Deadly Addition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 9) (19 page)

Finn kissed her forehead. “We want her to pay.”

“We want Emma avenged,” Mandy said, hunkering down so she could meet Seth’s gaze head on. “How can you help us?”

Seth smiled. “Do I need to help you?”

“If you want to play the game you do,” Mandy said. “We don’t need any dead weight.”

James’ heart swelled. His wife was … breathtaking.

“Maybe you’re the dead weight,” Seth said.

“Then go,” Mandy said. “We don’t need you. We’re a family. We’re strength.”

“You think I need you?”

Mandy glanced around the store dubiously. “Where is your family?”

Seth shrugged. “I’m alone.”

“Then you need our family,” Ally said.

“We’re not just a family,” Mandy said. “We’re an unstoppable force.”

James smirked. “You’ve got that right. Tell us what you’ve got. Otherwise? Get the hell out of my town.”

“This is a nice surprise,” Sheila said, pushing a cup of coffee toward Emma and fixing her with a bright smile. “I wish you would have told me that you were coming. I would have fixed the room up.”

“Isn’t that what the maid service is for?” Emma asked.

“Good point.”

Emma pushed the coffee away. She was seated at the small table in Sheila’s hotel room, and she was ready to start manipulating the woman who had given birth to her. Finn hadn’t been happy when she’d laid out her plan earlier in the day – but he had finally given in. Now Emma was ready to start working the master. She could only hope that the acting skills she’d learned to bolster her modeling career would finally come in handy. So far, she’d only used them to pretend the leeches who stared at her body while she paraded around in a bikini at various jobs weren’t disgusting perverts. That hadn’t always gone well.

“Don’t you want any coffee?” Sheila asked.

Emma made a face. “The doctor said I shouldn’t have any caffeine.”

Sheila rolled her eyes. “Doctors say stuff like that all the time,” she said. “They don’t know what they’re talking about.”

“Well, I don’t want to risk the pregnancy,” Emma said. “I worked too hard to make sure it happened.”

Sheila narrowed her eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, I shouldn’t have said that,” Emma said, biting her lip. “That’s not what I meant.”

Sheila was shrewd, and Emma knew she had to play her part better. She was in danger of overplaying her role.

“I didn’t mean that I tried to get pregnant,” Emma said hurriedly. “I didn’t try to get pregnant on purpose. You can’t tell anyone that I said that.”

Sheila grinned. “Your secret is safe with me.”

“It’s not a secret,” Emma said quickly. “I didn’t mean it the way it came out.”

“Oh, Emma, who do you think you’re trying to fool?”

Emma’s heart skipped a beat.

“I’m your mother,” Sheila said. “I know when you’re lying.”

“I’m not lying.”

“Oh, just tell me, why did you purposely get pregnant?” Sheila asked. “I honestly don’t understand. Modeling was going to be your way out of here.”

“I’m never going to make big money modeling,” Emma said, wrinkling her nose and inwardly sighing as relief washed over her. “I can make adequate money, but I’ll never make enough to provide a comfortable life for myself. At best, I only have five years of good jobs left. I need to think of my future.”

Sheila rubbed her index finger over her bottom lip. “So, wait, you’re saying you got pregnant to trap Finn?”

“His family has a lot of money,” Emma said.

“Then why do they live in that shithole town up north?”

“His parents don’t have money,” Emma said. “The security business has money, and a lot of assets. They’re building a brand, and it’s a very good brand. They’re going national next year – and then they’re planning on going international in five years. It’s a long game, but I’ve decided to play it.”

“But how much money are we really talking about here?” Sheila asked, her tone purposely cool. She was trying to hide her interest in a sea of maternal concern. “You deserve the best life ever, Emma. How long are you going to have to wait for it?”

“As long as it takes,” Emma said. “I see potential in the Hardys.”

“Maybe if you had snapped up the oldest one,” Sheila said. “He’s the one holding the purse springs.”

“Only until they go national,” Emma said. “Then the business is being separated with equal shares for all three brothers.”

