Deadly Desperados

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Jake would never let that happen.”

  “Jake is not getting between the two of you when you’re acting like this,” Jake argued. “I … you keep pushing him, Angel. You can’t expect him to just sit there and take it. I grew up with sisters, too. The armpit is a viable threat.”

  Ally snorted. “You cannot be serious.”

  “I’m totally serious.”

  “Where did the love go?” Ally asked, turning to Mandy.

  Mandy shrugged. “Don’t ask me. I’m an only child. I never got the pleasure of anyone rubbing my face in their armpit.”

  “I’ll do it tonight if you’re feeling left out,” James offered, winking.

  “I think I’ll pass.”

  “What should we do after the fire inspector shows up?” Jake asked.

  “I want the inspector’s team to confirm that the fire was intentionally set before we officially decide on a course of action, but if they tell us it was arson, I think we need to go on the offensive,” James replied.

  “Meaning?”

  “Meaning I’m going to want to meet this developer,” James said. “I don’t suppose he left a business card on one of his visits, did he?”

  Mary nodded. “I have one in the desk in the office,” she said. “I kept one just in case.”

  “Good,” James said. “If the inspector verifies arson this morning, I want to see if we can get this Mark Nixon out here for dinner.”

  “What?” Ben was flabbergasted. “I don’t want that man in my house.”

  “Yes, you do,” James countered. “We want him on your turf. When you invite him, I want you to remain as calm as possible and not accuse him of anything. We don’t want him to think we’re suspicious.

  “Once he’s out here, I want to feel him out before we say anything,” he continued. “If he asks who we are, just say Jake is your nephew and we’re out here for a visit. Don’t tell him what we do for a living.”

  “And what’s the purpose of that?”

  “If he knows that Jake and James do security work he’ll immediately be on the defensive,” Ally supplied. “They’re trying to lull him and let him think you’re actually considering selling while watching him from afar so they could monitor his attitude and mannerisms.”

  “Very good, Angel,” Jake said, scooping up a slice of bacon from his plate and handing it to her. “I see you’ve been listening when we talk for a change.”

  “You know you just rewarded her like a dog, right?” Mandy asked, arching an eyebrow.

  Jake faltered, but Ally took the proffered bacon and popped it into her mouth without complaint, offering Jake a randy bark as she smiled at him.

  “Wow, the hormones are off the charts this morning,” Mary mused.

  “And what happens if he wants to make a deal?” Ben asked, clearly unhappy.

  “Don’t do anything of the sort,” Jake instructed. “Invite him out and say you want to get to know him. Hear out his financial offer. We’ll handle the rest when it’s time.”

  Ben didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure that we have to stop sitting around waiting for things to happen,” James answered. “We need to force answers for a change. Last night was too close of a call for everyone to ignore. From now on, we’re the ones in charge. I’m not taking one more second of this crap.”

  “I’m starting to like you more and more each passing day, son,” Ben said. “If you weren’t so terrified of armadillos, you’d be downright perfect.”

  James scowled.

  “Oh, he’s already perfect,” Mandy cooed, kissing his cheek. “I don’t even care that he’s scared of armadillos. It makes me feel closer to him. He’s like a big, warm teddy bear who needs to be loved and protected from giant bugs.”

  “Thank you, baby.” James rolled his eyes.

  “I’ll protect you again tonight,” Mandy promised. “I’ll even wear the boots to make sure you’re feeling extremely protected.”

  “You know what? I am terrified of armadillos,” James said. “I’m going to need to be comforted.”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  “Yeah, I think I’m going to need to get the hose out before this day is over with,” Mary said.

  “WELL, it’s definitely arson.”

  Dennis Benedict was the county’s lone fire inspector. After the storm the previous evening, he had three barn fires to check out. The Harrison property was his final stop after the other two were confirmed to have been started by lightning strikes.

  “Was it simple gasoline?” James asked, lifting his arm so Mandy could slide under it and snuggle against his side. Even though she was feeling much better today, she still wanted to keep him close.

