Deadly Payback (Hardy Brothers Security Book 22)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “I mean you’re ugly … and puny … and disgusting,” Mandy answered. “That’s all inside, mind you. The outside is even more unappealing. I don’t want to get petty, though.”

  “Oh, get petty,” Grady prodded. “I want to see you shred him.”

  Mandy ignored the encouragement. “Heidi was a real person. She had real dreams and the biggest heart. I am going to miss her forever.” Mandy narrowed her eyes to blue slits. “You, on the other hand, are a maggot. You’re a disgusting piece of crap and I rue the day I was ever nice to you. I should’ve followed my gut and told you to get lost that first day.”

  “Oh, don’t say that.” Clint sounded positively pathetic. “You love me. I know you do.”

  “I could never love you,” Mandy said. “Even if I could forget you’re a murderer – which I never will forget – I would still only love James. I was made to love him. We were destined to be together.

  “If our life is a big blueberry pie, you’re the burnt piece of the crust we throw in the garbage,” she said. “Or, perhaps you’re that green blueberry in the bottom of every pint that people can’t throw away fast enough.”

  “Oh, I think you might be a poet, baby,” James said, resting his hand over his heart. “We should have a pillow embroidered with that quote or something.”

  Sven’s mouth quirked at the joke, but his eyes remained fixed on Clint as he kept Mandy stable at his side. He was ready to move quickly should the need arise.

  “I need you to know something, Clint,” Mandy said. “You’re a piece of crap. I think you’re the lowest form of human life out there. After today, I’m never going to think about you again … except when I plan ways to torture you.

  “Before I say my goodbye, though, I need you to understand that James didn’t keep me away from you,” she continued. “He’s my heart and love, but pretending he’s somehow to blame for you being a loser seems disingenuous. You never had a shot because you’re deficient in every way imaginable.

  “I hope your prison stay is uncomfortable and you cry every night as someone is raping you,” she said. “Oh, and I know a certain mob boss so I’m totally going to ask if he can make sure you get put in a cell with a big bubba rapist.

  “I hope you live a long life, and I also hope every second of it is miserable,” Mandy said. “You’ve earned nothing but pain for the life you cut short. You’re a miserable excuse for a man … and I’m done with you.”

  Mandy made to turn, but Clint was at the end of his rope. His face twisted as he moved to point the gun in Mandy’s direction – her name a scream on the wind as he bellowed – but James realized what he was going to do before Clint could raise his hand.

  James took one long stride forward and grabbed Clint’s wrist, pointing the gun at the sky as the man squeezed the trigger. He used his free hand to slam his fist into Clint’s throat, causing the man to gurgle and drop the gun out of surprise.

  James caught it, pushing the barrel under Clint’s chin as he gurgled and desperately fought to get away from James’ wrath.

  “My wife is much nicer than me,” James said, gripping the back of Clint’s hair as he held him in place. “I would torture you to death right here. She doesn’t want that, though. She wants you to suffer for forty years in prison. I’m going to abide by her wishes because I refuse to give you power over us.”

  James pulled back the hammer on the gun and relished the way Clint gulped. “I want you to think about me,” James said. “I’ll be holding my wife every night for the rest of our lives. I echo my wife’s hope that you have someone holding you, too.

  “You could’ve had a wife and child who loved you and instead you made up a stupid world to live in,” he continued. “You’ve lost everything – and that’s on you – but I still have everything and I’m going to enjoy my life.

  “When you think of Mandy, I want you to think of me, too,” James said, smirking when Clint’s eyes flashed with hatred. “Think of me loving her … kissing her … and everything else that goes with it. We shall not think of you.”

  James pushed the hammer on the gun back into place before handing it to Finn. His brothers closed the distance when the men began to grapple with one another, but in the end Clint wasn’t strong enough to face one Hardy, let alone an entire tribe.

  “I’ll take him into custody,” Bradshaw said, moving to James’ side. “I’ll make sure he stays locked up.”

  “Wait,” James said, glancing over his shoulder at an approaching Mandy. “My wife has something she wants to do first.”

  “What?” Bradshaw asked, genuinely curious.

  “Can I really do it?” Mandy looked excited at the prospect.

  “Go nuts, baby,” James said, keeping hold of Clint’s arm as he made space so Mandy could move in front of the wide-eyed man. Sven and Rodrigo each took an arm and lifted her off the ground so she could use her good foot for maximum leverage.

  “This is for Heidi.”

  “This is for us all,” James said. “Kick him good, baby. He’s got it coming.”

  And that’s exactly what Mandy did. Twice.

  25

  Twenty-Five

  One week later James was annoyed when Mandy insisted on limping into the courthouse on her own. He was at her side, their fingers linked and shoulders squared, but he would’ve been happier if he could carry her. The second he suggested it to Mandy, though, it sparked a fight.

  She won.

  She still had to pack up her office, and when that was done, James had something to show her. They decided to make an afternoon of it, although Mandy had no idea things were about to take a turn for the better right under her nose.

  So, an hour after they arrived and worked mostly in silence, everything Mandy owned in the office was in a box and James held it against his chest as he stood next to the door. The room was sterile enough no one would’ve ever guessed at the magical being who gave so much of herself there for so long of a time period.

  James let Mandy take a moment to absorb the empty office before smiling when her gaze fell upon him.

  “Are you ready, baby?”

  Mandy nodded.

  “Do you want to see the courtroom before you go? I know you said you wanted to see it one last time.”

  Mandy tilted her head to the side and considered the question, ultimately shaking her head. “I thought I wanted to see it because it would be hard to say goodbye without stopping in one last time,” she admitted. “It turns out it’s a lot easier than I expected.”

