“I’ll make it bland,” Ally said. “Even if you can’t eat the noodles, vegetables, or chicken, you can still sip the broth. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
James eyed his sister hopefully. “Would you do that?”
“Don’t be stupid,” Ally said. “I want her to feel better as badly as you do. I’m guessing you don’t have supplies, though.”
James shook his head.
“Make a list,” Jake said. “I’ll go to the grocery store and get whatever you need.”
Ally studied Mandy a moment, worried. “We should get as many bland things as we can so she has something in her.”
“Make a list, angel,” Jake instructed. “I promise to buy everything on it.”
TWO hours later Ally and Emma were cooking in the kitchen while everyone else was grouped together in the living room. Mandy slipped into fitful sleep occasionally, but she could never get comfortable enough to fall into the deep sleep she needed.
James was miserable watching her. He doused a washcloth in cold water and kept it pressed to the back of her neck to cool her. There was nothing else he could do.
“Now is probably the worst time to ask this, but we need to know how you want us to proceed,” Jake said, sympathy for James threatening to swallow him whole.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m assuming you want us to do some work on this,” Jake said.
James glanced down at Mandy, her eyes half open at a time when he was sure her ears were completely tuned to the conversation. He made her a promise, but he also wasn’t going to let this go. “I’m not sure,” James said, rubbing his stubbled chin as he considered his options. “Right now we need to figure out how this stuff is being transported and who the figurehead in the area responsible for it is.”
“I have an idea how we can do that,” Sophie said, her expression serious.
“You want to go to Peter, don’t you?”
Peter Marconi was a known figure in the Detroit mob scene. He did one hundred illegal things every day, and yet he also had a code of ethics a mile long. As Sophie’s foster father, the Hardys had forged strong ties with Peter. Now was an example of when his help would be invaluable.
“If anyone knows where this stuff is originating from, it’s Peter,” Sophie said. “It can’t hurt to ask him. He adores Mandy. He’ll want to help.”
“Go for it,” James said. “I’ll take whatever help I can get. I will be staying here for a few days. I won’t be going into the office at all.”
Mandy groaned at his words.
“My wife needs me to take care of her,” James said. “She’s really looking forward to all the hovering I’m going to do. I think in about three days we’re going to be ready to kill each other.”
“Well, that will be fun,” Grady deadpanned. “If you blow the top off the house in three days you can make up with some righteous sex and everyone will be happy again.”
James shifted the cloth on Mandy’s neck and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. “That will be nice.”
“It’s going to be okay,” Finn said. “We’re going to figure out who is doing this and we’re going to take care of it.”
“We’d better,” James said. “The thought of someone else losing what they love the way I almost lost Mandy … .” James swallowed hard. “I was very lucky last night. I don’t want someone else to wish they were me, not for this reason at least. We need to find the source and shut it down.”
“We’re on it,” Jake said. “Take care of Mandy. We’ll keep you updated with anything we find.”
“And I’ll stop by every day to spend some time with her so you two can take a break from each other,” Ally said, appearing in the room with a mug of soup in her hand. “Are you ready to try eating this?”
Mandy glanced around the room and found a multitude of hopeful faces staring at her. “I can’t eat with all of you watching,” she said. “I can’t … do anything else with all of you watching either.”
“That’s why they’re going,” James said, leaning forward and snagging the mug of soup. “Ally, thank you for making this. I’ll put the rest in the refrigerator and if she can’t eat it tonight we have hope for tomorrow.”
“I … .”
James shook his head firmly. “She doesn’t want you watching over her. You can come back tomorrow.”
Ally realized the truth – and worry – behind his words. “Okay. I’ll bring stuff to give you a pedicure, Mandy. I’ll buy some trashy magazines, too.”
Mandy nodded wearily. “Okay. Thank you.”
“Go,” James prodded. “Thank you all for coming but … tonight it’s going to be my wife and me.”
“And Jaws,” Mandy said.
“And Jaws,” James conceded, shooting her a rueful smile. “Way to milk it, baby.”
“I’m still figuring out a way for you to massage me, too.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Five
“I’m so excited to see Peter,” Ally enthused the next afternoon, leaning forward in Sophie’s car as the other woman zipped down the freeway in the direction of Grosse Pointe.
“Did you tell Jake you were coming with me?”
Ally made a face. “Jake is my boyfriend. He’s not my keeper.”
“I’m taking that as a no,” Sophie said, shaking her head. She loved Ally’s enthusiasm, but the woman was an endless source of trouble when she wanted to be. “If Jake comes after me because he finds out about this, I’m going to be ticked off.”
“Why would Jake go after you?”
“James had a fit when he found out I brought Mandy here one day,” Sophie said. “He almost melted down in righteous fashion.”
“James likes to melt down,” Ally said. “He can’t help himself. I don’t really blame him right now. I don’t understand why everything bad always happens to Mandy.”
“She has had some terrible luck.”
“Jake will be fine with it,” Ally said. “He trusts me.”
“Are you saying James doesn’t trust Mandy?” Sophie arched a questioning eyebrow.
