When the victim’s father tried to intervene on his son’s behalf, the suspect’s father jumped in and punches were exchanged.
Then, when the best friend decided to get involved, things turned into an all-out brawl.
One of the security guards moved Heidi and Mandy into the back hallway quickly, securing them so they couldn’t be used as human shields or hostages. Sophie and Judge MacIntosh were pressed into the narrow hallway a few minutes later.
Sophie arched an eyebrow. “I told you.”
“I’ll never argue with you again.”
“They’re all going to be arrested,” Judge MacIntosh said. “I’m sending a message. I don’t take this shit in my courtroom.”
“It’s going to make the news,” Sophie warned. “I’m going to have to do a story, and the television crews will be here before the five o’clock hour.”
“I’m well aware,” MacIntosh said. “Why do you think I’m sending a message by having them all arrested?”
“I just thought you were pissed off,” Sophie said. “I don’t know you very well.”
Judge MacIntosh chuckled. “You’re funny. You’re dating the middle Hardy brother, if I’m not mistaken.”
“I am,” Sophie said, glancing at Mandy. “Do you two gossip together?”
“Mostly about the stalwart James,” the judge replied. “I have occasion to see him from time to time. I’ve seen Grady show up at a few events, too.”
“What can I say, he’s a joiner,” Sophie deadpanned.
Mandy snorted. “Yeah, that’s what I think about when I think of Grady.”
“I’m still reeling from the revelation that he used to braid your hair when you were a kid,” Sophie said.
“Only when we had games,” Mandy said. “He’s the only one who could braid the ribbon in just right.”
Judge MacIntosh watched the exchange, smiling. “It’s good to see your spirits are up,” he said. “I was worried after the explosion. I wanted to come and see you in the hospital, but I was warned off by an army of Hardys.”
“I’m sorry,” Mandy said. “They’re … .”
“Loyal,” the judge finished. “They’re loyal.”
“And bossy,” Mandy said.
“Good grief,” Sophie said, nodding energetically. “They’re so bossy. I don’t know what you’re complaining about, though. You’re bossy, too.”
“I am not.”
“Oh, you are so,” Sophie said. “Why do you think you and James are always at odds?”
“Because he’s always wrong and I’m always right,” Mandy said.
“I think you two like being bossy,” Sophie said. “You like to yell.”
“And then they like to make up,” Judge Macintosh said, laughing.
Mandy tried to fight the blush furiously climbing her cheeks. “We do not.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “You two are the king and queen of making up,” Sophie said. “That’s how you got moved in four hours and then no one saw you two for a week.”
Mandy pursed her lips. “You have a big mouth.”
“I guess I fit right in,” Sophie teased. “Don’t you have to have a big mouth to fit in with the Hardys?”
She wasn’t wrong.
Fifteen
James was furious. He knew Mandy returning to work so soon was a bad idea. When he saw the breaking news coverage of a brawl in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom – one that resulted in eight arrests – he had the sudden urge to handcuff Mandy to the bed for the next month.
James pushed his way into the courthouse, pausing to take in the commotion in the lobby. Most of the upper floors had been cleared when the alarm had sounded, he figured. He had no idea if Mandy was on a lower or upper floor – but he had every intention of finding out.
After scanning the lobby and not finding the face he was looking for, James strode toward the elevator. She wouldn’t leave the building. She’d promised – and he believed her.
One of the assembled security guards stepped in front of the elevator when he saw James approaching, blocking his path. “No one is allowed upstairs, sir.”
“My girlfriend is up there,” James replied, fighting to keep his temper in check. “She was in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom.”
“You’ll have to wait down here, sir.”
Like hell. “I need to get up to my girlfriend,” James said. “I have to make sure she’s all right.”
“No major injuries were reported,” the security guard said. “I’m sure she’s fine.”
“Well, I’d like to see her for myself to be sure,” James said. “I’m funny like that.”
“Sir, if you don’t go and wait with the others, I’m going to have to take you into custody.”
James bit his lower lip. He wanted to get to Mandy, although getting detained by a security guard didn’t seem like a great way to spend the rest of his afternoon. “Can’t you just call up there?”
“No.”
James pressed his lips together. “What if I call up there and get clearance?”
“That’s not an option, sir.”
“So, what are my options?” James asked.
“You can stay down here and behave yourself, or you can sit in the security office in handcuffs,” the guard sneered. “It’s your choice.”
James couldn’t help but wonder if wiping the sneer off the guard’s face with a fist would be worth an arrest. He didn’t get a chance to consider it further, because a familiar face was cutting through the crowd.
“He can go up, Chet,” Clint said, stepping between the two men. “He’s Mandy Avery’s boyfriend.”
Chet looked James up and down dubiously. “This is the guy who shot out the front door?”
“He is,” Clint said. “He’s also the guy who found me in time for the paramedics to get to me before I died.”
Chet’s scowl faded. “Well … .”
“He’s also the guy who was in the parking lot when Mandy almost died,” Clint said. “This is her first day back. She’s had a hard recovery. I think he’s just worried.”
