Deadly Forever (Hardy Brothers Security Book 24) Read online

  Grady snorted, running a hand through his shoulder-length dark hair. “I take that to mean Mandy had other plans so she’s still clothed and you’re bored.”

  “Pretty much.”

  Grady’s grin was impish as he leaned back in the chair and watched James dejectedly throw himself on the couch and make a pathetic groaning noise. “You’re really at a loss when you don’t have Mandy to entertain you, aren’t you?”

  James shrugged. “I had plans … and she ruined them.”

  “I knew when you left that you weren’t going to have as much fun as you initially thought,” Finn Hardy said as he joined his brothers. He was the youngest of the trio, which meant he knew how to agitate Grady and James whenever the mood struck. He was also the most easygoing Hardy brother and the little things in life rarely got to him. “They’re wedding shopping.”

  “Yes, I heard,” James muttered, shaking his head. “I’m already married so I don’t understand why my wife has to spend every waking hour catering to your hens.”

  Grady chuckled, amused. He never thought his brother would settle down. Er, to be fair, he didn’t think James would settle down until he was pushing forty. That all changed the moment Mandy entered his life. His brother was different since falling in love with her, but in a good way. “Our hens are simply looking for the same happiness you found with your hen.”

  “Yeah, you should leave them alone,” Finn intoned. “This is a woman thing. They like shopping for dresses … especially if they’re big, white, and go with a wedding march.”

  “You can say that again,” Jake Harrison groused as he strode into the room. He was the only non-Hardy on the premises today, which wasn’t unusual, but his world-famous patience appeared to be hanging by a thread. “All I’ve heard for weeks is Ally babbling about this wedding. It’s getting old.”

  “Oh, that’s the way to her heart,” Grady deadpanned, enjoying the way Jake’s lips twisted. “There’s nothing a woman loves more than hearing that her wedding plans are getting old. That doesn’t bode well for a happy marriage, does it?”

  Jake’s face was unreadable as he shoved James’ legs out of the way so he could sit next to him on the couch. “Oh, we’re going to have a happy marriage,” he said. “We’re going to have a happy wedding and an absolutely glorious honeymoon, too. I just can’t make myself care about what color the napkins are going to be …and what font we’re using to etch our names on the wine glasses.”

  James barked out a laugh as he rolled his head back to stare at the ceiling. “Ah, yes. Women are strange creatures if they think men care about that, aren’t they?”

  “I liked the pastel colors they picked out,” Finn said, shrugging. “They picked three colors and each couple gets their own color. What’s wrong with that?”

  Grady made an incredulous face. “You’re such a woman.”

  “Hey, this is my wedding, too,” Finn pointed out. “I want to be in on the decisions because it’s important to Emma. I don’t think it’s too much to ask. She did give birth to my son, after all. I’m sure the pain of picking napkin colors is nothing compared to that.”

  The look on Grady’s face was something right out of a sitcom. “You’re definitely a woman,” he said, shaking his head. “Thankfully for me, Sophie thinks more like a dude than a chick. She’s not any happier with the endless dress fittings and color selections than I am.”

  “Yes, Sophie is surprisingly uninterested in the entire process,” James agreed, bobbing his head. “Perhaps that has something to do with her groom. Have you ever considered that?”

  “Not for a second,” Grady shot back, annoyed. “She’s just not a frilly person. She wanted to go to City Hall and do it. I’m not kidding. That was her plan.”

  “What happened?”

  “Peter put his foot down and said that wasn’t even to be considered,” Grady replied. “He said he has one child and wants to throw her a proper wedding. When you offered to pay for the wedding, James, I thought he was going to have a meltdown because you stole his thunder.”

  “I honestly didn’t mean to step on his toes,” James said ruefully. “That never even occurred to me. I thought I was being nice.”

  “Yes, well, he didn’t see it that way,” Grady said. “Thankfully you allowed him to split the cost with you. Otherwise there would’ve been tears … and I’m pretty sure they would’ve been mine.”

  James chortled. “Peter is a funny guy,” he said. “When we were planning your honeymoon, he had all of these whacky ideas. He actually thought a cold-weather environment might be nice.

  “That’s when I had to explain to him that honeymoons are all about nudity and I was certain he was going to fit me with cement shoes there for a second,” he continued. “He finally came to see things my way, though.”

  “Yes, you still haven’t told us where we’re going on our honeymoon,” Finn pointed out. “As thankful as I am that you’re doing all of this for us – including paying for two weeks of bliss away from Michigan – we need to know what to pack.”

  “I told you what to pack,” James shot back. “It’s an island.”

  “But … are we all going to be staying together?” Finn didn’t look thrilled at the prospect.

  “I’m not an idiot,” James replied. “I know you guys don’t want to see one another on your honeymoons. That’s why you’re all going to separate islands.”

  Grady’s eyebrows flew up his forehead. He was clearly intrigued. “This is the first I’m hearing of that,” he said. “How is it going to work?”

  “It’s the Bahamas,” James replied. “There are a bunch of different islands. You each get your own. If you want to meet for dinner one night, though – which I totally don’t recommend because it cuts down on your private naked time – you can meet on one of the islands without a problem.”