“I’m saying James can’t stop himself from freaking out whenever he thinks there’s even a possibility of him losing Mandy,” Ally said. “Did you see him at the hospital the other night?”
“He about broke my heart.”
“Mine, too,” Ally said. “I think he honestly was trying to brace himself for the fact that he was going to lose her.”
“I think he was worse the other night than he was when she was hurt in the explosion,” Sophie said.
“I forgot you were there that night,” Ally said. “You were the one who found them first, weren’t you?”
“I’ll never forget it,” Sophie said. “Mandy was a broken and bloody mess, and James was confused from the explosion and yet he still crawled through broken glass to get to her. He was holding her and trying to keep himself on task even though he needed to pass out himself. It was sheer will that kept him conscious.”
“They’re going to be okay,” Ally said. “Mandy is tough, and even though it’s obvious James is going to have an absolute freakout in the next couple of days, I have faith things will be fine.”
“Do you think they’re going to fight?” Sophie asked, turning onto Peter’s driveway and parking in front of his massive Grosse Pointe mansion.
“They’re going to fight,” Ally replied. “Then they’re going to make up and be stronger than ever.”
“I hope you’re right,” Sophie said. “James looked as if he was about to crumble yesterday. How was he this morning when you saw them?”
“Not well,” Ally said. “Mandy didn’t keep down any of the soup and she was up half the night throwing up the fluids they’ve been pouring into her. The other half of the night James watched her like a hawk because the doctor said night terrors were a real possibility.”
“He didn’t sleep at all?”
“I don’t think so,” Ally said. “When we’re done here
, I’m going back over there. I’m hoping if he knows I’ll sit with Mandy while she’s sick that he can take a nap. He needs rest or he’s going to kill himself trying to take care of her.”
“He’s not going to rest until she can eat,” Sophie said. “We both know that.”
“I know,” Ally said, frustrated. “They’re both pigheaded.”
“They both love each other, too. Everything will be okay once we get some leads for James to focus his attention on.”
“I hope Peter can help.”
“Me, too.”
PETER met Sophie and Ally at the front door, a mixture of happiness and confusion warring for supremacy on his handsome face.
“Hello, my dear,” Peter said, giving Sophie a warm hug. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to see you.” He leaned over to give Ally a less exuberant and yet still warm embrace. “You, too, little firecracker.”
Ally winked at him. “I think you’re flirting with me.”
“I know better than that,” Peter said, ushering the two women into his house and leading them in the direction of the arboretum. “To what do I owe this surprise visit?”
“We have a little … situation,” Sophie said, choosing her words carefully as she settled on the couch next to Ally.
“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Peter said. “Does this have something to do with your work?”
Sophie was a reporter for The Daily Tribune, Macomb County’s biggest daily newspaper. Peter was used to Sophie getting obsessed with stories and needing help to track down details occasionally. She usually didn’t bring Ally along for the ride when that happened, though.
“No,” Sophie said, shaking her head. “Something happened to Mandy the night before last.”
Peter leaned forward. “What? I swear that girl is a magnet for trouble. How could she possibly find herself in another situation?”
“She didn’t do anything wrong,” Ally protested.
Peter shot her a wry look. “Do you think I’m blaming her?”
“No. It’s just … you made it sound like she asks for it.”
“The only thing Mandy asks for is shark movies,” Peter said, chuckling. “I was not insinuating that she asked for anything. I’m merely having trouble understanding how one woman could find trouble so soon after her last bout.”
“She has a gift,” Sophie said.
“Tell me what happened.”
Sophie related the events from Mandy’s harrowing night and when she was done Peter was furious. He was on his feet, pacing, as he absorbed the story. “I knew Twilight was going to wreak havoc before it was all said and done.”
“Are you familiar with it?” Sophie asked.
“Everyone has their eye on it,” Peter replied. “It’s cause for great concern in this area because people are dying.”
“People are going missing, too,” Sophie said. “The sheriff’s deputies told James and Grady that three women have gone missing from area haunted houses this season. That’s not a coincidence. That’s a pattern.”
“I agree,” Peter said. “Do the police believe these women are dead?”
Sophie shrugged. “I have no idea. If the mortality rate really is seventy-five percent, odds are at least two of them are.”
“I can’t argue with your math,” Peter said, rubbing the back of his neck as his busy mind jumped around to various scenarios. “How is Mandy?”
“Weak,” Sophie said. “The drug has made her sick to her stomach and she can’t keep any food down. James is hovering and falling apart. They’re going to have a big blowup in the next few days. Things are just … bad.”
“How did James take it when Mandy collapsed in his arms?”
“Pretty much how you would expect him to take it,” Sophie said. “It wasn’t good.”
“I’m glad she’s okay,” Peter said. “James’ reaction has to be what saved her.”
“She still could’ve died,” Sophie said. “To keep the doctors from tying her down because she was having fits, James climbed into bed with her and held her for twelve straight hours while they flushed her system.”
“He’s a man in love,” Peter said, shaking his head as he marveled at the thought. “I’ve seen men in love before, but James Hardy puts them all to shame. No offense, ladies.”
