Deadly Memories (Hardy Brothers Security Book 18) (9 page)

“
H
ey
, baby. How is the most beautiful and kind woman in the world?”

Mandy glanced up from her desk, surprised by the sound of James’ voice, and looked around as if she was searching for hidden cameras. “What did you do?”

James and Grady exchanged a rueful smile.

“I told you,” James said.

“Well, maybe if you didn’t lay it on so thick,” Grady said “You probably would’ve been fine with the first part. Adding the second part made her suspicious. She knows you too well to believe you would spout that nonsense without a reason.”

Mandy furrowed her brow. “I’m pretty sure I should be insulted.”

“Don’t listen to him, baby,” James said, moving around Mandy’s tall desk so he could join her on the other side. His eyes briefly drifted to the hem of her skirt and he couldn’t help but wonder if she was wearing underwear. He had a thing for her garter belts and pencil skirts, and he’d managed to bring a few fantasies to fruition in his wife’s tiny office over the course of their marriage. “What was I saying?”

“I have no idea what you were saying, but I know exactly what you were thinking,” Mandy said, tugging her skirt lower to make sure her thighs were completely covered. “I told you last time that it was the last time. I will not be caught having sex in this office again.”

Grady rolled his eyes. “You are such a pig, man.”

“Oh, please,” James scoffed. “If Sophie had an office you’d be all over it. Don’t hate on me because you’re jealous.”

Mandy dropped the ink pen she’d been using on top of the final file she needed to close for the day and crossed her arms over her chest as she regarded her husband and brother-in-law. She’d known both of them for the better part of her life since she was best friends with their younger sister, Ally. Even if she wasn’t married to James, she would know he was up to something.

“Why are you here?” Mandy asked. “I’m not in danger, so there’s no reason to show up and taxi me home.”

“Yes, it’s been a glorious three weeks, hasn’t it?” James said. “I haven’t had one near heart attack regarding your safety. I think we should celebrate. Grady, get out.”

Grady cuffed the back of James’ head as Mandy snickered. “I don’t care how much you beg and plead, I’m not doing anything filthy with you,” Mandy said. “Now, I have a hard time believing you brought your brother as a witness, if that’s really what you have on your mind. Are you a deviant?”

James was properly chagrined. “No.”

“Do you want your brother to see me naked while we have sex?”

“No.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Grady interjected, earning a stern look from both of them. “What? I saw you going at it on the pool table that one day and I saw you going at it in the hot tub. Oh, and I saw you between rounds of going at it just a few weeks ago when Mandy got all horny because of that shark projector you got her.”

Grady’s voice was loud enough to carry into the hallway, and when a passing lawyer glanced into the office – his eyes wide and interested – Mandy slapped her hand over her eyes and James pointed at the door to prod Grady to shut it.

“I’m sorry, baby,” James said, resting his hand on her shoulder. “I probably should’ve warned Grady about inappropriate things he shouldn’t say in the workplace. Our workplace doesn’t have stringent rules like this one.”

“I know you’re playing a game because you think it’s cute, but I actually like having a decent reputation,” Mandy snapped, taking James by surprise. “I don’t like being known as the courthouse slut.”

James’ expression softened. “Baby, no one thinks that.”

“They all think it, James,” Mandy argued. “A few of them have even said it. They think that’s how I nabbed you. Apparently my new reputation has me being very kinky in bed.”

Even if James had been mildly flirting with the idea of remaining behind to seduce Mandy once he finished his mission with Grady, he immediately pushed those thoughts out of his mind. “I’m sorry. I … didn’t think … how this would reflect on you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Mandy said, averting her eyes as she lowered her head. “I only have a few months left, right? I used to be respected here, but I’ve lost it now. I won’t be here for the long haul so it doesn’t matter.”

James’ heart rolled. He hated it when his wife was unhappy. “Baby, I’ll figure out a way to fix it.”

“It doesn’t matter, James,” Mandy said. “It’s already too late.” She snapped her attention to Grady. “Since you’re both here, I’m guessing you need a favor. What is it?”

“It’s nothing,” James said, pushing himself away from the desk. “What we were going to ask is inappropriate, and I’m not going to do it. I’m sorry we came here. I’ll pick up dinner and wait for you at home. What do you want?”

“I’m not really hungry,” Mandy answered. “Pick out whatever you want and I’ll be fine.”

James didn’t believe that for a second. He knew his wife’s mannerisms well enough to know that she was ticked. She didn’t want to cause a scene in the courthouse, though, so she would wait until they were home before unleashing her building fury.

“We can’t leave until we ask her,” Grady interjected. “It’s important to me. I have to know.”

