me,” Mandy complained.
“You’re fine,” James said, resting his chin on top of her head.
“I can’t breathe.”
“You’re talking,” he shot back. “You can obviously breathe.”
Mandy wrenched away from him, her face red from the effort. “Seriously, I can’t breathe.”
James inhaled deeply, pushing her flyaway hair out of her face and then fixing his gaze on the police officer questioning her. Since the bridal shop was located in Clinton Township, the local police department was handling the complaint instead of the sheriff’s department. “Do you guys have any leads?”
The officer shook his head. “We’re not sure what to think.”
James narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “And why is that?”
“Because these four women are clearly drunk,” he said. “I can’t help but wonder how they were going to get home.”
Jake scowled. “I was on my way to pick them up when we got the second call,” he said. “They weren’t going to drive.”
“Let’s hope not,” the officer said.
James pressed his lips together tightly. “What does them being drunk have to do with anything?”
“We can’t be sure that they’re even telling the truth,” he said. “They might have exaggerated it in their own mind.”
“Hey!” Ally stepped forward, her hands on her hips.
“Drink your water, ma’am,” the police officer said, shaking his head. “See.”
“This isn’t the first problem we’ve had,” James said.
The police officer waited for James to continue, clearly unmoved.
“I was shot at a rally in downtown Mount Clemens about a week ago,” James said. “Someone shot at my fiancée a few days ago in front of the courthouse. This is a serious matter.”
“You look pretty good for a guy who was shot seven days ago,” the cop said, popping his eyebrows up and down. “Was it a real gun?”
James took a step forward, stilling when he felt Mandy’s hand come to rest in the center of his chest. “It’s not worth it,” she said, her voice low.
James considered the statement. The idea of punching the cop in the face seemed cathartic in its simplicity. One look at Mandy’s pleading blue eyes h
ad him rethinking his stance. He grabbed her hand from his chest, pressing a quick kiss to her fingertips, and then glanced back at the officer. “You can go now.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’re obviously not going to do anything,” James said. “Instead of wasting your time – which you clearly think you’re doing – you can just go.”
“Sir, we can’t just go,” the officer said. “An official complaint was filed.”
“Who filed it?”
The police officer shifted uncomfortably. “A passing motorist called it in.”
“So, nobody made an official complaint,” James sneered, his hand traveling up Mandy’s back and snagging in her hair as he rubbed her neck. “Like I said, you can go now.”
The cop made a face. “And what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to take them home,” James said.
“And how are you going to get their vehicle home? They can’t drive.”
“Thanks for the news flash,” James growled. “We’ve got it taken care of. My brothers are on their way. One of them will take the car.”
James slung his arm around Mandy’s shoulders, directing her toward his Explorer. Mandy balked at being herded. “I need to go back into the store.”
“Why?”
“Because Ally knocked me down with my dress,” Mandy said. “I have to make sure it’s okay.”
James sighed. “I’m sure it’s fine.”
“What if it’s not?”
“Then … .”
“It’s a wedding dress, James,” Mandy said. “It’s not like I can just go pick up a replacement off the rack.”
James ran his tongue over his teeth, considering. “Fine. You’re not going in there alone, though.”
“You can’t see her dress,” Ally said, flouncing over and placing herself between her brother and best friend. “That’s bad luck.”
“How much more bad luck can we get?” James complained.
Ally extended her index finger and wagged it in his face. “Don’t tempt the fates.”
James reached up and grabbed Ally’s finger roughly. “Stop doing that.”
“You can’t see the dress.”
“Fine, I won’t see the dress,” James said. “She can go in the dressing room with the clerk and make sure the dress is okay, and I’ll wait in the lobby.”
Ally wrinkled her nose, tilting her head to the side as she considered his offer. “Do you promise not to peek?”
“Ally?”
“What?”
“Shut your mouth or I’m going to shut it for you.”
Ally swiveled to Jake. “Did you hear what he said to me?”
Jake ran his hand through his hair, sighing. “Ally?”
“What?”
“You’re drunk,” Jake said, slapping the bottle of water into the palm of her hand again. “Drink that and shut up.”
“Thank you,” the cop who had been trying to question her said.
Jake shot him a withering look and then turned back to James. “Let’s wait for Grady and Finn inside.”
James nodded, ushering the women into the building ahead of him and then joining Jake by the front door so they could watch the cops load themselves into their cruiser in front of the store. “What didn’t you want to say in front of them?”
“There’s a security camera on the corner of the building,” Jake said.
James rolled his neck, pressing his face close to the storefront window so he could get a better look. He hadn’t noticed the camera while he was out there. “Good call.”
“I figured, if they hung around, they might try to take the footage before we could see it,” Jake said. “This way, we can either pay the woman who owns the place for the footage or – if we’re lucky – we can just sweet talk it out of her.”
The clerk Ally had sparred with earlier entered the front of the store from the back, a frown on her face when she saw who was waiting. “Oh, it’s you again.”
“It’s us,” Ally said, putting on her best fake smile. “I bet you missed us.”
“Not really.”
“Well, we need you to look at the dress again,” Ally said.
“Why? What happened to it?”
