Deadly Questions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 8) (17 page)

“What about dinner?”

“I’ve got pizza waiting for us out there.”

“You do? I thought you were mad?”

“The pizza is probably cold, so don’t get too excited,” James said.

“But you were mad?”

“That doesn’t mean I’m incapable of forgiving you,” James said. “I’ll always forgive you.”

“Even if someone else grabs my ass?”

James smirked. “Even if.” He kissed her. “Is it wrong that I’m a little turned on by this?”

“Men are sick.”

“I thought we were going to spend the weekend together?” Ally’s voice sounded pathetic, even to her own ears. After an invigorating night, and lazy morning, Ally figured she and Jake would be able to spend the rest of the weekend in various stages of undress.

A call on his cellphone changed all of that.

“I’m sorry, angel,” Jake said, leaning forward and kissing her forehead. “I couldn’t ignore Wayne. He’s the key to all of this.”

“And what did he want?”

“He says he’s got a job for tonight,” Jake said.

“What kind of job?”

“He didn’t say,” Jake said.

“Then why do you have to go?”

Jake sighed. Her face, even clouded with worry, was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. “What if they’re taking a girl and transporting her tonight?”

Ally scowled. “Oh, sure, use logic on me.”

Jake tugged her to him, wrapping his arms around her. “I have a deal for you.”

“And what deal is that?” Ally asked, pressing her face against Jake’s solid chest.

Jake rubbed the back of her head. “Well, since I’m the one who has been doing most of the work on this one – and since I’m the one who has missed out on the pleasure of your company – I was planning on telling your brother that I want a whole week off when this is over.”

Ally wrinkled her nose. “A whole week?”

“A whole week I’m going to spend with you,” Jake said. “I was thinking I would take you to a movie, and maybe out to a nice dinner, and definitely for another picnic.”

Ally’s cheeks flushed.

“And I was thinking that I might even be convinced to go shopping with you,” Jake offered.

“You’ve never gone shopping with me.”

“I think you’ve earned it,” Jake said.

“What have you earned?”

“I don’t want anything but you, angel.”

Ally sighed. “Will you promise to be careful?”

“Your brothers are going to be with me every step of the way.”

“Do you promise they’ll be careful?”

“I can’t make a promise that everything is going to end tonight,” Jake warned. “I can promise that there is nothing in this world that would make me want to spend one second more away from you than I have to.”

Ally sighed dramatically. “What time do you have to leave?”

Jake glanced at the clock on the wall. “We have three hours.”

Ally smirked. “I have an idea on what we could do to fill those three hours.”

Jake arched an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “And what’s that?”

“Well, I thought I’d start by giving you a massage.”

Jake was taken aback. “I thought you didn’t like to give massages.”

“You need one,” Ally said. “You’re tense, and I didn’t say I didn’t like giving massages. I just said the good ones always lead to sex.”

“Is this going to be a good one?”

“I don’t know,” Ally teased. “Take off your shirt and find out.”

Jake framed her face with his hands. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Ally was surprised by the proclamation. “I … .”

“Don’t say anything,” Jake said. “Just let me hold you for a little while.”

“What about the massage?”

“We have three hours, angel,” Jake said. “I have plans for every single one of them.”

“ALL RIGHT,
what’s the plan?” Grady asked.

The three Hardy brothers, all dressed in black, were hidden in an alcove about a block from the bridge. Jake had been terse when he called them, time and probing ears forcing him to talk in code. As far as James could tell, they were in the right place.

“I don’t see where we have a lot of options,” James said. “We’re not putting Jake in the position to commit a felony, and we’re not risking any cars crossing that border with a woman in the trunk.”

“So?”

“So we rob them,” James replied, his tone grim.

“We rob them?”

“Why do you think I told you to wear a mask?” James asked, pointing to the black knit cap on his head. “And we’re not going to rob them. We’re going to steal their car.”

“We’re going to carjack them?” Grady didn’t look thrilled.

“Do you have a better idea?”

“Why don’t we just pull our guns and search the car?”

“What if no one is in there?”

“Then we’ll abandon the car and call the cops,” James said. “They’ve got to be transporting something.”

“What if someone is in there?” Finn asked.

“Then we’ll get her out and call the cops.”

