Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3)

by Hart, Lily Harper

  After James, Grady, and Finn escorted them out of the building – and the rest of the bar patrons erupted into spontaneous applause – everyone settled back around the table.

  “I was expecting more,” Mandy said, sighing with faux disappointment.

  James rolled his eyes. “Excuse me?”

  “I thought you would beat him down to protect my honor.”

  “Weren’t you the one who threw the beer?”

  “Maybe.”

  “I think you protected your own honor,” James said. “I keep forgetting that you can take care of yourself. I don’t know why I keep forgetting that. You constantly manage to amaze me with your ingenuity.”

  “You’re the one who taught me,” Mandy said. “You shouldn’t forget that.”

  James slung his arm over the back of her chair. “Still, throwing the beer was probably a bad idea.”

  “I knew you were right there to save me,” Mandy said.

  “What if I wasn’t?”

  “Then I probably would have thrown two pitchers of beer,” Mandy said, causing Sophie and Grady to start giggling.

  “See, that’s what I’m afraid of,” James said, waving a finger in Mandy’s face for emphasis. “That right there is what scares the crap out of me.”

  Mandy rested her head in the crook of James’ shoulder. “You love me and you know it.”

  James pressed his lips to Mandy’s temple, refusing to rise to the bait. On the other side of the table, Grady was fawning over Sophie.

  “Are you sure you’re all right?”

  “I’m fine,” Sophie said. “The only thing insulted was my hair.” Sophie turned to Mandy. “Thanks for not getting the beer on me, by the way. That would have been a total bummer.”

  “It’s not my first bar brawl,” Mandy said, smiling.

  James cocked an eyebrow. “When were you in a bar brawl?”

  “I went to college,” Mandy said. “I’ll have you know, I’ve instigated many a bar brawl over the years. Guys in bars just seem to be drawn to me.”

  James chuckled. “I think they’re drawn to your sassy attitude,” he said. “They just want to see if they can find a way to shut you up.”

  Mandy couldn’t really argue the point so, instead, she focused on Emma. The beautiful model seemed much more shaken by the exchange than Mandy and Sophie. “Are you okay?”

  Finn was cupping Emma’s hands between his, but Mandy could see the woman was shaking. Crap.

  “Is she okay?” James asked.

  Finn shrugged wordlessly, clearly unsure of why Emma was so upset.

  “I’m okay,” Emma gritted out. “I just … I wasn’t really expecting that.”

  “What?” Finn asked, pushing a few stray brown waves away from her face. “It really didn’t get out of hand. You were never in any real danger. I wouldn’t let that happen.”

  “I’m used to people approaching me in public places,” Emma said. “That’s why I don’t go to bars very often. People get more brazen when they imbibe alcohol – which is why I avoid them. Stuff like this always happens. It gets old. I’ve just never seen … you were amazing.”

  “It didn’t do all that much,” Finn said.

  “I was talking about Mandy,” Emma said. “I can’t believe the way she went after them. She was so … forceful. She wasn’t going to take any of their crap. I’m just … amazed.”

  “Yes, well Mandy has always had a mouth on her,” James said. “She likes to use it whenever she can.”

  Mandy scowled.

  “But she can take care of herself,” Emma said. “She took care of all of us. She stood up for all of us.”

  James considered the statement. “She’s brave,” he agreed. “She stupid sometimes, but she’s always brave.”

  Mandy pinched James’ thigh. “Take it back.”

  James grunted. “No.”

  Mandy pinched harder. “Take it back.”

  James yanked his thigh out of her grip. “Fine, I take it back.” He rubbed his thigh ruefully. “Cripes, that hurt.”

  “Well, you’re the one who said I could be the boss tonight,” Mandy said.

  “Yeah, I thought that was going to include you tying me to the bed and torturing me with an ice cube or something,” James said. “I didn’t think it would include you being mean to me.”

  “Being mean to you?” Mandy scoffed.

  “You hurt my feelings,” James deadpanned.

  “Oh, I’m going to hurt your feelings,” Mandy said.

