Deadly Reunion (Hardy Brothers Security Book 20) (13 page)

“
H
ey
.”

Mandy joined Finn in the den shortly after James, Jeff, and Emma left the next morning. He held Avery on his lap and forced smiles for the baby’s benefit, but Mandy could see the unhappiness etching his face.

“You don’t have to hover, Mandy,” Finn said, tickling Avery’s round stomach and causing the baby to gasp in delight. “I’m sick of people hovering and I thought you would be the last one to put me through it.”

“I’m not hovering.”

“I know you were in the hallway listening for two minutes before you came in,” Finn argued.

“How do you know that?”

“I saw your feet,” Finn replied. “Your toenails are bright blue. They’re hard to miss.”

Mandy shot Finn a rueful smile as she sank to the floor and got comfortable. She ran her finger down the front of Avery’s onesie, a
Star Wars
one featuring an illustration of Yoda that said “Big Deal I Am,” and thought hard about how to respond. “Okay, maybe I’m hovering a little,” she conceded.

“Did Emma make you promise to watch me?” Finn asked. “She’s worried I’m not strong enough to take care of Avery myself. She says she’s not worried, but I don’t believe her.”

“She didn’t say anything of the sort,” Mandy countered. “I’m hovering because … I’m nervous.”

Finn shifted his eyes from his son’s angelic face and focused on Mandy’s pinched features. “Why are you nervous?”

“I don’t know,” Mandy answered honestly. “Probably the same reason you’re nervous. I don’t want Emma to have to see her mother. I’m curious how Jeff is going to respond given the fact that he missed the last round of Sheila visitation. I’m also worried how Jeff is going to handle things now that he’s out of prison, especially because we can’t give him the attention he needs given what’s going on. And, finally, I’m worried about Emma and James being paired up together. They’re kind of an unlikely duo.”

Instead of joining in her worry to commiserate, Finn barked out a laugh that took Mandy by surprise. Avery, in full mimic mode, tried to emulate the sound but instead came up with an adorable gurgle.

“She’s funny, isn’t she?” Finn asked his son, tickling the baby’s stomach and causing him to squeal with glee.

“I don’t see how that’s funny,” Mandy argued. “Those are all real concerns.”

“James says you worry about weird things all of the time. Did you know that?”

“Yes, I believe he says that my questions and concerns cause his scrotum to shrivel,” Mandy replied. “That was what he told me a few days ago anyway.”

Finn chuckled. “He says you always start out with ‘can I ask you a question’ and then his heart drops because he knows it’s going to be some philosophical question that will force him to really think.”

“I don’t mean to be a pain.”

“You’re not a pain,” Finn said. “You’re just … curious. You feel more than most people do. That’s why you’re worried about a mountain of things you can’t control and you’ll probably make yourself sick over it until they get back.”

“You can’t tell me you’re not worried about Emma seeing her mother,” Mandy challenged.

“Worried isn’t the right word,” Finn clarified. “I desperately wish I was with her. I would like to be there if she needs me. I brought it up last night, but she shot it down really quickly. I don’t want to upset her so I agreed to stay behind.”

“But … that’s it? You’re not worried about the rest of it?”

“I feel guilty about Jeff getting the shaft while all of this is going on and think we need to do better on that front,” Finn said. “Emma is strong and I’m not worried about her mother beating her down. She might be upset, but I actually think seeing Sheila will be a good thing for her. It’s been a long time coming.”

“Wow, you are definitely the calm Hardy,” Mandy mused. “I would be a nervous wreck in your shoes.”

“I’m upset because I’m not with her, but I have faith she’ll come through with flying colors,” Finn said. “She always does.”

“What about the other part?” Mandy prodded. “What about James and Emma being forced to spend the day together? What if he yells?”

Finn snorted. “James is more patient than you give him credit for,” he said. “He loses it with you sometimes because he loves you more than anything and when you do something that puts your life in danger he can’t take it. I never worry about him raising his voice to Emma. In fact, I think he’s going to be great with her.”

“”I think he’s great regardless, but I’m more worried about him exploding all over Sheila and Emma being caught in the crossfire,” Mandy said. “I know he won’t yell at Emma. It’s not in his nature.”

