Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) (9 page)

“Absolutely,” Peter said. “Until then, we’re still searching for the others and Emma is covered at the building. No one will get at her. We’ll make sure of it.”

“We definitely will,” Finn agreed, regaining his fighting spirit. “I won’t let anyone touch my family.”

“None of us will,” James said, grim. “I can’t wait to get my hands on that guy.”

“You’re going to have to get in line,” Finn said.

“The line will be long,” Peter interjected. “We all want a piece of Lance Pritchard.”

“How are things at home?” Heidi asked Mandy as they left the courtroom for lunch, her expressive face full of concern. “How is Emma? I’ve been worried about her ever since we had to cut her shower short.”

“Emma is … a mess,” Mandy replied, opting for honesty. “She’s terrified her father is coming after her, and she’s convinced he’s going to get her.”

Judge MacIntosh moved in behind the two women as they traversed the narrow hallway that led to their offices and caught the tail end of Mandy’s statement. “We all heard him in court when she testified,” he said, causing Mandy to jump. She hadn’t heard him approach. “I don’t blame Emma for being upset. How is everyone else handling things?”

“Well, James is melting down and getting bossy,” Mandy replied. “Finn is a puddle of goo because his very pregnant fiancée is terrified and there’s not a thing he can do about it. He’s helpless and wallowing. Sophie wants to hunt Lance Pritchard down and kill him. Ally is … Ally. It’s kind of a mess.”

“I feel bad for Finn,” Heidi said. “He looked like his heart was breaking when he had to tell Emma her father escaped.”

“His heart
was
breaking,” Mandy said. “One second all they could think about was their excitement about the baby. The next second … poof.”

“Nothing has poofed,” Judge MacIntosh chided. “Emma is a strong woman. She’ll be okay. I have faith that all of you will keep her safe. I have a feeling you have help on that front.”

Mandy balked. “What do you mean?”

“I don’t care how Peter Marconi dressed up his henchman,” the judge said, smirking as Mandy uncomfortably shifted. “I know very well that the man sitting in the back row of the courtroom this morning was one of his.”

“I … .”

“Don’t bother lying,” MacIntosh said, cutting her off. “I’m fine with it. If you’re wondering, the county sheriff’s deputies had no idea he wasn’t a lawyer. I’m trained to know things about people and recognized him for what he was right away.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” Mandy said sheepishly. “James is insisting that I be constantly watched. I can’t leave the building for lunch. He’s supposed to bring me lunch, but he texted that he and Finn had to go to Detroit, so I think I’m fresh out there.”

“We’ll handle your lunch,” MacIntosh said. “I’m actually relieved knowing someone is watching you. When Pritchard finds out he can’t get to Emma, he’s going to look for someone else close to you. You have terrible luck when it comes to those things.”

Heidi giggled. “You really do.”

“I can’t argue with him when he’s this worried,” Mandy said. “Well, to be fair, we did fight last night. Emma has to be our priority, though. I can’t make this about me.”

“I’m sure you’ll be able to make it about you once Pritchard is captured,” MacIntosh teased.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“CAN
we talk for a second?” James asked, leaning against the wall of the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department’s brick lobby. They’d delivered Lupo ten minutes before and were waiting for clearance to leave.

Finn sighed. “You want to talk about Emma, don’t you?”

“I do,” James said, nodding. “Listen, I’m not telling you how to handle this. I have no idea what I would do if I was in your situation. This whole thing is a nightmare.”

“You think I’m handling Emma wrong, don’t you?”

“I didn’t at first,” James admitted. “Mandy is the one who brought a few things to my attention when we were fighting last night.”

“And what does Mandy think?”

“Mandy thinks Emma needs a kick in the pants,” James said, holding up his hands when Finn scorched him with a look. “Those were her words, not mine.”

“Emma is falling apart,” Finn argued.

“But Emma is also strong,” James said. “She’s stronger than she has any right to be. You can’t let her disappear, and that’s what is going to happen if you don’t confront her about this. Don’t let her be a victim. She has to be proactive.

“I know you want to wrap her in pillows and lay on top of her until this thing passes, but that’s not going to be the right thing for her,” he continued. “You have to call her out about her behavior. Make her realize she needs to be strong for that baby. She’s about to be a mother. She needs to be the kind of mother she wants to be, not the kind of mother she had.”

Finn rolled his neck until it cracked. “I want to argue with you, but I think you’re right,” he said after a moment. “I just don’t know how to look in her eyes and tell her to get it together. I don’t want to hurt her.”

“You’ll be helping her,” James said. “We’re all in this together. Ultimately it has to be your choice. We’ll abide by your wishes. Just … think about it.”

