“You’re a funny guy,” Grady said.
“I try.”
“I want to thank Mandy for the bag of stuff, by the way,” Grady said. “Keeping Sophie’s mind off work wasn’t easy. She’s kind of focused – actually, she borders on obsessive sometimes. The magazines and movies were a big hit.”
James raised an eyebrow. “She liked the movies? I told Mandy they were stupid.”
“She loved the movies,” Grady said. “They made her all … sexy and stuff.”
“Did you like the movies?”
“I just told you they made her all sexy,” Grady replied. “I now love those movies.”
James rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “She must have figured that out on her own. Figures. She’s always a step ahead of me on things like that. It pisses me off.”
“She’s always a step ahead of you regardless,” Grady shot back.
“Maybe I don’t mind the view from behind her,” James suggested.
“I can see that.”
“So, if you’re ending your hibernation, does that mean you think she’s safe?” Finn asked.
Grady shook his head. “No. Actually, I stopped by because something happened at the commission meeting.”
“What?” James asked.
Grady told his brothers about Sophie’s conversation with John Madison.
“Well, that’s interesting,” James said. “He’s either trying to distract her or tip her off. Which one do you think it is?”
“I wish I knew,” Grady admitted. “There’s something weird about that guy, though.”
“So, basically, we have too many suspects and not enough information,” Finn said.
“Or too much information,” Grady said. “Have you guys made any headway on that big packet of paper?”
“I stopped looking,” James said. “It gives me a headache.”
Grady looked at Finn.
“I stopped looking, too.”
“Well, great.”
“I’ve been bribing Mandy to keep looking,” James said. “I’m about out of shark movies.”
“Try Lake Placid,” Finn suggested. “It’s not sharks, but giant crocodiles are just as entertaining. Plus, Betty White is hilariously foul-mouthed in it. She steals the whole movie.”
“Thanks for the tip.”
“I’m going to run up to the apartment and grab the packet,” Grady said. “I figure Sophie is going to want to start looking through it again.”
“Good,” James said. “I’d like to reclaim my girlfriend.”
Grady paused, guilt rushing through him. “I’m sorry I left this for you guys to do.”
James waved him off. “It’s fine. I think Mandy likes it. She’s multifaceted weird.”
“She’s actually pretty amazing,” Grady said, getting to his feet. “She’s been really great with Sophie. I don’t think Sophie’s ever had any real friends. She’s kind of closed off.”
“Mandy’s not the only one who’s pretty amazing, is she?” Finn said.
“No, she’s not.”
Finn and James exchanged a look. Grady knew what it meant and, while he would have cared two weeks ago, he couldn’t bring himself to chafe under their scrutiny today. “I’m going to go and get those files,” he said. “I have to pick Sophie up after work, and then I promised her a nice dinner. She wants lobster.”
James balked. “I would steer her away from seafood. I don’t think you’re ready to sleep on the floor next to a puking woman for two nights.”
Grady had a feeling he was right. “Maybe I’ll try to talk her into Italian.”
“That’s probably a good idea.”
Grady was halfway through the door to the lobby when he paused. “Hey, what’s the deal with the nail polish?”
“What?”
“Mandy put three bottles of nail polish in the bag she put together for Sophie,” Grady said. “Sophie seemed to know what it meant, but she wouldn’t tell me.”
Color was creeping up James’ neck. “I have no idea.”
Grady smirked. “Okay. I’m going to let it go.”
“Good.”
He was almost to the stairs when he heard Finn. “Dude, what’s the deal with the nail polish?”
“Don’t you have something to do?” James grumbled.
“ARE YOU sure you don’t want to come with me?”
It was the next night, and Sophie was sitting cross-legged on her living room floor, the stack of reclaimed documents spread out around her. Grady had just gotten a call from James for a job – one he didn’t want to take – and he was leaving to do surveillance for a few hours.
“I’m fine here,” Sophie said, gesturing to the piles of paper. “I’ll obviously be busy.”
“I know,” Grady said. “I just don’t like the idea of leaving you alone.”
“Well, since I’m going to be locked in the house all night, I don’t see what the problem is,” Sophie said. “No offense, but I don’t think we’ll get a lot of work done if we’re in a car together, alone in the dark, with nothing to do but each other for five hours.”
“Okay,” Grady said, reluctantly agreeing. “Finn should be able to relieve me at midnight. I won’t be gone for more than a few hours.”
Sophie knitted her eyebrows together as she regarded him. “You know, I did manage to live a whole twenty-five years on my own before I met you.”
“I know.”
“I know how to take care of myself.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you being so … weird?”
“I didn’t realize that worrying about someone was acting weird,” Grady said. “I thought it was normal.”
“I’ve never thought of you as normal,” Sophie said.
“Is that a compliment?”
“I’ve slept with you,” Sophie said, smiling flirtatiously. “It’s definitely a compliment.”