  James met her gaze evenly, sharing an unspoken conversation with the feisty blonde that spanned at least sixty ticks of the second hand on the clock. Suddenly, he climbed to his feet and hoisted her up next to him. “Well, I think we’re going to call it a night.”

  Grady laughed. “Yep, I think we all saw that coming.”

  Mandy waved haphazardly as James led her out of the bar at a quick pace. Once they were gone, Grady couldn’t stop his guffaws. “How much do you want to bet they don’t even make it home?”

  “Someone better look for fogged up windows in the parking lot before we go,” Finn agreed. “We don’t want them to get arrested for public lewdness or anything. That would just be undignified.”

  DURING the ride back to the apartment, Finn was lost in thought. The trip to the bar had been fun, relaxing even, until the altercation. Even then, the fight hadn’t been more than a few loud words and a brief scuffle.

  So why was Emma so upset?

  Finn risked a glance at her over the console. Her gaze was pointed to the window, watching the businesses on the road skim by as he drove. She was a prisoner in her own mind – and Finn was pretty sure the thoughts trapping her were deep and dark.

  “Do you want to talk about it?”

  Emma glanced over at him. “About what?”

  “I know something is wrong,” Finn said. “It might help if you talked about it.”

  Emma inhaled deeply. “Have you ever been afraid?”

  “Of course.”

  “No, I mean really afraid?”

  “I served a tour in Afghanistan,” Finn said. “I was afraid more often than I would like to admit. You can’t help it when you’re in the trenches. You either have to learn to live with the fear, overcome it, or you just succumb to it.”

  “And yet you survived,” Emma said. “You did your job. You didn’t fall victim to it.”

  Finn waited.

  “I’m always afraid.”

  Finn kept his eyes on the road, worried that even the slightest shift would force her to retreat inside of herself. “What are you afraid of?”

  “Everything,” Emma said. “I’m afraid of everything.”

  “Why do you think that is?”

  “I know the easy answer,” Emma said. “I’m afraid because I always believe the rug is going to be yanked out from underneath me. That every time I get traction, real traction, I’m somehow going to lose it.”

  “Because that’s what happened when your dad got arrested?”

  “Because that’s what happened my whole life,” Emma said. “It’s not like things were good before he got arrested. People seem to think that, but it’s not true. It’s not like we were some happy family and then our lives were shattered. Things were always bad for us.

  “And yeah, sure, things got really bad when my dad was arrested,” Emma continued. “They were never going to be good, though. Not in that house. Not with my family. We were all already ruined before the police even knocked on our door.”

  Finn’s heart squeezed. Life in the Hardy house wasn’t perfect, but there was love and laughter. No one ever doubted his or her place in the world. Emma had never had that – and he wasn’t sure how to give it to her. He just knew he desperately wanted to.

  “What you said about Mandy tonight, that she saved you and was brave,” Finn started.

  “She was.”

  “She is brave,” Finn said. “She didn’t save you. She mouthed off and handled the situation. That’s not saving some
one.”

  “That’s as close to a rescue as I’ve ever seen,” Emma said. “Mandy saved me tonight, and you saved me at the boat show. Those are the only two times in my life anyone has ever tried to save me. Those are the only two times anyone has ever cared enough to save me.”

  That admission made Finn indescribably sad. “I don’t know what to say to you, what you need to hear to feel safe. I keep trying and I keep failing.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “You haven’t failed me one time since I’ve met you.”

  “That’s not how it feels, Emma,” Finn said. “It feels like I’m constantly failing you.”

  “That’s because I’m damaged,” Emma said, her voice without a trace of guile. “That’s because I’m broken.”

  Finn swallowed the lump in his throat. “We’re all damaged, Emma. All of us. Mandy is damaged. James is damaged. I’m damaged. You can’t go through life without being damaged. But you are not broken. I’ll never let you break.”

  “You’re always so earnest,” Emma said. “You wear your heart on your sleeve. When you say things like that, things that are so sweet they literally make my heart hurt, I want to believe you.”

