“She’s okay,” Grady said, studying James’ text. “Some guy tried to attack her with a syringe at lunch. Clint got in the middle and he’s the one who got injected. He’s going to be fine and Mandy is officially off work for the rest of the week.”
“How angry does that text feel?” Sophie asked.
“What?” Now Grady was the confused one.
“James didn’t want Mandy to go back to work,” Sophie pointed out. “I’m worried that they’re screaming at each other when Mandy needs someone to hug her.”
Grady made a face. “My brother is not a monster. I can guarantee there’s a lot of hugging going on over there.”
“How do you know?”
“Because he sent me a job to do,” Grady said.
Sophie wrinkled her nose. “What job?”
“He has Maverick working on a sketch with his computer software,” Grady replied. “I need to go and oversee the project with Finn at the office.”
“Why can’t Finn do it alone?”
“Apparently the fact that Emma is pregnant isn’t dissuading Maverick from hitting on her,” Grady said, referring to Hardy Brothers Security’s tech guru. He was young and gung-ho – and ridiculously horny. “He likes her jugs, if this text is to be believed.”
Sophie pressed her lips together to keep from laughing. “Is there a reason Emma can’t wait upstairs?”
“Finn promised her a foot rub and her ankles are swollen.”
“She’s really milking this pregnancy,” Sophie said, laughing. “Good for her.”
“It shouldn’t take more than two hours,” Grady said, his expression rueful. “Do you want to come with me so Maverick can comment on your jugs?”
Sophie glanced down at her chest. Of all the women she surrounded herself with, she was definitely the least well endowed. “I don’t think that’s going to be a very long conversation.”
Grady cupped her breast and squeezed, smirking at the face she made. “I’m not so sure about that.”
“I know you would prefer it if I had a little more on top,” Sophie said. “I’m not offended.”
“I am,” Grady said seriously. “Don’t ever question my choice. I love you exactly the way you are.”
“That’s very sweet,” Sophie said, leaning over to give him a kiss. “I’m still going to stay here. Peter sent some information over on possible names and I want to run them and see what I can find.”
“Are you sure?” Grady was mildly disappointed.
“If I get the work done now I can spend the rest of the night with your tongue when you get back.”
“That was a really good answer, sugar.” Grady kissed her cheek. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Grady left a few minutes later, the longing look he cast in her direction before walking out promising fun for later in the evening. She blew him a kiss and then turned to her laptop. While it booted up her phone rang.
Sophie didn’t recognize the number that popped up and when she answered she was stunned to find Winona on the other end of the phone.
“I’m bored,” Winona said. “Do you want to go out?”
Sophie was floored. “Um … sure.” She made the decision on instinct. She was angry. She was angry on Mandy’s behalf – and for Clint, too. She wanted to do something if she could.
“Do you want to bring Ally?” Winona asked. “Is she still alive after that scene with her boyfriend?”
“She is, but she can’t go out tonight,” Sophie said. “It will just be me. Is that okay?”
“Oh, that’s fine,” Winona said. “It’s probably better. Can you meet me at Shooters on Gratiot in an hour?”
“Absolutely,” Sophie said, her mind already busy.
When Sophie hung up she knew she was stuck. Grady was busy, and she wasn’t stupid enough to meet Winona without backup. That would be a first-way ticket to death – or worse. She wasn’t about to drag the rest of the Hardys into her decision so she opted to get protection the best way she knew how.
Peter answered on the first ring. “What’s going on, my dear?”
“I was hoping I could borrow Sven.”
“Do I want to know why?”
“Probably not,” Sophie admitted.
“I’m sending Sven and Gregario to your house now,” Peter said, not missing a beat. “They’ll be there in twenty minutes. Will that work?”
“You’re the best father ever.”
“I love you, too.”
“WHAT do you need us to do?”
Sven could never be mistaken for fun, but he was positively dour when he showed up at Sophie’s house. She opted to tell her foster father’s bodyguards the plan on the drive to Shooters, and when she was done, Sven was antsy. As for Gregario, Sophie couldn’t remember ever hearing the man talk, so his quiet demeanor was normal as he sat in the backseat of Sven’s Ford Escalade.
“All I want you to do is watch me and make sure no one tries to grab me and pay particular attention to my drink in case someone tries to drug me,” Sophie instructed.
“Why are you going out with people who want to drug you?”
“Because these people may have ties to the people who drugged Mandy and tried to attack her in front of the courthouse again today.”
Sven made a face. “That woman has the worst luck.”
“She does,” Sophie agreed. “If you see a blond man named Tommy with a dark-haired man named Robert – and they’re away from Winona and me – jump them and put them in the trunk.”
“I can never tell if you’re serious.”
“I’m serious,” Sophie said. “They’re the ones who tried to drug me the other night and a blond man with blue eyes is the one who hurt Mandy. I think Tommy is that man.”
“How sure are we that you’re with the right people?”
“Not sure enough,” Sophie said. “I’m pretty sure Winona and her little friends are shady, but I’m not sure they’re the right kind of shady for what we’re looking for. The blond hair and blue eyes could be a coincidence.”
