Deadly Forever (Hardy Brothers Security Book 24)

by Lily Harper Hart

  Mandy made a disgusted face, annoyed. James expected her to give him grief for his actions – which seemed so long ago given what they’d been through – but she reacted in an entirely different way.

  “I know what you’re doing and it’s not going to work on me,” Mandy said, pressing her lips together and glancing around to make sure the rest of their family wasn’t eavesdropping. “If you don’t want to talk about it right now, that’s fine. I’m not going to force you.”

  “Great,” James said, adopting a breezy tone. “That makes me happy. Are you going to get lobster or crab legs tonight? Seafood is your favorite, after all. You’ve been through an ordeal. You should stuff yourself with whatever you want.”

  Mandy refused to be swayed by the conversational shift. “I said I wasn’t going to force you to do it right now,” Mandy clarified. “That doesn’t mean I’m not going to force you when we get home.”

  James made a face. “Baby, I thought we could hop in the hot tub and worship each other when we get home. That’s what I want to do.”

  Mandy crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes. “Not until we talk.”

  “Well, since you believe I’m upset, I think I should be able to dictate the terms of our evening,” James countered. “I want to get naked in the hot tub. There’s no need for some long, drawn-out conversation. I’m honestly fine.”

  Mandy didn’t believe that for a second. “We’re going to do both,” she said after a beat. “We’re going to talk and get naked. If you want to do them at the same time, that would probably be most efficient.”

  James opened his mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He could read the obstinate tilt of her chin and knew there was no way she would cede this conversation. In fact, she was so adamant and determined to get her own way he knew she would pick a riotous fight if it came down to it. He had no intention of indulging that personality quirk.

  “Fine,” James gritted out, tugging a hand through his hair. “We’ll talk and get naked. Does that make you happy?”

  Mandy shrugged, noncommittal. “I’m happier,” she replied. “And as for the crab legs and lobster, I’m getting both. I have a feeling I’m going to need a lot of fuel to keep up with whatever it is you plan on doing once we get home to get out of this conversation.”

  James didn’t want to smile – it would only encourage her, of course – but he couldn’t help himself. “I love you, wife.”

  Mandy returned the smile and gripped his hand, her expression earnest. “I love you more.”

  “That’s not possible.”

  “It’s not a competition.”

  “Then why do you want to win so desperately?”

  Mandy’s grin was rueful. “I already won when I found you,” she explained. “I just want to keep up my winning streak for as long as possible.”

  “Cute.” James pressed a kiss to the corner of her upturned mouth. “I still love you more.”

  “We’ll see.” Mandy’s tone was breezy.

  “We definitely will,” James agreed.

  “CAN I ask you a question?”

  James groaned as he leaned back on his bed later that evening, a towel wrapped around his waist. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he stared at the ceiling and ignored Mandy as she hovered in the doorway between their master bedroom and bathroom.

  “Absolutely not,” James replied, shaking his head. “Get in bed. Don’t bother putting on pajamas either. You’re not going to need them and they’re just going to get in the way when I wake up happy to see you tomorrow morning.”

  Mandy wasn’t impressed with his attitude. “I’m being serious.”

  “I’m being serious, too,” James said, propping up his head as he stared at his wife. She was naked, the towel she wore from the hot tub into the house resting on the floor. “If you put pajamas on I’m simply going to rip them off when you get over here.”

  His grin was mischievous, but Mandy didn’t fall for it. “I want to ask you a question.”

  “Baby, you asked me thirty questions in the hot tub,” James reminded her. “It was really hard to concentrate on them because you were naked, too.”

  “Would you like me to put on a robe?”

  “Absolutely not.”

  “James.” Mandy sounded petulant. Sometimes James enjoyed that game because she expected him to kiss the feigned bad mood right out of her. He knew tonight was different, though.

  “Mandy.” James mocked his wife’s tone to perfection. They’d been together long enough that he could read every exasperated expression and voice constraint.

