James scowled as Mandy preened. “She was going to open the door for you without looking through the peephole or at the monitor that covers the driveway,” James said.
Peter’s smile slipped. “Yell away,” he said. “This is not a time for screwing around.”
Mandy was surprised at the admonishment. “I saw you through the window.”
“That doesn’t mean someone else couldn’t have been there, too, my dear,” Peter said. “You need to understand how serious this situation is. None of us are messing around.”
Mandy made a face and crossed her arms over her chest. “I feel like I’m under house arrest.”
“You are,” James said. “When you’re off work, you’re to be here. When you’re at work, you’re to keep your cute little behind in the courthouse. That means no leaving for lunch with Heidi.”
Mandy’s mouth dropped open. “No way!”
“Baby, I am not moving on this,” James said, leading Peter toward the living room. “I won’t risk you for anything. If you want to put up a fight, we’ll throw down when everyone leaves tonight. I don’t care how angry you are.”
Peter approached Mandy’s murderous expression with a softer touch. “We need to make sure Emma is safe,” he said. “When Pritchard figures out she is untouchable, he will try to grab a bargaining chip. That means Ally, Sophie, and you are especially vulnerable. Do you want Emma to live with the horror of one of you being taken?”
“Oh, that was beautiful the way you just manipulated her into looking like a spoiled brat,” James said, skirting Mandy’s slap as he moved toward the bar. “Do you want something to drink, Peter?”
“Bourbon neat would be wonderful,” Peter replied, his gaze still trained on Mandy. “No matter how much your husband likes to tease you, I was not manipulating you. Emma needs everyone to watch themselves because guilt over someone else’s mistake could ravage her. Is that what you want?”
“No,” Mandy replied. “I don’t think James needs to speak to me like I’m a child.”
“You’re not a child,” Peter conceded. “You are his heart, though. Should he stop worrying about you because you’ve decided to be petulant?”
Mandy was dumbfounded. Peter was usually on her side. “I’m not trying to be petulant,” she argued. “I don’t see how having lunch at a restaurant is going to hurt anything.”
“What if Pritchard decides to grab you and creates a hostage situation that results in the death of someone else? Are you okay with someone dying because you wanted to eat lunch at a restaurant?”
Mandy knit her eyebrows together. “What are the odds of that?”
“What are the odds that you would be stalked, kidnapped, shot at, and threatened more times than I can count?”
Mandy had no response.
“I love it when Peter comes to visit,” James said, delivering the bourbon to their guest. “He can make you speechless. I think he’s magic.”
Mandy rolled her eyes. “What am I going to do for lunch?”
“I’m going to bring you lunch this week,” James replied.
“Every single day?”
“Yup. We’re going to eat together in your office and then … spend quality time together with the door shut before court starts up again.”
Mandy’s cheeks flushed. “James! You can’t say things like that in front of Peter. He’ll think we’re deviants.”
“He already thinks that, baby,” James replied, nonplussed.
Peter’s shoulders shook with silent laughter. “You two are a nonstop delight.”
“Baby, you have exactly six months left at the courthouse,” James said. “You promised me you were quitting in September. I have a few fantasies we need to get in before then. There’s no time like the present.”
“What if we get caught?”
“Then they’ll fire you early and I’ll be a happy man,” James said, sitting in the armchair at the edge of the rug and patting his lap. “Come pout over here so I can talk to Peter and not worry you’re opening the door.”
“What about when everyone else gets here?”
“They have the security code and keys to let themselves in,” James replied. “You’re sticking close to me for the foreseeable future.”
“That used to be a turn on,” Mandy grumbled, although she climbed into the chair with James and settled herself.
“Oh, don’t be like that,” James said, kissing her cheek. “It will still be a turn on when we scream at each other and then make up. I’m expecting a volatile week, wife. You’d better prepare yourself.”
Peter snorted. “You don’t seem broken up about that.”
James shrugged and tickled Mandy’s ribs until she relented and smiled. “What can I say? I like the way she fights.”
“THE steaks were marvelous,” Peter said an hour later, wiping his mouth with the napkin and leaning back in his chair. The entire crew gathered around the dining room table, and although Emma was completely silent and morose, everyone else put on a brave front for her benefit.
“I like to grill,” James said. “We haven’t been able to do it since late in the fall because of the weather. This was the first time I could get it out. It’s not exactly warm out yet, but it’s better than it was.”
“I helped,” Mandy said.
“Of course you did,” James said, affectionately tugging on a strand of her hair. “You did a wonderful job sautéing the mushrooms.”
Mandy made a face. “I marinated those steaks, too.”
“You’re a wonder with the wine bottle, baby,” James said.
Grady chortled. “If Mandy cooked we’d all be fighting for the toilet thanks to botulism.”
“I will beat you,” Mandy threatened.
“I’ll help,” Ally offered, yanking on a hank of Grady’s hair for good measure. “Actually, I’ll do worse. I’ll sneak into your house and cut your hair when you’re sleeping and then you’ll lose all your mojo.”