“Really?” Sheila lifted her eyebrows. “How much money are we talking about? Finn can’t even afford a house yet.”

Sheila was dubious, but she was interested. Emma was sure of that. She just had to approach this the right way.

“I don’t want him to buy a house right now,” Emma said. “I want a big house. I’m the one who put the idea in Mandy’s head to expand the apartment above the security office.”

“You want to live there?”

“I want to hear everything they’re working on,” Emma said. “If they need to be pointed in the right direction, I want to be the one to pick the coordinates.”

“Why would they listen to you?”

“Because I know the players in this town,” Emma said. “I’ve met even more through them. My little black book is bursting at the seams.”

“How?”

“Well, for example, Sophie’s foster father is Peter Marconi,” Emma said, expanding on the story Finn had concocted. “Do you know who that is?”

Sheila narrowed her eyes. “It does sound familiar. Does he own that chain of Italian restaurants that is so popular here?”

“Um, no,” Emma said. “He’s a local … entrepreneur.”

“Meaning what?”

“He’s got ties to organized crime, Mom. If you get a few minutes later, Google him. It will make for some interesting evening reading for you.”

“He’s a mobster?” Now Sheila was definitely interested.

“He is.”

“But how does he tie in with the Hardys? They’re all far too … moral … to do business with a mobster.”

“Maybe in the past,” Emma said. “They’ve loosened their code several times in the past few months. They’re even doing security for Marconi now.”

“I thought a man like that had his own guards?”

“They don’t act as guards, although they did all take down a human trafficking ring a few weeks ago,” Emma said. “They did it together, and Marconi is the one who made the job request. They overhauled his entire house with cameras and other motion detectors, too.”

“So, they know how to get into his house,” Sheila mused. “Can you get the plans?”

“Why would we want to break into Marconi’s house?” Emma asked. “He’ll kill us if he catches us. We don’t want to steal from him, we want to do business with him.”

“If what you’re saying is true, why would the Hardys want to work with Marconi?”

“He wanted the trafficking ring shut down because it was competition,” Emma said. “The Hardys did it because they’re good guys.”

“How does that help us … I mean, how does that help you?”

Emma smiled internally. She could practically see Sheila’s mind working from here. “If they crossed the line to help with Marconi, it’s only a matter of time until they do it with other people of his ilk,” she said. “Think about it. They’re getting people from other countries requesting their services when they come into town now. The business is steadily growing.”

“And that’s why you got pregnant,” Sheila mused. “You wanted to cement yourself with them. He’ll have to give you child support.”

“I don’t just want child support,” Emma said. “I want to marry into the family.”

“But he hasn’t asked you yet,” Sheila said. “That’s why you should’ve gone after the older one. He’s clearly open to the idea of marriage. Finn knocked you up, and all he offered was to move in together.”

“It will happen,” Emma said, her stomach twisting.

“I think you should go after James,” Sheila said. “He’s always going to be the one on top in this family.”

“It’s too late,” Emma replied. “He loves Mandy.”

“You’re prettier than Mandy,” Sheila said. “I think you could drive a wedge between them. You’re sure it’s not his baby, right? It would be so much easier if the kid was his.”

Emma fought off a wave of nausea. “James doesn’t cheat on Mandy.”

“All men cheat,” Sheila said. “Look at your father. He cheated on me with every boy he could get his hands on.”

Emma wanted to slap her. “James would never cheat on Mandy,” Emma said, forcing herself to remain calm. “He wouldn’t even give it a thought.”

“I think you’re selling yourself short with Finn,” Sheila said. “Even if the business does get as big as you seem to think it will, there’s no guarantee he’ll ever ask you to marry him.”

“He’ll ask,” Emma said.

“How can you be sure?”

“Because that’s the type of guy he is.”

“I JUST
got a text from Emma,” Finn said, striding into James’ office.

“What did it say?”

“She says she’s taking her mother out to a nice dinner,” Finn said. “Just the two of them. They’re leaving at five sharp. She promises to keep her busy until at least seven.”