“I think I’m a little offended,” Sophie admitted.
“I don’t mean it in a bad way,” Peter said. “James is just … his world is his wife. You and Grady love each other beyond reason, but you can live in your individual worlds without losing yourselves in each other. James does not appear to be capable of that.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Ally said, her expression thoughtful. “Mandy has been hurt and almost killed so many times that James lives in fear that one day something is going to make it past him and he’ll lose her. He blames himself for letting her wander away at the haunted house. I know he does.”
“You can’t watch someone twenty-four hours a day,” Peter countered.
“You can love them forever, though,” Ally said. “James loves Mandy so much it hurts to watch him look at her sometimes. The other night Grady said that James wouldn’t survive losing Mandy. I tried to argue with him, but I think he’s right. If something ever happens to Mandy … .”
“Are you saying you think James would kill himself?” Sophie asked, horrified.
“No,” Ally said, shaking her head. “He wouldn’t purposely do that to my parents or the rest of us. I do think James would take every dangerous job he could find until someone else killed him, though. Mandy is his reason for living.”
“I’m not sure that’s a healthy attitude to have,” Sophie said.
“It’s too late,” Ally replied. “He won’t change. She’s his everything.”
“Then we have to make sure that nothing happens to her,” Peter said. “What do you want me to do about Twilight?”
“We need to know who is manufacturing it,” Sophie said. “There has to be a local connection.”
“If I knew that they’d already be dead.”
Ally was surprised by Peter’s vehemence. While she knew that Peter’s empire was built from illegal deeds, she’d never seen him so vocal about taking down his enemies. “I’m glad you’re on our side,” she muttered.
Peter smiled and patted her arm fondly. “I’m sorry that upset you. Dead girls upset me. Those who survived are probably wishing they were dead right now.”
Ally was confused. “What do you mean?”
Peter and Sophie exchanged worried looks.
“Twilight is a date rape drug, Ally,” Sophie said finally. “People dose women with it so they can … do things to them.”
“Or steal them outright,” Peter added. “Where do you think these missing women are?”
“Maybe no one has discovered their bodies yet,” Ally suggested.
“Or maybe they’ve been sold into sexual slavery,” Peter countered. “You said Grady and James saw a man in a mask next to Mandy when she fell. What happened to him?”
“They were too upset to even think about him at the time,” Sophie said. “I don’t think they would change how things went because getting Mandy to the hospital so fast is the reason she survived. That guy had better hope James never gets his hands on him, though.”
“I’ll personally hold him down if that’s an option,” Peter said, his tone grim. “I’m going to put some men on this and make it a primary focus right now. I don’t know what I’ll be able to unearth, but I’m not comfortable letting this situation carry on the way it has been.
“One of the things I’m most worried about is Mandy’s survival leaking out to people who might worry she could identify them,” he continued. “I’m going to have to give James a call and see if he wants me to post men at the house and the courthouse.”
“Mandy is off work for at least a few days,” Sophie said. “Judge MacIntosh told her to take as much time as she needs. Let me talk to James. He’s … touchy … right now.”
&n
bsp; “I don’t blame him,” Peter said. “Holding the woman you love and thinking she’s going to die is something no man should go through. James has done it several times now.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Sophie said. “See what you can find out. I’ll see if I can reach out to some sources. We’ll pick a time when everyone can get together and share information.”
“That sounds like a plan for now,” Peter said. “Whatever happens, though, I’m not stopping until the Twilight peddlers in this area are … out of business.”
“Is that a euphemism for fitting them with cement boots?” Ally asked.
Peter winked at her. “What do you think?”
Six
“How do you know this guy?” Finn asked, glancing at Jake as they parked in one of the municipal lots in downtown Mount Clemens Sunday afternoon.
“He’s a veteran,” Jake replied, his face grim as he climbed out of his truck and locked the doors. “He used to go to the tent city before I found out what he was doing there.”
Finn arched an eyebrow. “Selling drugs?”
“Mostly pot,” Jake said. “I don’t personally have anything against pot, but I didn’t want it sold down there because pot has a negative effect on people suffering from mental illness. More than half the guys in the tent town are mentally ill and most of them aren’t on the meds they’re supposed to be on. When you mix pot with prescription meds … it can get bad. I didn’t want things to get out of hand.”
“How did he take being ousted?”
“Surprisingly well,” Jake replied. “He understood what I was worried about and didn’t make a fuss. I respect him for that.”
“Speaking of the tent city, we really need to take another load of supplies down there before it gets too cold,” Finn said. “We haven’t been down there in weeks.”
“I still go twice a week and take supplies,” Jake said. “Don’t worry about it. They’re covered.”
Finn faltered, surprised. “You still go down there twice a week? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“No offense, man, but everything I do on my free time isn’t your concern,” Jake said. “I didn’t realize I had to run it past you.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it,” Finn said. “We would’ve gone with you. We dropped the ball … and that’s not fair to those guys. They deserve more.”
Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13) Page 4
