Deadly Reunion (Hardy Brothers Security Book 20) (6 page)

The fact that she echoed his sentiments from earlier caused James’ anticipation to grow … and his heart to warm. She knew him so well, and he couldn’t imagine spending his life with anyone but her. “I love you, wife.”

Mandy jolted, surprised by the naked emotion on his face. “I love you, too. I’m not thrilled with the drooling comments, but I love everything else about you.”

James grinned. “I like it when you drool on me.”

“I think in your head I’m drooling for a different reason.”

“No,” James said, shaking his head as he tucked a strand of Mandy’s flaxen hair behind her ear. “You drool because you’re comfortable enough – you feel safe enough – to really sleep. That’s the most important thing in the world to me.”

“I thought the most important thing in the world to you was naked Sundays?”

“That, too,” James said, pulling her close and scorching her with a hot kiss as the woman next to them frowned. James groaned when his cell phone dinged in his pocket, reluctantly pulling away from Mandy as he fished around for it. “This had better be good.”

Mandy rolled up to the balls of her feet to kiss James’ neck as he answered the call. She was in a playful mood and it only shifted when she felt James stiffen. She could read him as well as he could read her and she knew instantly something was wrong.

“What hospital?” James asked, his voice ragged. He waited for a beat and then curtly nodded, as if the voice on the other end of the phone could see his reaction. “I’m on my way. What? No. He’s not allergic to any medications that I’m aware of.”

“What is it?” Mandy asked, her face a mask of concern when James disconnected the call. “What happened?”

James ran his hand down the back of Mandy’s head as he collected his thoughts. “Finn has been shot.”

“What?” Mandy was horrified. “How bad?”

“The police officer who just called didn’t have any other information. I … .” James broke off, lost. “He’s been shot.”

“Okay,” Mandy said, taking charge of the situation. She fished in James’ pants pocket until she found his keys and shoved him toward the door. “Get moving. I’ll drive.”

“We have to call Emma.” James’ voice was barely audible. “They called me because of the registration on the car. Emma should know what’s going on.”

“We’ll call Emma,” Mandy assured him. “We need to get moving, though. It’s going to be okay.”

James barely registered her voice, his mind too busy with one thought:
Did I send my brother off to be killed?

J
ames clung
to Mandy’s hand as they hurried through the front door of the hospital. Emma was on her way, her brother and Avery in tow, and she sounded as if she was going to pass out when James spoke to her on the phone. James realized she was too far gone to drive herself and was about to redirect Mandy to pick her up when Jake texted that they were en route to do just that.

Grady and Sophie were already in the waiting room when James and Mandy arrived, Grady talking to a police detective while Sophie watched the front door for familiar faces. When she caught sight of James and Mandy she scurried in their direction.

“He’s alive,” Sophie announced. “The detective says that it’s not a life-threatening wound, although he has no idea if physical therapy will be involved.”

All of the pent up energy and worry James had been holding in came out in a loud
whoosh
at Sophie’s words. Mandy tried to let go of James’ hand so she could hug Sophie, but despite his obvious relief, James refused to let her go.

Sophie shot Mandy a small smile to convey her understanding before continuing. “Your client is dead, James. I’m sorry.”

“What?” James was dumbfounded. During the entire drive all he could think about was Finn. He didn’t even consider the client Finn was supposed to be watching. “I don’t understand.”

“Grady is questioning the detective now,” Sophie said. “I … oh, he looks to be done. He’s heading this way.”

“What’s going on?” James asked, dragging his free hand through his hair as his brother approached. “What did he say?”

“The investigation is still ongoing, but as far as they can tell Finn was sitting in the car going through some files when Owen Parker came out of the casino with his wife,” Grady replied. “Shots rang out and the wife went down. She’s in surgery. Owen tried to shield her and was shot in the head. Finn is the one that got her out of dodge and he was shot in the process.”

“Where?” James asked, clutching Mandy’s hand tighter.

“They were at Greektown Casino.”

“Not that – although I am interested in where they were – but where was he shot?” James snapped, earning a warning look from Mandy.

“Oh, he was shot right about here,” Grady said, gesturing toward the fleshy part of his back, right above the hip. “It’s actually not a bad wound. He should be able to go home tomorrow, although it will probably be uncomfortable for him to sit for a week or so.”

“Well, that’s great,” James intoned. “He’s been shot, but he’s fine and the client is dead.”

“He’s alive, James,” Mandy prodded. “That’s the most important thing.”

James opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut, running a hand down the back of Mandy’s head as he gazed into her eyes. He could live in that blue forever. It soothed him when his temper was raging … like now. “How come you’re so calm? I thought you would be the one freaking out. You didn’t handle things nearly as well when I got shot.”

“Well, only one of us can freak out at a time,” Mandy replied. “It’s a law or something. If we both freak out at the same time bad things happen … like sneaking out of apartments when someone isn’t looking … or chairs being thrown against walls … or shoes being thrown at you.”

