Deadly Payback (Hardy Brothers Security Book 22) Read online

  “It still feels somehow … I don’t know … disloyal.”

  “You’re not being disloyal,” James said. “You’ll remember her forever. You’ll hold her close to your heart forever. That’s not disloyalty.”

  Mandy nodded and buried her face in his neck for a moment, blowing out a sigh when her stomach growled. James couldn’t help but chuckle as he clutched her tightly against his chest.

  “You’re starving, baby. You need to eat.”

  “I don’t want to cook.”

  “Oh, well, my mother and sister have been living in our house for two days,” James said. “I’m sure they’ve already got breakfast ready. They’re going to feed you no matter what.”

  Mandy pursed her lips as she tried to refrain from smiling. The effort wasn’t up to her normal standards, but James would take what he could get given her raw nerves and frayed emotions.

  “I love you, Mandy. Don’t ever forget that.”

  “I love you, too.”

  “OH, WELL, look who is joining us.”

  Rose fluttered around the kitchen as James and Mandy made their way into the main house. She looked surprised – and delighted – to have someone to dote on.

  “Good morning,” Louis said, looking up from his newspaper. “How did you sleep?”

  “Better,” James replied, his hand resting on Mandy’s hip as he guided her toward the table. “Now my wife needs to eat. She’s starving.”

  “And what about you?” Rose asked her son. “Are you starving, too?”

  “I could eat,” James said, only realizing after his mother asked the question that his stomach felt hollow. “In fact, I’m famished. What did you cook?”

  “Eggs, corned beef hash, and bacon.”

  “Load me up,” James said, grinning as he slid into the chair next to Mandy.

  “I made that for Mandy,” Rose said. “I made blueberry pancakes for you.”

  James arched an eyebrow. “Someone has been busy, huh?”

  “She can’t help herself,” Louis said. “When she sees a wounded bird, she needs to fix it. Not that Mandy is a wounded bird or anything, mind you. That’s not what I meant. Oh, dear.”

  Mandy managed a rueful smile as she regarded her father-in-law. “It’s okay. I’m sorry I’ve been so difficult to deal with over the past few days.”

  “You haven’t been difficult,” Rose chided. “You’ve been … out to lunch.”

  Now it was Mandy’s turn to raise her eyebrows, and make a comical face. “Out to lunch?”

  Louis chuckled as he shook his head. “That’s what Rose used to call it when she was fed up with four kids under the age of six sharing the same roof,” he said. “She would take off for an afternoon of pampering at the beauty parlor. She called it ‘going to lunch.’ I always found it funny.”

  “That sounds like an idea,” James said, rubbing the back of Mandy’s neck as he watched his mother dole out food onto plates. “How about a spa day? I will just bet we can talk Ally into going. Sophie is probably tied up with this story, but I’m sure Emma is up for an outing, too. How does that sound?”

  “Maybe tomorrow.”

  James massaged the tender spot between his eyebrows as he stared at Mandy. “Okay. If you don’t want to do it today, we can kick everyone out of the house and have some quiet time together. We can watch as many shark movies as you can take.”

  “That sounds good for tonight,” Mandy said, grabbing a napkin from the table and worrying it between her fingers. “I have plans for this morning and early afternoon, though.”

  “Plans?” James didn’t want to press her. He’d just gotten her back. She was being evasive, though. “Baby, I don’t suppose you want to share with the crowd what those plans are, do you?”

  “I wasn’t planning on making a big announcement or anything, but I’m going to the courthouse.”

  James’ temper flared. “You are not!”

  “Calm down, James,” Louis warned. “Hear her out.”

  “Okay,” James said, adopting a pragmatic tone. “I’ll listen. You’re not going back to work, though.”

  “Oh, well, this should end well,” Rose muttered, pushing a heaping plate of food in front of Mandy. “Couldn’t you wait to go caveman until she eats?”

  “No.” James licked his lips as he studied Mandy’s profile. “Are you trying to kill me? I know I ask that a lot, but I’m serious this time.”