“No, Grady,” James said, vehemently shaking his head. “I won’t put my wife in this position. We’ll find another way to get the information.”

“There is no other way,” Grady argued. “We both know it. Mandy is our only shot.”

“Then we’re done,” James said. “I’m not going to let you pressure her into doing something that’s going to upset her.”

“You’ve already upset her,” Grady pointed out. “What have you got to lose?”

“My spot in the bed when she goes nuclear tonight,” James hissed. “I’m going to have to beg and plead as it is. You’re not forcing this issue. It’s not her fault that you snooped in Sophie’s history and need help unraveling a mystery. Let it go.”

Mandy narrowed her eyes, curiosity and suspicion warring for supremacy in her mind. Finally she settled on suspicion. “Is this an act?”

“No,” James said. “It’s a mistake. We shouldn’t have come here. I don’t know how I let Grady talk me into this.”

“Talk you into this?” Grady scoffed. “You were the one excited to find out if she’s wearing underwear.”

Mandy’s expression was murderous when James risked a look in her direction.

“Baby, you knew when you married me that I say incredibly dumb things and leap before I look a lot of the time,” James said. “You also know that I love you more than anything and I’m always sorry when I do something stupid. I’m officially sorry.”

“And I’m officially annoyed,” Mandy said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

“I think that’s a bad idea because I’m already in trouble,” James admitted. “I would rather not compound the issue.”

“Tell me what’s going on or I’m going to call security and have them bar you from future visits – and that includes if my life is in danger, which we all know will eventually happen.”

James narrowed his eyes. “You play dirty, wife.”

“Tell me.”

“Sophie had a bad reaction to a jewelry box we found in her storage unit and Grady got it in his head that something horrible happened to her as a child and it’s somehow associated with that box,” James said. “Like a complete and total moron, he ran a search on Sophie and found a sealed file from a foster home when she was younger. He wants you to open it.”

Mandy’s mouth dropped open, horrified realization washing over her.

“Nice, man,” Grady said, bobbing his head as he took in Mandy’s furious features. “You’re definitely sleeping alone tonight.”

“Are you two somehow defective?” Mandy asked, finally finding her voice. “Did you honestly think you could come down here and ask me to unseal a file that you have no business looking at?”

“Yes,” James admitted, guileless. “Although it’s probably not for the reasons you think.”

“And what reasons would compel me to do this illegal act for you?”

“Love,” Grady replied simply. “Sophie freaked out when she saw that jewelry box. I love her more than anything. I want her to be happy.”

Mandy’s face remained remote and cold for a few seconds, and then it softened. “Dammit! That was a good answer. Fine. I’ll unseal it. If this comes back to bite you, though, I’m not going to feel bad for you .”

“Duly noted,” Grady said, moving to join James and Mandy behind his sister-in-law’s desk as she logged into the family court records.

James moved to rub the back of Mandy’s neck, but she jerked away. “Baby, come on,” James pleaded. “I don’t want to fight.”

“Oh, we’re going to fight,” Mandy said, squinting as she navigated through multiple windows in search of Sophie’s sealed file. “You have no idea how much we’re going to fight.”

“Can we make up before bed?”

“No.”

“Baby, you know I can’t sleep without you,” James said, his tone approaching petulant child territory. “I’m sorry for embarrassing you. I’m really sorry for letting Grady embarrass you. I promise I’ll make it up to you if you give me a chance.”

“Shut up, James,” Mandy said, typing a password into a window and watching with grim curiosity as Sophie’s file opened up. “Here it is.”

“What does it say?” Grady asked.

Mandy locked gazes with the middle Hardy brother. “Do you really want to know? You can never take this back. You know that, right?”

“I don’t
want
to know. I
have
to know.”

“Okay,” Mandy said, exhaling heavily as she leaned forward to read the file. “Oh, my … oh.”

“What does it say?” Grady was beside himself.

“Sophie’s third foster home was supposed to be permanent,” Mandy said, her eyes busy as she scanned the horrific details of Sophie’s short stay in a terrible home. “Will and Bree Jordan were considered pillars of their community. In reality, Will was an abusive jackass.”

“Did he … touch her?” Grady choked out.

“No, not in the way you mean,” Mandy answered. “He beat her several times for minor infractions in the house – usually with a belt – and then one night he got drunk and hit her three times and she lost consciousness.”

Grady felt sick to his stomach, and this time when James rested his hand on Mandy’s shoulder she didn’t fight the effort.