  “Are we staying in hotels?” Jake asked.

  “I rented houses so you can have unlimited privacy,” James answered.

  “Oh, it’s almost as if you’re spoiling us,” Grady teased. “What’s your deal? Why are you going out of your way like this?”

  “I happen to be a generous and giving man.”

  “True,” Grady confirmed, rubbing his chin. “Something else is going on, though. What?”

  James blew out a long-suffering sigh, one only an older brother could muster. “Your honeymoon is going to be one of your best memories ever,” he said. “There’s no reason not to enjoy it.”

  “Why really?”

  “I want you to have a good time,” James said. “While you’re having a good time in the Bahamas, though, I’m going to be having a good time here. I don’t know if you have realized it or not, but we’ve pretty much pushed off everything but the most important clients while you’re gone for your honeymoons, so I will have some time off in your absence as well.”

  “I have noticed,” Grady said, bobbing his head. “That was also generous of you. Something tells me you’re going to have something of a honeymoon of your own while that’s going on, though, so it’s not exactly like you’re doing it just for us.”

  “No, it’s not,” James agreed, grinning. “One of those two weeks will be spent here and I will keep up on work. The other … well … there’s an artists’ retreat in the Upper Peninsula. It’s very prestigious and hard to get an invite, but I nominated Mandy for it – even sending photographs of some of her work – and she was accepted.”

  Grady widened his eyes, surprised. “You’re taking her to an artists’ retreat?”

  “It will be fun for me, too,” James said. “I won’t be attending the classes but there’s fishing … and hiking … and I got a very secluded cabin with a private hot tub.”

  “Ah, in other words, you’re going to be naked as much as we are,” Grady said, snorting as he shook his head. “You’re a piece of work. You know that, right? Here we were thinking you were going out of your way for us, but instead you were going out of your way for Mandy.”

  “She de
serves it,” James argued. “You guys deserve it, too, don’t get me wrong, but she deserves it most. She wanted to make sure you had fabulous honeymoons. That’s the only thing she asked of me when I started planning them. She’s going to be lonely when you’re all gone, though, and I want to make sure I keep her entertained.”

  “Lonely?” Grady was confused. “Are you planning on ignoring her while we’re gone? I have to say, that doesn’t sound a thing like you.”

  “I don’t plan on ignoring her,” James countered. “I plan on showering her with affection … and gifts … and my tongue.”

  “You’re such a pervert,” Grady muttered, shaking his head.

  “She’s still going to miss your hens because they like to gossip,” James said. “I’m entertaining and I know she’ll be perfectly happy spending time with me. Still, she’s not the center of attention this time so … I don’t want her feeling left out.”

  “You know you’re setting a bad precedent, right?” Jake asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “She might end up spoiled if you’re not careful.”

  James and Grady snorted in unison. Mandy was already spoiled and everyone knew it.

  “I think I’ll take my chances,” James said. “I … .” He didn’t get a chance to finish because his gaze swept over to the television where the local news station had broken in to regular coverage to show a fluid situation at an area shopping mall. “Is that where the girls are?”

  “Where?” Grady snapped his head to the television and frowned. “It says armed gunman are in the mall and shots have been fired.”

  “That is the mall they’re at,” Finn said, swallowing hard. “You don’t think … .”

  “I think trouble finds Mandy when she’s least expecting it,” James said, reaching for his keys. “We have to get over there right now.”

  “WHAT do we do?”

  Emma was a nervous wreck and it took all of Mandy’s energy to force the anxious woman out of her wedding dress and into her street clothes. Sophie managed the same in less than a minute – and almost seemed relieved to be out of the dress – but Ally needed help getting out of her huge frock. Mandy made sure to zip all of the dresses back into their garment bags – which seemed ridiculous given the fact that the mall appeared to be under siege – but Mandy didn’t want to risk the dresses being ruined on top of everything else.

  “We’re staying right here,” Sophie said, angling her body so she could stare out from the dressing room hallway and watch the mall floor. It was completely empty, which meant mall patrons were either being evacuated or hiding. She had no idea which was the better option because she had no way of knowing what was happening. “We’re safer here. Ally, switch off the light so no one can see us back here if they enter the store.”

  “No, don’t do that,” Emma said, her hand flying to her mouth as she vehemently shook her head. “It will be dark.”

  Mandy buttoned her jeans – her dress was packed away and safe, too – before moving closer to Emma. She was sympathetic to the woman’s plight, but she also knew that darkness was their friend in this instance. “I know that you’re upset but … we have to do it.”

  “My father used to lock me in the basement and turn off the lights after … well, after,” Emma said, referring to her rapist father and the horrible ways he tortured her while growing up. “I’m not sure I’ll be able to sit here in the dark without panicking.”

  “You’ll be fine,” Mandy soothed, inclining her head in Ally’s direction so her friend would know to switch off the lights. The second the dressing room was plunged into darkness, Mandy gripped Emma’s hand as the woman sucked in a steadying breath. “It’s going to be okay, Emma. I promise.”