“Where is Grady tonight?” Sven wasn’t thrilled with the scenario.
“Helping Maverick come up with a sketch of the man who attacked Mandy.”
“Does he know you’re here?”
Sophie made a face. “Last time I checked I was allowed to do whatever I want because I’m an adult.”
“That’s all well and good until he flips out,” Sven said. “Please tell me you at least left him a note.”
“I did leave him a note,” Sophie said. “I told him I was with you and that we were doing something and not to worry.”
“Oh, well, that will end well.” Sven rolled his eyes. Since he was always so morose Sophie found the expression comical.
“I love Grady, but he is not the boss of me.”
“Grady loves you and it will kill him if something happens and he’s not there to ride to your rescue,” Sven countered. “It’s not my business. Don’t worry. No one will put anything in your drink and I will kill anyone who tries to touch you.”
“I didn’t say you had to kill anyone,” Sophie hedged.
“No,” Sven agreed. “If someone tries to hurt you and it doesn’t happen Peter will kill me, though. Trust me. Let’s do this.”
SOPHIE dressed in a simple black spaghetti-strap dress she was sure matched the laid back establishment’s clientele, and when she walked into Shooters she found Winona already waiting for her at the bar.
“Hey, girlfriend.”
Sophie internally cringed at the greeting. Do people really say things like that? “Hey, Winona. You look nice tonight. I love that dress.”
Winona was dressed to impress, a low cut red slip dress plunging so deep people could see her ample assets without straining. “I’m great. I bought you a drink already.” Winona slid a martini glass in Sophie’s direction, causing the reporter to think on her feet.
“I’m going with whiskey tonight,” she said. “That’s my mood. You can have tha
t one when you’re done with the one you’re drinking.” She didn’t give Winona a chance to argue and turned to the bartender. “I’ll take a Jack and Coke with a lime.”
“Are you in a bad mood tonight?” Winona asked, looking Sophie up and down.
“I don’t know,” Sophie said, already knowing what kind of game she was going to play this evening. “I guess you could say I’m tired. I’m sick of my boyfriend. He’s really bossy and he does whatever he wants. Instead of affording me the same respect, though, he’s constantly on me about where I’m going and who I’m hanging around with.”
“I know how that goes,” Winona said. “My boyfriend is the same way.”
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” Sophie said, casually taking her drink from the bartender and paying him. “What’s his name?”
“Jasper.”
Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. As in Jasper Gunderson? There couldn’t be that many Jaspers running around in such a small circle in Southeastern Michigan. It was virtually impossible. “That’s kind of a cool name.”
“No one calls him that,” Winona said. “He gave himself a nickname because he thinks it makes him sound badass.”
“What kind of nickname? Is it like … Tank, or something?”
Winona snorted. “Tank? That’s hilarious. I could deal with Tank. No, Jasper calls himself ‘Houdini.’”
Sophie wrinkled her nose, hoping she was about to play this the right way. “Is he magic?”
“He thinks he is,” Winona replied. “The only thing that’s magic about him is how fast he disappears after sex.”
Sophie joined in with the other woman’s laughter, even though she wasn’t sure what to think. “Why does he call himself Houdini?”
“He likes it,” Winona said. “He’s got a thing about magicians and this Houdini guy was supposed to be a good one. I don’t know why he calls himself that.”
Sophie was worried about taking things too far so she decided to back off a little and let Winona set the pace of their conversation when it came to volunteering information about herself. “My boyfriend thinks he’s going to be a cage fighter,” she said. “He’s constantly working out and then he flexes in the mirror for hours. If he spent as much time going to work as he does looking at himself he wouldn’t need to be a cage fighter because he’d already be rich. I told him that to get a laugh, but he doesn’t think I’m very funny.”
“I think you’re funny.”
“Sometimes I think I’m funny, too,” Sophie said. “Other times I feel as if I’m trapped in a life I don’t really want.”
“What does that mean?”
Sophie shrugged. “Don’t you ever wish you were somewhere else?”
“Like Hawaii?”
“Sure,” Sophie said. “Hawaii would be cool. Or how about the Caribbean? I mean, think about it, we’re about to embark on another Michigan winter. That’s always depressing.”
“What’s stopping you from going someplace else? Your boyfriend?”
“I don’t know that I would say that,” Sophie hedged. In truth, she wouldn’t move across town without Grady. She was playing a part, she reminded herself. As far as Winona knew, the fictional boyfriend Sophie dreamed up was a verbally abusive loser who fancied himself a cage fighter. That was as far removed from her beloved Grady as possible. “Money mostly. I want to save up and get out of here, but it’s something I need to focus on.”
“What do you do?”
“Several things,” Sophie replied, pretending she was choosing her words carefully even though they were already scripted in her head. “I work as a waitress sometimes. I do some running.” Being raised by Peter Marconi meant Sophie was up on the lingo. “I spend some days doing nothing and others doing everything.”
“I know how that is,” Winona said.
“You said you were in sales,” Sophie pressed. “Do you run for Jasper?”
Winona narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “How do you know that?”
“I only know one Jasper and I played a hunch,” Sophie said. “I believe your boyfriend runs in the same circles as my boyfriend.”