“Don’t kid about things like that,” Grady said, wagging his finger in Ally’s face as he smoothed his beloved hair. While all the Hardy siblings liked messing with each other, Ally and Grady were the most volatile. “That’s not even funny.”
“I won’t let them cut your hair,” Sophie teased, snuggling closer to Grady and resting her head against his shoulder. “I would miss it more than you would.”
“I think he should cut his hair,” Finn said, keeping his arm around Emma’s shoulders as he attempted to cajole her into joining the fun. “I think men are better looking when they have short hair.”
Sophie made a face. “I’m afraid Grady is one of those guys who is only going to be hot with long hair,” she said. “If you cut it, I might find out he’s not nearly as handsome as I originally thought.”
“Thanks for the help, sugar,” Grady said dryly.
“I’ll love you anyway,” Sophie said, rubbing her nose against his cheek. “It just won’t be as easy.”
Peter smiled, relieved Sophie seemed to be out of her foul mood. She was either putting on a marvelous show for Emma’s benefit, or she was rethinking her interest in murdering Lance Pritchard.
“Okay, hens, we need to talk,” James said, clearing his throat. “Why don’t you guys go out to the guesthouse and do … chick stuff … and we’ll join you for drinks in a few minutes?”
Mandy shifted in her seat, her blue eyes narrow slits. “Excuse me?”
“We have some business to get to,” James replied, not missing a beat. “You guys need to make yourselves scarce.”
“This is my house,” Mandy protested. “You can’t kick me out.”
“I’m not kicking you out,” James said, tugging on his limited patience. “I’m relocating you to a place where you can have fun while we talk about things that aren’t remotely fun.”
“I want to hear,” Sophie protested.
“I don’t care,” James replied, darting a look in Emma’s direction. “You guys need to take Emma out to the guesthouse and entertain
her while we’re going through this.”
“Absolutely not,” Mandy said, crossing her arms over her chest. “We’re a family. We’re all involved in this.”
James licked his lips as he took in the determined set of Mandy’s chin. She wasn’t going to give in. In truth, he had no problem letting her hear the upcoming conversation. Emma couldn’t take it, though, and he refused to isolate her from everyone else.
“Fine,” James said, pushing himself up from the table and kicking his chair away. “We’ll go out to the guesthouse.” He gave the other men at the table hard looks to let them know he meant business. “We’re going to leave the ladies here to burn us in effigy. Let’s get this over with.”
“MANDY is going to kill you in your sleep,” Grady said, pouring drinks behind the bar a few minutes later and fixing James with a dark look. “Sophie is probably going to kill me, too. Thanks.”
“I didn’t have a choice,” James said, his heart pinching as he rolled his neck until it cracked. “You saw Emma. She can’t take what we need to talk about. I’m not sending her out of the room on her own because everyone else wants to hear.”
“Ally is going to be ticked when we get home,” Jake said. “She’s going to take your decision out on me.”
“What other choice did I have?”
“You didn’t,” Peter said, patting James’ forearm. “I agree you made the right decision.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m just glad I’m single,” Peter added. “Your wife is going to rip your hair out when she sees you again.”
James frowned. “I’m going to tell her everything we discuss,” he said. “I just … Emma needs support. We can’t give her the same thing those really angry women can. I wish she could see that.”
“She does see it,” Grady said, casting a worried look in Finn’s direction as his younger brother paced next to the window and watched the house. “They all see it. Emma’s misery didn’t escape anyone. She didn’t say a word the entire meal.”
“I had to make her come,” Finn admitted. “She’s taken to sitting on the floor between the bed and the wall to make herself as small as possible. I think I’m losing her.”
“You’re not losing her,” James countered. “She’s upset and that’s to be expected. This is too much for anyone to bear. When you add in the fact that she’s pregnant … well … I’m sorry this is happening to you. We can’t control a lot here. We can control a few things, though.”
“What do we have?” Finn asked, shaking himself back to reality and moving toward the table everyone sat around. “Do we have anything?”
“I have a line on Lupo,” Peter said. “We don’t have our sights on him yet, but several … business women … say he’s been sniffing around by the casinos. He’s not exactly hiding.
“I have men down there searching the area right now,” he continued. “If they find him we’ll be able to question him before the police.”
“I have a meeting with the sheriff tomorrow,” Grady said. “He wants to share information again. He’s convinced Pritchard is coming back to Macomb County. He wants to catch him. I’m not going to share all of our information. I’m going to keep it … simple … and say we’re doubling our security on Emma. I want to know what he knows, though.”
“That’s a good idea,” James said. “If your men find Lupo, Peter, what are you going to do?”
“Lupo was locked up for armed robbery,” Peter replied. “I have no interest in killing him. We’ll question him about Pritchard and then turn him over to the proper authorities. If he’s captured in Detroit, then we’ll turn him over to the Detroit police. My men have a list of questions to ask … and they’ve been instructed to be diligent in getting answers.”
“Aren’t you worried they’ll be arrested for beating Lupo?” Jake asked.
“Not particularly,” Peter replied. “The cops merely want to get their hands on Lupo. They don’t care what shape he’s in when they do it.”
