Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13)

by Lily Harper Hart

  “Have faith that Peter will keep us safe and I will have faith that you’ll bring my friend back,” Mandy said. “Please … do this for me.”

  “Mandy.” James gave up. He’d already lost the argument. He knew that. He opened his arms and sighed as his wife stepped into them and rested her head against his chest. “You don’t even think about getting out of that limo until I come and get you and tell you it’s safe. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I love you, wife,” James said, tilting her chin up. “You’re putting that naughty skirt on tomorrow night and pretending to type for me. I don’t want to hear one argument.”

  Mandy laughed. She couldn’t help herself. “I will type for the rest of our lives if you get Heidi and come back to me.”

  “I will always come back to you, baby.”

  Twenty-Four

  “You don’t look like a George.”

  Grady studied Gregario from beneath the broad expanse of a maple tree, the darkness giving them cover as they waited for the order to move.

  Peter got word that Winona and Jasper both converged on the same home in Mount Clemens shortly after James and Mandy made up on the second floor of their home. Everyone met downtown to get in the right cars, Grady and James giving Mandy and Sophie long kisses before entrusting them to Peter’s care, and then the group splintered to ready themselves for movement.

  Now they were just waiting for the go-ahead from the sniper on the roof of an area house. He was trying to get confirmation of Heidi’s location before they moved. With nothing left to do but chat, Grady was forced to admit Gregario was better looking than he hoped.

  Gregario lifted a quizzical eyebrow. “George?”

  “You’ve been hanging around my girlfriend,” Grady said. “I don’t like your name. Sophie said you were a Latin stud. I’ve been calling you George.”

  Gregario snorted, amused by Grady’s whimsical fortitude. “I see. Well … if it’s any consolation … I have no interest in your girlfriend.”

  Grady furrowed his brow. “My Sophie is beautiful,” he said. “You should be so lucky as to have interest in her.”

  “I never said Sophie wasn’t beautiful,” Gregario countered. “She’s not my type.”

  “Do you like blondes or something?”

  Gregario sighed, Grady’s intense need to stand up for his girlfriend’s beauty wearing him down. “Only if the blond in question has a penis.”

  “What? Oh.” Realization dawned on Grady. “I’m glad to see Peter is an equal opportunity employer.”

  “Peter does not care about my sexual orientation,” Gregario replied. “He’s a great man.”

  “He is a great man,” Grady agreed.

  “He’s a great man who is going to be your father-in-law one day.”

  Grady sighed. Now he was the annoyed one. “Don’t push me, man. That’s a big decision.”

  “Aren’t you already living with Sophie?”

  Grady nodded.

  “Can you see yourself with anyone else?” Gregario asked.

  “No.” Grady scowled.

  “Then what part of the decision is vexing you?”

  “Watch the house, George,” Grady chided.

  Gregario smiled. “You make me laugh.”

  “Shh.”

  “DON’T worry about Mandy,” Sven said, his gaze focused on the back door of the hovel Jasper and Winona were currently housed in. “Peter will keep her safe.”

  “I know,” James said. “She’s my wife, though.”

  “You love her with all that you are.”

  “I do.”

  “Peter loves Sophie the same way,” Sven said. “Sophie loves Mandy. Peter is fond of Mandy. He would die before he would let anyone touch them. The men in that limo would die to protect Peter. Everyone in that limo is safe.”

  “She’s still my wife.”

  “Focus on the task at hand,” Sven said. “You need to get home to your wife. She will not survive without you, just like you won’t survive without her. Do you remember how you felt when you carried your wife into the hospital – not knowing if she would live or die – and had to wait in the lobby until the doctor came out? That is the way Mandy feels right now.”

  “You’re a real bottle of sunshine,” James grumbled.

  “Your wife feels helpless,” Sven said. “You must focus on getting back to her. You must also focus on grabbing Heidi. Your face is the one she will recognize. We have to be quick about this.”

  “I get it,” James said, rolling his eyes. “As Peter would say: This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  Sven smirked. “I don’t believe he’s ever been to an actual rodeo.”

