“Baby, you’re okay,” James said. “What happened yesterday was mostly my fault. Although, just for the record, arguing with Pritchard was absolutely stupid.”
“Oh, man, are we going to fight again?”
“No,” James replied, tickling her ribs. He wanted to eradicate her bad mood. “We are going to make up, though.”
“I’m going to be late for work.”
“We’ll do it in the shower and multitask,” James suggested. “I’m sending you to work with a smile on your face if it kills me.”
“Okay,” Mandy said. “You’d better be prepared to work fast, though. I don’t have time to dilly-dally.”
“I’ll show you dilly-dallying,” James muttered, laughing as she squealed and hopped out of bed. He chased her to the bathroom. “Turn the water on and prepare to be amazed.”
“You always amaze me.”
“You, too, baby,” James said, his expression softening. “We don’t have time to boost egos, though. You’re going to have to tell me how amazing I am during the drive. Now it’s time for magic.”
“Come and get me.”
“MY water broke,” Emma announced, walking into James’ office in the middle of their morning meeting. “The baby is coming.”
It was as if a vacuum sucked all of the oxygen out of the room. Four faces paled in unison, and then absolute pandemonium broke out.
“Where is the hospital bag?” Finn asked, hopping to his feet. “Go upstairs and get it, Emma.”
“She can’t go upstairs,” Jake argued. “She’s in labor. You go upstairs.”
“Oh, right.” Finn didn’t move.
“Should we call an ambulance?” James asked, pushing himself to a standing position. “I … should we boil water?”
“Do you want to scald the baby?” Grady screeched. “Are we serving the baby for lunch with a side of tomato soup?”
“That’s what you see on television,” James charged.
“We’re not on television!”
“Emma should sit down,” Jake said. “Or, wait. Maybe Emma should get on the floor and relax. What’s the best position for delivering a baby?”
“Slaves used to squat in fields and then return to picking cotton,” Grady pointed out.
“Well, that sounds healthy,” Jake drawled. “Emma doesn’t have to pick cotton. She doesn’t need to squat.”
“Please don’t squat,” James said. “I’ll be traumatized for life if you squat.”
“I think I can see the head,” Grady said, staring at Emma’s ankle-length skirt. “Why aren’t you screaming?”
“You can’t see the head,” Finn hissed.
“Maybe I should look and see if I can see the head,” Grady suggested, reaching for the hem of Emma’s skirt.
“If you look under my fiancée’s skirt I’m going to have to kill you,” Finn yelled. “I will rip your hair out of your head. You won’t have to worry about Ally sneaking in to cut it off.”
“I don’t want to look,” Grady countered. “I think someone needs to look, though. What if the baby’s head is poking out and we have to pull him out? He could be there waving for all we know.”
Emma crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the mayhem, seemingly unperturbed. She didn’t move to interrupt them.
“I think we need to approach this in an orderly manner,” Jake said. “Finn, you look under Emma’s skirt and see if you can see a head.”
Finn did as instructed, and when he started to lift the skirt Emma finally reacted by slapping his hand away.
“Sweetie, I have to see if there’s a head in there,” Finn said.
“I’m not really in labor, you idiots,” Emma said. “That was a test.”
James furrowed his brow. “A test?”
“Do you have any idea how mean that was?” Grady bellowed. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“You all failed the test, in case you were wondering,” Emma said, her fingers rubbing her expansive belly. “Now, we’re going to keep doing this until you guys get it right.”
“I don’t perform tricks like I’m an animal at the circus,” Grady countered.
Emma grabbed a hank of his hair and tugged on it. “You’re going to do what you’re told,” she countered. “I’m sick of your mouth. We’re going to have a baby in this family very soon. Are you saying you’re too good to help the baby?”
Grady blanched. “I … of course not.”
“That’s good,” Emma said, releasing his hair. “Now, Finn and I have had a plan in place for some time for when I go into labor. The rest of you have an excuse for falling apart, although I’m going to drill that out of you. Finn, what happened?”