Despite the seriousness of the situation, James couldn’t help but smile. “You kept it together for the entire ride here. We need to talk about the way you drive, though. I think your license should be revoked.”

Mandy’s smile was enigmatic. “You’re clearly still upset. You need to finish your freakout before you comment on my driving.”

“Consider it done,” James said, blowing out a sigh as he pulled Mandy in for a hug. “I’m sorry you missed your seafood.”

“You can make it up to me later,” Mandy said. “For now you need to focus on Finn and finding out exactly what happened. This obviously isn’t over.”

“Not by a long shot,” James muttered, kissing her forehead.

F
INN
was
pale but chipper when James and Grady entered his hospital room. He was resting on his side as a nurse taped a bandage in place on his back and he had an IV running into his arm.

“How’s it going, little brother?” Grady asked, all trace of mirth gone from his features. “You’re officially the palest Hardy brother right now, by the way. Chicks don’t dig that.”

“Speaking of chicks, where’s Emma?” Finn grimaced as the nurse pressed the bandage into his sore back.

“She’s on her way,” James said. “I called her and was going to swing around to pick her up, but then Jake texted and said they were going to do it.”

Finn was perplexed. “Why didn’t she drive?”

“Because she was too much of a wreck,” James replied, opting for honesty. “She couldn’t stop crying when I got her on the phone and Jeff sounded as if he was doing his best to rein her in, but he wasn’t having much luck.”

“And Jeff can’t drive because he doesn’t have a license,” Grady added. “Ally and Jake are getting her. She should be here shortly.”

“I should’ve called her myself,” Finn said. “I lost my phone between the garage and here.”

“We’ll get you a new one,” James said. “Tell us what happened before Emma gets here. Once she walks in this room it’s going to be all over for business talk. You’re going to have to focus on her.”

“I’m actually looking forward to that,” Finn said. “I’m not sure what happened. I picked Parker up at his house. I made small talk between the house and casino. I walked them into the casino and gave the guy behind the window their cash and watched him check it in.

“Parker okayed the amount of money in the briefcase, which was a million dollars, by the way – I wasn’t sure if you knew that,” Finn continued. “Then I went back to the car and he said he was going to text when he was ready to leave so I could help him gather the money and escort him out.”

“A million dollars?” James made a face. “He told me it would be a quarter of a million. That’s a big discrepancy.”

“Maybe he only planned on taking a quarter of a million and leaving the rest in his home safe but changed his mind or something,” Grady suggested.

“Maybe, but he should’ve known to call me if that was the case,” James said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I would’ve sent Jake with you for that much money.”

“And then Jake would’ve been a target, too,” Finn said. “Don’t blame yourself for this. You couldn’t have known.”

“I shouldn’t have sent you,” James muttered.

“You were trying to do the right thing,” Finn said. “You were trying to give Emma the gift of time with Jeff and with me. I know what you were doing.”

“Yes, and I was given the gift of inventory.” Grady’s ill-timed quip had the desired effect and all three Hardy brothers dissolved into light chuckles before James sobered again.

“Tell me what happened,” James prodded. “If Parker was supposed to call you before leaving … .”

“He broke protocol,” Finn said. “I didn’t even know he was coming out until I heard him talking to his wife. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”

“What about the money?” Grady asked. “Did he have it with him?”

“That’s a good question,” Finn said, resting his head on the pillow as the nurse finished her task. “Thank you.”

“You need to rest,” the nurse said. “You shouldn’t be taxing yourself.”

“I’m fine,” Finn said. “We need to discuss this before my fiancée gets here. Once that happens I’ll be distracted.”

“You’ll definitely be distracted,” James agreed. “I’ve found that pity sex from a woman is better than regular sex because they’re desperate to make you happy and keep you still at the same time so they do all the work and go out of their way to do all of the things you like best.”

“You’re such a pig,” Grady muttered, shaking his head.

“Hey, I’m the only one here who has been shot,” James snapped. “It was a glorious few days of baths and being waited on as if I was a king.”

“That’s not exactly how I remember it,” Grady said dryly. “I remember Mandy crying herself to sleep on the floor and being afraid to touch you. Then I remember you tricking her into changing your bandage because you wanted her to see that the wound wasn’t bad. Then I remember you having to wrestle her down to give you sex.”

The nurse’s eyes widened to comical proportions.

“Not wrestle in a bad way,” Grady said hurriedly. “It was more that he wrestled her with his tongue and pathetic pleading. What? They’re married now. It’s fine.”

James barked out a hoarse laugh as his mind traveled back to the time in question. “I kind of forgot about that,” he admitted. “I just remembered her doting on me. I forgot about the tears.”

“Oh, geez,” Grady groused. “She’s perfectly fine now. In fact, I’m going to bet she acts as your nurse once you get home because you’re such a mess.”