  “I’m not trying to kill you,” Mandy replied. “I’m also not going to the courthouse to work.”

  “Oh.” James was properly abashed. “Why are you going? If you want to see the judge, I’m sure we can get him to stop by the house later tonight.”

  “I do want to see the judge,” Mandy confirmed. “I want to tell him that I’m done at the courthouse and hand in my resignation. Then I want to clean out my office and … just go.”

  James stilled, surprise and something akin to happiness washing over him. He tamped down his enthusiasm before it could get a foothold, though. “You want to quit? Now?”

  “Yes.”

  “But … .” James glanced at his father. “Why now, baby?”

  “Because I can’t go back there without Heidi,” Mandy replied. “I was going to quit in a few months anyway. I don’t want to go back there without her.”

  “I’ve wanted to hear those words come out of your mouth for months, Mandy, but I don’t want you making this decision when you’re so upset,” James said. “Maybe you should wait a few weeks.”

  Mandy was flabbergasted. “You’ve been pressuring me for … as long as I can remember … to do this. Now you’re finally going to get your way and you want me to think about it. What the hell?”

  James tried to hide his smile, and failed miserably. He brushed Mandy’s hair out of her face as he attempted to collect his thoughts. “I want you out of that courthouse,” he said after a beat. “I don’t want you to have any regrets, though. I’m afraid you’ll regret this if you make a snap decision.”

  “I won’t regret it,” Mandy argued. “I’m done. I’ve been done. This just sealed it. I don’t want to go back.”

  “Okay,” James said, bobbing his head. “If this is what you want, then I’m thrilled. I’m going with you, though. I won’t let you go back to that building alone.”

  “Because you think someone is trying to kill me?”

  “Because I’m your husband and if we’re starting a new phase of our lives, we’re going to do it together,” James corrected. “Do you understand? No one is shutting anyone out here, missy.”

  “I understand.”

  “Good.” James leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Now eat your breakfast. We have a big day ahead of us.”

  “WHAT did James say?” Finn locked gazes with Jake over the hood of the other man’s truck, his interest in the phone conversation between his co-worker and brother piqued when Jake expressed relief at James’ news.

  “He said that he wants an update when we can get it to him, but he’s going to be busy helping Mandy this afternoon,” Jake replied. “He seemed in much better spirits.”

  “Yeah, I talked to Ally this morning,” Finn said. “She was watching out the window and saw them make up a little after ten.”

  “Oh, I know,” Jake intoned. “I was in the guest bedroom with her and she wouldn’t stop squealing. Your mother knocked on the door because your father was convinced I was making her squeal for another reason and she asked us to be quiet. It was all very embarrassing.”

  Finn barked out a laugh as he shifted his attention to the gun store. They’d managed to make inroads on Heidi’s shooting, although no one was happy with the state of the investigation. James’ focus was on Mandy, and while nobody begrudged him time with his wife given what happened, they could’ve used his help on a few things over the course of the last few days.

  “You seemed relieved and congratulated him,” Finn pressed. “What did he say?”

  “He said that Mandy is quitting her job this morning a
nd he’s going to the courthouse with her,” Jake replied. “He sounded almost happy, although I’m sure that’s just because they made up. He’s so out of sorts when they’re fighting.”

  “Yes, they’re codependent,” Finn said, knitting his eyebrows together as he considered Jake’s news. “James must be over the moon that she’s leaving the courthouse.”

  “I think he is, but I also think he’s worried that she’s making a knee-jerk reaction because of what happened,” Jake said. “He didn’t come right out and say it. He probably couldn’t because she was with him. Still, he seems happy it’s happening and yet slightly worried about the timing. I can’t say I blame him.”

  “Even if she does regret it, she was going to leave in September anyway,” Finn pointed out. “She’ll be fine. This is better for her. Heck, it’s better for them.”

  “I can’t disagree with that,” Jake said. “After what happened, James was going to spend the next two months going to work with her to make sure she walked out of that building alive. Now they’ll be able to relax and … get through this.”