Finn lowered his gaze, mortified. “I … .”
“What was the plan, Finn?” Emma asked, her tone stern.
Despite his embarrassment over his reaction, Finn was thrilled to see her take charge. If this was what she needed to focus on to get her father out of her head, he was happy playing along with the game. “I was supposed to get your bag and drive you to the hospital without making a scene.”
“Did you do that?”
“No, he told you to get your own bag,” Jake said.
Finn shot Jake a dark look. “I owe you for what you did with Emma yesterday, but that won’t stop me from beating you.”
“You will do nothing of the sort,” Emma instructed. “The truth is, given our circumstances, everyone here needs to be ready and know what to do in case I go into labor when Finn isn’t here.”
“And boiling water isn’t a part of that, right?” Grady asked.
Emma rolled her eyes. “You’re going to be the first one I test,” she said. “With my luck, you’re going to be the one I’m stuck with when it finally happens.”
“Am I going to be graded on this test?” Grady asked. “I’ve found that I do better when I’m rewarded with grades.”
“Sure,” Emma replied, nonplussed. “Right now you’re getting a Z because of that whole ‘look up her skirt to see if there’s a head’ thing. You need a lot of improvement.”
“Fine,” Grady said, resigned. “You’d better name this kid after me when this is all said and done.”
“What are you going to name the baby?” James asked, curious. “Have you decided yet?”
“No,” Emma replied. “I want to see him first. I think I’ll know his name when I see him.”
James pursed his lips. That was such a female way of looking at things. “Do you think he’s going to tell you his name?”
“Yes,” Emma answered, not embarrassed in the least. “If you think that’s funny, we’re going to be testing you second.”
James frowned. “I’m not sure how this happened to me,” he said. “I decided I didn’t want kids and now I’m being run through a birthing plan. How does that work?”
“I guess you’re just lucky,” Emma said, pinching his cheek. “If you don’t do what I say I’m going to call Mandy and have her make you do what I want.”
James scowled. “Fine. I’m second.”
“Good boy,” Emma said, patting his cheek. “Shall we get started?”
“THAT was better this time, Grady, but you’re still taking too long going up and down the stairs,” Emma said later that afternoon. She’d drilled the four men so many times everyone had lost count. “You need to do it again.”
“I’m tired,” Grady whined. “I’ve done so much work today I feel as if I’m the one about to give birth.”
“What’s going on here?” Sophie asked, walking into the office with a quizzical look on her face. Rodrigo, one of Peter’s top men, trailed behind her.
“Emma announced her water broke and then watched us panic,” James explained, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling with a dejected look on his face. “We failed her test, so she’s been running us through drills for hours.”
Sophie barked out a laugh. “Oh, fun! Can I play?”
“Sure,” Emma said, patting the spot on the c
ouch next to her. “You can motivate Grady. He’s doing the worst.”
“Oh, my poor man,” Sophie cooed. “Is the mean pregnant woman terrorizing you?”
“You have no idea,” Grady said.
“Grady suggested looking up my skirt to see if he could see a head,” Emma volunteered, causing Sophie to narrow her eyes.
“That’s all I could think about,” Grady protested. “I was sure there was a head down there.”
“You’re sick,” Sophie sniped.
“Hey, James suggested boiling the kid,” Grady said, throwing his brother under the bus to save himself.
“I suggested boiling water, not the kid,” James argued. “I saw that on television. I’m sorry if I offended everyone.”
“This poor baby is in for a world of hurt,” Rodrigo said. “I think this is a hilarious way to spend an afternoon, though.”
“How did your day go, sugar?” Grady asked. “Did you find anything?”
“There have been multiple sightings of Pritchard, but not one of them can be verified,” Sophie replied. “He’s out there, but people are seeing him every time they turn around because they’re terrified. The good news is that every school district in the county has organized male escorts for kids so they can safely walk home from bus stops.”