  “Have you?”

  “I am very good with horses.”

  “You’re an odd guy,” James said.

  “Says the man who dressed up in superhero adult Underoos to have sex with his wife,” Sven shot back.

  “How do you even know that?”

  “Sophie is chatty when she wants to be,” Sven replied, nonplussed.

  “Well, that’s none of your business,” James sniffed.

  “Fine.”

  “My wife likes geeky things and she’s cute when she’s being a nerd,” James muttered. “She was very cute when I wore those Underoos.”

  “If that’s your story.”

  “Stop talking,” James snapped, causing Sven to smirk.

  “Now you are happy because you are thinking of your nerdy wife and how much you want to get back to her,” Sven said. “Keep that thought at the forefront of your mind. We will be moving soon.”

  “I can’t wait,” James grumbled.

  “HOW soon until this goes down?” Sophie asked, shifting on the limo’s leather seat so she could peer out the window. The house in question was three blocks down. She had no chance of seeing anything and yet she couldn’t stop herself from looking.

  “It won’t be long,” Peter said, reclining in the center seat. He gave all appearances of being calm, but Sophie could see he was keyed up, too. “We will be able to hear everything that is going on. The men are all wearing earbuds and the frequency will play over the radio.”

  “I’m scared,” Sophie admitted.

  Peter patted her hand. “Grady will be fine.” He shifted his gaze to a quiet Mandy. She was looking out the window, too, but she’d been largely silent since James left her to Peter’s care. “James will be fine.”

  “I know,” Mandy said. “I have faith that he will always come home to me.”

  “What don’t you have faith about?”

  “I’m scared for Heidi,” Mandy said, shifting her bare face so she could meet Peter’s studied gaze. “The last thing she said to me was … not nice. I deserved it, though. I did get Clint hurt.”

  “You didn’t realize the events you were setting into motion,” Peter countered. “It’s too late to change them. We have this situation to deal with. We can’t go back in time.”

  “You sound like Ally.”

  “I love Ally,” Peter said, his face splitting with a wide grin. “She has a beautiful outlook on life. Whatever she said to get you out of that bedroom, I applaud her. She knows you and she did what even your husband could not do.”

  “Get me to stop feeling sorry for myself?”

  “Get you to look toward the future instead of dwelling on the mistakes of the past,” Peter corrected. “We are hopefully going to save more than one life tonight and end the threat against other women in this area. This is an exciting time.”

  “I’ll be excited when I know James, Grady, and Heidi are safe,” Mandy said, turning her attention back to the window.

  “We all will be,” Sophie murmured.

  The radio crackled and an unfamiliar voice moved across the frequency. “I have confirmation of the target. She’s in the back room.”

  “This is it, people,” Sheriff Morgan said in reply. “We’ve got one chance at this. Move out.”

  “I WILL go in first,” Gregario s
aid, cutting in front of Grady and moving swiftly toward the front door.

  “Why do you get to be first, George?”

  Gregario ignored the dig. “Because I used to play football and I can do this.” Gregario threw his impressive weight at the door, causing it to splinter under the force and pop open. Members of the sheriff’s tactical team swarmed to Grady’s back and everyone moved through the door together as the occupants yelled in surprise.

  Grady’s scanned the room upon entry, his military training taking over as he pushed the sound of fighting factions to the background. His gaze landed on a woman as she tried to flee the room, her eyes terrified. “Winona.”

  Grady sprang into action, racing across the room and grabbing her from behind before she could find a place to hide.

  “Let me go!”

  “Not likely,” Grady muttered, grabbing Winona’s hand and wrenching her around so she had no choice but to face him. “Do you know who I am?”

  Winona’s face was blank. “Should I?”

  “I’m Grady Hardy. I believe you know my girlfriend … and my sister. Your friends tried to drug their drinks at the bar. Do you know how I know that? I was there and saw it.”