  “It definitely is,” Ally said, moving closer to Emma. “I’m sure the police are already here. We heard those two gunshots and they sounded as if they came from the other end of the mall. Everything is probably already handled and they’re just working their way through the mall and clearing one store at a time.”

  “I hope so.” Emma’s voice was shaky and Mandy worried she wouldn’t be able to hold it together.

  “Sit on the floor,” Sophie instructed. “Lean your back against the wall and put your head between your knees. That will keep you centered.”

  “How do you know that?” Emma asked, legitimately curious.

  “It was one of the coping techniques Peter taught me when I was a kid,” Sophie admitted. “He wanted me to be able to handle myself if I was ever in a bad position.”

  “Well, this definitely qualifies,” Mandy quipped, making a face as her phone rang in her pocket. “Crap.”

  “Everyone turn off their phones,” Sophie barked. Mandy didn’t miss the irritated look on Sophie’s face when her phone flared to life in the darkened alcove. “We don’t want to draw attention to ourselves.”

  Mandy ignored Sophie’s admonishment and took two steps away before answering the phone. She kept her voice low but her heart rolled when she recognized the name scrolling across her screen. “James?”

  “Hey, baby.” James sounded relieved. “Where are you?”

  Mandy didn’t have to ask whether or not he knew what was happening at the mall. She could tell by his tone that he did. “We’re hiding in the dressing rooms of the bridal shop,” she replied, keeping her voice low. “We turned off the lights … and now we’re going to turn off our phones because we don’t want to make any noise.”

  “I’m sorry about that,” James said. “I needed to hear your voice, though. Also, I thought you might be able to give us some information. Have you seen anything?”

  Mandy shook her head and it took her a moment to realize James couldn’t see the silent response through the phone. “We haven’t seen anything. The woman at the store said the mall sent out a security blast, but we haven’t seen or heard anything since an initial two gunshots right after she told us. Right now we’re just hiding.”

  “That’s good, baby,” James said. “I need you to stay there unless you don’t have a choice. Don’t try to escape. Don’t go outside to help anyone … even though I know that will be your first instinct. Stay there. All of you need to stay there and remain together. Do you understand?”

  “I do. Where are you?”

  “We’re in the parking lot,” James replied. “The sheriff is here and he’s going to utilize us as part of his tactical team because he needs as many sets of eyes as possible when we make entry.”

  “Make entry?” Mandy’s voice hopped. “You could get shot.”

  “We’re wearing vests and are perfectly safe,” James said. “You’re the one I’m worried about. You stay where you are. Do you understand me?”

  Mandy pressed her lips together, frustrated.

  “Mandy?”

  “I understand,” Mandy said finally. “Don’t get hurt.”

  “Right back at you, baby,” James said. He sounded calm. “I will be there as soon as I can. I promise.”

  “I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

  “I’m coming,” James said. “I will be there before you know it. Have faith.”

  “I love you, James.”

  “I love you more than anything,” James said. “We’re on the move. We’ll be together soon.”

  3

  Three

  “Three down.”

  James heard the short message come across a deputy’s radio and clenched his jaw. The mall was set up so that it separated into four arms, all of which met in a shared middle portion that housed the food court and wishing fountain.

  James and Jake split from their counterparts to go with one group of sheriff’s deputies and Grady and Finn joined together to go with another. There were four tactical teams moving through the mall, each entering from the far end of the arm and moving to converge on the food court. James had no idea where the bridal store was located, and as much as he wanted to question the deputies, he bit his tongue. There were a lot of people in danger inside the mall. His wife was only one of them.r />
  “They’re safe,” Jake reminded James, a gun gripped in his hand as they followed three members of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department’s tactical team. They cleared stores as they went and ushered the people huddling inside outdoors so another team of deputies could question them. “We’ll get to them and everything will be fine.”

  “They were safe twenty minutes ago,” James corrected. “All we know now is that they turned off their phones and were safe last time we touched base with them.”

  Jake pursed his lips. “You’re kind of a downer sometimes. You know that, right?”

  “I want my wife,” James said. “I want her more than you can possibly understand.”

  Jake was used to his boss’s codependent tendencies when it came to Mandy, but for some reason the statement grated on his nerves. “Do you think I somehow don’t want Ally?” Jake challenged, catching James off guard. “Do you think I’m not just as worried as you are? This isn’t a competition.”

  James balked. “I didn’t say it was,” he said, holding up his free hand in a placating manner. “I’m sorry. I just … it’s like she’s a trouble magnet. She always manages to find herself in mortal peril. I hate it.”

  Jake’s expression softened. “No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t blame you for being worked up. Mandy does manage to find trouble more often than anyone I’ve ever met. She also manages to get out of it.”

  “I would prefer she get out of it without getting hurt … or having to hurt someone else … for a change,” James said. “In fact, I would be so freaking happy if no one pointed a gun at her and threatened her life this go around. That’s what I really want.”

  Jake pursed his lips. “We both want that,” he said. “You heard the guy on the radio, though. They’ve got three dead gunmen. That only leaves one still out there.”

  James most definitely heard the voice on the radio. Cameras showed four men entering the mall together, masks on their faces and large rifles in their hands. If three were confirmed dead that meant only one remained. Mandy was almost safe.