  “I’m glad,” James said, dropping a kiss on her forehead before shuffling into the hallway. He watched as she locked the office door and removed the key from her keychain. Then she dropped it in an envelope and moved several doors down the hallway, slipping it in an administrative secretary’s mailbox and exhaling heavily when the task was finished.

  “That’s it,” Mandy said, glancing around. “I’m done.”

  “Almost,” James said, smiling. “We have to go to the back patio first. I told the judge we were coming and he asked that I bring you out there to say goodbye.”

  Mandy balked. “He’s not planning a big goodbye party, is he? I can’t take that.”

  “I don’t think so,” James said. “I honestly don’t know, though. We’ll check it out. If you feel overwhelmed, we’ll leave. It will be okay. I promise.”

  “But … no.” Mandy shook her head. “I can’t deal with seeing a bunch of people.”

  “You can deal with it,” James shot back as he stepped on the elevator, refusing to let her prey on his sympathy. “You’re strong enough to deal with anything.”

  Mandy made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat as he climbed onto the elevator. James could hear her grumbling under her breath, a nonstop litany of complaints escaping her adorable mouth until they hit the lobby.

  Once they landed, Mandy plastered a fake smile on her face and headed toward the front door. James snagged the back of her shirt and tugged her in the opposite direction,
refusing to release her until she was pointed toward the back patio.

  “We’re going out there first,” James said. “I promised the judge.”

  “But … .” Mandy heaved out a sigh. “I’m mad at you now. I just hope you’re aware of that.”

  “I’ll gladly suffer the consequences when we get home,” James said. “You can spank me and everything.”

  Mandy narrowed her eyes. “You’re sick sometimes.”

  “Sick with love,” James cooed, grinning as he watched Mandy trudge toward the back door. Her feet were heavy – and that was before taking her limp into account – and James enjoyed watching her. She looked as if she was about to go in front of a firing squad. He set the box he was carrying on a chair by the door and followed her out, pursing his lips when she gasped.

  The patio, which was technically the spot where he realized he loved her, wasn’t recognizable. It had been transformed.

  “W-what is this?” Mandy was bewildered as she glanced around, a sea of pinwheel roses dotting the landscaping in every direction. A group of people milled about on the patio, the judge in the center. He beamed when he saw Mandy and everyone else broke into applause. “I don’t understand.” Mandy’s eyes were desperate when they locked with James’ happy brown orbs. “What is this?”

  “Look,” James instructed.

  Mandy made a face but turned back to the patio, her eyes busily scanning every nook and cranny until they landed on the cement angel in the middle of everything. The angel held a baby in her arms and stared skyward at a butterfly, two small beds of pinwheel roses on either side.

  Mandy took a tentative step forward, her eyes filling with tears when she saw the inscription at the foot of the angel. It was a dedicated without a signature. The only other thing on the plate was a small shark in the corner. “It’s for Heidi.”

  “It is,” James confirmed.

  “You did this for her.”

  “I did it for both of us,” James corrected. “She’ll always be remembered here … and in our hearts.”

  “Isn’t it beautiful?” Judge MacIntosh asked, striding forward. “Heidi would’ve loved this. She would’ve gone absolutely gaga over this.”

  Mandy bit her lip as she nodded, tears coursing down her cheeks. For once, James didn’t mind the crying. He knew it came from a place of happiness.

  “I wanted Heidi to have a permanent place where everyone could visit and think about her,” James said. “I wanted people to remember her and not what Clint did.”

  “It’s beautiful,” Mandy said, lowering her gaze. “I just … .” She turned and threw her arms around James’ neck, ignoring his delighted laugh as he pulled her in for a hug. “Thank you.”

  “Oh, there are no thanks required, wife,” James said. “Nothing will ever be enough to bring her back. This can be a place of happiness in time, though. I think Heidi would’ve liked that.”

  “I think she would’ve loved it,” MacIntosh said, resting his hand on the back of Mandy’s head as she sobbed. “Is she going to be okay?”

  James smiled and nodded. “In time, we’re both going to be okay. For now … she’s just moved and overwhelmed.”

  “Is that a good thing?”

  “It’s a great thing,” James replied. “She’s alive and we’re together. Nothing could be greater than that.”

  And for the first time in what felt like forever, the Hardy’s smiled as the sunlight washed over them and a peaceful soul looked down.

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  Acknowledgments

  I’m a romantic at heart. A true romantic. I love the idea of a happy ending, so much so I have trouble writing a sad one. The world is sad enough. I like escaping in fiction. That’s just me. I like sarcasm and snark – but I’m not sure a sad ending is in me. If you’re looking for an edge like that, you’re probably looking in the wrong place. Just FYI.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

  Books by Lily Harper Hart

  Hardy Brothers Security

  Deadly Intentions

  Deadly Intuition

  Deadly Illusions

  Deadly Proposal

  Deadly Prospects

  Deadly Ever After

  Deadly Honeymoon

  Deadly Questions

  Deadly Addition

  Deadly Vacation

  Deadly Secrets

  Deadly Storm

  Deadly Dealings

  Deadly Christmas

  Deadly Desperados

  Deadly Arrival

  Deadly Rivalry

  Deadly Memories

  Deadly Adventure

  Deadly Reunion

  Deadly Conflicts

  A Maddie Graves Mystery

  Grave Homecoming

  Grave Insight

  Grave Delight

  Grave Misgivings

  Grave Concerns

  Grave Discovery

  Grave Decisions

  Grave Seasons

  An Ivy Morgan Mystery

  Wicked Days

  Wicked Dreams

  Wicked Times

  Wicked Places

  Wicked Warning

  A Harper Harlow Mystery

  Ghostly Interests

  Ghostly Issues

  Ghostly Deceits

  Ghostly Worries