“Let me guess, Sheila wants a steak?” James said.

“She’s a carnivore,” Finn said, frowning.

“And she thinks we’re her prey,” Grady supplied.

“So far, we’ve been doing a good job of rolling over and showing her our bellies,” James said.

“She just hasn’t attacked yet,” Grady said.

“Can we stop with the creepy animal metaphors?” Jake asked. “What’s our next plan of attack?”

“Someone needs to break into her room while she’s out to dinner with Emma,” James said. “That was the plan from the beginning. We need a two-hour block to go through everything.”

“What are we expecting to find?”

“I think our biggest priority is finding information on this Davenport guy,” James said. “He seems to be the key.”

“I still don’t understand how he could just disappear,” Grady said.

“I don’t understand how a guy who is supposed to be so badass – a guy who knows how to spot a user – got bamboozled by a two-bit wretch like Sheila,” Finn said. “She’s not a very good actress. Even her kids don’t believe her.”

“You seem more relaxed now that you know Emma isn’t under her mother’s spell,” James said.

“I’m glad that she’s not going to be heartbroken when Sheila officially turns on her,” Finn clarified. “I don’t want her upset.”

“But?”

“But I don’t like her spending time alone with Sheila,” Finn said. “The woman is going to wear down Emma’s self-esteem every chance she gets. You wouldn’t think a model would be so insecure, but Emma is always so … unsure.”

“She’s still finding herself,” Grady said. “Emma is stronger than she looks.”

“Emma is stronger than all of us combined,” James said. “Sure, she needs reassurance from time to time, but she’s a soldier. We all need reassurance. I still have to reassure Mandy, and she had a good childhood.”

“Do you need reassurance?” Grady teased.

“I’d like to think I’m above it, but every time my wife tells me she loves me, I feel … relief,” James admitted.

“Oh, please, you two are so in love with each other it’s gross,” Grady said.

“Are you saying you weren’t relieved when Sophie told you that she loved you?”

“No,” Grady faltered. “That was the best moment of my life. I get what you’re saying. I just don’t understand how you and Mandy could possibly need reassurance. You’ve been spouting sonnets and platitudes to each other for more than a year now.”

“When you have something you don’t want to lose, something that you just know you can’t live without now that you’ve had it, then fear takes hold sometimes,” James said. “I know Mandy loves me, and I know we belong together. That doesn’t mean that it’s not nice to hear that reaffirmed.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” Finn said.

“What?”

“Emma says she doesn’t believe her mother,” Finn said. “She says she wants vengeance, and I believe her. Still, deep down, she also wants her mother to love her.”

James pursed his lips. “We love her,” he said. “In the end, that’s going to have to be enough.”

“It will be,” Finn said. “I just have to make sure she believes it.”

“I don’t want to be the one to ruin the big bonding moment, but who is going to break into Sheila’s room?” Jake asked.

“Oh, you are,” James said.

Jake furrowed his brow. “Why me?”

“Because you have the best chance of going unnoticed if she does somehow come back early,” James said.

“And how am I going to get into the room? Those things are key-card protected.”

James opened his desk drawer and rummaged around inside for a few moments. When his hand returned to the top of the desk, he had a card resting on his palm.

“What’s that?” Jake asked.

“It’s a master hotel room key,” James replied. “Maverick made it for us.”

“The same Maverick who wants your wife to trade up?”

James scowled. “That little ferret.”

“Do you need reassurance that Mandy isn’t going to leave you for him?” Grady asked. “Do you need a hug?” He held out his arms and grinned.

“Shut up,” James said.

“Do you think I should do this without a lookout?” Jake asked, taking the card from James.

“Do you want a lookout?” James asked.

“I would feel better if I had one,” Jake said. “The problem is, two guys wandering around a hotel is going to look suspicious. People are going to think we’re dating.”

James mulled the statement over. “Then why don’t you take a woman?”

“What woman?”

James smiled. “Don’t worry. I think you’ll like the one I have in mind.”