“And why aren’t we letting these dirtbags know who we are?”

“Because we don’t want to burn Jake’s cover,” James said. “We have no idea if this is going to end tonight. I hope so, but we can’t be sure. If it doesn’t, at least we still have one piece left in play.”

“We need to get him out of here,” Grady said, glancing around. “This place is … depressing.”

“And Ally is holding on by a thread,” Finn added.

“I thought she was better?” James asked.

“She is,” Finn replied. “She’s still worked up.”

“Speaking of, I heard you were worked up last night,” Grady probed.

“Who told you that?” James asked.

“Well, Jake told Ally, and Ally told Sophie, and Sophie told me. Women gossip, man.”

“Jake’s not a woman.”

“He is when he’s with Ally,” Finn joked.

“It’s fine,” James said. “I thought Mandy was doing something stupid.”

“Was she?”

“Technically yes,” James said. “It turned out to be nothing, and she learned a valuable lesson.”

“What did you learn?”

“That my wife wears outstanding underwear under those staid little skirts of hers.”

“You two are so sick,” Grady said.

“Sick with love,” Finn crooned.

“I don’t deny it,” James said. “I love my wife. I’m not embarrassed to say it, and I’m not embarrassed to show it.”

“We’ve noticed,” Grady deadpanned. “You’ve shown it on every surface of your house, and your office, and the apartment above your office, and the apartment Mandy used to live in … .”

“And her office at the courthouse,” Finn added.

“My wife likes to be loved,” James said, shrugging. “I like to be … up … for the task.”

“Sick,” Grady said.

“Focus on the problem at hand,” James said. “I’m sick of this case. I don’t like how hard it is to dig up any information, and I don’t like how much it’s screwing up our lives.”

“How is it screwing up our lives?” Finn asked.

“Is Emma sleeping with you again?”

Finn scowled. “Yes.”

“Is she still obsessed with finding Lily?”

“Yes.”

“Well, Sophie is obsessed, and Mandy is on edge, and Jake is in a hellhole. I want this case done,” James said.

“Especially since we’re not getting paid for it,” Grady grumbled.

“I don’t care about the money,” James replied. “I care about the missing girls.”

“We all care about them,” Finn said, straightening. “Listen, I’m going to cross the street and check down that alley, just to make sure we’re in the right spot. Pull your masks down. Let’s do this.”

“Don’t go too far,” James warned.

“I won’t.”

FINN
was gone longer than he expected. Once he separated from his brothers, he took a slow and silent approach as he moved through the dark alley. Twice he was jolted by noise. Once, it was because he disturbed a homeless man sleeping between two dumpsters behind a restaurant. The second time it was because a rat scampered across his foot and scared him more than he would like to admit – even to himself.

Finn padded to the adjacent street, the shadows hiding his furtive figure as he skulked near a fire escape. He scanned the area, forcing himself to remain still when he caught sight of a figure moving down the street.

The sound of shoes on pavement was distinctive as it assailed Finn’s ears. Even before he saw her, he realized it was a woman moving down the sidewalk. Heels make a specific sound on pavement and other hard surfaces, and that’s what he was hearing now.

Finn focused on the figure as it moved. It was hard to make her out from so far away, but there was something about her that tugged on the fringes of Finn’s memory. As she moved closer, unnaturally bright blonde hair came into view. A distinctive chin, and an easily recognizable walk followed it.

Lily.

Finn opened his mouth to call out to her, but then he thought better of it. Everyone had been looking for her for days. They’d thought she was in danger. If she was, why was she wandering around in this neighborhood after dark? What was she doing here?

Finn followed her, staying across the road and a hundred feet back so she wouldn’t detect his presence. She seemed to know where she was going, and despite the rampant crime that ruled the streets in this part of town, she didn’t look scared.

Lily led Finn blocks from where he should have been, and yet he continued to follow. When she finally slowed her pace, it was because she caught sight of a man smoking outside of a small bar.

“Where have you been?”

“Looking for you,” Lily sneered. “You weren’t where you were supposed to be.”

“I called off the run for tonight,” the man said. “Things fell apart at the last second.”

“How?”

“Why do you care?”

“Oh, shut up, Christian,” Lily said. “I’m so sick of you. I agreed to help you if you agreed to leave me alone. Why do you always have to muck things up?”

