Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) (21 page)

“I talked to a few neighbors and they mentioned she was moving to another apartment, but they didn’t know where,” Pritchard said. “I decided to check out the security business, but I sighted thugs in a car right away. That forced me to keep my distance.

“I was stunned one night when I saw Emma walking into the building with that idiot who knocked her up,” Pritchard said. “I recognized him right away from when he visited me in prison. It took me a couple of minutes to figure out why they were going into the security building after it was closed down for the day. Then I saw the lights on the second floor come on and realized what was going on.”

“Finn is going to kill you,” Emma said, finding her voice. “You know that, right?”

“Finn is the least of my worries,” Pritchard said. “He’s out playing games with his brothers right now. He’s not a concern.”

“He’ll come for me,” Emma said.

“He’ll be too late,” Pritchard shot back. “Now, do you mind? I have a story to finish. Where was I?”

“The security building,” Mandy supplied, curious despite herself. “You saw Emma and Finn go inside.”

“Right,” Pritchard said, relishing being the center of attention. “I knew I couldn’t move on the building. They had cameras everywhere. Just when I thought I’d found all the cameras, I would notice another one. I realized that wasn’t going to work.

“I approached you at the courthouse because I was hoping it would rattle your husband enough to try and move Emma,” he continued. “I thought a hotel or something would be an easier place for me to get access to her. It didn’t work the first time, but it did the second. I followed your husband when he dropped you off at the hotel and knew that was probably going to be my last chance to get close to you.”

“You also stabbed one of Peter Marconi’s men that day,” Mandy said. “He’s pissed.”

“Yeah, I figured he would be,” Pritchard said, rubbing his stubbled jaw. “There’s nothing I can do about that now. I’d pretty much decided to just throw a rock through that front door window at the security building and try to force my way upstairs – I was going to take my chances with the boyfriend – when your husband moved everyone here. That’s when I knew I had a chance to get to Emma after all.”

“That still doesn’t explain how you made it past Peter’s men,” Mandy pointed out.

“That was easier than it sounds,” Pritchard said. “They had one car on each street and a lot of space in front of and behind the vehicles. I watched late into the night last night, and then I crawled – yes crawled – across the road in the dead of the night. It took forever and my elbows and knees are bloody.”

“Then what? Did you hide in the trees until morning?”

“Pretty much,” Pritchard responded. “I couldn’t make any big movements. The trees are relatively thick, but Marconi’s men are walking the perimeter at regular intervals. I basically had to hide underneath a big pine tree until I could make my move.

“From my position, I could see the driveway,” he continued. “That was by design. I saw Sophie leave with some goon this morning. Shortly after, Finn and Emma left. Then your husband and his brother left. I’d been counting heads. I knew that only left you, the other dark-haired chick, and the last man.

“It was divine intervention when the three of you left,” Pritchard said. “That meant the house was empty and no one was watching the monitors. I finally had my chance. I knew hiding in the house was a bad way to do things, so I decided to hide out here. I figured I would get Marconi’s daughter and offer a trade. Instead you two fell into my lap. I call that karma.”

“And now you’re going to kill us, aren’t you?” Emma squeaked.

“My original plan was to take you and … play with you,” Pritchard said. “That changed when I realized you were pregnant. I don’t want to play with you when you’re fat.”

“You’re a pig,” Mandy snapped.

“What are you going to do to me?” Emma asked.

“I’m going to cut your baby out of you and run,” Pritchard replied, guileless. “I’m hoping it’s a boy, but I’ll settle for a girl. I’m going to start a new family.”

“Oh, no … .” Emma broke into hysterical sobs.

Mandy dropped to her knees and pushed Emma’s hair out of her face. “It’s going to be okay,” she said. “I won’t let him take the baby. I … .” Mandy broke off, glancing down at her feet and the pool of clear liquid that suddenly appeared there. “What the … ?”

“Omigod!” Emma was almost screaming now. “My water just broke!”