“Oh.” Finn frowned as he considered Mandy words. “That’s completely different. You’re right. James is going to lose his cool and go off on Sheila.”

“Doesn’t that worry you?”

Finn shrugged. “It’s not as if that horrible woman doesn’t deserve it.”

“
W
ELL
, WELL,
well. Look who we have here. Did you finally trade up for the rich Hardy like I told you to do?”

Sheila Archibald sneered as she was led into the small conference room, her wrists and ankles shackled. She didn’t look happy to see her daughter or son, and she looked even unhappier to see James.

“Sheila, you look as if prison has been cruel to you,” James said, taking in her gray hair and ashen features. “That’s good. It makes us all happy.”

Sheila scorched James with a death glare as she sat in her chair and stared at her children. “What? No hug for Mom? Where’s the love?”

“I’m pretty sure it’s still back in the parking lot where you wanted to kill and sacrifice me to make your escape,” Emma said dryly, earning a sidelong look from James. He was mildly worried about her reaction, but so far she was holding up well despite the fact that she made the entire drive with him in silence.

“Well, you’re still alive, so I don’t know what you’re crying about,” Sheila shot back, wrinkling her nose as she focused on Jeff. “When did you get out? You look thinner than I remember.”

“Well, you haven’t seen me in almost six years, Mom,” Jeff said. “A lot changes in that amount of time.”

“I guess,” Sheila said, her expression softening slightly. Whatever ill will she held for Emma didn’t appear to cross over to Jeff, which James found interesting. “It’s good you’re out, though. Do you have a job? They’ll toss you back in if you don’t have a job.”

“He’s working for me,” James supplied. “We’re making sure he gets his life back on track.”

“I like it,” Jeff added. “It’s been a busy few days, but everyone is really nice and funny.”

“They’re not so funny when they’re locking you up for life,” Sheila shot back.

“Then perhaps you shouldn’t have threatened my sister and her baby,” Jeff snapped. “It seems to me you’ve gotten exactly what you deserve.”

“Of course you would think that,” Sheila lamented, inclining her head in Emma’s direction. “You’ve been spending too much time with this one and listening to her bitch. She always was a needy and dramatic thing. She wasn’t happy unless she stole all of the attention from me.”

Emma’s mouth dropped open as she knit her eyebrows together. “Excuse me? You were my mother. You were supposed to want to give me attention.”

“And you stole my husband,” Sheila argued. “Why would I want to give you anything after that?”

Since Lance Pritchard was a child molester who went after both of his children, Sheila’s statement made James sick to his stomach.

“Shut your mouth,” James warned, extending a finger as he leaned forward in his chair. “Don’t even think of speaking to her that way again. I won’t stand for it.”

“It’s okay, James,” Emma said, resting her hand on his forearm to calm him. “She’s not happy unless she’s ticking people off. This is just a game to her.”

“Speaking of games, what does the youngest Hardy brother think now that you’ve tossed him out in favor of this one?” Sheila asked. “Is he broken-hearted? Oh, and what about the blonde?” Sheila shifted her predatory eyes to James. “She made it sound as if you two were going to be together forever. She must be crushed.”

“My wife is perfectly happy, not that it’s any of your business,” James said. “Emma and Finn are happy, too. They have a family and they’re getting married. You won’t be present for any of those wonderful milestones, though, and for that we’re truly thankful.”

“Well, how great for you,” Sheila deadpanned as she looked Emma up and down. “You’re fatter than you were before you got pregnant. I told you having a baby would ruin your body. Now you’ll never be a top model. It’s too late. You should’ve listened to me. No one ever listens to me, though.”

“Hey!” Jeff was flabbergasted. “How can you say that to her? She looks great.”

“She does look great,” James agreed. “She looks amazing, in fact. Finn was just telling me the other day how much he likes her body.”

Jeff shot James a dubious look. “You probably didn’t have to share that. She’s my sister, man.”

“I know,” James muttered, running a restless hand through his dark hair. “I knew the second it came out of my mouth that it was one of those things that’s not meant to be shared.”

“It’s very flattering,” Emma said, squeezing James’ hand to let him know there were no hard feelings. “I also don’t care what she thinks. Is my body the same, Mother? No. It won’t ever be the same, but neither will my heart. I have a son, you see, and he’s worth every change.”