Chet sighed. “He’s not allowed up there. I was told not to let anyone up there unsupervised.”
“Then I’ll go with him,” Clint said. “I’ll be his chaperone.”
James didn’t like the term, but he wasn’t about to argue. If Clint could get him to Mandy, he was willing to let him be whatever he wanted to be.
Chet blew out a sigh. “Fine. If there’s any fallout from this, though, it’s on you.”
“Okay,” Clint said, pressing the elevator button and waiting. “I’ll make sure the judge is aware that I’m the one who made the decision.”
Once James and Clint were in the elevator heading toward the sixth floor, James let his shoulders relax. “Thanks.”
“I know you’re upset,” Clint said. “I would be, too. It’s scary how much trouble she finds herself in.”
James frowned, Clint’s words striking a chord. “She does find trouble.”
“Don’t you ever worry that she’s not worth it?” Clint asked. “I mean, I would always think she was worth it. A guy like you, though, you could have anyone. Don’t you want someone who isn’t so much work?”
James ran a hand through his hair, irritation flaring. “I’m fairly happy with her,” he replied, reminding himself that Clint was helping him. “She may be work, but she’s worth the work.”
Clint sighed, the sound heavy and sad. “You two are going to be together forever, aren’t you?”
“I certainly hope so,” James said, keeping his voice firm. “I can’t imagine living life without her.”
“But you could have anyone,” Clint tried again.
James knew the security guard had been harboring a crush on his magnificent blonde since before he entered the picture, but his words grated. It was obvious Clint was trying to feel James out, maybe push him to leave Mandy so he could pick up the pieces. James didn’t like anyone moving in on his territory – even if it was the thin and gangl
y security guard.
“Why would I want anyone else?” James asked, trying a different tactic.
“Because you could have anyone, a model even,” Clint said. “Mandy is pretty, but she’s not a model.”
“You should tell her that,” James said. “I think she’d love to hear it.”
Clint’s face colored. “I don’t think you understand,” he said. “I think she’s the most beautiful woman ever. I just thought that someone like you would like someone more … .”
“Buxom?”
“What’s buxom?”
James shook his head. “Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he said. “I’m perfectly happy with my blonde angel. I don’t want anyone else. I’m never going to want anyone else.”
Clint led James out of the elevator and onto the sixth floor. “I know. I guess … I guess I just don’t want to believe she’s happy with you. She always seems so happy it makes me crazy. Her face lights up when she sees you. Heck, she smiles when someone mentions your name.”
James looked Clint up and down, waiting for him to continue.
“You probably don’t know this, but I’ve always had a crush on her,” Clint continued.
James fought the urge to smile. “I never would have guessed.”
“I’ve hidden it,” Clint said. “I just guess I want to be the one she smiles at.”
James patted him on the back. “Maybe it’s time to move on, man. I’m not going to let her go, even for a guy like you.”
Clint’s hangdog expression was almost more than James could take. “I guess I’ve lost her to the better man.”
James had to swallow his upper lip with his lower one to keep from laughing. When he got control of himself, he glanced down the hall. “Where is she?”
“They’re in the courtroom,” Clint said. “The judge wanted everyone in there when he arraigned the suspects.”
“And the suspects are?”
“Some crazy family members who are on opposite sides of a murder,” Clint said. “I don’t think the judge will care if you sit in the courtroom. Just stay in the back and be quiet until everything is over with.”
“I’ve got it,” James said, starting down the hall. “I just want to be able to see her.”
“Me, too.”
James didn’t look back. As much as he wanted to believe Clint was just a pathetic loser in love with his girlfriend, there was something about the security guard that still piqued his interest. He wasn’t ruling him out as a suspect – at least not yet.
James was quiet when he entered the courtroom, his eye catching Mandy’s at her desk before he took a seat. Mandy’s frown was evident, but she quickly hid it as she turned back to her work. James knew he was going to catch an earful later, but he was used to that.
He moved to the bench at the back of the courtroom, pulling up short when he found Sophie sitting there. “What are you doing here?”
“I was here when it happened,” Sophie said. “Don’t worry, she was perfectly safe. The security guard grabbed her first, in fact. I think the judge warned him to do just that in case of an emergency.”
James leaned back on the bench, watching as the judge verbally lambasted a portly man in khaki pants and a striped shirt. “Who is that?”
“That is Walter Tipton, Sr.,” Sophie said, never ceasing her note taking. “He’s already got a case pending in Roseville district court. Now he’s facing a possible felony count for striking a sheriff’s deputy. He’s also the suspect’s father.”
“Ah. And those other people?”
“Various members of his family and the victim’s family. Oh, and that guy over there nursing his nose and blubbering like a baby? He’s the suspect’s best friend. He was sleeping with his now-dead wife.”
“Sounds like a classy family,” James mused.
“They’re totally hilarious,” Sophie agreed. “This actually was a good case for Mandy to have right out of the gate.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the worst has already happened, James,” Sophie said. “There was a disruption in the courthouse, and Mandy was not only protected like she’s the mayor of Gold Town, she had a good time.”