“What’s going on?” James asked, striding into the cabin. “Your deputies told us we should come in, but that Pritchard’s not here.”

Morgan knelt in the middle of the floor, his hand pressed to a gaping wound on Harlan Lassiter’s chest. His expression was grim. “Pritchard stabbed him and ran.”

“How long ago?” James asked.

“He can’t be certain,” Morgan replied. “He’s kind of out of it. It was before dark yesterday. That’s all he can remember. An ambulance is on the way.”

“Is he going to make it?” Grady asked.

“I don’t know,” Morgan answered, although his face told a different story. One look at Lassiter told everyone in the room he wouldn’t last long. “We’re going to get him help.”

James moved closer to the man, his face impassive. “What did Pritchard say to you?”

“He took me by surprise,” Lassiter rasped. “I didn’t see him coming until it was too late. He already had the knife in his hand.”

“You were coming here to kill him, weren’t you?” Grady asked, causing Morgan’s eyebrows to fly up. “You knew you were out of options and you had to kill Pritchard.”

“I knew it was all over with the day you stopped in at my office,” Lassiter replied, focusing on Jake. “You knew I was lying, didn’t you?”

“I knew you were hiding something,” Jake clarified. “I had no idea you were in on all of this. You played your hand well.”

“Obviously not well enough,” Lassiter said, chuckling harshly. “Is my wife dead? Is that how you found me?”

“You mean you don’t know?” James asked, exchanging a look with Morgan. “I guess you wouldn’t if you’ve been here all night.”

“I wanted to wait for you guys to fill in the details since you were there,” Morgan supplied. “Hurry up. You might not have a lot of time.”

“Marcus Gibson is dead,” James said. “He told us most of the information before he blew himself up. He wasn’t going back to prison no matter what.”

“I don’t blame him,” Lassiter said. “He was popular.”

“How could you know something like that and do nothing about it?” Grady asked.

“He’s a convict. He got what he deserved.”

Grady made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. “How could you let Lance Pritchard escape? You had to know what he was capable of.”

“I knew to some extent, but he played me,” Lassiter answered, his eyes glassy. “I thought I was leading him to what I wanted. He was leading me the entire time.”

“What’s his plan now?” James asked.

“He didn’t stop to give me his itinerary,” Lassiter muttered. “He stabbed me, gloated a little bit, and then walked out. He told me I was going to die.”

“Help is on the way,” Morgan said.

“We all know I’m dying,” Lassiter said. “It will be better this way. I’m not built for prison.”

“All of this because you didn’t want to split your assets with your wife?” Grady pressed. “What is wrong with you?”

“She promised to love me forever,” Lassiter retorted. “That only lasted until she decided she found something better. I don’t owe her anything. She broke her vows.”

“So did you,” James said. “What did Pritchard say to you before he left?”

“Not much,” Lassiter replied. “He was going on and on about being superior and winning. I just wanted him to shut his mouth.”

“He must have said something,” James said. “Think. Where would he go?”

“The only thing he said was that he was going to start a new family,” Lassiter said. “He said he had a new kid ready to take.”

James and Grady exchanged a look before shifting their worried eyes to Finn. The youngest Hardy brother clenched his fists. “Oh, my … . He’s going after Emma right now.”

“We have to move,” James said, jumping to his feet. “We might already be too late.”

“OH, EMMA,
this is absolutely the worst time for this,” Mandy complained, her stomach rolling as she tried to knee her way out of the liquid. “I think I’m going to pass out.”

“You can’t pass out,” Emma sobbed.

“I won’t really pass out,” Mandy promised.

“Well, this is an interesting twist,” Pritchard said, moving closer. “Maybe I won’t have to cut the baby out after all. She can push it out, I can kill the two of you, and then I can make my getaway while your dumbass husband and his brother are out looking for me. I like this idea.”

“Labor could take hours,” Mandy said. “You don’t have time to wait. You should leave now.”

