Deadly Honeymoon (Hardy Brothers Security Book 7) (18 page)

When James walked into the lobby of the circuit courthouse he was taken aback. Security in the building had been increasing every day, but now it looked like a war zone. He’d never seen a police presence this large at the facility.

He found Clint standing near the elevator. “What’s going on?”

“The county is taking over security,” Clint said. “Well, actually they said they’re enhancing security. It’s a takeover, though.”

James frowned. The situation in Macomb County had gone from bad to worse. When Peter said that the rival gangs would retaliate after the gunfight in Mount Clemens, he hadn’t been joking. Over the next week, not one day had gone by without some sort of massive shooting, and more than twenty men had died in five days’ time.

Most of the action was localized to Mount Clemens – which just happened to be where the circuit court was located. While the downtown area was safe and clean, the neighboring areas were awash with small explosions and constant danger.

James didn’t like the situation.

“Why don’t they just shut the courthouse down?” James asked. “Or move the proceedings to some of the district courts? The northern suburbs are safe. Mount Clemens is a war zone right now. It’s worse than Afghanistan.”

“The judges are having a meeting about that right now,” Clint said.

“I want Mandy out of this,” James said, tapping the call button to the elevator. “She’s not coming back here. I don’t care what she says. Enough is enough.”

“You’re not supposed to go upstairs,” Clint said. “The upper floors are closed to anyone that doesn’t have court business.”

James sent Clint a scorching look. “I’m going to collect my wife.”

Clint sighed. “They’re locking down the front doors. They don’t need me here. I’ll take you.”

“Thanks.”

“I kind of want to see Heidi anyway,” Clint admitted. “Taking you up there gives me an excuse. I don’t want her to think I’m going up there just to see her. It’s good to keep some mystery in the beginning of a relationship.”

James smirked.

“I saw that on
Dr. Phil
,” Clint said.

“Dr. Phil is a wise man.”

“He’s amazing,” Clint said, leading James into the elevator. “Everyone is on the sixth floor. They’re in the meeting room, but we can wait outside.”

“I thought you said the judges were meeting?”

“All their personnel are involved, too,” Clint explained. “They want everyone to weigh in. The situation is getting serious. Someone was shot on the lawn behind the courthouse last night.”

James gritted his teeth. “I hadn’t heard that.”

“It was some kid from the Wayside Arms apartment complex,” Clint said. “No one knows why he was over here. It’s sad. He was only sixteen.”

“That is sad,” James agreed.

“I kind of hope they close the courthouse,” Clint said. “I don’t like the idea of Heidi having to walk from the parking lot to the building. It’s too dangerous. People are arriving two hours before work now just so they can get a spot really close to the doors. I just want Heidi to be safe.”

“How is that going?” James asked. He found he liked the security guard a lot more now than he did when he was fawning all over Mandy. Now that his attention was focused on Heidi, he was almost likable.

“We’ve had three more dates,” Clint said. “They’ve been good dates. I really like her. I never realized how funny she is.”

“She’s definitely funny,” James said. “I think she’s one of the good ones.”

“She’s one of the best ones.”

“I’m glad you guys are getting along,” James said. “I think you two can be really happy together.”

“It’s still early,” Clint cautioned. “Dr. Phil says you should never start referring to yourselves as a ‘we’ until at least the fifth date.”

James clapped Clint on the shoulder. “Well, Dr. Phil would know.”

“He’s my new guru.”

“Awesome.”

Once they hit the sixth floor, Clint led James down the hallway. “They’re in the meeting room down here.”

“And you’re sure Mandy is in there?”

“Yeah.”

The door was closed, but it had a glass panel. James peered inside, his heart finally unclenching when he saw a familiar blonde head at the end of the table. Before pulling away, his gaze met Judge MacIntosh’s through the small glass panel. The judge got to his feet, never breaking eye contact, and opened the door.

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” James said hurriedly. “I just don’t want Mandy going out without me. I’ll wait out here.”

“Actually, why don’t you come in,” MacIntosh said. “I think you might be able to help me here.”

James wasn’t sure what was happening, but he followed the judge into the room. Heidi had obviously seen Clint through the open door, because she was waving enthusiastically. If the situation wasn’t so dire, James would’ve laughed.

“This is James Hardy,” MacIntosh said. “He owns Hardy Brothers Security. He also happens to be married to my clerk.”

The other judges nodded in greeting, but their faces were unreadable masks.

“We’re discussing closing the courthouse next week,” MacIntosh said. “I happen to be in favor of it. We’re putting innocent people in danger by remaining open. This situation has to be handled, and I don’t believe keeping the courthouse open is in the best interests of the general public.”

“And I happen to believe that justice has to be served no matter what,” one of the other men argued.

MacIntosh turned to James. “What do you think?”

“I think that things are out of control right now,” James said. “I think we’re all in danger.”

“And what about the criminals who pass through our doors?”

“Well, what happens if a witness gets shot on the courthouse steps before they can testify?” James challenged.

“People are promised due process,” someone else said. “We would have to release criminals on the street if we can’t get them through in a timely fashion.”

“What about trying to get space at the district courts?” James asked. “I’m not saying to go into a place like Eastpointe or Mount Clemens, where the danger is higher, but those northern communities don’t have a lot of crime. I’m sure something can be worked out if you try.”

MacIntosh smiled. “That is an outstanding idea. I hadn’t thought of that.”

The other judges murmured in assent.

“I’m probably stepping in it here,” James said. “With both my wife and all of you, but I am not comfortable with her coming back to this building with the way things are in this city right now. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t worried.”