“So you had a boy,” Sheila mused. “That’s better than having a girl. At least he won’t try to steal your husband in sixteen years.”

“Oh, I can’t take one second longer of that,” James snapped. “You’re a sick piece of work. You know that, right?”

“And you’re a bombastic loser who thinks he’s king of the castle,” Sheila shot back. “What else have you got?”

“Nothing,” James muttered, shaking his head. “I just … you’re horrible. I have no idea how Jeff and Emma turned out so great given you’re such a piece of crap. It’s a great commentary … on them.”

Sheila made a face that would’ve been comical under different circumstances. It made James’ stomach turn. “What’s my grandson’s name?”

“It doesn’t matter,” James replied.

“It’s fine,” Emma said, shaking her head. “It’s public record. His name is Avery James Hardy.”

Sheila stilled. “The middle name is after this one, but where did the first name come from? No one in our family has that name.”

“And no one in my family will ever bear a name from your family,” Emma said. “If you must know, though, Avery is Mandy’s maiden name. We named the baby after her because she’s the one who delivered him.”

“You know, I read about that,” Sheila said, flashing an evil smile. “The newspaper didn’t have a lot of details, but someone said that your father was going to kill you and steal the baby and an unnamed woman killed him to stop him. They say he tried to kill the woman, but she gutted him instead. That must have been great. I’m sorry I missed it.”

James frowned. He was aware there was no love loss between Lance Pritchard and Sheila Archibald, but whenever anyone brought up Pritchard’s death he couldn’t help but take it to heart. “My wife almost died thanks to that piece of filth you married.”

“Too bad she didn’t,” Sheila said. “I don’t like her either.”

James slammed his hands down on the table, jolting Sheila as Jeff widened his eyes. For her part, Emma remained perfectly still. She wasn’t surprised in the least by James’ reaction.

“James, don’t let her get to you,” Emma instructed. “That’s what she wants. She’s stuck in here with no one to manipulate. When she heard we were here, she probably jumped at the chance to mess with us for her own entertainment. Don’t fall into her trap.”

“Well, look at you,” Sheila said, leaning back in her chair and looking at Emma with renewed interest. “When did you finally grow a backbone?”

“When I became a mother and realized there was something more important than myself,” Emma replied, not missing a beat. “You never realized that, which is why you will always be unhappy.”

“It’s also why you’re stuck in here for the rest of your life,” James said. “Tell me, how are the amenities in prison?”

“Not great,” Sheila gritted out. “Why are you people even here? I didn’t invite you. You’re clearly not here to catch up. What do you want?”

“We want to know about David Barber,” Emma replied, taking the lead in the questioning and catching James off guard. “We want to know about your relationship with him.”

“David?” Sheila scratched her nose, the shackles around her wrists making noise in the process. “Why do you want to know about him?”

“Because his son was just killed in a parking garage in Detroit,” James answered, skirting around the issue of Finn because he didn’t want to give Sheila any ammunition to work with. “He was killed and we want to know why. Whoever did it shot him from a mid-level landing and then stole something from his pocket. His father believes that was probably a safety deposit key.”

She tried to play it cool, but Sheila’s eyes gleamed as the new information washed over her. “Really?”

“We’re not playing this the slow way,” Emma interjected, shaking her head when James shot her a questioning look. “We know you dated David Barber after his wife died, but before you got together with Dad. We have photos of you and David together.”

“How did you manage that?” Sheila asked, surprised.

“We have friends in high places,” Emma replied. “Now, David Barber says that the second key to that safety deposit box went missing at some point, although he doesn’t know when. He doesn’t know what’s in the box either – or at least he says he doesn’t – and he can’t figure out who would kill his son for those items.

“We’re not here to play games and we’re not here to listen to you wax poetic about turns your life could’ve made,” she continued. “We’re here to bribe you. I will put money in your commissary account for you if you answer our questions. If you don’t, well, then we’re done.”

“Just like that?” Sheila was obviously annoyed.

“Just like that,” Emma confirmed.

Sheila blew out an exasperated sigh. “What do you want to know?”