“I’m not leaving without that baby,” Pritchard said. “You’re going to deliver it and hand it over.”

“I’ll die first.”

“You’re going to die, too,” Pritchard said. “Don’t kid yourself that I’m going to let you live. You’re going to make sure that baby arrives safely into this world first, though. I can see your mind working from here, girlie. You’re going to try and overpower me to save Emma. Ask yourself how that’s going to work out.

“If I kill you now, Emma is going to have to deliver this baby alone,” he continued. “Not only that, then she’s going to be on her own when I take that baby and gut her. Is that what you want?”

Mandy swallowed hard. “You can’t take this baby.”

“That baby is my blood,” Pritchard said. “It’s going to be my legacy. It’s going to be a better match for me than Emma or Jeff ever was. I’m going to train him right from the beginning.”

“Mandy,” Emma whimpered, clutching her stomach. “I … this is happening fast.”

“It must be the stress,” Mandy muttered, resigned. “Fine. I’m going to deliver the baby. You’re not going to touch Emma, though. If you do … .”

“You don’t have bargaining power,” Pritchard said. “You’re going to do what I say or you’re going to die. Those are your options.”

Mandy met Emma’s terrified countenance and knew she didn’t have a choice. “Come on, Emma. We have to get you on the floor. You can’t deliver in the chair.”

“MANDY’S
phone keeps going to voicemail,” James announced, holding onto the handle above the passenger window as Grady careened around a curve. “I think Pritchard already has them.”

“How did he get into the house?”

“I have no idea,” James said. “I can’t worry about that now. He’s there. He’s got Emma and Mandy. That’s the assumption we have to move on.”

“I’m calling Peter right now,” Sophie said, holding on for dear life in the back seat. “He’ll have his men move into the house.”

“Tell him to make sure they’re careful,” James said, his expression grim as he glanced at the vehicle behind them. Finn, Jake, and Ally were inside. “Pritchard will kill Emma just to win once he knows he’s cornered.”

“I know,” Sophie said. “It’s going to be okay. Peter’s men will handle it.”

“Not if it’s already too late they won’t.”

“EMMA,
I have no idea what I’m looking at here, but … um … I think you’re supposed to push,” Mandy said, kneeling next to Emma and looking underneath her skirt.

Pritchard sat on one of the bar stools, a glass of bourbon in his hand, and watched with unveiled interest. “This isn’t like they show it on television.”

“I take it you weren’t present when your wife gave birth,” Mandy gritted out, fluffing the blanket behind Emma’s back. Emma lay on the ground, her shoulders elevated and her head pressed against the guesthouse wall. Mandy was between her legs, although she had no idea what she was supposed to be doing.

“I didn’t want to see them come out,” Pritchard replied. “Heck, I didn’t want to have them in the first place. That was before I knew what fun they were going to be. Live and learn, I guess.”

“You are a sick and demented piece of filth,” Mandy hissed.

“If you didn’t want us, why didn’t you leave when we were kids?” Emma asked, exhaling heavily as her face contorted. She was in pain, but the idea of her father taking her baby hurt worse than anything else. “Our lives would’ve been so much better if you’d just walked out and abandoned us.”

“Oh, go ahead and think that, baby girl,” Pritchard scoffed. “Do you think your mother would’ve taken care of you? Your mother would’ve abandoned you to the state or killed you herself to get by. You know that.”

“At least she didn’t rape us,” Emma said.

Mandy marveled at Emma’s demeanor. Somewhere along the way, she’d gathered enough courage to confront her father. Given Pritchard’s plans for the two of them, though, Mandy figured Emma was banking on this being her last chance to get answers.

“No, she didn’t rape you,” Pritchard agreed. “She just stood by and watched me do it. She knew every single thing I did to you and your brother.”

“It doesn’t bother you, does it?” Mandy asked. “You terrorized your own children and you sound proud of yourself.”