“Emma is all I can think about right now.”

“WHAT
is that?” Mandy asked, rising from her desk and cocking her head as an alarm dinged in the hallway.

Heidi, a sandwich clasped in her hand, made a face. “Ugh. Do you think it’s another fire drill? I hate those things.”

“I guess,” Mandy said. “Ever since they had to shut the courthouse down due to flooding and everyone ignored the fire alarm that day they’ve been sneaking them in whenever they can.”

“I guess that means we have to go outside.”

Mandy frowned. “That’s not going to make James happy.”

“It’s not your fault,” Heidi pointed out. “You can’t control the building’s security.”

“I know,” Mandy said. “I hope my security guy figures out what’s going on and follows us downstairs. Peter is going to wreak unholy mayhem if he thinks I’m alone in public for more than thirty seconds.”

“I’m sure he knows what he’s doing,” Heidi said. “Let’s get moving. If we don’t go they threatened to fine us. I’m not sure if they can really do that, but I don’t want to lose money if I don’t have to.”

Mandy left her sandwich half-eaten on her desk. It would be there when she got back. She followed Heidi into the busy hallway, working overtime to stick close to the woman but ultimately losing her in the throng of people lining up to go down the stairwell.

In the event of a fire drill, the elevators were shut down, just like if a real fire broke out. People were supposed to form an orderly line and go down the stairs one step at a time. Mandy was last in line, and she was almost to the door when a hand reached out from the nearby conference room and clamped over her mouth.

Mandy instantly started to struggle, batting the hand away and swiveling as the room’s door slammed shut and Mandy found herself face to face with a nightmare. “You,” Mandy hissed, glaring at Lance Pritchard. “How did you get in this building?”

Pritchard was dressed in simple blue jeans and a flannel shirt, his eyes cloudy as he looked Mandy up and down with a predatory gaze. “You look different than I remember.”

“I’m surprised you even remember me,” Mandy said, licking her lips and taking a step back. The conference room only had one door – and that would be her lone means of escape – but she had a feeling keeping distance between Pritchard and herself was more important than getting to the door. The floor was empty. She had to take care of herself if she wanted to get out of this situation unscathed.

“Of course I remember you,” Pritchard said, leering. “You’re a pretty woman. You’re even prettier now. You have more … confidence … about yourself. It’s attractive.”

“Aren’t I a little old for you?”

“I like all kinds of women.”

“And little boys … and little girls … and random dogs in the neighborhood,” Mandy spat.

“You’ve got a mouth on you,” Pritchard hissed. “Do you want me to shut it permanently for you?”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Mandy shot back. “You’re a sick coward who gets off torturing children, including your own. I’m not a child. You can’t frighten me.”

“You’re dumber than you look,” Pritchard said.

“How did you even get in this building?” Mandy asked, frustrated. “The cops are looking for you. This was a huge risk. Now they’re going to find you because you’re an idiot.”

“I have this worked out, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Pritchard snapped. “I’ll get out of this building the same way I got in. It won’t be a problem and no one is going to capture me. They’re not smart enough to outthink me.”

“What if I scream?”

“Who is going to hear you?” Pritchard challenged. “Everyone is gone but you. I was worried there for a second that you were going to catch up to your fat friend and go down with her. You’re not that smart, though. You hung back and let everyone else go in front of you. That was really stupid given your situation, by the way.”

“And what situation is that?” Mandy asked, her heart rate speeding up.

“I have a message I want you to deliver to Emma,” Pritchard said.

“I don’t really see Emma,” Mandy lied. “I have no idea why you would want me to do anything where she’s concerned.”

“You’re a horrible liar,” Pritchard said, rolling his eyes. “I know all about your family. Don’t bother making stuff up to delay me. I know exactly how much time I have. I also know my Emma is going to marry your husband’s brother. That makes you guys family, right?”

“You stay away from Emma,” Mandy seethed. “You’ve done enough to her.”

“So much for not knowing her,” Pritchard said, smirking.

“You’re never going to be able to get near her,” Mandy charged. “She’s covered from every angle. We have people looking for you.”

“And they’re doing a bang-up job of finding me. I was right under their noses and in the same building as you. How is that working out?”

“My husband will kill you,” Mandy threatened. “We’ll all kill you if you try to touch Emma.”

“I’m going to touch Emma,” Pritchard said. “That’s precisely the message I want you to relay to her. I want you to tell my daughter that I’m coming … and when we’re reunited, I have a special gift for her. She’s going to be thrilled to see it again. I can already hear the screams. You have no idea how much I’ve missed them.”