“You are a little scattered,” Finn pointed out. “As much as I like the sex story, by the way, that won’t be happening tonight. I’m in the hospital and Emma is … not going to take this well.”

“It will be okay,” James said. “I’ll make sure to fix it so you have a private room and Emma can stay with you. Ally and Jake can take Jeff and Avery back to the apartment and stay there to watch him.”

Finn balked. “I’m not sure Emma is going to appreciate being separated from Avery.”

“I don’t pretend to know everything about women, but I do know she’s not going to let herself be separated from you tonight,” James said. “I also know that there’s no doctor in the world who is going to let a baby stay in here with you after you were shot. They’re going to drug you up, my friend. It’s going to be all you can do to worry about Emma.”

“We’ll take care of Avery,” Grady said. “We promise. We’re responsible.”

“Mandy and James play a game where the last one who touches him has to change him,” Finn pointed out.

“Yes, but they’re jerks,” Grady said. “Ally and Jake won’t do that. I would volunteer to help, but Ally is going to be all over this.”

“At least it will get her away from Netflix,” James said, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the corridor was still empty. “Go back to Parker. You said you heard his voice. Did he say anything?”

“I can’t be sure, and the more I think about it I don’t think he had the briefcase with him,” Finn said. “He was in a good mood, though. He was laughing. So was his wife. Do we know what happened to her?”

“We know she’s in surgery and took a bullet to the chest,” Grady replied. “I don’t know what her prognosis is, but the detective told me that she wasn’t expected to be conscious until tomorrow at the earliest – if she survives at all.”

“So they’re walking toward the car,” James said. “Do you remember what section of the parking garage you were in?”

“I was in the segregated section on the main floor,” Finn replied. “It’s the one they rope off for bigwigs.”

“Is Parker a bigwig?” Grady asked, confused. “I mean … I get he has money, but the guy who came into the office earlier today seemed like a normal guy who just needed a small amount of help.”

“Yeah, and I think that’s one of the reasons I overlooked him,” James said, frustrated. “I should’ve paid better attention. I was distracted because it was Jeff’s first day … and Emma had the baby there … and Grady just would not shut his mouth.”

Grady was offended. “Hey!”

“It’s not just you,” James said, waving by way of apology. “I was thinking about Mandy and dinner so I let this slip by. I was distracted, which is the worst thing you can be in this line of work. I volunteered you for a job I didn’t do due diligence on, Finn, and I’m sorry.”

“Well, you can pay me back with a week off from work and constant takeout,” Finn said, exchanging an amused look with Grady. He wasn’t used to James being so melancholy. “I survived.”

“And as thankful as I am for that, we still have a dead client,” James said.

“Yeah, well, that’s a little more troublesome,” Finn conceded. “I tried to help them. He was dead before I got there.”

“You did the best you could,” James said. “You were alone in a fluid situation. Did you see a shooter?”

Finn shook his head. “I think the shots came from the half landing behind me, though. That landing faces the elevators.”

“Okay, that’s at least something to go on,” James said, licking his lips. “We’ll pull the parking surveillance and make sure we’re in regular contact with the police.”

“We’ll also make sure someone is here to help get you home tomorrow,” Grady said. “Emma might need help getting you up the stairs.”

“And you’re not going to be able to do anything strenuous for at least a week,” the nurse added. “You have someone to take care of you, right?”

“I do,” Finn confirmed, forcing a smile when he saw Emma sweep through the open door with Avery in her arms. “And here she is now. Hey, sweetie.”

“Don’t ‘hey sweetie’ me,” Emma barked. “You were shot!”

Finn was taken aback by her aggressive tone. “I know, sweetie. I was there.” He glanced at James. “She’s not going out of her way to baby me. You’re such a liar.”

“Give it a second,” James cautioned, reaching for a squirming Avery as he desperately tried to get away from Emma and her fury. Emma handed the infant over without even checking to see who was taking him.

“You could’ve died!” Emma exploded.

“Yes, and I’m really sorry for that,” Finn said, shifting uncomfortably. “Shouldn’t you be fawning all over me? I was led to believe that’s what happens when you’re shot. I’m so disappointed.”

Emma narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth to say something nasty. Instead she burst into tears and threw herself at Finn, latching her arms around his neck and burying her face in the hollow so no one could see her face.

“I thought you were going to die on me,” she wailed. “I … love you.”

“Oh, I love you, too, sweetie,” Finn said, fighting the urge to smile as Grady shot him an enthusiastic thumbs-up and James cradled Avery closer to his chest. “It’s going to be okay. I’m fine. The doctor says I can go home tomorrow.”

“I’m going to take care of you,” Emma promised. “I’ll make sure you’re well rested. You’ll have every little thing that you need or want. I’ll make sure of it.”

“And there it is,” James said, bouncing Avery until the baby giggled. “Women are crazy, little man. They’re entirely predictable, though. Don’t you worry, because I’m going to teach you all about women when you get a little older. You’re going to love the wisdom I have to share.”