Grady growled playfully, dropping to his knees so he could crawl over to her without messing up her stacks. He bit her lower lip, sucking it into his mouth. She plunged her hands in his hair, pulling him closer so she could kiss him to her heart’s content.
After a few seconds, Grady pulled away. “We could do this in the car.”
“Wouldn’t that get in the way of your job?”
“Who cares?”
“Your brother cares,” Sophie reminded him. “Deep down, you care, too.”
Grady kissed her again, this time it was short and sweet. “Be a good girl while I’m gone.”
“I’ll try to refrain from getting a paper cut.”
“If you’re naked when I come back,” Grady said. “You won’t hear any complaints from me.”
“Actually,” Sophie said, focusing on the piece of paper in her hand. “I thought I would dress up like a naughty school girl and let you spank me with a ruler.”
Grady groaned. “You are evil.”
“I’ll be naughty when you get back.”
“I’m going,” Grady said. “Now I have something to look forward to.”
“You certainly do.”
GRADY had only been gone about a half hour when something caught Sophie’s attention.
“This isn’t right,” she murmured.
She’d seen this document before. She knew she had. This one was different, though. She just couldn’t remember how. Sophie stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back to rest on the angled armchair behind her.
The document in question was a minor one. It was correspondence between the sheriff’s department and animal control. It was only three paragraphs. The head of the animal shelter was questioning the sheriff’s department about promised funds. Since the animal shelter operated under the auspices of the sheriff’s department, the correspondence itself wasn’t suspicious. It was the discussion about funds that piqued her interest – especially the final paragraph.
I understand that the vast majority of funds allocated from the county are already earmarked. Sheriff Morgan made a verbal promise that th
e animal shelter would be able to expand their operations with at least $60,000 of that money during the fiscal year. We would like to make sure those funds will be distributed to us as promised.
This wasn’t the same document she’d seen previously. The problem was, she couldn’t specifically remember what was different.
Sophie rolled her neck, staring up at her ceiling. “Think.”
Sophie pushed up from the floor. She thought better when she was moving. Pumping blood cleared her brain. What did she remember?
Okay, she remembered seeing a similar document. She remembered seeing that exact monetary number someplace else. Where?
The animal shelter was a thorny situation. The county supplied the funds for a portion of the operational budget. Pet adoptions, technicians, vaccinations, etc. The sheriff’s department funded animal control –the dogcatcher, to the great unwashed – and there were at least three employees under that umbrella. The area had a high coyote population – and dangerous dogs were always a concern.
“I’m missing something.”
Sophie realized she was talking to herself. She had to get her other files, which were, unfortunately, located back at the newspaper’s office. She still didn’t have a car of her own.
There was always the car Peter had dropped off, Sophie reminded herself.
She’d left it parked in the garage. Grady hadn’t been happy when the car arrived, convinced it was hot. Sophie didn’t think that was the case. Peter Marconi was many things – not all of them on the up-and-up, she could admit that – but he was not the kind of man who would put her at risk by giving her a stolen car to drive around the county with.
It would just be a quick trip, she told herself. She could drive to the newspaper and back in less than an hour. Grady wasn’t due to return for at least three hours. He would never know.
Sophie slipped on her shoes, not bothering to change out of her comfortable track pants and tank top. She shrugged into a hoodie and grabbed the keys to the car from the counter. She was almost out the door before she decided to play it safe.
She jogged back to the kitchen counter, pulling a notebook out of the drawer and scrawling a quick note to leave for Grady. It was just in case. She would beat him back. He never had to know. She could throw the note away when she got back.
He had a key to let himself back into the house. He’d probably never see the note. Sophie didn’t want to imagine the fallout if he did. It was just a precaution. She was a big girl. She could pick up two files without a babysitter. She was being stupid.
Sophie squared her shoulders. She wasn’t going to let Grady Hardy – not her infatuation with him, or the growing emotion surrounding every stray thought he invaded – change her.
“I’ll be right back.” The room was empty, so no one heard her promise.
If she’d ever watched even one of Mandy’s beloved horror movies, she would have realized how stupid that proclamation really was.
Twenty-Seven
Sophie’s mind was busy during the ride to the Daily Tribune. She wanted to remember where she’d seen that exact monetary number before – but her brain was too cluttered. There were too many numbers dancing around between her ears. She knew she’d seen that number before.
She’d avoided getting on the freeway since the accident – and tonight was no different. It would take her an additional five minutes to get to her destination, but the mental torture associated with the freeway was too much for her to deal with. She’d jump over that hurdle when all of this was settled.
The drive to the newspaper gave Sophie time to think. Most of those thoughts revolved around Grady.
He was a beautiful specimen of a man – inside and out. He had the face of an angel, the body of a model, and the heart of a poet. How did he manage that?
Sophie knew she wasn’t just falling for him. She was already gone. She’d been gone since their first night together. She’d played it cool the next morning – something that clearly infuriated him – which, of course, made her want to keep up the charade.
The problem was, when this was all over with, the charade would actually be over. He would be gone, and she would be alone. Again.
