Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) (19 page)

James’ eyes went dark at her meaning. He held out his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s put your theory to the test.”

“Are you going to at least buy me dinner first?”

“Of course,” James replied. “I need to keep your energy level up. I’m going to have you saluting me all night.”

Finn and Grady were waiting on a residential street in Harrison Township when James parked his Explorer and killed the engine. He’d dropped Mandy off at work a few minutes before, making her promise to wait for him to pick her up again, despite her rampant protests. He could tell she was starting to wear under his constant vigilance, but he didn’t know what else to do.

No one was going to lay a finger on her during his watch.

“You got my text?”

“I ran a background check on Chad Cooper last night,” Finn replied. “As far as I can tell, the guy is just a typical lawyer. He spends hundreds of dollars on suits a month, has an expensive gym membership, and probably has a small penis if his car is any indication.”

James snorted out a laugh. “What does he drive?”

“A Camaro.”

“The eighties called,” Grady said, smirking. “They want their tool mobile back.”

Finn’s face sobered. “What makes you think he could be a suspect?”

“Because I’ve caught him harassing Mandy twice now,” James replied grimly. “The first time was at the art fair. I thought he was just flirting with her and he immediately backed off when he saw me. Last night, though, there was something different. He was kind of aggressive when he thought it was just the two of them. When she shot him down he was … I don’t know … cold.”

“Wait a second; you went to an art fair?” Grady looked horrified.

James clenched his jaw. “She went to an art fair. I was doing surveillance.”

“Right,” Finn said, his sarcasm evident. “You were just watching her while she went to an art fair. That sounds totally reasonable.”

James cracked his neck irritably. “Is there a point to this conversation?”

“No,” Finn shook his head. “I just find it interesting that you went to an art fair.”

“You didn’t buy anything, did you?” Grady asked.

James ducked his head.

“Oh, God, you did,” Grady laughed. “What did you buy? Please tell me it was a little ceramic cat with a heart.”

James squared his shoulders. “If you must know, I bought a set of really expensive stained-glass wind chimes.”

“For your balcony?” Grady asked.

“No.”

“Were they kittens?”

“They were butterflies,” James countered, knowing that wasn’t even remotely better.

“If they aren’t for the balcony, then what did you buy them for?”

“Mandy,” Finn supplied. “He bought them because Mandy liked them.”

“Is that true?” Grady pressed. “You’re such a woman.”

James rolled his eyes. He refused to be sorry about buying the wind chimes. She loved them and he wanted her to have them. He’d buy her a set every day as long as he could keep seeing that smile. He decided to change the subject. “Did you get Cooper’s schedule?”

“Yeah,” Finn said. “He’s in court all morning. He’s got two child molestation cases and one armed robbery case. He won’t be coming home anytime soon.”

“How did you find all that out?”

“His secretary likes me,” Finn said, shrugging.

“Is she hot?” Grady asked.

“I’m taking her out tonight. What do you think?”

“Nice,” Grady said, bumping his fist against Finn’s knuckles. “Try buying her some butterfly wind chimes. Apparently, if you do that, you get nonstop sex.”

James ignored them. “Let’s get this over with.”

The brothers made their way to the house in front of them, a split-level ranch with a perfectly manicured lawn and bright red front door meeting their gazes. Finn served as lookout while Grady picked the lock with an assist from James. When he still hadn’t opened the door after a minute, James fixed him with a hard look. “Let me do it.”

“I can do it.”

James watched Grady struggle for another minute and then pushed him out of the way. The lock tumbled within seconds and James sent Grady a smug look. “And this from the guy who buys butterfly wind chimes.”

“I could’ve gotten it if you gave me another minute.”

“We’re trying to be stealthy, remember?” James prodded.

“Can we finish this conversation inside?” Finn asked.

The brothers wordlessly disappeared inside of Chad’s house, shutting the door behind them – closing out prying eyes – and then taking in their surroundings.

“Well, my first impression is that this guy is a neat freak,” Grady said, moving through the small living room and navigating around the modern furniture populating it. “There’s a place for everything and everything has its place.”

“It’s a little freaky,” Finn agreed, eyeing a marble lion above the fireplace suspiciously.