“We kind of … fell on it,” Ally explained, grabbing the garment bag from Mandy’s arms.
“You fell on it? How did that happen?”
James stepped forward, putting his hand on Ally’s arm to still her. “Someone tried to steal it and there was a tussle.”
The woman’s eyes widened. “Someone tried to steal your dress? That is horrible. What kind of a person would do that?”
“That’s what I want to find out,” James said. “I notice you have security cameras on the side of the building.”
The clerk nodded.
“I don’t suppose we could look at the footage?” The grin James sent the clerk was lazy and flirtatious – which wasn’t lost on Mandy. Her mouth dropped open in mock outrage. James ignored the expression, keeping his palms out and his face open.
The clerk worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “I don’t know if we’re allowed to do it.”
“Just let us look,” Jake said, crossing over to the spot next to James and plying the woman with a suggestive wink. “We can look at the footage while you help them with the dress. No time will be lost.”
“I’d consider it a really big favor,” James added.
The woman sighed and motioned for the two men to follow. “I guess it can’t hurt. It’s this way.”
James paused behind Mandy. “I owe you really big for this,” he said, brushing a quick kiss across the top of her head. “Just think, this way you don’t have to worry about me seeing the dress – and we might get a lead. You can’t be mad about that.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “You owe me a really long massage tonight,” she grumbled.
“Done,” James said, moving quickly so he didn’t fall too far behind Jake and the clerk. She led the duo into a back office, pointing at the computer on the desk.
“It’s right there,” she said. “I’m not sure what you’re looking for.”
“We just want to see the footage,” Jake said, leaning against the door frame and trying to keep the clerk’s attention on him as James sat down at the desk. “I really can’t thank you enough.”
The clerk looked him up and down, clearly charmed by his looks and friendly demeanor. “Are you … um … you’re not the groom, are you?”
Jake shook his head. “Nope.”
“Are you … attached to anyone?”
Ally’s face popped into Jake’s mind, and he found himself in an uncomfortable position. If he told the woman the truth, she might kick them out of the office. If he lied, it felt like he was being disloyal to Ally.
“He’s still open for offers,” James answered for him, not bothering to drag his attention away from the computer monitor.
The clerk smiled. “Well, I should go and check on the girls. I’ll be back in a few minutes to make sure things are going well for you.”
“Don’t let them drink anything,” James said. “They’re just starting to sober up now as it is.”
The clerk nodded. “The last thing that dark-haired one with the big mouth needs is alcohol,” she agreed.
Once she was gone, Jake turned on James. “What was that?”
“What was what?”
“You told her I was open for offers.”
“I didn’t want her to kick us out.”
“I don’t care,” Jake said. “That seems disloyal to your sister.”
“That’s why I said it,” James said, rewinding the video footage so he could get a better look. “If I say it, it can be construed as a joke on you. If you say it, I’m going to have to beat your ass.”
Jake bit his lower lip, considering. “That’s actually a great way to look at things.”
“Thank you.”
Jake leaned over James’ shoulder, searching the screen for clues. James started playing back
the footage at the moment the women left the shop.
“Good grief,” Jake said as he watched Ally tip over and fall to the ground. “How much did they have to drink?”
James couldn’t help but smile as he watched Mandy try to help Ally up and fall to the ground herself. “They look like they were having fun.”
Jake patted him on the shoulder, being careful to avoid the one that was still healing. “They do look like they were having fun.”
“Here we go,” James said, narrowing his eyes.
“He looks like he was hiding on the side of the building,” Jake said.
James remained quiet.
“He’s saying something to her,” Jake said. “Oomph, man, Sophie nailed him.”
James tilted his head at an odd angle. “Is Ally biting him?”
After a few more seconds of quiet, James paused the video as the man on the screen turned and faced the camera head on.
“Do you know him?” Jake asked.
James nodded, his eyes thoughtful. “Yeah.”
“Who is he?”
James got to his feet and headed toward the lobby. “Let’s get the girls.”
“Who is he?” Jake repeated.
“Later,” James said. “I want them out of here and back at the apartment. It’s a long story, and I want everyone together so I only have to tell it once.”
Jake didn’t argue. When the two men strode into the lobby, James’ eyes were drawn to the blonde standing in front of the mirror in her dress. He had no idea if the dress she picked was casual or contemporary. He didn’t know if it satin or taffeta, or whatever fabric wedding dresses were usually made out of. He had no idea what the appropriate name for the color was. He just knew the woman wearing it took his breath away.
“Oh, baby.”
Ally screeched, throwing herself between Mandy and James and trying to cover the dress. “What are you doing? It’s bad luck.”
James ignored her, tugging her out of his way so he could get a closer look at his bride. “You look beautiful.”
Mandy’s face colored. “Are you sure? You don’t think it’s too simple?”
“That dress needs a veil,” the clerk interjected.
“That dress doesn’t need anything,” James said, rubbing Mandy’s back and lowering his mouth so he could kiss her. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a glimpse of their reflection in the mirror. The only thing missing was his tux. “I can’t wait to marry you, baby.”
Deadly Ever After (Hardy Brothers Security Book 6) Page 10
