Mandy’s mind shifted to James. She tried to hide her scowl before answering. “It wasn’t a date,” she corrected Clint. “He’s just a friend from home.”
Clint didn’t look convinced. “Does he know that?”
Mandy frowned. “What makes you say that?”
“He seemed a little … proprietary.”
Mandy faltered. “He’s just kind of … manly,” she explained. “That’s probably what you were sensing. He was in the Marines. He can’t help himself.”
“So, you’re not a couple?” Clint’s tone was hopeful.
She and James were definitely not a couple. Mandy didn’t want to give Clint hope. “We’re kind of feeling things out,” she said, quashing the surge of guilt coursing through her. It was better to let Clint down easy. “We’ll see how things go.”
“So he’s not your boyfriend, but he’s not not your boyfriend,” Clint suggested.
“Right.”
Clint sighed. “Okay.”
She wanted to give him some form of solace, but she didn’t want it misconstrued. Instead, Mandy forced a smile onto her face. “Yeah, we’ll see.”
Clint was hard to read. “So, um, do you want me to walk you out to your car or anything?”
Mandy refrained from saying what she was thinking: Hell no. Instead, she offered him a rueful smile. “I’ll be fine. It’s not even nine yet.”
“Are you sure?” Clint pressed.
She was definitely sure. “I’ll be fine.” She moved past him and toward the exit door on the left side of the vestibule, only stopping when a thought occurred to her. “Do you usually work nights?”
Clint shook his head. “No. I’m just filling in for Merle.”
Mandy had no idea who Merle was. “Oh, well, that’s good. You’re getting extra money, right?” She wasn’t sure what a security guard earned, but she figured it wasn’t much. Any extra money had to be a boon.
“Oh, yeah,” Clint replied. “I wouldn’t volunteer if it wasn’t good money.”
Mandy smiled. “Well, spend it on something fun.”
“I will,” Clint said as Mandy turned back to the door. “Be careful.”
“I will,” Mandy replied, refusing to look back.
Once she was outside, Mandy took in a huge, gulping breath. She felt ridiculous for freaking out because Clint was doing his job and patrolling the building. Her heart was still racing. And, she couldn’t deny it, she was mildly suspicious. Why was Clint in the building so late? He never worked nights before, at least to her knowledge.
“Don’t be an idiot,” Mandy muttered to herself. “He’s harmless.”
Now that she was outside, the claustrophobia that had rendered her helpless minutes before fled, and a new feeling was taking over. She was completely vulnerable outside. The streets of Mount Clemens were empty this late at night. During the day, it was a bustling hub of activity. As the county seat, there was a lot of business transpiring on the city’s streets during business hours. At night, though, all that hustle and bustle completely disappeared. For some reason, the city couldn’t sustain a viable bar business.
Mandy forced herself to relax. This was ridiculous. It was only nine at night. There was nothing to be afraid of. Sure, the streets were empty, but no one would be stupid enough to attack her this early in the evening.
Mandy blew out a sigh, hating herself for the fear washing over her heart and mind, and turned toward the parking lot. Just breathe. This wasn’t a big deal. Nothing had happened in days. She was probably imagining everything anyway.
Mandy squared her shoulders and pointed her body in the direction of the parking lot. One step in front of the other. She was halfway to her destination when her breathing finally returned to normal, her heartbeat slowing. She was being stupid. There was no danger here. Maybe there was no danger anywhere.
Mandy shifted her mind to other thoughts. She needed more painting supplies and canvases. A trip to the craft store was in order. A new season of The Walking Dead was starting in two weeks. It was her favorite show. That was something to look forward to.
Crap. Thinking of The Walking Dead made her think of zombies. There are no zombies in Mount Clemens. Zombies aren’t real. They’re interesting movies and television shows, but nothing else. Never real. Killers are real, though. She saw them come through the court system every day. Yeah, killers were real. Crap. Killers were real. She was in a dark parking lot, alone, and killers were real.
“Shit.”
She was almost to her car. She had to stop thinking about killers. The parking lot was completely vacant except for a dark Ford Explorer in one of the closer slots, and another sedan at the far end of the pavement rectangle. Mandy couldn’t help but wonder if she would feel safer if the parking lot was completely empty.
She felt like an idiot. Again. One of the vehicles obviously belonged to Clint. And the other? The nagging thought was haunting her. Who did the other vehicle belong to?
Just move forward, Mandy urged herself. There’s a perfectly good reason for two vehicles to be in this parking lot this late at night. Sure, she couldn’t think of one, but she wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders right now.
Mandy pulled her keys out of her pocket, hitting the “open door” button as soon as she found it on the fob. I’m almost there. Relief flooded through her when she found herself in front of her car. In a few feet, she would be safe.
That’s when her world imploded. The sedan at the end of the parking lot roared to life, the lights flipping on, as the car sped in her direction. Mandy froze. She was in the path of the car, the lights bearing down on her. She was fine, she told herself. The driver just hadn’t seen her yet. She was totally fine. He would turn away.