  James and Jake initially balked at Mandy and Ally going down to the barn to help with cleanup efforts. Finally, Ben pulled them aside and explained why the women were so desperate to be close to the men, and they relented.

  Still, with so much debris on the ground, Jake and James spent much of the afternoon making sure Ally and Mandy didn’t hurt themselves rather than helping the workers with the cleanup efforts. Thankfully, the mare and her foal decided to stroll home an hour before and the women couldn’t stop themselves from gushing over the baby for an hour. It kept them out of trouble, so James and Jake were happy to take on the work duties while the women sat and played with the foal.

  “It looks to be simple gasoline,” Dennis replied. “We’re going to send a sample off to our lab so it can be checked, but I’m not expecting to find anything out of the ordinary.”

  “We’ll never be able to track a gasoline sale,” Jake said, rubbing his neck as he watched Ally play a dancing game with the foal a few hundred feet away. They were having a good time, and he couldn’t help but be relieved that Ally seemed back to her gregarious self after clinging to him for hours the previous night. “What we need to do is see if Maverick caught anyone on those cameras.”

  “I’m already on it,” James said. “I called and left him three messages. When he finally rolls out of bed at noon, he’ll know how serious I am for him to check the footage. That means we might hear from him by midnight or so.”

  Ben furrowed his brow. “He doesn’t sound like much of an employee.”

  “He’s technically an independent contractor,” James explained. “We hire him for individual jobs. He’s too expensive to keep on retainer. He’s a real pain the ass, and he’s not even old enough to drink yet. The problem is … .”

  “He’s the best at what he does,” Jake finished. “The guy is amazing on a computer. If he wasn’t such a randy pervert when any of our women are around, I might actually like him.”

  “I’m going to have to file a report,” Dennis said. “I know you guys mentioned something about wanting to keep this on the down low, but I’m going to have to file something within twenty-four hours.”

  “That’s fine,” James said. “We only need the rest of today to see how things are going to shake out.”

  “And you really think Mark Nixon is behind this?” Dennis asked, shifting his helmet from one hip to the other.

  “Do you know him?”

  “I’ve met him at a few political events,” Dennis replied. “My wife is the mayor’s sister, so I have to get gussied up at least once a month for one of their fancy hobnobbing parties. I’ve seen Nixon at two of them.”

  “And?” Jake prodded.

  “And he’s one of those smarmy business guys from back east who thinks he’s better than all of us hicks out here in God’s country,” Dennis said. “He’s got a real eye for the ladies, too, even though he’s married and his wife is a looker. I would guess he’s in his early sixties and his wife is only in her thirties. She always seems bored and looks the other way while he’s checking women out right in front of her.”

  “Has he mentioned why he’s trying to buy land here?”

  “No, and I asked him point blank why he wanted it so bad,” Dennis answered. “He said he always wanted
to own a farm. Since his suits cost more than my truck, I’m having trouble believing him.”

  “I can see that,” James said, his mind busy.

  “What are you thinking?” Jake asked.

  “I’m thinking that I’m going to want a certain blonde and brunette to get dressed back up in their skirts and boots today,” James said. “If this guy likes hitting on other women, he might let his guard down around our women.”

  “You want some random guy to hit on Mandy?” Jake was dubious. “Why do I find that hard to believe?”

  “Hey, if he touches my wife I’ll break his hands,” James said. “I still think letting Mandy and Ally work their magic can’t hurt. If he gets out of hand … we’ll let Floyd eat him.”

  Jake smirked. “Okay.”

  “I think you just want me to wear those boots for you,” Mandy pointed out. “I’m happy to do it, though. I’m ready to take one for the team.”

  “The only one you’ll be taking anything from is me,” James responded, tweaking her nose. “I still want you to twirl in that skirt a lot. Just … make sure you’re wearing underwear.”

  Mandy’s cheeks flushed with color. “James!”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll demand that you take the underwear off when it’s just the two of us.”