“When did you become such a bitch, Lily?”

“I don’t know,” she replied. “Maybe it was when you introduced me to the realities of the street.”

“You were so sweet when I met you.”

“You drove that out of me pretty quickly, didn’t you?”

“You’re such a victim,” Christian said. “It’s never your fault. It’s always someone else’s fault.”

“You don’t think what happened to me was your fault?”

“I think you’d like to pretend it was,” Christian countered. “We both know you had a debt to pay, and there was only one way to pay it.”

“You’re a sick prick,” Lily said.

“I’m an entrepreneur.”

“Except you make your money off the backs of others.”

“That’s the best way to make money, Lily,” Christian said. “I thought you understood that. I thought that was why you came back.”

“I came back for myself. I came back because I didn’t have a choice. I’m sick of looking over my shoulder.”

“We could be a good team, baby.”

“We’re not a team,” Lily said. “I’m helping you this one time. After that? My life is my own. We’re never going to see each other again. You’re not going to be part of my life. You’re not going to be part of my future. I would erase you from my past if I could.”

“So bitter, baby.”

“Whatever,” Lily said. “What’s the new plan?”

“Tomorrow. It’s the same plan, just a different night.”

“And you’re sure you can trust this new guy?”

“He’s good,” Christian said. “Wayne says he knows what he’s doing. I think the better question is whether or not you can control your new friends.”

“They’re not my friends.”

“Well, they’ve been down here asking questions,” Christian said. “Some reporter was here the other day.”

“She has no idea what she’s even looking for,” Lily said. “She’s an idiot.”

“I think she knows more than you think she knows,” Christian said. “She’s Peter Marconi’s daughter.”

“He has no idea what’s going on either,” Lily said. “We only have to last twenty-four hours. After that? We’re free and clear.”

“If you say so.”

“And after that? We don’t know each other,” Lily said. “I’m safe, and you’re … on your own.”

“Again?”

“I’m sorry,” Grady said, rubbing his hands up and down Sophie’s shoulders and pulling her close so he could spoon against her in the bed.

It was the next morning, and after a fruitless excursion the night before, Sophie wasn’t the only one irritated with the thought of Grady going on another stakeout.

“How do you know tonight will be any different?” Sophie asked, shifting so she could face Grady.

Grady pressed her body flush against his, loving how delightful she felt. Most mornings Sophie was up before him, rushing out the door while he was still trying to clear the sleep from his mind. On the weekends, they got to sleep in together – and wake up wrapped in each other’s arms. She’d already been asleep when he returned the previous night, her dark hair shrouding her beautiful face. Grady had watched her, rolling the ends of her hair through his fingers as she slumbered, willing her awake so he could take solace in her warmth.

Sophie was a wonder, and Grady thanked the heavens every day for bringing her into his life. When he tried to think of the past, when he tried to remember a time before her, things twisted in his mind. He knew he’d existed then, but he wasn’t sure he’d actually lived.

He loved her.

He’d loved her for a long time.

He’d loved her since she’d opened her heart to him.

Now he just needed to tell her.

There are many different kinds of courage in life. Grady had the physical kind down pat. Nothing scared him – except losing Sophie. He was still working on the emotional end of that deal.

“I don’t know that it will be different,” Grady said. “I only know what we’ve found out.”

“And you really think Lily is involved?”

“She was talking to Christian.”

“I just … I don’t understand,” Sophie said “How can a woman who has gone through all she’s gone through do what she’s doing?”

“I don’t know,” Grady replied, helpless. “Life damages people.”

“We’ve all been damaged by life,” Sophie said. “Trust me. I know that. Some of us don’t choose to damage others.”

“You’re not damaged, sugar,” Grady said, kissing her. “You’re perfect.”

“I think you’re blinded by the thought of morning sex,” Sophie teased.

“I’m blinded by … you,” Grady said.

“Then show me.”

“Your wish is my command.”

“I CAN’T
believe we’re doing this again,” Finn groaned, rubbing his hands against his dark jeans. “These pants are filthy.”

“You’re such a girl,” Grady said.

“I’m not a girl,” Finn countered. “I just like things clean. That doesn’t make me a girl.”

