Deadly Rivalry (Hardy Brothers Security Book 17)

by Lily Harper Hart

  James glanced down at the red marks on her wrists and carefully lifted her left arm so he could study it. “Is there a reason my wife’s wrists are rubbed raw?”

  “She’s a criminal,” Mason replied, shooting James a dark look. “Criminals have to wear handcuffs. They’re not supposed to be comfortable.”

  “There’s another reason,” Givens interjected, catching James’ eye. “Please take multiple photos of Mrs. Hardy’s injuries. They’ll help us get more money when we file a lawsuit. Until then, take your wife home. I will confer with your colleagues and we will have another discussion tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s it?” James asked.

  “That’s it,” Givens confirmed.

  “Come on, baby,” James said, wrapping his arm around Mandy’s waist as he directed her toward the door. “Let’s get you home.”

  15

  Fifteen

  James was dejected as he watched Mandy trudge into the living room and slide onto the couch a half hour later. She’d barely said a word during the ride home. She was depressed, maybe even in shock, and he felt as if he was losing her all over again.

  “I’m going to order some pizza for dinner, baby,” James said quietly. “Do you want your usual?”

  “I’m not really hungry.” Mandy’s voice was so low James could barely hear it.

  “Ham, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, breadsticks, and wings it is,” James said, tossing his keys on the counter and moving toward the phone. “Do you want any dessert?”

  “If I say no are you going to order a cake?” Mandy’s voice was stronger this time, and even though the last thing he wanted to do was fight, James was bolstered by her rebound rate.

  “I was thinking more along the lines of pie,” James said. “You know how much I love pie.” James was going for levity, but the look on Mandy’s face told him he’d missed the mark … by a lot. “It might be a little while before the pizza gets here. You should change into something more comfortable.”

  “An orange jumpsuit?” Mandy suggested.

  James rolled his neck until it cracked and ran his tongue over his teeth. “Do you want to get into this now or wait until you have food in your stomach … or to throw at me?”

  Mandy scowled. “I’m going to take a bath and go to bed.”

  “You’re going to take a bath and change into pajamas and then come back down and have dinner with me,” James corrected.

  “You’re not the boss!”

  James sucked in a breath to calm himself. She was irate. She was worried, terrified, and sad. Those emotions were manifesting as anger, and he was the only target in sight. He couldn’t blame her. “Tonight I am the boss,” James said, keeping his voice low. “Tonight I’m going to take care of you and you’re going to let me because you need someone to hold you and tell you it’s going to be okay.”

  “Even if it’s not going to be okay?”

  “I won’t lose you, Mandy. I won’t let anyone take you from me. It is going to be okay.”

  “You can’t promise that,” Mandy challenged. “You can’t promise that we’re going to get our happily ever after. Not now.”

  “I can promise that,” James argued. “You need to have faith in me. I know it’s hard. I know you got thrown for a loop today. I know you’re frightened. I will fix this.”

  “I’m not sure you can, James.” Mandy’s response was dull and muted. It was if she’d already given up the fight.

  “Never doubt what I can do to protect you,” James said. “Go upstairs and take your bath. I’ll take care of dinner. If you don’t come back down, I’ll follow you up and force feed you pizza. You’re not going to like that and it’s going to tick you off and cause a fight, but I almost think screaming would make you feel better so I’m willing to give it a shot.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” Mandy said. “I’m perfectly capable of feeding myself.”

  “Prove it.”

  MANDY’S fuzzy Jaws pajama pants and matching slippers almost made James laugh when he caught sight of them forty minutes later. Her hair was wet from her bath, her face devoid of makeup, and he was sure she’d been crying given the red tinge to her eyes.

  James carried the mountain of food into the living room and dumped it on the coffee table. He settled next to Mandy on the couch and handed her the remote control. “I put Bait in. I figured you would be in the mood for a little social commentary with your shark munching.”

  “We need to talk,” Mandy said, her voice strong and clear as she took the remote and dropped it on the coffee table.