“What’s your boyfriend’s name.”
“Gregario.”
“I don’t know him,” Winona said, shaking her head. “What side is he running for?”
“The east side.”
“Hmm, well, it’s fortuitous we ran into each other,” Winona said. “I think we have more in common than I initially thought.”
Sophie forced a smile. “I guess we’ll have fun tonight then.”
Fifteen
Grady was waiting on the couch when Sophie got home, and he wasn’t happy. Sophie could read the angry set of his shoulders from the kitchen as she dropped her purse on the counter and shrugged out of her coat.
“Hey.”
The television was off and yet Grady was focused on the dark screen. He didn’t answer her.
“Grady … .”
“How was your night?” Grady cut her off.
“I know you’re angry,” Sophie said, her voice soft. “Winona called right after you left. I didn’t go alone.”
“I know. Peter called me.”
Sophie chewed on her bottom lip, fury with Peter for ratting her out warring with the need to make things right with Grady. She hated when he was angry with her. It didn’t happen often, but he looked beyond angry tonight. In fact, he looked furious. “When did he call you?”
“When Sven called him from the bar to tell him what you were up to.”
“Fricking Sven,” Sophie muttered.
“You can’t possibly be mad at Sven,” Grady said. “He wanted to make sure you were safe. He sat in a bar with you for three hours as you played chicken with a drug dealer.”
“I’m taking it that all the lurking Gregario was doing next to the bar was so he could report back on what we were talking about.”
“I have no knowledge of that,” Grady said, his voice hollow. “I have no knowledge of anything. In fact, I left my sexy girlfriend on the couch and thought she was staying here while I babysat a loudmouth for two hours at the office. I thought she was sitting here fantasizing about the things I was going to do with my tongue when I got back. Did you laugh about how stupid I was?”
“Grady, don’t say that,” Sophie snapped. “You know I wouldn’t have left if Winona didn’t call. Heck, I probably wouldn’t have left if I hadn’t just heard about what happened to Mandy. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Did your phone stop working?”
“No.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“Because I knew you would drop everything and come with me,” Sophie said. “The sketch was important. It’s not like I went alone.”
“At least we have that going for us.”
“You know, if I was your sister or Mandy, I would’ve run headlong into this and not called for backup,” Sophie said. “I protected myself. I did what I thought was right and made sure no one could hurt me.”
“You did what you thought was right?”
“I … yes.” Sophie was confused. Grady was so angry he was having trouble controlling his emotions and her desire to please him was making her feel weak.
“I thought you loved me.”
“What? Of course I love you. I’ve loved you since the moment I laid eyes on you. I didn’t want to admit it and I fought it for what felt like forever, but I’ve never loved anyone but you.”
“You don’t trust me, though,” Grady said, his voice harsh. “You don’t look at me and see the man you’re sharing your life with. You see the man you’re sharing a bed with. Do you know how that makes me feel?”
“Do you know how you telling me how I feel makes me feel? Angry,” Sophie said. “Don’t ever tell me I don’t love you. I never knew it was possible to love anyone as much as I love you.
“Now, I know you’re ticked off,” Sophie continued, practically choking on her words as she tried to control them. “You have a right to feel what
you’re feeling. I did a stupid thing. I didn’t do it to hurt you, though. I did it because I thought I was protecting you.”
Grady snapped his head in Sophie’s direction, disbelief washing over his handsome features. “You knew you weren’t protecting me,” he spat. “You knew I was going to be angry. You knew I was going to be scared for you. You knew I was going to be sitting her waiting for you. Protecting me never crossed your mind.”
“But … .”
Grady held up his hand. “If you wanted to protect me you would’ve called me and told me what was going on,” he said. “You didn’t. You did what you wanted to do because you were afraid I was going to cut you out of this little operation.
“Don’t bother arguing,” he continued. “I know you. You like to be in the thick of things. It’s one of the things I love most about you. Did it ever occur to you that I would’ve dropped everything and done this with you?”
“I … yes. You were already doing something important, though.”
“You didn’t call me because you don’t trust me,” Grady countered. “It’s pretty simple.”
“Don’t say that,” Sophie said, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I trust you. I … I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you like this. It wasn’t my intention. You can’t believe I would want to hurt you.”
“I don’t know what I believe right now.”
“Grady … .”
“Go to bed, Sophie,” Grady ordered.
“What?” She was shocked by the suggestion. She had no intention of going to bed until they were back on good terms. “We’re not done talking about this.”
“We’re not,” Grady agreed. “If you stay out here, though, I’m going to lose my temper in a way that is going to make me say things I don’t want to say – things I’m going to want to take back, but it will be too late because they’ll already be out. I don’t want to say those things. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Grady, I … are you coming to bed with me?” Sophie was terrified to ask the question.
“I’m going to sleep out here,” Grady said, his tone firm. “I think it will be better for both of us.”
“But … we haven’t slept apart since … we haven’t been apart for a night since we moved in together,” Sophie said, her voice thick with tears. “I didn’t think we’d spend a night apart again.”
Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13) Page 11