“You’re sick,” Mandy gritted out. “I’m not telling Emma anything.”

Pritchard lashed out before Mandy could move, grabbing the back of her hair and pulling her closer so he could exhale his stinking breath in her face. “Emma is my property,” he said. “
Mine
! I’m taking my property back. You make sure and tell her that.”

“You’ll have to kill me first.”

Pritchard jerked on Mandy’s hair once more for good measure and then tossed her into the wall with as much force as he could muster. Mandy hit it hard, her shoulder aching at the impact, but she refused to give Pritchard the satisfaction of knowing he hurt her.

“You tell my Emma that we’ll be together soon,” Pritchard said, reaching for the door. “You tell her that I’m going to kill every member of your stupid family until she’s mine again.”

“I’ll kill you myself if you even think of going near her.”

“Yes. You’re frightening,” Pritchard said, offering a sly wink before walking out of the office as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

Mandy took a moment to collect herself, rubbing her shoulder before bolting toward the door. The hallway was empty when she scanned it, Pritchard already disappearing into whatever hole he crawled out of to get inside the building.

“James is going to be so pissed,” Mandy muttered to herself.

“THAT
should be everything,” the sheriff’s deputy said, handing James and Finn a copy of the paperwork. “The sheriff appreciates your diligence and says he’ll call you later. He wanted to talk to you himself, but we have an emergency down at the courthouse and he had to rush over there.”

James stilled. “Which courthouse?”

“The circuit court building,” the man replied. “Apparently the fire alarm went off and forced the evacuation of the building. The sheriff has to go there himself because the media will show up and make a big deal about it.”

“Is there a fire?” Finn asked, exchanging a worried look with James.

“Not that we’ve heard about. Apparently they just evacuated everyone to the street to make sure, though.”

“Son of a … .” James broke off, shaking his head as he moved toward the exit.

“Did I say something wrong?” the deputy asked, concerned.

“I have no idea,” Finn said, chasing after James. “I just … this is going to be bad.”

“Where is she?”

James found Heidi and Judge MacIntosh standing in front of the courthouse ten minutes later, their heads bent together. Heidi jolted at the sound of James’ voice, but the judge was calm.

“We’re not sure,” MacIntosh replied.

“She was right behind me in the hallway when the alarm started going off,” Heidi offered, clasping her hands. “When I got to the lobby she was just … gone.”

James moved toward the building, a sheriff’s deputy cutting him off. “Sir, you can’t go in there.”

“My wife is in there,” James said. “I’m going in. If you try to stop me … .”

Finn put a hand on James’ arm to quiet him. “Don’t put yourself in a position where they haul you away,” he warned.

“Let him in,” MacIntosh said, stepping forward. “There could be a situation with Lance Pritchard in that building. I’m ordering you to clear the way.”

“Why would Lance Pritchard risk coming to the courthouse in the middle of a fire drill?” the deputy asked, dubious.

“I’m pretty sure he’s the one who pulled the alarm,” James spat. “I’m going after my wife. Don’t try and stop me.”

Macomb County Sheriff Aaron Morgan appeared next to the deputy, his face grave as he listened. “You think this is Pritchard?”

“I think my wife is the only one who didn’t come out of that building,” James said. “I’m finding her right now.”

“Let him through,” Morgan said, falling into step with James and Finn. “Let’s find her. Everyone fan out. I want the building searched from top to bottom. No one is to leave this area.”

James was a bundle of nerves by the time he hit Mandy’s floor, he stepped out of the elevator with Morgan, MacIntosh, and Finn flanking him and almost cried out in relief when he saw Mandy standing in front of one of the conference rooms. James raced toward her, tugging her into his arms. “You scared the crap out of me.”

“Why didn’t you evacuate with everyone else in the building?” Morgan asked, his words accusatory, but his tone calm.

“He was here,” Mandy said, burying her face in James’ neck. “It was Pritchard.”

“I knew it,” James hissed, tightening his grip on Mandy. “Did he hurt you?”

“Just a little.”

James stilled, pulling his face back so he could study Mandy’s features. “How little?”

“He just pulled my hair and slammed me into the wall of the conference room,” Mandy replied, frowning as James growled. “I didn’t see him until he already had me. I’m … sorry. I should’ve realized what was happening.”

“I’m going to kill him,” James muttered, rocking his wife as Morgan got on his radio and demanded his deputies start a search grid for Pritchard.

“He’s already gone,” Mandy volunteered. “He said he had a way in and out.”

“I want him dead,” James seethed.

“Son, you need to calm yourself,” MacIntosh said. “Mandy is obviously safe.”