James walked to the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and scowling when he did. “Light beer.” He opened the freezer next, his scowl only widening. “Frozen cosmopolitan packages.”

“The dude is a freak,” Grady said. “I said it first.”

James ignored him and made his way down the hallway, flicking the light to the bathroom on and glancing around. “He’s got a lot of … weird stuff in here.”

Grady looked in the bathroom and laughed. “He’s into the whole manscaping thing obviously.”

James left the bathroom and moved further down the hall. He motioned for Grady to tackle the bedroom as he strode into Chad’s office. Finn sat down at the desk and booted up Chad’s computer, inserting a flash drive into the port when the screen came to life.

“Just download it and we’ll look at it when we get back to the office,” James ordered.

“Thanks, I couldn’t do my job without you.”

“Sorry,” James mumbled. He crouched down next to the filing cabinet and pulled the top drawer open. He rifled through the files, pausing when something caught his attention. He pulled a magazine out of the drawer, frowning when he realized what he was looking at.

“What is this?” Grady asked, holding up an oddly-shaped contraption as he poked his head through the office doorway.

Finn glanced up and immediately started laughing. “You might want to wash your hands.”

Grady was focused on the item, still unsure what it was. “Just tell me what it is.”

James couldn’t stop himself from laughing, the surreal nature of the situation finally hitting him. “It’s a butt plug.”

Grady frowned. “What does it do?”

“Think about it,” Finn pressed.

Grady’s mouth opened in surprise. “Gross.”

“Put it back where you found it,” James ordered. He turned to Finn ruefully. “I think we’re barking up the wrong tree.”

“What makes you say that?”

James held up the gay porn magazine he’d found inside the filing cabinet.

“If he’s gay, why is he hitting on Mandy?” Finn asked.

“Because he knows she’ll say no,” James replied. “He’s posturing. He’s obviously in the closet. He’s trying to save face.”

James and Finn exchanged a look when they heard water running in the nearby bathroom. “Between watching Clint and his porn and touching Chad’s … um, little friend, I think Grady is about at his limit,” Finn said.

“I don’t blame him.”

MANDY
woke with a start. The room was dark, the only light coming from the alarm clock on James’ nightstand. When she’d fallen asleep a few hours ago, James had been cuddled up behind her. His side of the bed was empty now.

Mandy climbed out of the bed, feeling her way about in the dark as she tried to remember the layout of his bedroom. There wasn’t a lot of furniture to bump into, but they’d shed their clothes in haphazard piles on the floor earlier. Mandy didn’t want to trip over an errant shoe or tangle her feet in a pair of pants and slam into a wall. That would just be embarrassing.

She paused long enough to grab his discarded shirt from the floor when she felt it with her toes. She pulled it on, buttoning it over her chest. It was long enough to cover her ass, although she didn’t bother pulling on her underwear. It’s not like she could find them in the dark anyway.

The door to the bedroom was cracked and she could see light floating in from the adjacent room. She found him sitting on the floor in the living room, his laptop open on top of the coffee table, his legs stretched beneath it. The television was on but muted, today’s sports scores scrolling along the bottom feed as he glanced up from time to time.

She took a second to just watch him. He’d pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, but his chest remained bare. His hair was a mess, but under the dim light of the television and laptop screen, she’d never seen anything more breathtaking.

“Are you just going to stand there staring at me?”

Mandy moved the rest of the way into the room. “I didn’t want to bother you.”

“You’re not bothering me,” James replied, glancing up at her. “I was just getting some work done. Did I wake you?”

Mandy didn’t know how to answer the question. She had no idea what had woken her, but she had a sneaking suspicion it was his absence in the bed. In a short amount of time, she’d become accustom to his warmth and missed it terribly when it was gone. “No. I just was wondering where you went.”

James motioned for her to come to him. He leaned back, pulling her into his lap, settling her so she could see the screen.

“What are you doing?”

“Just catching up on some invoices,” James replied. “I’m almost done.”

Mandy watched as his fingers flew over the keypad, plugging in numbers and expanding his spreadsheet as he went. It surprised her that he was so computer savvy, although it really shouldn’t have. He was good at everything he tried.

Mandy rested her head back against his shoulder. “What did you do today?”

“We broke into Chad Cooper’s house and searched it,” James replied.