  “But you don’t, do you?”

  “I want to.”

  “How can I make you believe?”

  Emma shrugged. “Maybe you’re not the one who has to make me believe,” she said. “Maybe I’m the one who has to finally let go and grow up. Life isn’t a fairytale. It’s certainly better than what I was living, though.”

  Finn nodded, parking the Escalade in front of the apartment and killing the engine. He didn’t open the door right away. Instead, he reached over and grabbed her hand. They sat in the vehicle, silent, for almost ten full minutes. Then, they wordlessly exited together.

  That night, when they made love, it was slow and sensuous. No words were spoken. No fervent groans and grunts were uttered. They just lost themselves in each other until they were spent.

  When they were done, Finn wrapped his body around hers – warding away the evil memories that threatened her dreams – and protected her from her own dark thoughts with the only weapon he had: His heart.

  Twenty-Two

  “So, you’re taking her to a spa?”

  Finn was confused. Mandy had been adamant when she called that morning. So now, inside the stairwell at Hardy Brothers Security, he was still unsure. He was also resigned to the fact that Mandy was going to get her way. Again.

  “We’re all going to the spa,” Mandy replied. “Sophie, me, Ally, and Emma. It’s going to be a whole girl’s day. It will be fun. I promise.”

  “James is letting you go out on a girl’s day,” Finn asked. “Forgive me if I find that unlikely. He’s glued to you these days, honey. I don’t think he’s ready to let you out of his sight.”

  “Ah, see, that’s where you’re wrong,” Mandy said, smiling playfully. “I brought up the idea to him last night and we came to an agreement.”

  “Was he strapped to the bed without any chance of escape when this happened?”

  “That’s neither here nor there,” Mandy said, pushing her lips out into a pout. “He ultimately agreed. That’s the important thing. That’s all that matters.”

  “And what is the agreement?” Finn pressed. He couldn’t wait to hear this.

  “He gets to drop us off and pick us up,” Mandy said.

  “That’s it?”

  “And I have to text him once an hour to let him know we’re all safe,” Mandy added.

  “Hmm, I’m surprised he agreed to that,” Finn said. “He’s been a little needy lately.”

  “I don’t look at it as needy,” Mandy said. “He’s just trying to regain his footing. Cut him some slack.”

  “Hey, I understand what he’s going through,” Finn said. “I feel the same way, quite frankly. I’m scared to let Emma out of my sight.”

  “The spa is perfectly safe,” Mandy said. “The only thing she’s in danger of there is feeling like a pampered princess.”

  Finn shifted. “You know, when you called and invited her this morning, she told me she’s never been to a spa,” Finn said. “She was really excited. I mean really excited. I don’t suppose … I mean … could you make sure she has a good time?”

  “Everyone is going to have a good time,” Mandy said, her voice firm. “Do you really think I would take her to a spa and not make sure she has a good time? Does that even sound remotely like me?”

  “I know she’s worried about money,” Finn said, reaching into his back pocket so he could retrieve his wallet. “If there’s anything she wants that she can’t afford … if there’s anything you think she should try … .”

  Mandy smiled, patting Finn reassuringly on the arm. “That’s already taken care of.”

  Finn cocked an eyebrow suspiciously. “How?”

  “I negotiated your brother’s credit card last night, too.”

  “He’s paying for this whole extravaganza?”

  “He’s excited about it.”

  “You must be a witch or something,” Finn said, smiling at Mandy and shaking his head. He glanced up the staircase when he heard a noise on the second floor, catching sight of his brother descending. “You’re paying for all this?”

  James looked happy, even relaxed, like the thought of spending hundreds of dollars so four women could drink cucumber water and get rubbed by other men didn’t bother him in the slightest. “It’s a gift.”

  “For what?” Finn pressed.

  James smacked Mandy’s rear playfully as he slipped by. “Being the best boss ever.”

  All of the color drained from Finn’s face. “Seriously. You guys need help.”