  “So what?” Winona spat. “Last time I checked your precious girlfriend was safe. She’s protected. Trust me. We wanted to snag her after Peter Marconi threatened us.”

  “She’s still safe,” Grady replied. “You’re never going to get your hands on her. I can promise you that.”

  “So there’s no reason to hold me,” Winona said, whimpering as she tried to jerk away from Grady. “I’m innocent in all of this. You can let me go. I promise to leave the state and never come back.”

  “Oh, I’m looking forward to you spending the rest of your life in prison,” Grady said, furrowing his brow as he tried to keep a firm hold on Winona’s arm. Even knowing what he did about the kind of woman he was dealing with the idea of striking her left him cold. “You have one chance of bettering your prison odds, lady!”

  Winona stilled at the whiff of opportunity. “And what is that?”

  “Where are the women you’re holding?”

  JAMES and Sven’s entry was quieter than Grady’s. Sven picked the back lock in less than thirty seconds and the two men entered silently, Morgan’s handpicked tactical team on their heels.

  James pressed his finger to his lips as he motioned for the SWAT team members to block off the hallway. Their intelligence said Heidi was in the room off the kitchen. That was his first – and hopefully only – stop. James and Sven exchanged a look and then James kicked the flimsy door with all of his might, hitting it in the perfect location and forcing the door to fly open.

  James and Sven crossed the threshold in tandem, both pulling up short when they found Jasper standing with his back against the wall and a knife at Heidi’s throat. For her part, the usually gregarious courthouse clerk was shaking, her mascara spread down her cheeks from hours of crying.

  “James!” Heidi cried out, although it wasn’t in relief.

  “It’s going to be okay,” James said, his voice calm. “We need you to hold still, Heidi. Don’t do anything … crazy.”

  “Crazy?” Heidi’s voice was shrill. “There’s a freak holding a knife on me. How am I the crazy one in this situation?”

  “I need you to remain calm,” James instructed, hoping his voice was soothing the frantic woman rather than revving her up to do something drastic. “I’m here for you.”

  “Why?” Heidi was always chatty, but her insistence on holding a conversation now struck James as surreal.

  “Because my wife loves you,” James replied matter-of-factly. “My wife loves you and she refuses to go through life without you. I love my wife and want her to have everything she’s ever wanted. Apparently that’s you.”

  “Well, that’s kind of sweet,” Heidi muttered. “For Mandy. Why is everything always about Mandy?”

  James shot her a rueful smile. “Everything in my world is about Mandy,” he conceded. “While I’m sure that’s not what you want to hear right now, and it doesn’t seem fair, that’s the truth.”

  “She’s lucky to have you.”

  “I’m lucky to have her, too,” James said. “The good news for you is that I love her enough to come for you.”

  “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her,” Heidi grumbled, making a face as Jasper tugged on her hair. “Stop doing that!”

  “You and Mandy are going to have to settle that fight when I get you out of here,” James said. “For now, though, I need you to let me talk to Jasper without interruption.”

  Heidi didn’t like the suggestion, but she nodded mutely.

  “You’re out of options here, Jasper,” James said. “You were given a way out by Mr. Marconi and you refused to take it. It’s over now. Your only hope is to make a deal, and to do that we need Heidi back alive and a location on the other missing women.”

  “Do you honestly think you’re in charge?” Jasper sneered. “You’re not in charge. I’m in charge.”

  “How do you figure that?” Sven asked, his gun leveled on Jasper as he took two steps away from James and cut off any avenue of escape. Jasper couldn’t protect himself from both sides now that James and Sven were separated. He knew that and his face was awash with panic.

  “You can’t kill me!” Jasper shrieked. “I know the police are here. I heard them identify themselves. You can’t kill me when you’re with the police. It’s illegal.”

  “Technically it’s illegal if we kill you whether the police are here or not,” Sven said, his voice chilly as he regarded Jasper. “You don’t have a choice in the matter. You will either hand that woman over to Mr. Hardy right now and let us take you into custody or you will die.”

  “You can’t threaten me! I’m Houdini!”