Mandy stiffened in his arms. “Is that a joke?”

“No.”

“You can’t just break into someone’s house,” Mandy protested.

“I’m trusting you not to turn me into the police,” James replied dryly.

Mandy worried her lower lip, hating herself for her next question. “Did you find anything?”

“I found out that you probably don’t have to worry about Chad Cooper,” James said. “He’s all talk, no follow through.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s gay.”

Mandy searched her memory. “How can you be sure?”

James filled her in on his afternoon. When he was done, Mandy couldn’t contain her laughter. “Poor Grady.”

“He’ll live.”

Mandy sobered. “Why would he ask me out if he was gay?”

“He probably doesn’t want anyone to know he’s gay. You make an easy cover because he knows you’ll say no.”

“Now I kind of feel bad for him,” Mandy admitted. “No one should have to hide who they are.”

James met her gaze, smiling. “You have a really good heart,” he said, brushing his lips against her temple. “I still don’t want you to be nice to him. He’s a dick.”

Mandy giggled. “He’s obviously not a threat to you,” she said. “He wasn’t even before I knew about that … thing.”

James shifted her on his lap, running his hand up her thigh. “That’s good to know.”

Mandy gasped when she felt his fingers slip between her folds. “I thought you had work to do?”

“Shh,” James said. “Close your eyes. I can do both.”

Mandy did as ordered, laying her head back so it rested on his chest. She could hear his fingers tapping on the laptop, even as his other hand explored her core. Mandy bit her lip to keep from moaning. James moved his fingers inside her, pinching her clitoris as she writhed on top of him. James punched in his final set of numbers and then slapped the top of the laptop down. He didn’t stop his finger ministrations. Instead, he pressed his lips to her neck and let his other hand join the fray.

Mandy felt the tingling build, exhaling heavily when the orgasm washed over her. James kept his fingers moving until he was sure she was done, and then he moved her to the floor as the last tremor fled her body. He kissed her deeply, positioning himself above her as he nudged her thighs to the side.

He slid into her in one long, fluid motion, filling her with one stroke. He dropped his face to hers, kissing her deeply. They moved together, their hands trying to touch everything as they moved together. When they came, it was in unison. James collapsed on top of her, letting his heartbeat – and emotions – fall into sync with hers.

“You want to have lunch?”

Mandy glanced up to find Heidi hovering in the doorway to her office. James had made her promise to remain inside the courthouse – just like every morning over the past three days – so she was momentarily torn. A lunch that came out of something other than a paper bag seemed like a heavenly suggestion.

“Sure.”

What? What James didn’t know couldn’t hurt him. It’s not like she was wandering into a dark alley in the middle of the night.

They agreed on the local Chinese restaurant, chatting avidly as they crossed the road. Since the restaurant was within eyesight of the courthouse, Mandy let her guilt disappear.
I’m fine
. Nothing weird – other than finding out Chad Cooper was gay, that is – had happened in days.
Maybe she was in the clear? Maybe she was safe.

Once they were settled at a table and had placed their orders, Heidi took the opportunity to pounce. “So, tell me about James.”

Mandy smiled, fighting the urge to blush. “What do you mean?”

Heidi wagged her finger. “Oh, don’t do that. You two have been inseparable for more than a week. He’s ridiculously hot. It’s obvious he’s solved that whole dry spell problem. Spill.”

“What makes you think he’s ended my dry spell?”

“Because you’re glowing,” Heidi replied. “And practically floating, actually. You’re glowing and floating. That means you’re having sex. And, if the sheer amount of glow and float is any indication, you’re having a whole lot of sex. I want to know about the sex.”

Mandy focused on her placemat. “Things are going well.”

Heidi groaned. “You have to tell me more than that.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Well, for starters, what does he look like naked? I’ve been trying to picture it, but my mind implodes every time I do.”

“He looks good,” Mandy admitted.

Heidi waited for her to expand on the statement.

“Fine, he looks really good.”

“How, um, big is he?”

“Big?”

“You know, down there?”

Mandy shook her head. “I’m not talking about that.”

Heidi brushed off Mandy’s statement. “He looks big. I’m betting he’s big. I’m also betting he knows what he’s doing in bed.”

