Deadly Payback (Hardy Brothers Security Book 22) Read online

  Instead of responding with words, Clint lashed out with his hand and slapped Mandy. The blow was hard enough to cause her ears to ring, and when the sound subsided – and the pounding in her cheek receded and became a dull ache – she found Clint’s smile firmly affixed to his face.

  “I’m sorry about that, but I won’t put up with any shenanigans,” Clint said. “I’m here to make sure that the brainwashing problem gets solved as soon as possible. I don’t expect it to happen overnight, but it is going to happen.”

  “I … what?” Mandy was dumbfounded. Clint was talking about things she had no recollection of, things she knew to be inherently wrong. He hadn’t just flipped his lid. He was deranged.

  “Now, I don’t want to strike you, but I’ll do it again if you don’t stop spouting those lies,” Clint said. “Do you know what? I think this is too much for you so soon after the injection. You need time to recuperate.”

  “What?” Mandy frowned when she saw Clint get to his feet and move toward the stairs. “Where are you going? You can’t leave me down here.”

  “Oh, but I can,” Clint said. “This is your home now, Mandy. This is our home. We’re going to share it together. The sooner you get that through your head, the better.

  “You need to let go of the past,” he continued. “Your life is with me. Your time with James Hardy is nothing but a bad memory. You can put it behind you now.”

  “I’m not going to put it behind me. He’s my life.”

  “No, you’re my life,” Clint shot back. “We belong together. We’re going to be together no matter what. I promise you that. You’d better take the next few hours to really think about things, because the next time I visit, I’m not going to be nearly as patient if you don’t understand and accept the truth.”

  Clint left the ominous threat hanging as he trudged up the stairs, only pausing when he reached the door at the top.

  “Welcome home, Mandy,” he said. “This is your happily ever after. Prepare yourself, because it’s going to be a lot of work, but you’re going to enjoy it. We’re going to have a happy life … just as soon as you realize I mean business and your former life is behind us. It’s time to look forward, because I’m your future. I’ll never let you go.”

  12

  Twelve

  James was on a rampage when he hit his house shortly after dark. There was no sign of Mandy. None. Whoever took her managed to get her out of the courthouse without anyone witnessing the event. James had no idea how the guilty party managed to do it, but his wife was officially gone … and he was officially heartbroken.

  “Any news?” Rose scurried toward the door, scowling as Grady intercepted her and pulled her away from her furious son. James ignored the exchange, kicking a chair across the room and causing it to fly into the wall, the sound of wood meeting with drywall echoing throughout the house.

  “I guess not, huh?” Louis pushed himself up from the table, resting his palms on the tabletop as he fixed his son with a deliberate look. “I’m sure she’s okay, James.”

  “You’re sure she’s okay?” James had been on the verge of exploding the entire day. He was ready to give in and careen over the edge now that he was out of the public eye. He couldn’t take one more sympathetic look or empty statement meant to bolster his resolve. “Are you sure she’s okay, Dad? Really?”

  Louis balked. “James, I understand how you feel … .”

  “You don’t understand how I feel,” James seethed, knitting his eyebrows together as he faced off with his father. “Is your wife missing? I don’t think so. I see your wife standing in my kitchen. I see your wife here when mine is … gone.”

  James choked on the last word, and his father’s heart went out to him. Unfortunately, Louis could not let his sympathy for what James was going through override his common sense. Someone needed to rein in the oldest Hardy child.

  “That was a poor choice of words,” Louis conceded. “I have no idea what you’re going through. I do know that Mandy would not want you acting like this, though. So … get it together. Your wife is out there and needs you to find her.”

  “My wife is probably dead,” James spat, taking Grady aback. “She’s gone. Someone took her, and I’m never going to get her back. That’s what that feeling was the day Heidi died. Something inside of me knew I would lose her. That was the beginning of all of this.”