  “It’s going to take Mandy time,” Finn said. “I’m sure she blames herself. Even if we find out Heidi was the target, Mandy is the type of person who will carry around residual guilt.”

  “Yeah, well, hopefully we can make that a little better,” Jake said. “Let’s see if the guy inside can help us.”

  Finn shifted his eyes to the shop a second time. “And why are we here again? I thought we had no idea what type of gun was used.”

  “We don’t,” Jake replied. “We do have an idea of what kind of shell was used, though. Peter managed to find out that the shell casings were handmade. He has a source inside the sheriff’s department. There were specific grooves – kind of like a signature – on the casings. I happen to know who makes grooves like that.”

  “This guy?”

  Jake bobbed his head. “This guy,” he said. “He’s a veteran and he’s usually easy to get along with. Let me do the talking, though.”

  “Knock yourself out.”

  “WELL, WELL, well. If it isn’t Jake Harrison. I thought you fell off the face of the Earth or something.”

  The man behind the counter, who boasted a gregarious smile and flaming red hair, clapped Jake on the back as he leaned over to offer him a one-armed hug. Jake returned the embrace, a genuine smile on his face as he regarded the behemoth of a man behind the counter.

  “Hey, Red,” Jake said. “Long time no see. I’m sorry I haven’t been around. Things have been really busy.”

  “Yeah, I heard you’re getting hitched,” Red said. “I never thought I would see the day when that would happen. I didn’t think you had it in you.”

  “Yes, well, I found a special woman,” Jake said, smiling fondly as Ally’s face popped into his head. “She changed everything for me.”

  “Please tell me she’s a stripper,” Red said. “I would be able to believe you’d settle down for a stripper.”

  Jake’s cheeks colored as he cast a sidelong look at Finn. Even though he was the least temperamental of the Hardy brothers, Finn didn’t look thrilled with Red’s take on Ally. “This is my Ally’s brother,” Jake said. “This is Finn Hardy.”

  Instead of being embarrassed, Red offered Finn a lopsided grin. “Whoops.”

  “Whoops,” Jake intoned, rolling his neck until it cracked. “You always know how to stick your foot in your mouth, don’t you?”

  “It’s a gift.”

  “Yes, well, I want to return that gift sometimes,” Jake said. “As much as I would like to chew the fat, though, I’m here for a specific purpose.”

  “And what would that be?”

  “The shooting at the courthouse.”

  “Yeah, I heard about that,” Red said, rubbing his chin. “That was a terrible thing. From what I hear tell, that poor woman was shot and no one knows why. She didn’t have any enemies or anything.”

  “She didn’t have enemies, but the woman standing with her kind of does,” Jake said. “The other woman – the blonde – is my boss’s wife.”

  “Oh, no,” Red said. He seemed genuinely upset. “I hear tell she was right there and kind of got … um … covered in stuff.”

  “She did,” Jake confirmed. “She’s been extremely upset. As you can imagine, my boss is a wreck. If his wife was the target, she could still be in danger. If she wasn’t the target, we still want to know who killed Heidi.”

  “Did you know her?”

  Jake nodded. “She was a nice woman. She was also pregnant.”

  Red made a disgusted face. “I just … don’t understand this world,” he muttered, shaking his head. “I would love to help. You know how I hate vermin. I’m not sure what good I’ll do you, though.”

  “The sheriff’s department has been particularly tight-lipped,” Jake said. “Thanks to an inside source, we know that the bullet used came from a high-caliber weapon and the ammunition was handmade. It seems you made it from the description of the grooves on the casings left behind.”

  “No way.” Red was flabbergasted. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I wish I was.”

  “I can’t possibly know who I sold those bullets to,” Red said. “I sell hundreds of them each month. Is there any way to narrow down when they were purchased?”

  “No.”

  Red blew out a sigh. “What do you want from me?”