“Whatever.”

The Hardy brothers were hiding in the same alcove from the previous night. The plan was the same, the need to do good things was the same, the only thing different was their patience.

“I’m done after this,” James said. “I just … we can’t keep doing this.”

“We have to,” Grady said. “Women are in danger.”

“Jake is going to lose his mind,” James said.

“If we don’t stop this, we’re all going to lose our minds.”

“I … I’m so tired,” James admitted. “I want some sense of normalcy back in my life. I want to be able to spend time with my wife without her bringing up missing women. I want my sister to be able to spend time with her boyfriend – and those are words I never thought I would utter – without worrying something is going to happen to him. I just want some peace.”

“I’m sure the women on the street do, too,” Grady said.

“Don’t be a pain,” James said. “We’re not quitting. I’m just mouthing off.”

“I know,” Grady said. “We’re all frustrated.”

“Why are you frustrated?”

“Sophie is obsessed with going through files,” Grady said. “She’s not getting anywhere. She just goes through file after file. There’s no pattern. If there was, she would’ve found it already. She just can’t let it go.”

“Why do you think that is?” Finn asked.

“She’s connected to this case somehow,” Grady said. “This morning, she mentioned thinking she was damaged. She was talking about Lily, but she was also talking about herself.”

“Why does she think she’s damaged?” James asked. “Because she was in the foster system?”

“I think it’s more than that,” Grady said. “She’s never thought she was … normal. I like that about her. I don’t like normal. I like … special. Sophie is special.”

“She is,” James agreed. “She fits you.”

“She makes me whole,” Grady said.

“That’s how I feel about Mandy,” James said. “Sometimes, when we’re together, I can’t figure out where she ends and I begin. We’re two people, but we’re not complete without each other.”

“That’s exactly how I feel about Sophie.”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“I want to give her everything,” Grady said. “I just don’t know what everything is.”

“Ask her.”

“She doesn’t … talk … sometimes,” Grady said. “She gets lost in her head. She wants to save the world.”

“And what do you want?” Finn asked.

Grady shrugged helplessly. “I want to help her.”

“You want to love her,” James corrected. “Love her, man. The rest will fall into place.”

“I … .”

The brothers were interrupted by the flashing of headlights as a car pulled onto the street in front of them. They shrank back into the shadows, waiting. There were two men in the car, and although their figures were shrouded in darkness, James recognized Jake’s profile.

“This is it,” he said, pulling his mask over his face. “We end this here.”

“Let’s do it,” Grady said. “There’s something else I need to do tonight.”

The three men jumped into the street, guns drawn.

“Get out of the car,” James ordered, pointing his gun at the driver.

The driver rolled down the window, unsure. “What’s going on?”

“We want your car,” James said.

“This car is a piece of shit.”

“We still want it.”

“I … I can’t give it to you.”

“You’re going to have to,” James said. “If you don’t, we’ll kill you for it. Is this car worth dying for?”

“I … .”

“Let them have it, Wayne,” Jake said. “I’m not dying for this hunk of junk.”

“But … .”

“I’m not dying,” Jake repeated.

Wayne sighed, climbing out of the car. “This is such shit.”

“Shut up,” James said, meeting Jake’s gaze across the hood of the car. Jake sent him an imperceptible shake of his head, causing James to falter. “Open the trunk.”

“What?”

“Open the trunk,” James ordered, shaking his gun in Wayne’s face. “Do it now.”

“Oh, man.”

James followed Wayne to the back of the car, watching as the man inserted the key into the lock and lifted the lid. What he found inside was disappointing, and a relief at the same time.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What is it?” Finn asked.

“It looks like pot,” James said.

“Pot?”

“You’re running pot across the border?” Grady was incensed.

“So? It’s a legitimate business, man,” Wayne said. “People have glaucoma and stuff.”

“Where’s the girl?” James asked.

Wayne looked genuinely confused. “What girl?”

“Shit,” Grady muttered.

James was at his wit’s end. “Take us to Christian.”

Wayne’s eyes widened. “You know Christian?”

SOPHIE
was tired. No, the truth was, she was exhausted. She’d spent more than a week searching for answers to a question she didn’t even know how to ask. Something was off here.