“I wouldn’t say I’m proud,” Pritchard clarified. “I had needs and they filled them. It was actually more fun going after the kids in the neighborhood. At a certain point Emma and Jeff became robots. The other kids always cried and screamed. I prefer it when they make noise. I’m going to teach my new son how to scream.”

“I won’t let you take my baby,” Emma said. “He’s mine.”

“You’re mine,” Pritchard said. “That means whatever comes out of you is mine. Get that through your thick head. That’s not your baby. It never was. He’s always been mine.”

“Oh, no,” Emma leaned forward and gripped her knees. “He’s coming.”

Mandy’s heart sank. They were running out of time. “You have to push now, Emma. Your body knows what to do. I’m right here.”

“He’s going to take him away from me,” Emma sobbed. “I’m going to lose my baby.”

“I won’t let that happen,” Mandy said, although she had no idea how she was going to keep Emma and the baby safe. “You have to focus on the baby. Let me worry about everything else.”

“Yeah, let her worry about everything else,” Pritchard taunted. “I’m going to enjoy gutting you, girlie. How long do you think your husband will mourn before he moves on to some other piece of tail?”

“I’m going to enjoy watching James kill you,” Mandy shot back.

“Keep telling yourself that your husband is going to arrive in time to save you,” Pritchard said. “He’s not. I want your faith to last until the moment I kill you. That’s going to make your death all the sweeter.”

“I’m not afraid of you,” Mandy said. “You get off on people living in fear. That’s how a coward lives. I’m not afraid of you or what you think you’re going to do here today.”

“I’ve already won,” Pritchard said. “You just don’t realize it. Now, Emma, get to pushing. I’m anxious to meet my new son.”

MINUTES
seemed like hours as Mandy watched Emma struggle to deliver her child into the world. She could do nothing but offer quiet encouragement. Emma was doing all the work, and with each push – each weary cry – Mandy knew that Pritchard was one step closer to claiming victory.

She couldn’t let it happen.

“Oh, there … oh … wow. I see his head, Emma.”

“You do?” Tears streaked Emma’s face. “What color is his hair?”

“It’s brown, of course,” Mandy said, her own eyes leaking.

Pritchard leaned forward. He’d spent the last twenty minutes watching his daughter scream, enjoying himself with each cry. It wasn’t the same as when he made her scream and beg for mercy as a teenager, but he’d be able to revisit that soon. “Pull him out of there.”

“That’s not how it works, you idiot,” Mandy snapped. “She has to push his shoulders out next. If I pull him out I could pull his head off.” She had no idea if that was true, but it sounded good.

“Oh, well, don’t do that,” Pritchard said, pouring himself another drink. Mandy kept count each time he filled his glass. She couldn’t help but wonder if four shots in a short amount of time would render him tipsy. He’d been incarcerated for years. His tolerance had to be low. Of course, for all she knew, he could’ve spent the last week building it up. “Push harder, Emma!”

“I can’t,” Emma said, shaking her head as sweat poured down her brow. “I can’t push again. If I do, he’s going to take him.”

“If you don’t push, I’m going to yank him out myself and take my chances,” Pritchard warned.

“Stop tormenting her,” Mandy ordered. “You’re not helping.”

“Who says I want to help?”

Mandy gritted her teeth to stop herself from saying something hateful and fixed her plaintive eyes on Emma. “You have to push him out,” she said. “I have no idea if this is bad or good for him, but he can’t stay the way he is. You need to push him out so I can make sure his airway is clear.”

“What does that mean?” Pritchard asked, interested despite himself.

“Emma has a book about giving birth, and I looked through it the other night because I was curious,” Mandy replied, tugging on her limited patience. “The book said I have to make sure there’s no mucus in the baby’s mouth once he’s born. Otherwise he could choke and die.”

“I’m definitely keeping you alive to do that,” Pritchard said.

“We also need something to cut the umbilical cord,” Mandy said, an idea forming. “You need to be ready with your knife. Go and wash it in the sink behind the bar.”