  “Dammit, James, you need to stop doing that,” Grady barked, taking Ally and Sophie by surprise as they walked into the kitchen. They wisely hung back by the doorframe instead of getting between the two brothers as they squared off. “You don’t know she’s dead.”

  “I can’t feel her.” James’ eyes filled with tears. “I can’t touch her. She’s gone. She’s nowhere. We have no way to find her.”

  “You don’t know that,” Grady shot back. “You don’t know anything, so you really need to stop thinking the worst until we have a reason to think it. Right now she’s just missing.”

  “Do you really believe that?” James challenged. “Do you think I’m going to get my baby back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why do you think that?”

  “I’ve already told you,” Grady replied. “If someone wanted her dead, they would’ve killed her that day in the courtyard. No one sets up an elaborate kidnapping like this if they plan to turn around and kill someone. It makes no sense to do that.

  “Now, I’m not going to pretend this is a good situation,” he continued. “I’m not going to pretend that things are perfect and we’re going to uncover the clue that solves this case in the next twenty minutes. We’re not nowhere, though.

  “I believe Mandy is alive,” he said. “I believe she is out there trying to figure out a way to get free of her current situation. She needs us to help her, and that’s what we’re going to do. If you want to melt down, go ahead and do it. Go out to the guesthouse if that’s your plan of attack, though. We don’t need the distractions here.”

  Ally’s mouth dropped open. She couldn’t believe the way Grady was attacking James. “What’s wrong with you? He’s overwrought.”

  “I understand he’s overwrought,” Grady said. “I understand his heart feels as if it’s being crushed inward and that he’s struggling to breathe. I don’t understand him being a defeatist, though. If the tables were turned, Mandy would never give up on him. I’m disgusted that he’s giving up on her.”

  “I’m not giving up,” James argued. “I … I’m not giving up.”

  “It sure sounds as if you’re giving up to me,” Grady argued. “You haven’t had one helpful thought or suggestion in hours. You haven’t done a thing to help find your wife. All you’ve done is give up. I won’t stand for that. If you’re not going to get Mandy back, I’ll do it for you.”

  “I’m can’t get these … pictures … out of my head,” James said, tears sliding down his cheeks. “What do you think is happening to her? Whoever took her could be hurting her. He could be … doing worse. Do you think she’s crying out for me? Do you think she’s screaming my name and begging me to find her?”

  Grady didn’t realize he was crying along with his brother until he felt the tears pooling on his chin. “I don’t know. I can’t promise you everything is going to be perfect. We can only do what we can do.

  “If that is happening to her – and I’m not saying it is – but if it is, will that make you love her any less?” he asked.

  James shook his head. “Of course not.”

  “We can’t fix that right now,” Grady said. “I understand your heart is breaking and you can’t help looking at the big picture. That’s not how we’re going to find her, though. We have to look at what’s right in front of us.”

  “I don’t know how to do that,” James said. “My baby is out there. She needs me.”

  “So, be there for her,” Grady challenged. “Find a way to get out of your head and do the right thing by her. That’s what she truly needs.”

  James mutely nodded as he wiped the tears
from his cheeks. “Where should we start?”

  MANDY’S body was so sore by nightfall that she’d gone numb. She couldn’t feel her fingers and every time she shifted in the chair her aching muscles screamed out in protest. She’d just about given up seeing Clint again until the following morning when the door between the first floor of the house and the basement opened.

  Clint, a bright smile on his face, carried a plate of food in his hand as he descended the stairs. “There’s the love of my life.”

  Mandy wanted to wretch at his words. “I thought you were leaving me to think about what I’ve done?”

  “Well, I can’t have you starving now, can I?” Clint challenged, placing the plate on the seat of the empty chair and moving toward Mandy. She instinctively kicked at the ground with her feet as she tried to keep distance between them. The action was enough to earn a frown from Clint. “What are you doing?”