  “No, we don’t,” James shot back. “I cannot sit here and let you turn this into a deep conversation about some horrible thing you see in our future and need to beat to death with words. It’s going to piss me off and make you cry and I cannot deal with that right now.”

  Mandy ignored the honest statement. “You need to protect your assets,” she said. “When I get charged someone from Madeline’s family is going to come out of the woodwork to sue us. You need to separate your money so people can’t get at it through me.

  “We didn’t have a prenuptial agreement, but I think the judge can force a postnuptial agreement through tomorrow so all of your money is protected,” she continued. “We’ll make it so I’m not entitled to anything you have, including the house. We’ll have to get a new deed issued so I can sign everything over to you.”

  James was flabbergasted. “I’m sorry, but are you suggesting we modify the rights of our marriage so you have absolutely nothing and I have everything?”

  “Yes. It’s the safest thing to do so you don’t lose anything.”

  “I’m not going to lose anything regardless,” James countered. “That includes you. Stop talking nonsense and eat some pizza.”

  “James, they found Madeline’s body in the trunk of my car,” Mandy pressed. “They’re going to arrest and charge me. We both know it.”

  “I know nothing of the sort,” James said. “We both know you’re innocent. That’s what we both know.”

  “We’re the only ones.”

  “We’re not the only ones,” James said. “The judge believes in you. Heidi believes in you. Heck, I’m pretty sure Sheriff Morgan believes in you, too. That’s on top of our family. You’re not going to jail, so you need to knock this crap off.”

  “We have to be prepared in case it happens,” Mandy said. “Do you want to lose all of your money?”

  “Baby, I would gladly give away every cent I have to keep you,” James replied. “You’re not going to jail. I don’t care what I have to do to stop it.”

  Mandy narrowed her eyes, suspicion rolling off of her. “What are you going to do?”

  “Who said I was going to do anything?”

  “Whenever you answer a question with a question it means you’re hiding something,” Mandy said. “What are you hiding?”

  James sighed, resigned. “Grady is meeting with Peter tomorrow,” he said. “We’re forming an exit strategy so we’ll know if an arrest is imminent. If that happens, we’re going to run.”

  Mandy hopped to her feet, her eyes wildly darting around the room, almost as if she was looking for a hidden camera. “Are you crazy?”

  “I’m crazy about you,” James answered. “I’m hopeful Morgan can hold his deputies off until we find out who really did this. It’s obviously someone who has a grudge against Madeline or us. If this individual was watching Madeline, he might’ve realized he had a great alibi in us. We’ll find answers in her past and we’re already weeding through that.

  “I won’t lose you, though,” he continued. “If we have to run, we have to run. That means you need to put together one essential bag so we have it in the front closet if it becomes necessary to flee.”

  “You’re going to take off and leave your family?”

  “I’m going to get you out of the country and then the rest of the family will eventually join us,” James clarified. “Don’t bother trying to talk me out of it. That’s what’s goi
ng to happen. You don’t have to worry about taking everything. Grady and the others will pack up the rest of the stuff you want once we’re settled. Pack the most important stuff, though.”

  “I can’t let you do that,” Mandy said, her eyes filling with tears. “James, for crying out loud, you have a business to run. Your family is here. What about Avery?”

  “You’re my family,” James said. “I have additional family, but you’re the key piece. I will not sit by and let someone take you from me, especially when we’re being framed. It’s not going to happen.”

  “James, I love you more than anything, but … we can’t live a life on the run,” Mandy said. “If I go to prison, you’ll be upset and lost for a little bit, but then you’ll be able to move on. I’ll grant you a divorce so when you meet someone … .”

  “Shut your mouth,” James yelled, climbing to his feet, his face flushing an angry crimson. He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides as he fought to keep hold of his notorious temper. “We married for life, Mandy. There will be no divorce. There will no new wife. There will be no prison!”

  “You say that now, but in time … .”