  EMMA’S absence for the entire day gave Finn options. Unfortunately, the option he decided to seek was one he wasn’t sure he should follow.

  Finn parked his Escalade at Jackson State Prison an hour after he said goodbye to Emma – admonishing her to have a good time and try to relax. He’d known – even then – what he was going to do. He couldn’t find the words to tell her, though.

  Finn showed his identification to the secretary in the bubble at the prison. She made a few calls – muttering words Finn couldn’t make out – and then motioned for him to come forward.

  “Even though it’s short notice, the warden says that he’s willing to let you in,” she said. “He understands the nature of what’s going on, and he agrees that it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you go down that hallway and turn to the right, there’s a security station to go through. Once you’re done, Lance Pritchard will be waiting for you in one of the interview rooms.”

  Finn thanked the woman and started moving down the hallway. He was about to come face-to-face with a notorious child molester – although that wasn’t what he wanted to talk to the man about. Not really. No, he wanted to talk to him about his daughter – and the broken heart and crushed spirit he’d left in his terrible wake.

  Once he got through security, Finn waited on one side of the metal table in the small interview room. The security guards had warned him that, while Pritchard had never been violent toward other inmates or prison personnel, Finn was to keep his hands on the table at all times and not get close enough to give Pritchard any leverage.

  This wasn’t his first time visiting a prison, so Finn was familiar with the rules. Still, when he heard the door open, his body stiffened in anticipation.

  Lance Pritchard wasn’t what Finn expected. He wasn’t a big, beefy guy with malicious eyes and an evil sneer. He was just a regular, ordinary guy. He was in his mid-fifties – although prison life seemed to make him appear older. He was clad in a black-and-white striped jumper, his thinning gray hair slicked away from his face. His shoes were simple, rubber clogs, no laces, nothing that could be misconstrued as a weapon. And his hands? They were shackled in front of him, with chains leading to locking mechanisms at the edges of his waist.

  The guard secured Pritchard in his seat, unlocking the chains from his waist and fastening them
to the loops on top of the table, and then left.

  Once it was just the two of them, Pritchard fixed Finn with a predatory look. “Let me guess, you’re someone who believes I’ve somehow wronged him and you want to come and tell me off?”

  Finn frowned. Pritchard obviously believed he was one of his victims. “Not quite.”

  “Really? You look like my type.”

  If Pritchard was trying to knock Finn off his game – it wasn’t going to work. Finn was antsy, slightly nervous, but it wasn’t because of Pritchard. It was because he was going behind Emma’s back.

  “Thankfully, I’ve never met you before,” Finn said, leaning back in his chair.

  “Then why are you here? Are you a reporter? I’ve been waiting for a reporter to come and talk to me so I can be on one of those Dateline things. I think I would be awesome in one of those. I want to get the real story out there.”

  “I’m not a reporter,” Finn said. “Although, I do happen to know one. I’ll pass along your request.”

  “If you’re not one of my boys, and you’re not a reporter, who are you?” Pritchard asked, his eyes narrowing to slits. “Are you a cop? Are you here to try and pin another crime on me?”

  “I’m not a cop,” Finn said. “I do happen to work with a security company, though.”

  “Huh. And what does that have to do with me?”

  “Well, about two weeks ago, I was at the boat show in St. Clair Shores,” Finn said. “I happened to intervene when a man tried to throw acid on a young model.”

  Pritchard was listening – but just barely. “I can’t figure out how this has anything to do with me.”

  “The model who was attacked was local,” Finn said, keeping his tone even. “Her name was Emma Pritchard.”

  When he had decided on this plan of action, Finn thought the best way to get answers out of Pritchard was to pretend he wasn’t emotionally involved with his daughter. That’s why Finn was purposely playing it cool, like he was just an investigator trying to get insight on a case, and not the man who was fighting tooth and nail to make Emma feel safe.

  Pritchard’s eyes brightened. “Emma? My Emma?”

  Not your Emma, Finn growled internally. She’s my Emma. “Emma Pritchard is your daughter, is she not?”