“That animal put his filthy hands on my wife,” James shot back. “I want him dead.”

Finn shot a small shake of his head in MacIntosh’s direction. He recognized James’ state of mind for what it was: terror. “What did he say to you?”

“He wanted me to take a message to Emma for him,” Mandy replied, shifting so she could meet Finn’s troubled gaze. “He wants her to know he’s coming for her.”

“I don’t understand why he would risk coming here,” MacIntosh said. “He had to know he couldn’t drag Mandy out of this building. He didn’t even try.”

“It’s psychological warfare,” James said, keeping Mandy in his arms but swiveling to face the others. “He wants to mess with us. It’s a game to him. He wants us to know that he’s figured out our relationships to one another and that he can get to us if he wants to do it.”

“I tried lying about seeing Emma, but he knew what I was doing,” Mandy said. “I told him I would die before sending her a message, but … .”

James narrowed his eyes. “You did what?”

“Um … .”

“Don’t yell at her,” Finn said. “She did the best she could in a bad situation. If you yell at her, I’m going to yell at you.”

Jams pressed Mandy’s head to his chest. “You drive me crazy, wife. This is my fault, though. We should’ve known he would be bold given who he is. He likes the notoriety.”

“We need to announce he was sighted here to the population so they’ll be on the lookout,” Morgan said. “We’re going to get thousands of calls because the residents are going to see him on every street corner, but it’s also going to make it harder for him to navigate this area. What was he wearing?”

“Jeans and a flannel shirt,” Mandy replied. “It was blue.”

“He’ll probably ditch those clothes,” James said. “Maybe someone will see him before he has a chance.”

“We need to go over all the cameras on the main floor, too,” Morgan said. “I want to know how he got in this building and then back out without anyone noticing. There’s a flaw in the security here that Pritchard managed to exploit. I want it fixed and business is done here until it is.”

“Do you think he’ll come after Mandy again?” MacIntosh asked.

“If he can’t get to Emma, he’s going to try and take Mandy or Ally,” James answered. “In theory Sophie might make an enticing target, but Pritchard has done his homework. He’s going to know that Peter Marconi is her foster father.”

“And Marconi is going to do a lot worse to him if he catches him than we are,” Morgan added. “I’m actually surprised Marconi isn’t working with you on this.”

James and Finn exchanged a look.

“He is,” James said finally. “In fact … where is the man he had watching you in court, baby?”

“He wasn’t watching me in my office,” Mandy answered. “He probably went down with everyone else when the alarm went off. He couldn’t have known what was going to happen.”

“Well, that’s another hole that needs to be plugged in our security,” James said.

“I’m going downstairs to coordinate,” Morgan said. “Let me know if you get anything else.”

James nodded, absentmindedly pressing a kiss to Mandy’s forehead as he swayed.

“Are you going to make Emma aware of her father’s deeds this afternoon?” MacIntosh asked Finn.

“Of course not,” Mandy scoffed.

“No, I’m doing it,” Finn said. “She has to … snap out of this.” He offered Mandy a wan smile. “She needs a kick in the pants. I think this will pretty much do it.”

“She’ll feel guilty about this and it’s not her fault,” Mandy protested.

“Maybe that’s how she’ll find her strength,” Finn suggested. “It doesn’t matter, though. I’m not lying to her. We’re going to have a talk as soon as I get back to the office.”

“We’re going to have a talk, too, wife,” James said, tilting Mandy’s chin up. “We’re going to talk about being the last one to leave during an emergency when a potential killer is on the loose, and we’re going to talk about telling a criminal that you would rather die than send a message.”

“Can we do that after dinner? I didn’t get to finish my lunch.”

“Sure,” James said, smoothing her hair down. “It will be more fun if we’re already naked anyway.”

“You two have issues,” Finn muttered. “I guess it’s time to work out my own issues before commenting on yours, though, huh?”

Mandy reached out and squeezed his hand. “You guys are going to be okay.”

“I hope so.”

EMMA
sat on the couch, her hands clasped in her lap as she watched the afternoon news. She didn’t look up when Finn let himself into the apartment.

“Hi, sweetie,” Finn said, dragging her attention to him. “How was your day?”

“Jake came up and put all of the new baby furniture together and arranged the nursery,” Emma answered.

Finn stilled, surprised. “He did? He didn’t have to do that. I would’ve gotten around to it.”

“I think he wanted to check on me and that was a convenient excuse to hang around,” Emma admitted, her dark eyes thoughtful as they searched Finn’s face. For some reason even she couldn’t explain, she was more settled today. She was trying to identify the reason why, but she couldn’t. “Did you talk to Lupo?”