  “You’ve already given up on us, haven’t you?” James gripped the front of his shirt with one hand, rubbing against the spot above his heart where she usually rested her head, and reached for the arm of the couch with his other hand to steady himself. “Do you love me at all?”

  “What?” Tears coursed down Mandy’s cheeks as she locked gazes with her husband. “How can you even ask that? I’m doing this for you.”

  “No, you’re not,” James said. “Whatever is going through your head isn’t for me. It’s for you and whatever twisted rationale you’ve created to steal my life from me. Well, here’s a promise you’re not going to like, Mrs. Hardy. If you try to divorce me or force my hand on anything regarding this marriage, I’ll park my Explorer in front of a train and die. Will that make you happy?”

  “Don’t say that,” Mandy choked. “Why would you say that?”

  “I thought it was Ridiculous Night at the Hardy house,” James said, grabbing a throw pillow so he could squeeze it and get out his aggression. “If you’re going to stay stupid things like I’ll get over you and find someone else, well, I’m going to retaliate by explaining in excruciating detail how I’m going to kill myself.”

  James knew it was an empty threat because suicide wasn’t in his wheelhouse, but he wanted to hurt her as badly as she’d hurt him.

  “James … .” Mandy opened and closed her mouth, but couldn’t find the words to make things better.

  “Take your pizza upstairs and go to bed, Mandy,” James said. “I’ll sleep down here.”

  “But … .”

  “I can’t be around you right now,” James said, cutting her off. “I know you don’t like it when I dictate the fights, but I can’t even look at you after you said that. I think you wanted to hurt me because you’re hurting and misery loves company. Congratulations. You pulled it off.”

  “Are you going to make me sleep alone?”

  James’ heart almost broke at the shattered expression on her face. “Why not?” he challenged, refusing to buckle. “You don’t love me anyway. You should be fine.”

  “Don’t say that.”

  “Go, Mandy,” James snapped, his own tears threatening to overflow. “You want me out of your life. You can have a test run tonight.”

  JAMES barely slept the entire night and when he rolled over on the couch to find Grady watching him the next morning he was surprised he nodded off long enough to allow his brother unnoticed entry.

  “Don’t you knock?”

  “I didn’t want to wake you guys in case you had a long night,” Grady said, his eyes somber. “Why are you sleeping on the couch?”

  “It’s a perfectly nice couch,” James said, swinging his legs over the side and pushing himself to a standing position. “I need coffee.”

  “Yeah, but … I thought for sure you’d be draped all over Mandy to make her feel better,” Grady said, following his brother in the kitchen. “Where is she?”

  “Who the hell knows,” James replied, his bitterness coming out to play. “She’s probably on an online dating site looking for a new wife for me.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “That makes two of us,” James said. “As far as I can tell, Mandy has been snatched up by an alien and I’m now living with a pod person. My pod person wants to get our financials in order so we can’t be sued. She thinks I should get a postnuptial agreement taking all of our joint assets away from her.

  “Then, when she goes to prison, she’s going to sign divorce papers so I can immediately start dating and find someone else,” he continued. “I don’t know about you, but I think she might be the best wife ever.”

  “It sounds like you two had a rough night,” Grady said, pressing the heel of his hand against his forehead as he mulled over the situation. “I think she might be overwhelmed. You know she wouldn’t have said any of those things if she were right in the head. Being thrown in the cop car and accused of murder isn’t exactly easy to deal with.”

  “Yes, well, I can’t look at her right now so I’m not sure how she’s dealing with anything,” James said. “She can stay up there the entire day for all I care. I’m sick of her and the nonstop moping.”

  “That’s a nice thing to say about your wife, man,” Grady said, his temper flaring.

  “Haven’t you heard? I’m getting a new wife. I don’t need to say nice things about this one. I can be as mean as I want.”