James pursed his lips, watching Mandy work with unreadable eyes. “She had a good time?”
“It was really funny.”
“And she … she wasn’t hurt?”
“She wasn’t hurt.”
Once every individual was arraigned and taken into custody, the courtroom cleared. James moved toward Mandy without delay. The look on her face told him he was in a heck of a lot of trouble.
“How did you get up here?”
“Clint brought me. He wanted to know if I could be tempted away from you by a model, by the way. I think he’s hoping I’ll dump you so he can swoop in and dry your tears with his penis.”
Mandy paused, frowning. “What?”
He’d hoped to distract her. It had worked. “So, blondie, how was your first day back?”
“Exciting,” Mandy said. “Why are you here?”
James sighed. She wasn’t going to let it go. “I might have panicked when I saw the news coverage.”
“Might?”
“Okay, I panicked.”
Mandy slouched to her side, resting her chin on her shoulder. “I’m not going to yell at you.”
“You’re not?”
“No,” Mandy said. “The worst thing that could have happened today happened, and you survived. More importantly, I survived, and there’s not a scratch on me. This should help you … relax.”
“I’m not going to relax until we catch this guy,” James said. “Although, I do feel better about things.”
“Good.”
James held out his hand. “Do you want to come home with me and help me feel better about things together? If not, I think Clint would be willing to let you console him.”
Mandy shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I just want to take you home,” James said. “Look at the bright side, we’re going to get to do this all over again tomorrow.”
“I just need to drop the files off in my office and grab my stuff,” Mandy said. “Let’s go.”
James moved up behind her, putting his hand on her hip when he was sure no one was looking. “You’re still not wearing panties, right? What? I need a visual.”
Sixteen
Grady had been staring at the schematics in front of him for so long his eyes were starting to cross. He was sitting on the living room floor in Sophie’s house, waiting for her to come home from work, and studying the three-dimensional rendering in front of him.
The sheriff’s department had been thorough. While the device recovered from the undercarriage of Mandy’s car had been mostly destroyed, the tech team had sifted through the debris and managed to come up with a fairly complex design.
It was thought provoking, but incomplete. He was missing something.
Grady lifted his head when he heard the front door open, waiting until Sophie’s dark head breached the archway between the kitchen and the living room before greeting her. “Hey, sugar. How was your day?”
Sophie dropped her purse on top of the counter before stripping her coat off and discarding it on the armchair at the edge of the room. Grady narrowed his eyes. He adored the woman, but she never put anything away. They needed to hire a maid – or someone to follow Sophie around with the sole intention of picking up after her.
“You mean you didn’t hear?”
“I didn’t hear what?” Grady asked, lifting his head so he could accept her proffered kiss as she bent down to say hello.
“Haven’t you talked to James?” Sophie asked, sinking down onto the floor next to him.
“Why would I talk to James?” Grady asked, shifting his schematics so Sophie could stretch her legs out. “I’m working on the bomb angle. We’re not taking on any other cases until this one is solved.”
“Mandy went back to work tod
ay,” Sophie reminded him.
“So?”
“There was a disruption in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom,” Sophie said. “A big fight broke out, and a bunch of people were arrested.”
“Is Mandy okay?”
“She’s fine,” Sophie said. “The security guard grabbed her and got her out before anyone else – although I don’t think she’s figured that out yet.”
“How do you know that?”
“I was there.”
Grady stiffened. “Were you hurt?”
“I was in the back,” Sophie said, patting his arm reassuringly. “I wasn’t in any danger. It was on the news. I can’t believe you didn’t hear.”
“I’ve been focusing on this all day,” Grady said.
“And what is this?”
“This is the closest rendering the sheriff’s department can come up with for the device under Mandy’s car.”
“And what does it tell you?”
“It’s pretty basic,” Grady said. “It doesn’t look like there was a timer.”
“And that means that someone set it off with a remote,” Sophie said. “That means they were watching, and just pushed the trigger because they knew she was walking away.”
“How do you know that?”
“A couple of years ago, there was a guy planting bombs under the cars of area veterans,” Sophie said. “It turned out to be a guy with post-traumatic shock. He’d done three tours in Afghanistan and was stop-gapped. He just kind of lost it.”
“So, now you’re an expert on bombs?”
“I found this guy through the VA who was a munitions expert,” Sophie said. “He walked me through the process.”
Grady leaned back, wrapping an arm around Sophie’s shoulders and pulling her in closer so he could give her another kiss, this one lingering. “You never cease to amaze me.”
“I’m a gift,” Sophie agreed, smiling.
Grady rubbed his nose against hers, thinking. “I don’t suppose you’re still on good terms with this munitions expert, are you?”
“He’s left the area,” Sophie said. “I do have another idea, though.”
Grady smiled. “You always do. What’s the idea?”
“There’s a woman named Jennifer Paget who runs the homeless shelter in Roseville,” Sophie said.
Deadly Proposal (Hardy Brothers Security Book 4) Page 11