“Apparently Will thought he killed Sophie, because he dragged her down the stairs by looping a belt around her neck and left her on the main floor,” Mandy said, fighting off tears. “Sophie was unconscious for hours and a neighbor happened to see her on the floor when Bree opened the door and the neighbor was walking by.

“The neighbor called the police and they collected Sophie and arrested the Jordans,” she continued. “Sophie was in the hospital for three weeks and placed with Peter shortly after that.”

“That is horrible,” James muttered. “Please tell me those people are still in prison.”

“I don’t have access to that information,” Mandy said. “I just have the family court records.”

“I don’t understand why she wouldn’t tell me that,” Grady said, pressing the heel of his hand to his forehead as his stomach churned. “It’s horrible, but … I would’ve talked it out with her. I would’ve understood.”

“Sophie is a private person, Grady,” Mandy said. “Sometimes people prefer pretending things didn’t happen rather than admitting the world can be a terrible place and the reason they know that is because it was terrible to them.”

“Still, though … I love her.”

“She loves you, too, Grady,” Mandy said, sympathy rolling off her. “This is going to hurt her, though.”

“Don’t tell her you know,” James suggested. “She’ll pick a huge fight if you tell her you know. Find a way to sucker her into telling you. That’s your best shot.”

Mandy scowled. “You’re definitely sleeping on the couch.”

“Oh, baby,” James whined. “I can’t be away from you. If you try, I’ll sleep on the bedroom floor.”

“Even better,” Mandy said. “I’ll be able to step on you when I go to the bathroom.”

“I need to think,” Grady said, his gaze distant as he moved toward the office door. “Peter was right. I should’ve left this alone.”

“It’s too late now,” Mandy said. “You need to pull yourself together and be prepared to beg. Sophie isn’t going to be happy when you tell her what you’ve done.”

“Yeah, and I deserve every harsh word coming my way,” Grady said, opening the door. “James, you need to catch a ride home with Mandy. I have some thinking to do.”

“That’s fine,” James said.

“You’re not riding with me,” Mandy argued, her eyes grim as they watched Grady’s retreating back. “You can walk home.”

“Oh, don’t be like that,” James said. “I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to make you forgive me. What do you want? Crab legs? Lobster? A six-hour long massage?”

“For starters.”

James narrowed his eyes. “You’ve got me where you want me, wife,” he said. “You might as well start shaking me down.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” Mandy said, an evil smile playing at the corner of her lips. “You’re going to be my slave by the time this is all said and done.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“Not
that
kind of slave,” Mandy said, knowing exactly what he was referring to.

“Bring it on, baby,” James said. “I’m confident I can make you forgive me.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.”

“
T
hanks for taking
me to dinner,” Sophie said, smiling as Peter pulled her chair out and sat across from her in the atmospherically lit Royal Oak restaurant. “Grady didn’t call and tell me he had something going on at work until it was too late to make dinner plans. This is a nice change of pace.”

Peter smiled, his love for his foster daughter momentarily overwhelming him, and then focused on her bright face. “So Grady wasn’t expected to work late?”

“No,” Sophie said. “Stuff always comes up at the security office if they have a late client meeting, though. I’m used to it.”

“I see.” Peter liked Grady. When he initially met the man he was convinced that would never be the case. On first appearances, Grady Hardy seemed to be a cocksure lothario out to charm women with his smile and then break their hearts when he grew bored of them. Grady proved Peter wrong, and Peter was happy to have him in Sophie’s life. That didn’t mean he wasn’t worried about Grady’s current course.

“For all I know he got caught up in a pool game with his brothers,” Sophie said, happily chattering away. If she noticed Peter’s drab mood, she didn’t let on. “Ever since they turned the storage room into a game room, I think they’ve been having a few pool tournaments when they think no one is looking.”

“That’s probably a good way for them to let off steam,” Peter said, half-heartedly engaging in Sophie’s mild dinner conversation. “They’re in a high-stress environment a lot of the time. James alone has to save his wife from imminent peril on almost a monthly basis now. A little boasting and fun never hurt anyone.”

Sophie snorted. “I guess you’re right,” she said. “Still, I think Grady’s idea of relaxation is seeing how tight he can wind his brothers.”

“Probably.” Peter’s discussion with Grady earlier in the day left him agitated for the bulk of the afternoon. In his heart, he knew Grady would never purposely hurt Sophie. In his head, he knew Grady’s curiosity and need to make things better for his foster daughter would bring him to ruin if he wasn’t careful.

“Okay, what’s wrong with you?” Sophie asked, locking gazes with Peter. “You’re acting weird.”

“I’m not acting weird,” Peter countered, glancing around the restaurant. He picked a quiet, upscale place for their dinner because he was about to broach something painful and he knew Sophie wouldn’t make a scene if they had an audience. “I’m just … thinking.”