  Mandy was silent for a moment as she stared at him, her blue eyes briefly clouding over. Finally she blew out a sigh and turned her back to him. “Fine. I’m going to brush my teeth and then I’ll be ready for bed. My hair is going to look like crap tomorrow because I’m going to sleep on it wet, but I figure you don’t care.”

  “I definitely don’t care,” James agreed, narrowing his eyes as he watched her. He knew there was no way she was going to let the conversation lapse without putting up a fight. She was determined that killing the teenager weighed on him – and it did in some respects – but he wasn’t inclined to talk the situation to death. He wanted to put it behind them. “I like it when you have bedhead in the morning. You’re cute.”

  Mandy didn’t respond, instead turning on the water so she could brush her teeth. James watched her, admiring the way her slim body moved back and forth in front of the sink. She was beautiful. No, she was beyond beautiful. Her heart and soul matched her body and there wasn’t a thing about her he didn’t love. Sure, she had a tendency to be insecure if he wasn’t careful, but that insecurity waned more and more each day. She was comfortable in his love, and for that he would be forever thankful.

  When Mandy finally joined him on the mattress, James met her challenging gaze as he lifted the covers and watched her roll underneath them. He turned on the pedestal fan at the foot of the bed – even though the house boasted a solid central air system she needed the white noise of the fan to sleep – and then flicked off the light switch before crawling in next to her. He could feel her warmth from a foot away, but she didn’t make a move to climb on top of him and settle in for the night. They slept tangled together every night without fail, and James knew he wouldn’t get what he wanted unless he indulged her questions.

  “Baby … .”

  “It’s fine, James,” Mandy said, her voice chilly. “I love you. Thank you for saving me. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  James waited for her to roll so her head rested on his chest, but she didn’t. She remained immobile.

  “Baby, what’s your question?” James asked finally. He hated himself for falling prey to her emotional blackmail, but there was no way he could sleep without her warm body draped over his needy flesh.

  “I thought you didn’t want me to ask a question,” Mandy challenged. She knew she’d won, but she wanted to make him say it. It wasn’t an attractive quality and James couldn’t help but silently add it to the short list of things he disliked about her.

  “You’ve won and we both know it,” James said. “Is there a reason you want to add torture to the mix?”

  To James’ utter surprise, Mandy slid closer to him. She moved his arm so she could slip it around her back and rested her chin on his chest.

  “It’s not about winning,” Mandy said after a beat. “It’s about loving you.”

  “Baby, you can love me without torturing me,” James pointed out. “I love you and I very rarely torture you.”

  “You torture me all of the time and you know it,” Mandy challenged, annoyed. “Just last night you made s’mores and wouldn’t let me have one until I took off my bra.”

  James snickered at the memory – and her faux outrage. Sometimes they enjoyed manufacturing buttons to push so they could fake a fight before making up. “That wasn’t torture, baby. That was simply a negotiation.”

  “That might be how you see it, but it’s
not how I see it,” Mandy said. “You wore my bra as a hat.”

  “Yes, well, I happen to think I looked cute.”

  “You always look cute.” Mandy pressed a soft kiss to James’ bare chest and caused him to sigh.

  “What’s your question, baby?” James asked, petting the back of her damp hair. He loved his wife beyond reason, but he was exhausted. He wanted to get this out of the way so they could settle into a comfortable embrace and heavy slumber. “You know how much I love your endless stream of questions.”

  “I do,” Mandy confirmed. “As for the question, well, do you think he was really going to shoot me?”

  James stilled, surprised. He thought for sure she would ask about his feelings … or potential nightmares … or for reassurance that he wasn’t about to fall off the rails. She never ceased to amaze him.

  “I don’t know,” James admitted, brushing his lips against her forehead. “He jerked his gun in your direction. I thought at the time he was threatening you, but now I can’t help but wonder if he did it merely to taunt me.”