“That’s a start,” James said. “All the women are going to be watched from here on out. We’ve got added security on the business and individual tails for each woman. Mandy will be safe as long as she stays in the courthouse, and I intend to take her lunch every day to make sure she doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“Yeah, Mandy is going to give your photograph to courthouse security and have them bar you from the building after tonight,” Grady countered. “Good luck with that.”
James sighed. “I can deal with her being angry,” he said. “I can’t deal with losing her. She’ll understand.”
Grady arched a dubious eyebrow.
“Fine. She’ll eventually understand.”
“Let’s face it, we’re all going to have miserable nights,” Grady said. “We might as well get moving on them. The longer we leave them in there plotting against us, the worse we’re going to have it when we get them home.”
“I just want Emma to … talk,” Finn said, his voice cracking. “Life is swallowing her whole right now.”
James squeezed Finn’s shoulder. “She’s going to be okay,” he said. “The most important thing is keeping her safe. Once we get Pritchard, she’ll be able to relax again.”
“I hope so,” Finn said. “If this goes on too long, she’s going to wreck herself with worry. I don’t know how to help her.”
“Just love her,” James said.
“The good news for you is that Emma doesn’t want to kill you,” Grady offered brightly. “You’re better off than us right now.”
Finn forced a smile for his brother’s benefit. “There is that.”
Seven
James found Mandy sitting in the middle of their bed eating Almond Joys about a half hour after everyone left. He purposely gave her space to stew, hoping she would calm herself before they saw each other. One look at her dour face told him that was a wasted wish.
“Peter was thrilled with your mushrooms,” James said, yanking his shirt off and tossing it in the hamper before moving toward the bathroom. “You did a good job with the cooking tonight, baby.”
Mandy ignored him as she unwrapped another miniature candy bar.
James took the opportunity to splash cold water on his face, brush his teeth, and shed his blue jeans. When he returned to the bedroom she remained in exactly the same spot with her candy.
“Where did the Almond Joys come from?” James asked, moving closer. “I didn’t know we had any of those.”
“I had them in my closet,” Mandy replied. “I was hiding them because … well … I didn’t want to eat them all in front of you and hear fat jokes.”
James made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. “Yes. I often make fat jokes where you’re concerned. I just can’t seem to stop myself.”
“You make them in my head,” Mandy said, biting into another candy piece. “My stupid, stupid girl head.”
“You know what? You need to start screaming now,” James instructed. “We’re not going to bed angry, and you’re obviously ready to blow. Let me have it.”
“I’m good.”
James frowned. He preferred fighting over the cold distance Mandy was putting between them. “I know you’re upset because we took the conversation to the guesthouse,” he said, hoping he could reason with her. “You have to understand that Emma was hanging on by a thread. She didn’t want to hear what we were talking about. I didn’t want to upset her.”
“Right,” Mandy said, digging through the bag again. She was going to make herself sick at the rate she was eating. “Emma is a weak female and needs to be protected even though her father is the one coming after us. The rest of us are lumped in as weak females because we have ovaries and we need big, strong men to swoop in and save us at every turn. I’ve got it. Don’t worry about it.”
Her tone was flat enough to cause James’ temper to spike. “That is not what I said and you know it!”
“I do know exactly what you think of me,” Mandy agreed, pushing
herself off the bed and shuffling to her closet to stash the candy. James was secretly thankful she was putting it away herself because he didn’t want to risk taking it from her. She had a weak stomach at times, though, and the last thing he wanted was to watch her throw up all night.
“And what do I think about you, Mandy?”
“You think I need to be watched and talked down to like I’m a child,” Mandy replied. “I’ve got it. You have no reason to worry. I shall sit at my desk like a good girl and not leave the courthouse all week. You have nothing to worry about … and there will be no need to stop by with lunch. I would rather starve.”
“Well, that’s not what’s going to happen,” James said. “I’m bringing you lunch and we’re spending time together. Period.”
“Oh, well, great,” Mandy said. “I’m glad I have a say in the matter. Of course, I’m a weak female, so I don’t deserve a vote.”
“Scream at me, Mandy!” James bellowed. “Unload. I know you want to.”
“You don’t care what I want,” Mandy shot back. “You made that clear tonight.”
“Here we go,” James said. “Mandy, I didn’t want to take the conversation away from you. I was fine with you hearing it. I’ll repeat it all for you now if it makes you happy.”
“I don’t care about your stupid secret conversation.”
James narrowed his eyes. “I love you more than anything, but you really do act like a spoiled brat sometimes. Try thinking about Emma instead of yourself for five minutes.”
Mandy stilled, hurt washing over her features. James immediately wanted to take the words back, but it was too late.
“Do you think I’m not worried about Emma?” Mandy asked, her voice cracking before she regained control of herself. “Emma is the one thing I’m worried about more than anything right now. She needs to know what’s going on. You’re not helping her by protecting her. She needs to find her strength.”
“I shouldn’t have said that,” James said, holding his hands up. “I’m sorry. That was … terrible.”
Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) Page 5