If she was totally fine, then why wasn’t the car slowing down? Was it speeding up? She thought it could be speeding up. She wanted to move. She needed to move. Why couldn’t she move? Her mind registered terror, and yet her body didn’t respond. She had to move. She had to move now. Move. Move. Move!
She finally moved. Only, it wasn’t under her own volition. Before she even registered what was happening, another body barreled into her, knocking her out of the path of the oncoming car and onto the hard pavement. She hit the ground, the air knocked from her chest, barely registering the heavy body on top of her as she tried to grasp what was happening.
The car sped by, fleeing from the parking lot, and pulling onto Main Street without stopping as it raced into the distance.
Mandy couldn’t catch her breath, her heart pounding. The body on top of her wasn’t looking in her direction, and the fear of the car was quickly replaced by the fear of the person lying on top of her. Mandy hit the man on the chest, her fist rebounding off the solid mass that met her feeble resistance. “Get off me!”
It took three more hits before the figure finally turned its attention to her. “Are you all right?”
Mandy recognized the voice, almost puddling to the ground with relief. “James?”
“Yeah, who do you think?”
Mandy fought her tears. “You scared the shit out of me.” She laid her head back on the ground, letting the fear flee with the killer car. “Crap.”
James didn’t move, relishing the way his body fit over her slight frame, and then finally reeling in his emotions. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
“Then why are you wandering around in a dangerous parking lot after dark?”
Mandy considered the question, fighting her own stupidity. A thought occurred to her. “What are you doing here?”
“Making sure you make it home safe,” James grunted, shifting on top of her.
It was a weird situation, one fraught with unfulfilled danger, but Mandy could swear she felt something pressing into her thigh – and she didn’t think it was a gun. She could feel that on his hip, where her hand was currently resting. “You’re watching me?”
James frowned at her tone. “You obviously need it.”
Mandy was enjo
ying the feeling of his body, but his words cut her to the quick. “Get off me.” She pushed against his chest, trying to put some distance between their bodies. She was having trouble wrapping her mind around what had just happened. Longing for James was clouding her thought process.
James’ eyes glittered in the dark, his mouth only inches from hers. If he leaned forward, just a little bit, he would be able to put an end to the need that had been consuming him for days. Well, at least a portion of it. He didn’t. Instead, he rested his hands on the pavement and pushed himself off her. He immediately missed the warmth that had been coiled beneath him. “Are you all right?” He asked the question one more time.
“I’m fine.”
“Great,” he grunted. “So, tell me again, what are you doing out here alone?”
Eight
“So, you have no idea who it was?”
If James’ arrival had thrown her for a loop, the presence of the cops was close to driving Mandy crazy. James insisted on calling the police, making sure she was settled on the ground, her back to her Focus, before he pulled his phone from his pocket. They’d arrived within minutes.
“No,” Mandy said. She was back on her feet, but shaky. “I didn’t recognize it.”
“Was it the same one that tried to hit you before?” James asked.
Mandy wrinkled her nose. “If I recognized it, I would say so.”
James frowned. “So you don’t recognize it?”
Now he was just being difficult. “A dark, four-door sedan looks like a dark, four-door sedan,” Mandy gritted out. “There are a lot of possibilities in that market.”
James reined in his temper. He wanted to shake her. Actually, he wanted to shake her and then wrap his arms around her to make sure she was safe. He tamped down that emotion. Now was definitely not the time.
The cop was nonplussed. “This is the second time a car has tried to run you down in this parking lot, Ms. Avery.”
“I noticed,” Mandy replied sarcastically. “It’s hard to miss.”
James wasn’t happy with the deputy’s tone. “What are you saying?”
“Are you sure she’s just not looking for attention?”
James had never met this particular sheriff’s deputy before – the sheriff’s department handled policing duties in Mount Clemens – but he wasn’t particularly thrilled with his work ethic. “I saw it happen.”
“And why were you here?”
James shuffled, unsure how to handle the situation. “I was waiting for her to leave,” he said finally.
“And what are you to Ms. Avery?”
Now James definitely knew he didn’t like the deputy’s tone. “We’re old friends. She’s been having a few problems.”
The deputy raised his eyebrow. “Problems?”
“Yeah, like people trying to run her down in the courthouse parking lot,” James said. “It’s happened twice now.”
“And you are?”
James managed to swallow the growl threatening to erupt from his throat. He pulled his identification out of his pocket and shoved it in the cop’s direction. He wanted to punch him in the face – but he was fighting that urge. The deputy looked at the badge, frowning. “Hardy Brothers Security? I’m still trying to understand why you’re here. Is there some foreign dignitary that needs protection?”
James furrowed his brow. Mandy could feel the anger wafting off of him. She put a hand on his arm to still him, worried he was about to do something stupid. “I know Mr. Hardy from when I was a kid,” she answered. “After the incident in the parking lot last week, his sister suggested I contact him. I was worried, so I did.”
James sucked in a deep breath, although Mandy’s hand on his arm was causing another emotion to bubble to the surface.
“So, you went to a security company because your imagination is running wild?”
That did it. James was teetering close to the edge of a cliff. “She’s obviously not imagining everything.”
The deputy didn’t look convinced. “And what do you think is going on here?” His question was pointed in James’ direction.