  “Because he wanted you to kill him?”

  “Why would you ask that?” James asked. He couldn’t see Mandy’s face in the darkness, but he stared in that direction anyway.

  “Before you came out of nowhere to be my favorite hero ever, he said he would rather go out in a blaze of glory than go to prison,” Mandy explained. “I was terrified he was going to kill me for a few seconds there, but the more I think about it, the more I can’t help but wonder if he did it because he didn’t want to be arrested.”

  “I don’t know.” James was thoughtful as he stroked the back of her head. “We may never know why he did it.”

  “Are you going to be okay?”

  Ah, there it is. That was the type of question James expected. “As long as I have you, I’ll always be okay.”

  “Then you’ll always be okay,” Mandy said. “I won’t ever leave you. We’re going to be together forever.”

  “We are,” James agreed, pressing another kiss to her forehead. “Now sleep, baby. I’m tired.”

  “If you need me because you have a bad dream, I want you to wake me up.”

  James smirked. “Are you going to protect me all night, even from bad dreams?”

  Mandy shrugged. “I’m going to protect you forever if I can. I’m not sure it’s possible, but I promise to do my best.”

  “You always do, wife.”

  The couple lapsed into comfortable silence and James was just about to slip into slumber when Mandy spoke again.

  “I definitely love you most,” she whispered.

  “Not even close, wife. Not even close.”

  5

  Five

  “I can’t believe you insisted on coming here with me,” James groused the next morning, shaking his head as he stared at Mandy over the hood of his Explorer. They were parked in front of Sophie’s newspaper office, the summer sun beating down on them, and James couldn’t help but be irked with Mandy’s stubborn attitude. “I’m fully capable of placing ads by myself.”

  Mandy’s snort was derisive, which only propelled James’ agitation to new heights. “You’re not placing ads.”

  “I am so,” James protested. “I place ads every week. We have running ads, in fact. That’s how we get half of our new business.”

  “I know you place ads,” Mandy said, flipping her long blond hair over her shoulder. “That’s not what you’re doing today, though. You usually handle all of your ad stuff over the phone. According to Sophie, the ad representatives don’t like that because they prefer drooling over you in person.”

  Despite his sense of unease, James couldn’t help but smile. “I’m very popular with the ladies. You should know that. I’ve been popular with you since you were fourteen.”

  “Yes, well, I was a young girl with stars in her eyes,” Mandy said. “I saw you without a shirt on and even then it was impressive. I lost my head and never got it back.”

  “But I’m more impressive now, right?”

  Mandy grinned. “Everything you do is impressive.”

  “That’s very sweet, wife,” James said, pressing his hand to the small of Mandy’s back as he ushered her toward the front door. “That still doesn’t explain why you insisted on coming with me to place ads today.”

  When James announced over breakfast that he planned on stopping at the newspaper office before heading to work, Mandy merely smiled and enthusiastically offered to go with him. He didn’t understand why she would possibly want to accompany him, but she insisted. As usual, she got her way.

  “You’re not placing ads,” Mandy argued. “Oh, don’t get me wrong, now that I’ve insisted on coming with you, I have no doubt that you’re going to make a big show about placing ads. In fact, you’ll probably make me sit through some really boring show while the woman selling the ad flirts with you and gives me dirty looks.”

  “If you want to get in a chick fight over my virtue, I’m all for it,” James teased.

  “I’ll consider it for later,” Mandy said breezily. “After we’re done with the ad, though, you’re going to stop and see Sophie.”

  James stilled, an uncomfortable ball forming in the pit of his stomach. “Why do you think that?”

  “Because you want to know what she’s managed to track down about the kids at the mall yesterday,” Mandy answered, not missing a beat. “You can pretend all you want, but I know you’re going to be looking into this shooting. Don’t bother denying it.”

  James planted his hands on his narrow hips as he regarded his wife. “So … you’re babysitting me?”