Mandy opened her mouth to protest, but shut it when Heidi held up her hand to still her. “I’m your friend. You’ve kept me in the dark forever. I can’t take it. If you don’t tell me, I’m going to explode.”

“It’s been a week.”

“It feels like forever,” Heidi shot back. “I want to know details.”

“Maybe I don’t want to tell you details,” Mandy suggested. “Maybe it’s none of your business.”

“I don’t care what you want,” Heidi said. “Until I can get Chad Cooper to bend to my will, I have to live vicariously through you. Now, tell me what I want to know.”

Mandy rolled her tongue in her mouth. There was no way she could break the Chad news to Heidi without explaining how she found out.

“Let’s just say he knows what he’s doing,” Mandy said.

“He’s had a lot of practice, huh?”

Mandy considered the question. She’d never really thought about it. She knew he’d been with other women. She was sure he’d been with Ann in high school, even though that thought made her want to vomit. She just didn’t want to think about other women besides Ann – not that she wanted to think about Ann at all. “I guess.”

“Oh, that was a stupid question,” Heidi admitted. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Heidi said. “When you love someone, you don’t want to think about the people they’ve been with.”

Mandy froze. She’d told James she loved him a few nights before, only letting the words escape her lips when she was sure he couldn’t respond – or run. She did love him. She knew that. She’d always loved him. Even as a wide-eyed teenager with no knowledge of the real world and what it represented, she’d loved him. He didn’t love her, though. That was the worry constantly haunting her these days. He wasn’t the type to settle down. He wasn’t in this for a future. She was just a distraction. When this was all over, he would let her go, she didn’t doubt that. She wasn’t ready to admit that to someone else. Maybe Chad was a safer topic of conversation after all.

Thankfully, there was another person standing at the edge of the table to distract Mandy. When she looked up, she was surprised to find Ally standing there.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Ally said, sliding into the booth next to Mandy. “I was looking for you. One of the secretaries at the courthouse said you might be here.”

Mandy introduced Heidi and Ally.

“You're James’ sister?” Heidi asked. “That’s so cool.”

Ally cocked an eyebrow. “It wasn’t so cool when I was a kid. He was always bossing me around and telling me what to do.”

“He still likes to do that,” Mandy said.

Ally shifted her pointed gaze. “How is my brother?”

Mandy swallowed hard. “He’s fine. He’s been helping me, like you suggested.”

“Oh, I know how he’s been helping you,” Ally laughed. “Grady gave me an earful last night. From what I can tell, he’s been helping you a couple of times a night.”

Mandy’s cheeks started to burn. “I … I … I’m sorry.”

Ally tilted her head, her long dark hair dipping lower and cascading down her shoulders. “Why are you sorry?”

“Because he’s your brother,” Mandy offered lamely.

“So?”

“So, you’re my friend,” Mandy replied. “We were best friends. You don’t sleep with your best friend’s brother.”

“Says who?”

Mandy was flummoxed. “Isn’t that one of the general rules of friendship? You don’t sleep with your friend’s brother and you don’t sleep with your friend’s sister. Those are the rules.”

“Maybe, when you’re a teenager,” Ally replied, pulling Mandy’s pop in front of her so she could take a drink. “We’re not teenagers.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Why would I be?”

“Because he’s your brother.”

“So what?”

“This can’t possibly make you happy,” Mandy said.

“Why wouldn’t it? You’ve been like a sister to me,” Ally said. “Sure, we were out of touch for years, but you’ve always been my friend. Besides, it’s not like I didn’t know you had a crush on him. You doodled his name all over your notebooks when we were kids. It was pretty obvious.”

“You doodled his name? That’s so romantic,” Heidi sighed, sipping from her own pop.

“Still, it’s weird,” Mandy said.

“Why is it weird? You’re both adults,” Ally said. “You’re free to do whatever you want.”

Mandy remained silent.

“I want my brother to be happy,” Ally continued. “He certainly wasn’t happy with Ann, that gutter snipe. When he was in the Marines, I didn’t get to see him a lot. When I did, I could tell that he was happy with what he was doing – and even happier to be out of Barker Creek. I want him to be happy on every front. If you can make him happy, then I want you to make him happy. I’m fairly certain he makes you happy.”

“Oh, he does,” Heidi said. “Do you see the way she’s glowing?”