  “Oh, good grief,” Ben groaned. “Where is the hose?”

  Fourteen

  “You have a lovely home.”

  Mark Nixon was full of suave sophistication as Mary ushered him inside the house an hour before dinner was scheduled. His black hair, graying at the temples, was slicked back, and the Armani suit he wore practically screamed “I’m rich, you should bow down and worship me.”

  His wife Nadine was something else entirely. Dennis was right when he said she was younger. She was in her thirties, but if Mandy had to guess she would peg the woman to be pushing forty rather than hugging the line to thirty. Her eyes had that “stretched” look that comes from a few too many nips and tucks, and her forehead refused to move thanks to a bevy of Botox. When you coupled that with a pair of lips that were puffed out thanks to fillers, it was easy to see that Nadine Nixon was a woman fighting time.

  “Thank you,” Mary said, offering Mark and Nadine a welcoming smile. “Please come in and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”

  “I’ll have a martini,” Mark said. “Wait, you probably don’t have gin. This is the country, after all. I’ll take a beer.”

  He was trying to appeal to the masses, talking down to Mary like she was a country bumpkin. Mandy immediately didn’t like him.

  “We have gin,” Ben said, his face stony.

  “Then I would love a martini,” Mark said, unruffled.

  “How about you, Nadine?” Mary asked.

  “A martini would be great,” Nadine replied, taking a seat next to her husband on the couch. “I can’t tell you how great it is to see the inside of your house. I’ve wanted to for some time. It’s really beautiful.”

  “Thank you,” Mary said, moving to the drink cart in the corner of the living room.

  “And who might you be?” Mark asked, his eyes fixing on Mandy. Or, to be more precise, his gaze found Mandy’s legs and refused to move.

  James fought the urge to pound the man right there and plastered a wide smile on his face. “I’m James,” he said. “I’m friends with Jake. We live in Michigan and the weather has been so cold we decided to come and visit his aunt and uncle to get away from the snow.”

  “Oh, is this your first time in Kansas?”

  “It is,” James replied.

  “And where do you live in Michigan?”

  It was a test, but it was one James was prepared for. He didn’t want to give Mark Nixon any reason to be suspicious of him. “We live in Grand Rapids,” he lied smoothly.

  “And what do you do?”

  “I own a construction business,” James answered. “Jake works for me there.”

  Mark reluctantly dragged his attention away from Mandy’s legs and focused on Jake. Since Ally stood next to him, and her skirt was short enough to give any red-blooded man reason to stare, his eyes ultimately landed on her after a brief stopover on Jake’s face. “And is this your first time in Kansas, Jake?”

  “I visited here quite often as a kid,” Jake replied, narrowing his eyes. He didn’t like the way Mark fixated on Ally. “I wanted to bring Ally here to meet my aunt and uncle. Since the weather has been so miserable at home, I figured now was as good a time as any.”

  “Of course,” Mark said, dragging his eyes to Mary as she moved in front of him and handed him a martini. “Thank you very much.”

  “Don’t mention it.”

  Mark sipped his martini, shooting Mary an enthusiastic thumbs-up before returning to the conversation. “So, I heard you had a spot of trouble here last night,” he said. “One of your barns burned down, didn’t it?”

  “It did,” Ben said, fidgeting in his chair. Jake could tell his uncle was barely containing himself. Ben knew how important it was to feel Mark out before exploding, but he was having a hard time letting his heart and mind compromise. “Luckily we got out there in time. We didn’t lose any animals and the structure and feed inside are covered by insurance.”

  “That must be a relief,” Mark said. “I know these farms out here run on tight budgets. Will you have enough money to cover the loss of feed?”

  “We’ll manage,” Ben replied dryly.

  “I understand you’re a land developer,” James interjected, turning Mark’s attention to him in an effort to let Ben collect himself. He was clearly on the edge. “My understanding is that you’re interested in buying this farm.”