  “Mandy probably said some stupid things last night, but you’re saying them this morning,” Grady said, lowering his voice to a dangerous level and locking eyes with his brother. “Do you remember how you felt walking into that saloon and thinking Mandy was dead behind the bar? Do you remember bargaining with God if he would spare her? She’s alive, but she’s struggling.

  “You have got to get over this and be the adult this time,” he continued. “This is clearly too much for her to bear, so she’s going to have to accept it in increments. She can’t do it alone.”

  James opened his mouth, a hateful retort on the tip of his tongue, but no sound came out.

  “Don’t bother insulting me,” Grady said, moving toward the kitchen stairwell. “It’s time to grow up. You’re a husband, and your wife needs you. Suck it up and be a man.”

  “Where are you going?” James challenged.

  “What do I always do when this happens?” Grady asked. “I’m going to fix it … and this time you’re going to give me a raise when I do it!”

  16

  Sixteen

  Grady poked his head inside the bedroom and frowned when he saw the bed was not only empty, but also made. Mandy wasn’t much of a housekeeper and he doubted she got up to make the bed the day after she was accused of murder.

  For a moment, panic flooded Grady. He was terrified whatever hurtful words Mandy and James exchanged the night before were bad enough to cause her to run. Reality didn’t take long to set in, though. No matter how angry and upset Mandy was, she wouldn’t hurt James that way.

  Grady padded into the room and glanced around. There was a chance she snuck out to the guesthouse and slept in the bedroom out there, although he had no idea how James would miss that from his spot on the couch.

  As he passed the closet, Grady glanced inside out of habit and his heart flopped when he caught sight of Mandy. She was curled into a ball on the floor, her back pressed to the wall, and she had a flimsy blanket wrapped around her. One of the sharks James bought her at some event – or maybe even the one he won at the festival earlier in the week, Grady couldn’t be sure – was clutched in her hand.

  Grady lifted his phone so he could take a photograph. He wanted to make sure his brother realized what he’d done. Mandy must’ve heard the quiet click of the camera because she bolted to a sitting position, her eyes wild with terror.

  “James?” Her voice was low and raspy,
her eyes swollen from crying. Grady shuffled toward her and raised his hands. It took Mandy a few seconds to focus on him. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’m checking on you,” Grady answered, sympathy almost taking his knees out from under him as he settled on the floor next to Mandy and rested his shoulder against hers. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Mandy said. “I was just … putting some stuff away because I couldn’t sleep.”

  “I saw you asleep on the floor,” Grady said, opting for honesty. “I know you and James had a big fight. I get it, but we need to talk.”

  Mandy made a disgusted sound in the back of her throat. “You probably don’t want to say that,” she said. “That’s exactly what I said to James before he called time on our marriage.”

  “You two should be studied for a psych journal,” Grady grumbled. “You’re masters at hurting each other and yet you still love each other more than anything, so let’s not get overly dramatic and make this even more difficult than it already is.”

  “I didn’t do anything wrong,” Mandy said, stubbornly crossing her arms over her chest. Grady could see the shark from her Jaws pajamas peeking out as she shifted her legs and he wanted to laugh. “James shouldn’t lose everything because I’m going to prison.”

  “You’ve never been what I would consider a defeatist,” Grady said. “In fact, you’re almost always upbeat about the future. I understand that Madeline’s body showing up in your car trunk was … odd … but we know you’ve been framed and we’re working on rectifying it. Why are you giving up before you even begin fighting?”

  “I’m not giving up,” Mandy said, averting her gaze. “I’m being pragmatic. James needs to protect himself. I know he doesn’t see it right now, but several years from now he’ll get tired of waiting for me and move on. I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I was trying to get ahead of him hurting me.”

  “That’s exactly what you were trying to do,” Grady countered. “You wanted to hurt him. I want to know why.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “Are you angry at him, Mandy?” Grady prodded. “Do you blame him for leaving you the day Pritchard grabbed you? I’ve been wondering if you have for a few weeks now. You would never admit it if you did blame him, but it’s a natural reaction.”