“That’s good,” Emma said. “That’s … I feel better about that.”
“Every school is on lockdown, too,” Sophie said. “No one can go in and out, and the kids are playing in the gyms instead of playgrounds until Pritchard is caught.”
“It’s good they’re not messing around,” James said. “Speaking of that … .” He glanced at the wall clock. “My baby needs to be picked up. She’s bound to be in a foul mood because I had her shadowed all day – including in her office – so I’m going to have to beg her to forgive me. I have to pick her up.”
“You haven’t passed yet,” Emma reminded him.
“I’ll run through the drill again tomorrow,” James said. “My baby is more demanding than your baby. I don’t want her even considering walking out of that office without me.”
“Okay,” Emma said, giving in. “Take care of your wife.”
“I’m going to take her out for seafood to spoil her,” James said, getting to his feet. “I figure crab legs and lobster will wear her down.”
“Hey, maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll get food poisoning again,” Grady suggested. “That would put her down for days and she wouldn’t want to leave the house.”
“That’s a good idea,” James deadpanned. “I shall ask the cook to poison my wife. That won’t bother her at all.”
“Grady, you’re still up,” Emma said, causing him to groan. “You’re not leaving until you get it right.”
“I think we should order takeout,” Sophie suggested. “I have a feeling it’s going to be a long night.”
“Thank you for your support, sugar,” Grady grumbled.
“Who wants Middle Eastern?” Sophie asked, ignoring Grady’s pouty countenance.
“Oh, that sounds wonderful,” Emma said. “Can we get ice cream, too?”
“You’re pregnant,” Sophie replied. “You can get whatever you want. In fact … Grady, whatever you’re supposed to be doing, get moving. You’re not leaving until we’re both satisfied you’ve got this down.”
Grady shot a dirty look in James’ direction as his brother strolled past. “I think this is your fault,” he said. “I haven’t figured out how to pin it on you yet, but I will.”
“Have fun,” James said, humming the theme to Jaws as he headed toward the door. “I know I’m going to, even if I have to bribe my baby with seafood to do it.”
Twelve
“Are we sure this is the place?” Finn asked, hopping out of Grady’s truck the next morning and glancing at the nondescript, two-story home doubtfully. “It looks like a regular house.”
“What did you expect?” Grady asked, pocketing his keys. “DeAngelo’s ex lives here. It’s not his house.”
“And what did Peter’s report say again?” Finn was nervous. Grady didn’t blame him. He knew his brother hated leaving Emma, but since James was still undergoing training – and Finn was desperate to be proactive – the youngest Hardy brother insisted on going to New Haven with Grady when Peter’s men reported a sighting of DeAngelo in the northern Macomb County hamlet.
“Just that three different people saw him skulking around the neighborhood.”
“Do we think the girlfriend let him in?”
“I think the girlfriend has probably moved on,” Grady replied. “DeAngelo was on his third year of a twenty-year sentence for murder. Most women aren’t going to wait twenty years for a guy to get out of prison.”
“Who did he murder?”
“The girlfriend’s brother,” Grady answered.
“Nice,” Finn muttered, following Grady up the steps and watching as his brother knocked.
Angela Lange opened the door, the sun shining off her ebony hair, and fixed the Hardy brothers with a dark look. “Are you cops?”
“We’re security professionals,” Grady replied smoothly, gracing Angela with a charming smile. “We need to ask you some questions about DeAngelo.”
“The cops have already been here asking questions,” Angela said.
“We have different questions.”
Angela sighed and pushed open the door, ushering Finn and Grady into a neat, but tiny, living room. “Have a seat.”
The men did as instructed, waiting for Angela to situate herself before launching into their questions.
“We know DeAngelo was in the area last night,” Grady said, opting to mix honesty with a bluff. “How long did you talk?”
“What makes you think we talked?”