  “Don’t touch me,” Mandy warned, her temper coming out to play. Now that her mind had cleared, she couldn’t feel anything but disgust when she looked at Clint. “Don’t even think about coming near me.”

  “Is this about before?” Clint asked, his voice full of faux innocence. “I shouldn’t have struck you. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a strong believer in corporal punishment. You were confused from the drugs, though. You didn’t mean what you said and hitting you wasn’t fair.

  “I promise that I’m going to pray on what I’ve done and ask for forgiveness,” he continued. “I have no intention of being the kind of man who flies off the handle and hits his woman when she doesn’t deserve it. That’s not fair and it’s certainly not right.

  “You’re my wife now,” he said. “You deserve respect. I will only hit you from here on out when you deserve it.”

  “I’m not your wife.”

  “Well, we haven’t married yet, I’ll give you that,” Clint said. “We need to court a little bit first. Our love story was interrupted by that … fiend. You need a chance to rediscover what you loved about me in the first place.”

  “I never loved you.”

  “You did.”

  “You’re making that up in your head,” Mandy snapped. She knew that pushing Clint was probably a bad idea, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that playing into his delusion would somehow be worse. If he killed her, so be it. James would mourn – and probably never get over it – but she refused to tell Clint what he wanted to hear. He would think she was a willing participant in this madness if she did that. She refused to let him mess with her mind. That’s where she drew the line. “I could never love you because my heart belongs to James. It has always belonged to James.”

  Clint moved to backhand her but stopped just short of making contact. She inadvertently cringed, hating the fact that she let him feel powerful. That was the last thing she wanted.

  “I have had just about enough of your mouth,” Clint spat, resting his hands on the arms of Mandy’s chair and forcing her to look into his crazy eyes. “We’re going to get some rules straight right now. Do you understand?”

  Mandy remained immobile.

  “I know this has been a stressful day for you,” Clint started out, dropping his mean tone and adopting something more reasonable. “It can’t be easy. You went to pack up your office and woke up in a new home with no idea how you got here. I understand that’s difficult.

  “What you don’t seem to understand is that our future has been in the works for years,” he continued. “I made plans for us to live the perfect life together long before I set things in motion the other day. My only mistake was not making my move before James Hardy got his grubby hooks into you. For that, I am sorry.”

  “You’re delusional,” Mandy said, shaking her head. “Did you lose your mind when Heidi died? You keep saying this has been in the works for a long time. Were you crazy all of this time and no one noticed?”

  “I would appreciate it if you would stop bringing up that poor soul you sacrificed while playing games with me,” Clint admonished. “Heidi didn’t deserve to die. That’s on you. If you hadn’t insisted on trying to make me jealous by marrying James Hardy, I wouldn’t have been forced to go the lengths I did to make sure our future was secure.”

  Something about his tone and the way Clint phrased the sentiment caused Mandy’s blood to run cold. “What are you saying?”

  “Oh, like you haven’t already figured it out,” Clint scoffed, chuckling.

  “My mind is still funny from the medicine,” Mandy said. “Tell me what you’re talking about.”

  “I’m talking about Heidi, of course,” Clint said. “It took me forever to figure out what you were doing when you suggested I go out with her, by the way. I thought you were deliberately being mean. You really were a genius, though.”

  “I’ve heard that before,” Mandy said woodenly. “How was I a genius this time?”

  “I like a woman who enjoys a good game, but what you put me through with James Hardy was unbelievable,” Clint said. “I mean … really. You made out with him in front of me. Do you have any idea how much that hurt? Of course you do. That’s why you did it.

  “Anyway, when you first suggested I go out with Heidi, I couldn’t believe your audacity,” he continued. “I want to kill you with my bare hands on the patio of the courthouse. I would’ve done it, too, but then I figured out what you were doing.” Clint tapped the side of his nose and smiled.

  “You wanted me to date Heidi so we would have a reason to hang out together without tipping James off as to what was going on,” Clint said. “I figured you were trying to drain his bank accounts – that took a really long time, by the way – and I was willing to wait until you were ready to be with me. It took longer than I thought, though.