She’d gone through more than nine hundred missing-person files. She’d been able to toss half of them out right away – all the males. The females had been another story. Some she could rule out by age. The reporter had serious doubts women over forty would fetch any money on the black market.

That still left hundreds of people to find. The futility of it all – the sadness – it was more than Sophie could bear. These were people. They were people with lives, and souls, and yet they were gone. They’d just disappeared from the face of the Earth. Sophie knew all of them weren’t victims, but the idea that some of them could be was tearing her apart.

She needed some peace.

Sophie sighed, glancing at the clock on her desk phone and stretching. It was late. She’d returned to the newspaper because the Internet connection was faster there. She was hoping to burn through the rest of the files before Grady returned. She needed to accomplish something, because she felt like she was just spinning her wheels these days. It was frustrating.

It was almost midnight, Sophie realized. She’d gone through every file. She’d ruled out most of the files. There were still eighty that were cause for concern. Eighty was too many. Eighty was … daunting.

She needed some sleep. No, she needed more than that. Sleep could only help, but what she really needed was Grady.

Sophie shut down her computer and gathered her things. She’d finished the main searches. She’d accomplished something. It wasn’t what she hoped, but it was a start. Tomorrow she’d start going through the files again. There had to be something there. She headed for the front door.

Summer in Southeastern Michigan is amazing. The days are hot, and sometimes humid. Most of the nights are comfortable, though, and filled with bright skies and unequivocal magic. Sophie was hoping to capitalize on that magic when she got home. Grady would be there. She could curl up on his lap, rest her head against his chest, and just marvel at the life they’d managed to build. He’d given her more than she ever envisioned. Now, more than anything, she just wanted him.

Tonight would be perfect. They hadn’t been able to enjoy the hot tub in more than a week. Tonight would be different. Tonight would be perfect. Tonight would be …
the
night. She was ready.

Sophie rummaged through her purse, searching for her keys. She stepped down from the curb in front of the Daily Tribune, sucking in a deep breath, and finally realizing that things were coming into focus.

Unfortunately, the thing that came into focus next was the cocking of a gun as it was leveled at her back. Sophie stilled, the cold metal of the barrel jarring her as it came to rest between her shoulder blades.

“You just couldn’t leave it alone, could you?”

“YOU’RE
Christian?”

James couldn’t help himself. He’d been expecting a muscle-bound moron with a bad attitude and a big gun. The man standing in front of him was … small. His hair was greasy, and starting to thin at the edges of his forehead. His jeans were old and frayed. This was not a criminal mastermind.

“This is Christian?” James shot Finn an incredulous look.

“I couldn’t see him in the dark,” Finn said. “I could just hear him.”

“Talk,” James ordered.

Christian looked terrified. “What do you want me to say?”

James studied Finn. “Is that the voice you heard?”

Finn nodded, sheepish.

“You’re running pot across the bridge?” James asked. “Pot?”

“Hey, most people in the U.S. think that pot should be legal,” Christian said. “I’m providing relief for cancer victims and … people who need to relax.”

“Whatever,” James grumbled.

“What about the women?” Grady pressed.

“What women?”

“The ones being trafficked over the border,” James said. “Do you have anything to do with that?”

Christian was scandalized. “Why would I do that?”

“Because people are taking girls – working girls – and selling them in Canada,” Grady said. “We thought that’s what you were doing.”

“That’s way too much trouble, man,” Wayne said. “Pot doesn’t talk back.”

“I … this is unbelievable,” Grady said. “We’ve been on the wrong track from the beginning.”

James was confused. “What about Lily?”

“What about her?” Christian asked.

“We know you were her pimp,” James said. “We know what you did to her.”

“Her pimp? I’m not a pimp.”

“She said you were,” Finn said.

“Well, she’s a liar,” Christian said. “I’m not a pimp. If you think trafficking women is too much work, you should see what the pimps go through. That’s just a nightmare.”

“So, I … what were you and Lily talking about last night?” Finn pressed. “I heard you outside of the bar. She said that she was going to do one more job for you and then she was out. She was scared of you.”

“She’s not scared of me,” Christian scoffed. “Trust me. If anyone should be scared, it’s me.”

“Why?”

“She’s evil, man,” Christian said.

“Define evil.”