“Call it … intuition,” Grady answered. “There’s only one reason he would come to this area. It’s not easily accessible to a freeway. You’re what he came to see.”
“Listen, I don’t want any trouble,” Angela said. “If you’re here to shake me down for money … .”
“We don’t care about money,” Grady interjected. “We don’t even really care about DeAngelo. Granted, we’re not thrilled he’s wandering around the streets as a free man, but we’re more interested in Lance Pritchard.”
“The pedophile?”
“Yes,” Grady replied, darting a worried look at Finn. His brother’s face was impassive. “We only care about DeAngelo in the sense that he might be able to lead us to Pritchard.”
“He stopped by last night,” Angela admitted. “He showed up at the back door and just about scared me to death.”
“Did DeAngelo know you lived here?”
Angela shook her head. “I moved here six months ago,” she explained. “I changed my last name two years ago. He still managed to find me.”
Grady knit his eyebrows together. “I’m confused how he found you,” he said. “Did you go to extreme measures to hide your whereabouts?”
“It’s harder to explain than that,” Angela said. “The thing is … well … I knew DeAngelo was trouble when I met him. I was sixteen and he was twenty-five, and all the girls in the neighborhood were wild about him because he drove a fast car and flirted with everyone.
“I thought I won the lottery when we hooked up,” she continued. “That lasted until the first time he hit me. I was scared to get out of the relationship, so I stayed with him. He wanted to get me pregnant, but I took birth control pills on the side and kept it to myself.”
“That was probably smart,” Grady said. “Why did he kill your brother?”
“At a certain point I decided I was done and asked my brother to help me move,” Angela responded. “DeAngelo walked in when we were almost done and … got angry. He stabbed my brother in the neck with an ink pen and then watched him die. He ate a sandwich while my brother gasped his last breath.”
Grady’s heart rolled. “I’m sorry that happened to you.”
“My brother’s death is my fault,” Angela said. “I didn
’t kill him, but I created the situation that took him out of this world. I’ll never forgive myself. Neither will my mother.”
“That doesn’t seem fair,” Finn said. “I’m sure everyone made mistakes. You didn’t kill your brother, though.”
“It doesn’t matter to my mother,” Angela said. “Since I was on my own, I decided to change my last name and make a clean break from everything. I got a job as a secretary and I took on my father’s last name. My mother always hated him, so it somehow seemed fitting that I take on his last name when she started hating me. I got a job in the suburbs and moved up here. I was trying to put all of that behind me.”
“Did DeAngelo know your father’s last name?”
“My father didn’t raise me, and I can’t remember DeAngelo ever asking about my father, so I honestly don’t think he did,” Angela said. “I’m not sure how he found me.”
“He probably went to someone you used to know and put the pieces together,” Grady said. “Still, he worked fast to do that on his own. He has to be working with someone.”
“Other than Pritchard, you mean?” Finn asked.
“Both of them managed to uncover information about the people they were looking for a heck of a lot faster than they should’ve been able to do it,” Grady said. “They’re getting help from someone. We need to find out who that person is. They could lead us to Pritchard.”
“Did DeAngelo try to hurt you?” Finn asked.
Angela shook her head. “He actually apologized. He stole all the money I had on me, but he apologized. He didn’t touch me.”
“Why didn’t you call the police?” Grady asked.
“I want to forget my old life,” Angela said. “I can’t do that if I’m in the middle of things again. I just want to let it go.”
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Finn asked.
“There’s nothing left for him here,” Angela said. “If he does show back up, I’ll call the police. I don’t want to be involved, but I’m not going to ignore things a second time.”
“I have one more question,” Grady said. “Did DeAngelo mention anything about where any of the men he escaped were going?”
“He didn’t say one word about anyone but himself,” Angela said. “Trust me. If he had said something about Pritchard, I would’ve called the police right away. That man is a blight on humanity.”
Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) Page 9