“About what?”

Peter opened his mouth and then closed it, inhaling heavily as he decided how to proceed. He didn’t know what to do to make this easier for Sophie, but he also knew he couldn’t let Sophie walk into the home she shared with Grady without at least an inkling of what was to come.

“Peter, you’re scaring me,” Sophie said. “What’s wrong? Has something bad happened? You’re not about to get arrested are you?”

Peter smiled. It was just like her to worry about him when she was the one about to get blindsided. “I’m fine, my dear,” Peter said, patting Sophie’s hand as it rested on top of the table. “Business is fine. I am not about to get arrested. Don’t worry about things like that.”

“What should I worry about?”

That was the question, wasn’t it?
“I had a talk with Grady after you left this morning,” Peter said, choosing to be direct. “He … brought a few things to my attention.”

“Oh, good grief,” Sophie muttered, shaking her head. “Is this about the vandalism? I get it. It’s not a good thing. It’s not the end of the world, though, either. Much worse things have happened to me … and you.”

“I’m not happy about the vandalism, but I agree it’s hardly the worst thing to ever happen to us,” Peter said. “That being said, I will have someone doing regular patrols around your house. Vandalism is distasteful and undignified. Putting a little fear into someone never hurt anyone.”

“Tell that to Freddy Krueger,” Sophie muttered.

Peter furrowed his brow. “I’m not familiar with that individual. Is that a story you’re working on?”

Sophie pressed her lips together in an effort to keep from laughing and then gave in and graced Peter with a hearty chuckle. “No. It’s a horror movie franchise. Grady likes to watch the movies. He kills people with fear in their dreams … well, and razor sharp finger knives, but that’s a whole other issue. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything in the real world.”

“Well, I’m glad you set me straight on that,” Peter supplied.

“Peter, tell me what’s going on,” Sophie prodded. “I know you brought me here to tell me something. My mind is working overtime and I’m sure the things in my head are worse than what’s really going on. Please … just … tell me.”

Peter blew out an exasperated sigh. “Grady asked me about the jewelry box.”

Sophie stilled, stunned. “W-what?”

“He told me everything,” Peter said. “He told me about Mandy insisting James find some of your childhood items. He told me about going to look through them himself because he wanted to surprise you. He told me about your reaction to the jewelry box, too. He’s extremely … concerned.”

“He had no business doing any of that,” Sophie snapped, her voice jumping an octave.

“Grady did what he did out of a sense of love for you,” Peter said, keeping his tone even. “I’m not going to pretend it was right … but I’m also not going to pretend that it was unforgivable. He thought he was doing a good thing.

“The truth is, had I known that storage unit existed, I would’ve done the same,” he continued. “Of course, I would’ve sorted through every item myself. I would’ve known how upset the jewelry box would make you and discarded it before you saw it. Grady did not have the liberty of prior knowledge and I don’t think you can hold that against him.

“You’ve gone out of your way to keep your childhood a secret from everyone – including Grady – and you can’t blame the boy for being curious,” he continued. “It would be more worrisome if he didn’t care enough to be curious.”

“That doesn’t make him invading my privacy okay,” Sophie countered.

“Grady doesn’t think what he did is okay,” Peter clarified. “He’s upset with himself. He’s naturally curious, though, and he can’t help himself from wanting to protect you. He knows something bad happened to you and he’s associated it with that jewelry box. His natural investigative instincts led him to a conclusion he wasn’t ready to accept.”

“I can’t believe this,” Sophie muttered, shaking her head. “What did you tell him?”

Peter remained eerily calm despite Sophie’s manic emotional progression. “To mind his own business and he would regret it if he didn’t leave it alone.”

“Well, great,” Sophie said, tossing her napkin on the table. “That means he won’t be able to stop himself from digging until he gets all of the information. We both know he’s like a dog with a bone when he wants to dig for information. Am I really going to have to go through this again?”

“Sophie, I know you feel … embarrassment … when you remember what happened, but that is absolutely ludicrous,” Peter said. “You did nothing wrong. You were a child. There’s no reason for you to feel anything even akin to shame for what happened.”

“And yet I do,” Sophie said, shakily climbing to her feet. “Thank you for the dinner offer, but I believe I’ve lost my appetite.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea,” Sophie said. “I love him too much to run, but … I don’t think I can go through this again. It’s not in me.”

G
RADY
sat
at the dining room table nursing a glass of bourbon when Sophie entered. It was dark, almost all the lights in the house save for the recessed lighting in the kitchen switched off, and when Sophie happened upon Grady after flicking the switch in the kitchen she almost jolted out of her skin.