Sophie’s heart had moved past “at risk” and settled on “in imminent danger.” She’d never let herself even consider the option of love. She had other plans. She didn’t plan on staying in Michigan forever. New York was her ultimate goal. She still wanted that, didn’t she?
Grady Hardy wasn’t in New York. The realization was obvious – and painful. Was her dream really New York? Or was it just a better life than what she’d been living before she met him? Was New York just a symbol? She wasn’t sure.
Grady would never leave his brothers. She didn’t want him to leave his brothers. He was happy with his brothers, with his family, with his job. They fit together – the whole puzzle. They loved each other; relied on each other. She would never try to make him leave his family. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.
Would she stay for him? Sophie knew the answer. She would. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure he would even figure into her decision. Even if she was perfect at work, even if she broke three huge stories over the course of the next year, her dream of moving to New York was years away. Would Grady Hardy last more than a few days when this was all over?
Sophie was scared. No, she was terrified. She couldn’t think about forever. She had trouble picturing the next week. Any time she tried, though, her imagination conjured images of Grady.
When reality smacked her in the face, when realization dawned, those images included pictures of Grady’s back as he walked out the door and moved on.
He’d never been anything other than honest with her. He told her that first night when they kissed that he wasn’t a relationship guy. He hadn’t lied. He’d been upfront. She couldn’t use the past two weeks to erase his words.
He could leave.
He would leave.
Sophie tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She would eventually lose him. She couldn’t delude herself.
Grady Hardy wasn’t hers. He’d never been hers. He never would be hers. They had a few days left together. A few weeks, tops. Then he would be gone, and she would be left with her old dreams.
Those old dreams were nothing compared to the new ones she’d been fantasizing about. And that was a crushing thought.
GRADY was bored.
Surveillance was always a monotonous gig, no matter whom you were watching. This was Finn’s current assignment, but a plumbing emergency at Ally’s house had called him away. James had been apologetic when he phoned, but he was already tied up with a chauffeur job across town – one that wouldn’t end until the wee hours of the morning. Grady preferred the job that would ensure a few hours of sleep in Sophie’s bed to the one that would keep him away for the entire night.
That was a sobering thought.
He was looking forward to going home – Sophie’s home – and climbing into bed with a woman. The same woman he’d been sleeping with for more than a week. The same woman he’d spent five straight days with and never once looked at the clock. The same woman who smiled and sent his heart into palpitations.
He was falling. He was falling for her. He was falling hard.
No, he was already gone. He was already at the point where he hurt when she hurt, where he smiled when she smiled, where he reached for her before she reached for him.
Yeah, he was definitely gone.
Grady knew that this case would end – and probably sooner, rather than later. Danger was an easy excuse for him. He could tell his brothers he was staying with her because she needed him. He could tell himself the same thing.
The truth was, he needed her just as much as she needed him.
More. He needed her more than she needed him. He knew that now. There was no use denying it.
She was cold sometimes. No, cold wasn’t the right word. She was guarded. He didn’t blame her. She’d been left alone at an early age, then shuffl
ed from house to house. She’d finally settled with a family who accepted her, even loved her. She never embraced them fully, though. He knew what real family looked like. He also knew that Sophie desperately wanted it.
She wanted connections. She’d found one with him. She’d also found one with Mandy, although he wasn’t sure if his brother’s girlfriend realized it yet. Sophie was hungry for love – like an abandoned pet – and she was thriving now that she’d bonded with both Grady and Mandy.
Grady never considered himself an astute student of the human condition. He recognized Sophie’s needs before she did. He loved seeing her blossom.
There was still a niggling urge to run pushing at the back of his brain. He wasn’t looking for an escape route – but he wasn’t plotting a forever either. He knew he should want to leave. Did he really want that?
The thought of walking away from her was distant, although it was still there. He wasn’t ready to settle down. He wasn’t ready for … forever.
He also wasn’t willing to give Sophie up. He’d die before he did that. He was a work in progress. For now, that would have to be enough. He’d make her see it was enough.
WHEN SOPHIE pulled into the parking lot in front of the Daily Tribune she was nervous. It was late. The night crew had already put the paper to bed and left. The building was empty.
The lights were on a motion sensor, so they clicked on when she exited the vehicle. She could hear the intermittent traffic from the far-off road. The parking lot was completely empty. She was perfectly safe.
Sophie flashed her security pass in front of the panel, letting loose a relieved sigh when the red light flashed to signify the lock was disengaged. She entered the building, her pace quick. The faster she found what she was looking for, the faster she could return home.
Grady would be there before she knew it.
She would be safe then.
You’re safe now. You’re being ridiculous. You have nothing to worry about. You’re being a moron.
Sophie was angry with herself. She’d never been the type of woman who needed a man to feel safe. She’d also never been the type of woman who was attacked – twice – and forcefully run off the road.
She was the type of woman who liked to discover the truth. She loved the idea of uncovering a story no one else could crack. She liked being special. She liked being the best.
Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) Page 17