Ally graced Heidi with a smile. “I do.”

“Is your brother glowing, too?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Ally said. “I’ve been at the office twice this week, but each time I stopped in Grady and Finn told me he was otherwise engaged.”

Mandy fought her discomfort. “He’s just been helping me.”

“He’s just been helping you out of your panties,” Heidi said, her smile wide and her eyes sparkling.

“Heidi,” I admonished her.

“Stop being such a prude,” Ally ordered. “Finn and Grady have kept me abreast of the situation.” Ally lowered her voice. “They told me what happened that first night.”

“Your family never could keep a secret.”

“We’re gossipy,” Ally agreed. “They also told me what happened with Ann.”

“She’s a witch.”

“She’s the devil,” Ally said. “They also told me you handled the situation well.”

“What does that mean?”

“You didn’t engage her,” Ally said. “That’s what she wanted. She’s always been a drama queen. It doesn’t surprise me that she tried to push your buttons – or that her husband ran away and drained their bank account. That woman has had bitter divorcee written all over her for more than a decade. She’s gotten exactly what she deserved.”

“That’s kind of mean,” Mandy said.

“So? She’s a bitch.”

Mandy couldn’t argue – so she didn’t. “I’m not hiding under any illusions that this is going to end well.”

Ally fixed Mandy with her dark eyes. “Why do you say that?”

“Your brother isn’t exactly a relationship kind of guy.”

Ally tilted her head to the side. “Not before, no,” she said. “I think things may be shifting.”

Hope welled in Mandy’s chest – an emotion she immediately tried to tamp down. Ally was always a romantic, an idealist. Her brother was a different story. “James has been really great. He’s intent on making sure that nothing happens to me.”

“And that makes you sad for some reason?”

“When this is over, when he doesn’t have to watch me twenty-four hours a day, what happens then?”

“Then you guys settle into a routine,” Ally replied. “Both of your lives are in upheaval right now, there’s no denying that. From what Finn and Grady say, I have a hard time believing James is just going to walk away when you’re safe.”

“What makes you say that?”

Ally grinned. “Did he really buy you stained-glass butterfly wind chimes at an art fair?”

“He told them that?”

“Apparently he was proud of it,” Ally said. “Grady is appalled, by the way.”

Mandy didn’t know how to take that gossipy tidbit, so she ignored it. “I don’t want to get my hopes up.” The admission was hard, but Mandy felt lighter when the words escaped her mouth. She wasn’t alone in this. She had backup. If James crushed her heart, she still had her friends.

Ally patted Mandy’s hand reassuringly. “Mandy, you’ve been in love with James for as long as I can remember.”

“I was there. I already know that.”

“The thing is, I’m starting to wonder if he’s been in love with you just as long.”

The air escaped Mandy’s lungs in a whoosh. “What?”

“I’m not saying that he was pining after you when he was in high school and you were in middle school,” Ally said hurriedly. “That would be gross.”

“That would be gross,” Heidi agreed.

“I’m saying that, even when you were in middle school, he was drawn to you,” Ally said. “There was a reason he took such a … shine to you. He’d sit there at the kitchen table and listen to you rattle on and on about whatever book you were reading. He complimented your clothes and, let me tell you, you dressed like an idiot back then so he was totally lying. Do you really think he was interested in that stuff? I don’t.

“He sat there, though,” Ally continued. “He asked you questions. He gave you a ride home. He tried to protect you when Ann zeroed in on you. He’s always cared.”

“That doesn’t mean he wants a relationship.”

“No,” Ally agreed. “The fact that he’s calling you his girlfriend and mooning over you when you’re apart, that means he’s ready for a relationship.”

Mandy wanted to believe her. She wanted to believe her more than anything. She couldn’t fight the niggling doubt resting in her heart. “I don’t want to believe in a future if he’s just going to break my heart.”

Ally patted Mandy’s back to comfort her. “I can’t solve this for you. Something tells me James is going to do that himself.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and I can’t wait to see him do it,” Ally said, leaning back as the waitress slipped a plate in front of Mandy.

Hope is a funny thing. Having it makes you lighter.

Worry is a funny thing, too. Having it makes you heavier.

For some reason, after talking to Ally, Mandy chose to embrace the hope.