“What are you doing sitting here in the dark?”

“Thinking,” Grady said, taking another swig of his bourbon. “What are you doing home so early? I thought you were having dinner with Peter.”

“I didn’t feel well, so we cut the evening short,” Sophie replied. “I thought you were working late.”

“Yeah, um … it turned out to be nothing,” Grady said, carefully resting his glass on the table and forcing a smile. “Do you still feel sick? I could cook you some dinner.”

“I know you asked Peter about the jewelry box,” Sophie announced, opting not to play games. “I know you’ve been digging around.”

“Did Mandy call you?”

Sophie froze, confused. “Mandy? Why would she call me?”

Grady’s cheeks flushed with color as he realized Sophie had no idea how duplicitous he’d really been. She was merely angry about collecting her private things without telling her and discussing his concerns with Peter behind her back. Things were about to get much, much worse.

“It’s nothing,” Grady said, flustered. “I just … saw Mandy this afternoon and mentioned I was worried about you.”

“You know you’re a terrible liar, right?” Sophie crossed her arms over her chest. “What did you do?”

“Peter warned me,” Grady said, his voice cracking. “He said I should let you handle your past in your own time because I was going to do nothing but hurt both of us if I pushed it. I couldn’t help myself, though. I thought … I thought you were keeping something horrible from me.”

“I was keeping something horrible from you,” Sophie said, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “It wasn’t to hurt you, though. It was my choice and I don’t want to talk about it. I still don’t … so don’t push things. Don’t keep asking questions. Just … let it go.”

“I don’t think you understand,” Grady hedged. “I … couldn’t let it go in the wake of Peter acting so strangely. I thought … I thought something happened to you like what happened to Emma. You hear horror stories about foster homes. Sure, there are good ones like you got with Peter, but there are terrible ones, too.”

“Grady … .”

Grady cut her off. “I ran your name through our security software because I thought I might be able to find a police report or something,” he said. “I thought if I understood why you were upset it would be easier for me to let it go. Instead I found a sealed file.”

“You can’t get into that file, Grady,” Sophie said, her heart racing. “It’s against the law. If you had Maverick hack it, I’m going to be so angry … and broken-hearted … I’m not sure we’ll ever recover.”

Maverick was the computer guru employed by Hardy Brothers Security on a job-to-job basis. He was young, brash, and never met a rule he didn’t want to break.

“I didn’t even consider going to Maverick,” Grady said, the lump in his throat making it hard to swallow. “I did go to Mandy, though.”

Sophie pressed her eyes shut as her tears finally escaped. “Grady.”

“I’m so sorry,” Grady said, his own tears falling. “I shouldn’t have done it. I couldn’t stop myself, though. I wasn’t trying to invade your privacy. I just wanted to … understand. I wanted to help if I could.”

“And you thought asking Mandy to break the law was the way to do it?”

“Sugar, I didn’t … know,” Grady said. “I wanted to be able to understand what you went through. I thought it would make us closer.”

“Did it ever occur to you that asking me might be the best way to go?”

Grady didn’t like how much more distant Sophie felt with each passing word. Her tone was chilly, her eyes flat. He’d hurt her, and he was pretty sure he would never forgive himself. “I didn’t think you would tell me the truth.”

“So you went behind my back, unsealed a file you had no business seeing, and now we’re … what?”

“Sophie, I’m so sorry,” Grady said, his heart pinching. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I didn’t mean to do any of this.”

“And yet that doesn’t negate the fact that you did do it,” Sophie said, licking her lips. “God, Grady, I don’t want to talk about that. I don’t want to remember it. Why couldn’t you leave it alone?”

“Because I love you.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll understand I don’t feel very loved right now,” Sophie said, clutching her purse to her chest. “I’m going to take a bath and … think. I would appreciate it if you would sleep on the couch tonight. We’ll … talk … in the morning and handle any decisions that need to be made then.”

The words tore at Grady’s heart, stopping it as his head spun. “What does that mean?”

“It means I can’t share a life with you if I don’t trust you, Grady,” Sophie said, a fresh crying jag overtaking her. “I don’t want to say anything I’m going to regret. I’m upset … and this caught me off guard … so I just need to think. I’m sorry.”

Grady took a step toward her, reaching a hand out to touch her. When she shrank away from him and kept a wide berth as she circled on the way to their bedroom, he felt as if his heart was caught in a vise.

“Goodnight, Grady.”

“I love you, Sophie.” Grady didn’t know what else to say.

“I love you, too,” Sophie said. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”