  “I am.” Mark didn’t hesitate, or offer up a vague lie or excuse. He was matter-of-fact and straightforward. James could practically smell the smarminess wafting off of him, though. He was trying to appear like he had nothing to hide, which probably meant he was hiding a lot.

  “No offense, but you don’t really look like a farmer,” James said. “Why would you want to take over the day-to-day operations of one?”

  “I’m glad you asked that question,” Mark said, leaning back on the couch. “It’s a wonderful story, if I do say so myself. You see, when I was a boy, my grandfather had a farm. It was much like this one in scale, but the management of it was obviously different thanks to the advancements in technology.

  “While I always dreamed of owning my own farm, I was never cut out for manual labor,” he continued. “With all of the equipment out there these days, I could hire workers and live out my dream on a farm while letting others do the work at the same time.”

  “Wow, that was a well-rehearsed answer,” Mandy muttered so only James could hear.

  James slipped his hand around Mandy’s waist and tugged her to the arm of the chair he sat on. He thoughtfully rubbed her back as he considered his next question.

  “Did you know Charlie Dawkins?”

  “I know Mr. Dawkins.”

  James frowned. Mark used the present tense when referring to the man. He either didn’t know Charlie was dead, or he was trying to give the appearance that was the case. For some reason, James was convinced it was the latter. He was starting to get why Ben so vehemently disliked Mark Nixon.

  “Did you hear he died?” Jake asked, his gaze trained on Mark to await his response.

  Mark jerked forward, his eyes widening to almost comical proportions. “No. I hadn’t heard a thing about that. That’s terrible. How did it happen?”

  “He was shot in the back of the head,” Ben interjected. “Some … piece of filth … walked right up behind him and pulled the trigger while Charlie was unaware anything was going on.”

  “That’s insane,” Mark said, bucking for an Oscar with his feigned surprise. “Why would anyone do such a thing?”

  Ben opened his mouth to answer, but Jake wisely cut him off before he could say something they would all regret. “The police think it might’ve been a drifter,” Jake lied. “They can’t think of
any other motive that makes any sense.”

  “Well, there is a lot of open country out here,” Mark said. “Wow. That’s a tragedy.”

  “Especially since he was engaged and looking forward to a wedding,” Mary said.

  “That’s definitely terrible,” Nadine said, sitting ramrod straight on the couch with her hands clasped in her lap. She was just about as uncomfortable as one person could be in a social setting.

  “I understand you were interested in Charlie’s farm, too,” James pressed.

  “I’m not sure what you’re insinuating,” Mark replied. “I’ve been sending out feelers regarding various farms in this area. In an ideal world, I’d like to buy a few of them.”

  “Or four of them,” Nadine muttered. Her voice was so low James had to strain to hear her, and he wasn’t sure she said what he thought he said.

  “Did you say he wants to buy four of them?” Mandy asked, earning a gentle squeeze of appreciation on her hip from James. “What would you possibly do with four farms?”

  Mark chuckled, although his demeanor marginally slipped. “My wife is exaggerating,” he said. “We have looked at four farms in the area – including this one – but I would prefer two, not four.”

  “I still don’t understand why you would want more than one farm,” Mandy said. “That’s like eight thousand acres of land to cultivate and keep up. Even if you don’t do any of the manual labor, that’s a lot of coordinating to keep track of.”

  “I suppose,” Mark conceded. “My philosophy is that bigger is always better.”

  “Mine, too,” Ally chimed in, earning a pointed frown from Jake and a stifled giggle from Mandy.

  Mark shot Ally a charming grin and wink. “I like you.”

  “Everyone does,” Ally replied.

  Even James had to smirk this time. Even though he was enjoying the way Ally toyed with Mark, he wanted to get the conversation back on track. “What are you going to do now that the Dawkins farm is out of play?”

  Mark’s expression turned from predatory to puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  Before Mark’s arrival, James and Jake concocted a story just to test his reaction. It was time to see if their plan would work out to their liking.