“I think someone wants to hurt her.”
“And you’re sure she’s not just faking it for attention?”
“I’m sure.”
The cop sighed. “Well then, I guess it’s good that she has a security expert to protect her.”
A vision of his fist connecting with the deputy’s face flooded James’ mind. He fought the urge. “I guess so.”
Mandy glanced between the two men. She wasn’t particularly worried about the deputy’s safety. She was more worried about James going to jail. “I’m tired,” she announced.
James slipped an arm over her shoulders protectively. “I’ll take you home.”
“I can drive,” she countered.
“I’ll take you.”
Mandy considered arguing with him, but it didn’t seem like a good idea. “Fine.”
“Great.”
“Good.”
“Get in the car.”
Mandy trudged to the passenger side of the Explorer while James remained where he was standing, practically daring the deputy to try and stop them. She pulled on the handle, but the door didn’t open. “The door is locked.”
James didn’t want to be the first one to break eye contact but, finally, he did. He moved in the direction of his Explorer, pulling his keys out of his pocket as he did. Mandy climbed into the vehicle when the door unlocked, resting her head against the back of the seat as she waited for James. Once he climbed into the vehicle, she couldn’t help but be worried about his obvious anger.
“Thanks for checking on me,” she said finally, meaning every terse word.
James glanced in her direction, his brown eyes softening when they met her blue ones. “It’s my job.”
“It seems to me, you’re going above and beyond the call of duty,” she replied. “Especially since we haven’t talked about a price.”
James swallowed hard. “You’re getting the friends and family discount.”
“And that is?”
“That is nothing,” James said. “You’re a friend. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Mandy’s heart warmed at his proclamation, but she could stop the niggling disappointment in the back of her brain. Friends. They were friends, nothing more.
James shoved the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. “Let’s get you home.”
THE RIDE back to Mandy’s apartment was uncomfortable – to say the least. James was stewing about the deputy’s lack of interest, and Mandy was conflicted by a bevy of emotions she couldn’t put a name to. So, silence enveloped the Explorer and both parties were happy to embrace it.
When he pulled into the slot in front of Mandy’s apartment, James killed the vehicle’s engine and climbed out of the Explorer. Mandy was surprised – and excited – for a reason she couldn’t quite narrow down. She expected him to watch her enter the building and then leave – like he had after their Thai dinner. Instead, James waited in front of the Explorer, not saying a word.
Finally, Mandy blew out a sigh, and climbed out of the vehicle. “I’m okay.”
James didn’t respond. Instead, he held out his hand, ushering Mandy toward her apartment. Once she was at the door, she realized her hands were shaking as she tried to fit the apartment key into the lock. James took the keys from her wordlessly, opening the door and pushing her inside. Once they were beyond the threshold, James shut the door and engaged the new deadbolt. Then, just to be sure, he slid the security chain into place.
Mandy was flummoxed. “What are you doing?”
James knew what he wanted to do. It wasn’t an option. His rage was still fresh. Her terror was still real. This was not the time. There was never going to be a time. He wasn’t sure he actually believed the inner-voice that was on repeat in his head anymore.
“You’re staying here?” Mandy wet her dry lips.
The movement wasn’t lost on James �
� and he felt a slow pull in his groin when he saw her tongue escape from her mouth. “I’m sleeping on the couch,” he said, his voice raspy. “I need to make sure you’re safe.”
Mandy considered his offer. On one hand, she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep if she stayed in the apartment alone. Every noise, every brush of the shrub outside her window, she knew she would freak out. On the other hand, the thought of this man – the thought of James Hardy – sleeping on her couch would likely drive her insane for another reason.
“I’m safe,” Mandy said, her voice low.
“For now,” James agreed. “I’m going to make sure that you’re safe for the whole night.”
Mandy inwardly sighed. She wouldn’t say “no.” She couldn’t. She didn’t want him to leave. “Okay.”
James unhooked the gun holster from his belt, pulling it off and dropping it onto the coffee table in the living room. “Do you have an extra pillow and blanket?”
Mandy snapped to action. “Um, yeah.” She disappeared into the bedroom.
James wanted to follow her. Actually, he needed to follow her. He fought the urge. Instead, he remained rooted to his spot next to the couch. He would not give in. He refused to give in. She’s a family friend. She’s Ally’s best friend. All the arguments to the contrary in his head were just noise.
Mandy returned from the bedroom, a blanket and pillow balanced on her outstretched arms. “Here.”
James reached for Mandy’s offerings, making sure not to let his hand touch any part of her exposed skin. If he did, he knew it would be over. He would take her in his arms and then, well, then he would just take her. He was at the edge of a precipice here – and it was one he refused to tumble over. She’s just a woman that needs my help, he repeated in his mind.
“Thanks.” James’ voice sounded ragged to his own ears. He could only hope she didn’t notice.
For her part, Mandy was fighting her own demons. He looked so worried, so vulnerable, standing there in the middle of her living room. He also looked sexy as hell, too. There were dark shadows under his eyes, and a tired expression on his face as he rubbed his stubbled jaw. He was still the sexiest man she’d ever seen. He just looked so … appealing.
Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) Page 6