  Mandy shook her head. “I’m loving you.”

  James’ expression softened. “You always love me. There’s no reason to babysit me while you’re doing it, though.”

  “I want to know as badly as you do,” Mandy said, changing tactics. “I want to know why they did it. I want to know why they chose to die because no adult would’ve considered attempting what those kids did. It wasn’t feasible that they would get inside and back out without getting caught. We both know that.”

  “But … .” James tugged a frustrated hand through his hair. “This isn’t our case, Mandy. I have no authority to investigate it.”

  Mandy barked out a sharp laugh. “That’s never stopped you before.”

  “I guess not,” James conceded. “I just … how did you know?”

  “Because I know you,” Mandy said, extending her hand. “I know you won’t easily accept taking a life … especially now that you know it was a teenager. You have to know the hows and whys to put it behind you.”

  James stared at her hand a moment, dumbfounded. “I don’t know how I managed to find the other half of my soul, but that’s what you are. You know me better than I know myself sometimes.” He took her hand and pulled her to him, pushing her flaxen hair away from her face so he could stare into the fathomless depths of her eyes. “I love you more than anything, Mandy. I didn’t even realize I was planning on going over things with Sophie until you called me on it.”

  “Yes, well, I’m a magical woman,” Mandy said, her eyes flashing as James pressed a firm kiss to her mouth.

  “You’re my magical woman,” James said, hugging her close before releasing her. “Thank you for understanding about this, though. I just … have to know.”

  “We both have to know,” Mandy said. “I was there, too.”

  James led Mandy inside the newspaper building and forced a bright smile when he recognized the woman sitting behind the desk. She was a comical sort; blond hair coming from a bottle perched high on her head and enough makeup to make a television evangelical cringe. The smile she graced him with was welcoming and flirty. The second she saw Mandy that changed.

  “Hello, Marge,” James said, keeping his tone even. “It’s so good to see you.”

  Mandy swallowed her laughter as she regarded the portly receptionist. She’d met her once before – not long after Sophie entered their orbit, in fact – and she�
��d had a rather unfortunate reaction to Mandy’s presence in James’ life. Mandy had no idea if Marge actually believed she could snag James, but the reality that someone else was capable of doing it didn’t sit well with the abrasive secretary.

  “James,” Marge purred, leaning forward. “I haven’t seen you in ages. I thought for sure you gave up on advertising or something. It hurt me to go so long without seeing you.”

  “Oh, no. I’m still a regular advertiser,” James replied. “I’m busy, though, so most of it is done via computer. I had an opening in my schedule today, though, so I thought I would stop in and handle things in person.”

  “That’s very practical,” Marge said primly, her eyes finally drifting to Mandy. “And who is this? Is she your secretary?”

  Mandy was used to women falling all over themselves to garner James’ attention so she didn’t allow Marge’s tone to bother her. “I’m his secretary for today,” she quipped. “I’m still in training, though.”

  “Yes, and I’m going to be a merciless boss,” James drawled, refusing to play the game Marge wanted him to play. “I’m going to pay her in lunch, kisses, and maybe a few random gropes.”

  Mandy’s mouth dropped open as Marge narrowed her eyes.

  “You can’t say that in public,” Mandy hissed, mortified.

  “I just did,” James countered. “You’re the one who insisted on helping me place ads. Now you have to put up with being my employee for the day. I don’t make the rules, but I do follow them.”

  “Yes, you’re a regular rule follower,” Mandy deadpanned, annoyed. “If you think you’re going to sexually harass me in the workplace, though, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “We’ll see, wife,” James said, patting her rear end and causing her cheeks to color as Marge’s eyes flashed. “We’ll see. Let’s get started, shall we?”

  “I’M ACTUALLY glad you showed up,” Sophie said an hour later as she placed her laptop on a conference room table and shut the door to lock out prying ears. “I was going to call Grady anyway. This saves me some time.”