  “We don’t need his money, baby,” he continued. “We can live on love. I didn’t realize you were ready to move on with our plan until you told me you were leaving the courthouse. That threw me for a loop. For a second I thought you were actually going to leave me behind, which was ridiculous, I know.

  “Once I knew you were getting close to leaving, though, I worried James would throw a wrench into our plan and I had to stall for time,” Clint said. “That’s why I had to kill Heidi the way I did. I needed to point James in one direction so I could secure our future when he wasn’t looking. I planned to take you that day, but he was there too quickly and then he locked you away for days after.”

  “W-what?” Mandy’s mouth was already dry from dehydration. She couldn’t even muster enough spit to wet her lips when she realized what Clint was admitting to. “What are you saying?”

  “What part didn’t you get?” Clint was blasé.

  “You killed Heidi? Why?”

  “I just told you, silly,” Clint said. “I wasn’t thrilled about having to sacrifice her, but I figured you had your reasons for wanting me to do it. Once I knew she was pregnant, though, I had to move faster than I planned. I didn’t want to have sex with her in the first place, but I had to keep up appearances. You’re not jealous, are you? Once I knew about the baby, I ended things quickly. I hope that didn’t catch you by surprise.”

  “What is the matter with you?” Mandy’s voice was shrill. “Why would you do that? Heidi was a good woman. Even if you didn’t love her, she never did anything to hurt anyone. God, Clint, that was your child. What … why … how … I don’t understand any of this.”

  “You wanted me to do it,” Clint pressed. “You wanted me to clear a path so we could be together.”

  “You get this straight right now, you little ferret,” Mandy gritted out, leaning forward so she could catch Clint’s eye and there would be no mistake about what her intentions truly entailed. “I will never be with you. I will never love you. I wasn’t playing a game. There wasn’t some hidden meaning in anything I did.

  “I loved Heidi,” she continued. “I suggested you date her because I thought you would make a good match. Yes, I know that makes me an idiot in hindsight and I will never forgive myself for what has hap
pened to Heidi. That doesn’t mean I will ever touch you.

  “You are a maggot … and a disgusting piece of filth,” she said. “I hope you die a horrible death, and that’s exactly what’s going to happen when James finds you. He’s going to rip out your heart and feed it to you.”

  Clint kicked the other chair as hard as he could, sending Mandy’s dinner flying across the basement. His eyes were murderous when they locked with Mandy’s. For a moment, Mandy was convinced he would kill her right then and there. Instead he sucked in a breath and took a step back.

  “I can see you’re not done playing games yet,” he said after a beat. “I generally enjoy them, but I find this one tedious. I think I’ll leave you down here for the night to consider the proper way to treat me.”

  “I will never treat you any other way,” Mandy said. “I don’t love you. I never will. The mere thought of you makes my skin crawl.”

  “I’m sure you’ll change your mind when you’re pregnant with our baby,” Clint said brightly, causing Mandy’s stomach to twist. “We’ll talk about that tomorrow, though. For tonight, I think you need to get some sleep. You’re obviously … confused.”

  “I think you’re the one who is confused.”

  “No, it’s definitely you,” Clint said, not missing a beat. “Have a good night’s sleep, my love. We’ll talk more tomorrow.” And with those words, Clint flounced toward the stairs. “Oh, if you hear something scratching around at night, don’t worry because it’s just the rats. They live in the basement. They’ll probably enjoy your dinner more than you would’ve done. Nighty-night.”

  13

  Thirteen

  “How is he?”

  Jake joined Ally and Grady in James’ kitchen the next morning, dark circles under his eyes from a long night spent searching through gun records. They came up empty, but Red remembered a pile of names he took home to put on index cards and Finn followed him to gather the last of the records. If they didn’t find something there, they were officially out of places to look.