  “You’re a hood rat with delusions of grandeur,” Sven countered. “You’re not anything to me. Let the woman go.”

  James was impressed with Sven’s steely nerves. He guessed this wasn’t his first rodeo either.

  “I want a deal!” Jasper screeched. “I want a deal that promises me immunity if I let her go.”

  “We don’t have the authority to offer you a deal,” James said. “We can offer you a bullet if that’s what you want, though.”

  “If you kill me you’ll go to prison,” Jasper argued. “You love your precious wife too much to go to prison. We wanted her, by the way. We’ve been watching your house. You never left her alone long enough for us to grab her. We were going to rip her apart.”

  James ignored the stutter in his heart. Jasper was baiting him in the hopes he would make a mistake. He wouldn’t do that. Not with Heidi’s life on the line. “I don’t doubt you wanted my wife,” he said. “She’s safe, though. She’s with Mr. Marconi. You’re the one whose future is in doubt. You need to hand Heidi over to me now.”

  “I won’t!”

  “I’m done playing,” Sven snapped. “I’m tired of this. You don’t have a move to make. You’re posturing now. If you try to hurt Heidi I will kill you. If you don’t hand her over in thirty seconds I will kill you. The only way you don’t end up dead in this scenario is if you willingly hand her over to Mr. Hardy now.”

  “How are you going to explain my murder?”

  “What murder?” Sven asked. “I killed you when you went to murder Heidi. I don’t think anyone here is going to argue with that assessment.”

  “But … .” Jasper was anguished. He was out of options and he knew it. That didn’t mean he was going down quietly. “Maybe I’ll just cut her throat and force you to put me down,” he said. “I’ll still win that way.”

  The knife moved so fast James only registered a blur as Heidi began to scream. Sven didn’t hesitate to fire. The end was here – and it wasn’t the one James was expecting.

  “DID you hear that gun go off?” Mandy asked, reaching for the door handle.

  “Stay here,” Peter warned. “I promised your husband I would keep you safe. I can’t
very well do that if you insist on running around without protection.”

  “But … someone was shot.” Mandy worried her bottom lip with her teeth.

  “We don’t know if it was a good guy or a bad guy,” Sophie said. “I … Grady!” She pushed open the door and climbed out of Peter’s limo even as he tried to pull her back inside.

  “Good grief,” Peter muttered.

  Sophie raced into Grady’s arms, throwing herself on him and smothering him with kisses. “Are you okay?”

  “Not a scratch on me, sugar.” His grin was full of charm and the kiss he graced Sophie with was heated. “I got Winona. She’s in custody. I don’t believe they’ve given the all clear yet, though. Are you supposed to be out of that limo?”

  “I’m sorry,” Sophie said. “I got so excited when I saw you.”

  “Well, it was for a good cause,” Grady said, pulling Sophie back in for another hug. When he heard the sound of the door opening on the other side of the limo he glanced up, meeting Mandy’s worried gaze over the hood of the limo. “Go ahead. He’s okay. He’s coming down.”

  Mandy sighed, relieved. “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.”

  Mandy didn’t have to be told twice. She broke away from an annoyed Peter and started running toward the house, only making it a few feet before she caught sight of James. He was trudging down the road, Sven at his side, and whatever they were talking about had them both laughing.

  James lifted his head, almost as if he sensed Mandy watching him, and he quickened his pace as he moved toward his wife. He swept her up in his arms, kissing her hungrily and holding her close before releasing her. “Hello, wife. You were supposed to wait for me in the car.”

  “I … did,” Mandy protested. “I … Grady said I could.”

  “Way to throw me under the bus, Mandy,” Grady deadpanned.

  James wanted to feign anger, but he was too tired to even pretend. “I have a present for you.”

  “You do?” Mandy’s eyes flooded with hope.

  James moved to the side and cleared the way to Heidi, who was talking Gregario’s ear off as they walked up the street. She caught sight of Mandy and stilled, causing James’ heart to flop as he worried Heidi was going to carry her anger over for a few more days.