“We did,” Finn said, moving to the couch and sitting next to his fiancée. He picked up her hand and rubbed his fingers over it, ultimately settling with rubbing her tense joints as he decided how to approach the conversation. “Lupo says that your father wants revenge on your mother, Jeff, and you. Since he can’t get to Jeff and your mother, he’s focused on you.”

“I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone.”

Finn was bolstered by the lack of tears and hysterical energy. Something was different today. “I have something else to tell you, and I’m afraid to do it. I’m more afraid not to do it, though.”

“Then I guess you should tell me.”

“Someone pulled the fire alarm at the circuit courthouse today,” Finn said, opting to go to the heart of the matter instead of dallying. “Mandy was grabbed in the hallway. It was your father. She’s fine, but she had a nice talk with your dad.”

Emma’s already pale face drained of color. “Did he hurt her?”

“He pulled her hair and tossed her into a wall.”

“Is she okay?” Emma asked, leaning forward. “Please tell me she’s okay.”

“She’s fine,” Finn said, squeezing Emma’s hand. “Mandy’s biggest worry right now is the fight she’s going to have with James regarding her stupidity when trying to leave the building and the way she mouthed off to your father.”

“He better not yell at her,” Emma grumbled. “I’ll force my water to break on his foot if he does.”

Finn chuckled. He couldn’t help himself. There was something … stronger … about Emma’s demeanor. He had no idea where that strength was coming from, but he was thankful and pleased with her new resolve. “You seem different, sweetie.”

“I know,” Emma said, rubbing her free hand over her stomach. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve been acting. It’s not right and it’s not fair to you.”

Finn arched an eyebrow. “Fair? I don’t care about you being fair right now. I care about you being okay.”

“I know I’ve been a basket case the past few days, and I’m ashamed at the way I’ve been acting,” Emma said. “Jake and I had a talk today.”

Finn remained quiet, although he was intrigued that Jake managed to get through to Emma when he couldn’t. He was also a little jealous, but he would never own up to those feelings.

“Jake suggested that I was hiding because I had something to lose now when I didn’t have anything to lose before,” Emma explained. “Death would have been welcome at a certain point when my father was terrorizing me. Now I have everything to lose and it caused me to shut down.”

“You’re not going to lose the baby or me,” Finn cautioned.

“I’m not,” Emma agreed. “I never knew what it was like to love someone with my whole heart. That’s how I feel about you. That’s how I feel about the baby, too, even though I haven’t met him yet.

“Jake said I was living my life like I’d already lost it and that I might want to consider living my life with the determination to survive instead,” she continued. “I was kind of irritated with him when he first said it, but now I think he was right.”

“I think I’m going to give Jake a big kiss next time I see him,” Finn said, causing Emma to giggle. Finn’s heart soared at the sound. She hadn’t laughed in days. “I kind of want to give you a big kiss, too.”

Emma leaned into him, pressing her lips firmly against his. Finn cupped the back of her head and lengthened the kiss, basking in Emma’s warmth and the way she melted into him. When they separated, Emma’s smile was rueful.

“I wish we could celebrate my return to sanity another way, but the doctor says it could be any day now and I do not want to start the story of our son’s birth with ‘well, Daddy and I were having sex and my water broke.’”

Finn barked out a laugh, delighted. “Sweetie, you’ve already given me the best gift in the world today just by being you,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about anything else. I’m a little surprised you’re not more worked up about your father approaching Mandy at the courthouse. I’m not going to lie. I was worried that was going to cripple you.”

“I know Mandy is okay,” Emma countered. “I know James is going to kill my father if he gets his hands on him. For some reason that makes me feel … stronger. I also know you’re always going to be right here with us.” Emma pressed Finn’s hand to her stomach so he could feel the baby kick. He spent hours each night talking to her bump and pressing his hands to the soft flutters so he could marvel at the reality of a baby being inside of Emma. “This is what I want to focus on. I know you guys are going to get my father. I know he’s not going to ruin this for us. I have faith.”

“No one is ever going to ruin this for us,” Finn said, kissing Emma softly and then lowering his mouth to her stomach. “Isn’t that right, baby? We’re in this for the long haul. I can’t wait to hold you, buddy.”

Emma smiled as she ran her fingers through Finn’s hair. “I can’t either. I just hope my father is in prison when he arrives. Before I wanted to deliver right away because I was desperate to hold him. Now I want him to stay in there until everything is safe.”

“He’s going to be safe either way, Emma,” Finn said. “I promise. Now, since you’re in a good mood, how about we draw a hot bath and I will rub your stomach? Then we’ll have dinner, and after that I’ll rub your feet.”