  “We want to go over your records for the last few months,” Jake replied honestly. “We don’t want to bother an innocent person – and we don’t want to invade anyone’s privacy – but we might recognize a name you wouldn’t.”

  “I don’t know.” Red stared at the ceiling a moment. “Okay. You can go through my records. I’m only allowing this because I trust you, though.”

  “Thank you,” Jake said. “This means a lot to us. We have to keep Mandy safe and this is the only way I can think of to move forward on the investigation.”

  “Then let’s get to it,” Red said. “I would hate for another innocent woman to die because we were jawing at one another. I’ll make some coffee.”

  9

  Nine

  “You don’t have to come in with me.”

  Instead of risking parking in the front of the courthouse – worry that police tape and potential blood on the concrete walkway would send Mandy into a tailspin – James opted to pull his Explorer into the parking garage. Mandy stopped him with a hand on his arm when he moved to hop out of the vehicle.

  “Baby, I want to come in with you,” James said. “Don’t you think we should do this together?”

  Mandy looked bewildered at the question, and James couldn’t decide if it was because she thought he was hovering or she was desperate not to hurt his feelings for a second time in the same week.

  James blew out a loud sigh and forced a smile for his wife’s benefit. He didn’t want to scare her off after a rotten few days of separation. “Tell me, baby. It’s okay. Whatever you say is okay. You’re not going to hurt my feelings. I was upset about you shutting me out. If you explain the problem, that’s not the same thing as shutting me out.”

  “I think I should do this myself,” Mandy said, her voice low. “I’m supposed to be an adult. I’m supposed to quit my job on my own. I shouldn’t need you to hold my hand.”

  “Yes, well, that’s an interesting way of looking at things,” James said. “I didn’t really consider you quitting something an adult has to do. I thought you might like the moral support.”

  Mandy could read between the lines. What he was really saying was that he thought she might need him. “James, I always need you. I have to be strong, though. I owe the judge that.”

  “You don’t owe anyone anything,” James challenged. “The judge is going to understand. I’ll wager he’s expecting this. He saw you at the house the day after it happened. He’s not going to be upset about this.”

  Mandy licked her lips as she stared out the front window of the Explorer. “That’s not really maki
ng me feel better,” she said after a beat. “Since we’re trying to be honest and include one another, I don’t want to hear that my boss isn’t going to be upset about me quitting my job out of the blue.”

  “I didn’t mean that,” James protested. “He loves you, Mandy. He’ll always love you. I’m just saying that you quitting now instead of ten weeks down the line isn’t going to come as a shock.”

  “No, I think Heidi dying on the pavement is shocking enough for the time being, don’t you?”

  “Baby, I don’t know what you want me to say,” James said, holding up his hands to signify surrender. “Tell me what you want and I’ll make it happen.”

  “I don’t know what I want,” Mandy admitted. “I’m afraid to go in there without you, but I’m even more afraid to lean on you as if you’re a crutch and I’ll fall down if I don’t have your strength to bolster me.”

  “I’m supposed to be your crutch when times get rough, but I understand what you’re saying,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck as he considered his options. “Okay, how about I sit out here and make a few calls? Jake and Finn might have a lead on the gun.

  “That will allow you to go inside and talk to the judge on your own terms,” he continued. “That will allow you to see the people who work here standing on your own two feet. If you need me, you have your phone. I’ll be close.”

  “You’re just going to sit here for hours while I clean out my desk?” Mandy was surprised.

  “I’m going to sit here and get caught up on a few things,” James clarified. “It shouldn’t take more than half an hour. Then I’m going up to your office to help you. You can’t carry all of that stuff alone.”

  “Oh.” Mandy tilted her head to the side as she considered her husband’s suggestion. “That actually sounds like a good idea.”

  “Great,” James said, reaching over to gather her hand in his so he could give it a squeeze. “If you need me, call … or even text … and I will come running. I mean literally running. I’ll win an Olympic medal.”

  The giggle that escaped Mandy’s mouth warmed James to his core, even though she slapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she’d done and guiltily glanced around to make sure no one heard.