“James,” Mandy warned.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said. “Have you seen what that lobby looks like? There are men in riot gear down there. A sixteen-year-old boy was shot on the back lawn last night. You’re not safe here.”

“He’s right,” MacIntosh said. “None of us are safe here. I suggest we use the upcoming weekend to make plans. Shifting trials to the district courts is an inspired idea. Let’s see what we can work out, because we can’t keep doing this. If even one of our people gets hurt – or worse, killed – then we’ve already failed in our jobs.”

SOPHIE
was exhausted.

As far as weeks went, this one felt like it was never ending. She didn’t know if she was coming or going, and each night when she slid beneath the covers and snuggled up next to Grady, she was relieved she’d made it home.

She hated feeling like that, and she hated the worried expression on Grady’s face every morning when she left for work again even more. Something had to give here.

Sophie strode up to the police tape on the waterfront and met another set of weary eyes across the yellow expanse. “What do you have, Detective Dixon?”

“A whole pile of shit.”

“Great.”

“You look like hell, Lane,” Dixon said.

“Right back at you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ve been working this as hard as we have,” he said.

“It feels like it,” she said. “Something tells me you’re doing more work than I am.”

“You’re not trying to butter me up for a scoop, are you?”

“I’m beyond scoops right now,” Sophie said. “It’s only Friday, and yet I feel like I’ve aged ten years in the past five days.”

“You and me both, sweetheart.”

Sophie peered around the detective, her gaze landing on the dead man a few feet away. “Let me guess, a young man in his twenties with known gang affiliation and a bullet in his chest?”

“Neck,” Dixon corrected. “He was shot in the neck.”

“Are you releasing the name?”

“Not until notification is made,” Dixon said. “We’ll fax out a press release, but that probably won’t be until tomorrow.”

“Does it even matter at this point?” Sophie asked. “It’s just … it’s never going to end.”

“It has to,” Dixon said. “We’re going to run out of gang members at some point.”

“One would think.” Sophie jotted a few notes down in her notebook. “Is there anything special about this case?”

“Not really,” Dixon said. “Although, there were two prostitutes over yonder who saw the exchange. They hid behind the Dumpster when the shots rang out.”

“Really? I was under the impression that even prostitutes were taking the week off.”

“So was I.”

“What did they say?”

“Not much,” Dixon said. “Just that there was a lot of yelling, and they swear one guy had an accent.”

“What kind of accent?”

“Well, the blonde one thought he was speaking Russian,” Dixon said, a wan smile playing at his lips. “The brunette swears up and down it was Arabic and we’re in the middle of a jihad.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” Dixon said.

“What about the guys from the first shooting?” Sophie pressed. “Do you have any more information on them?”

Dixon glanced around nervously. “Off the record?”

Sophie stilled. “Okay.”

“They’re still not talking,” Dixon said. “Some high-priced lawyer arrived from Bermuda two days ago. He’s trying to secure their release. He wants them extradited to Bermuda to face charges there, but they won’t say what charges. Everyone thinks something fishy is going on.”

“Something fishy is definitely going on,” Sophie agreed. “Are you guys going to cut them loose?”

Dixon shrugged. “I have no idea. The sheriff is fighting it, but you know he has no real power over these things. I guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

Sophie nodded, glancing around the scene. “What about the money?”

“What money?”

“The money in the dealer packs in their car. Was it from us? I mean, was it U.S. currency?”

“Yeah,” Dixon said. “This is still off the record, but not only was it U.S. currency, but it was all sequential numbers.”

Sophie frowned. “Like it had been counted and arranged with a banking machine?”

“Yeah.”

“But how … ?”

“I don’t know,” Dixon said. “This whole thing is a clusterfuck. The only thing we know for sure is that the people doing most of the killing don’t appear to be from here.”

“Are they all from Bermuda?”

Dixon shrugged. “I have no idea. What about you?”

Sophie pressed the heel of her palm against her forehead, weariness washing over her. “I hear lots of things,” she said. “The problem is, you never know what’s truth and what’s urban legend on the street. I used to be able to have some time to check rumors out because I had a few days between murders. I just have no time.”

“I hear that.”

“It’s starting to get scary,” Sophie said.

“Starting?”

“It’s scary,” Sophie conceded. “Well, I guess I should get going. Before, this would’ve been a huge story. It’s happening so often now, it’s just a paragraph in a bigger story.”

“It’s sad.”

Dixon jumped when a uniformed officer appeared at his elbow.

“Sir, I thought you should see this. It was on the body.”

“What is it?” Dixon asked.

“It’s a photograph of a couple,” the officer said.

Dixon took the photograph, staring down. “Isn’t this your boyfriend’s brother?”

Sophie stilled, leaning over so she could get a better look at the photograph. Two familiar faces stared back, both tan and clearly enjoying themselves on a boat next to an unnaturally blue ocean.

“That’s James and Mandy,” Sophie said.

“Why would this guy have a picture of them?”

“I don’t know,” Sophie said, panic setting in. “I … I need to make a call.”

“Are you sure this is the way to go?” Mandy asked, her blue eyes unsure.

James reached over and pulled her to him, kissing her forehead and lending her some of his warmth. “It makes me feel safer.”

“It’s just so … .”

“I know it puts a crimp in your style,” James said.

“I don’t care about that,” Mandy said. “Just … all of us … under one roof … that’s a whole lot of baggage.”

James barked out a laugh. “Yeah, we’re all going to be fighting in hours flat. I still feel better about it. We’re going to be working from here. No one is going to be out and wandering around. We have the biggest house. We have a pool. If people need space, we’ll find a way to get them space.”

“Well, I’m putting Jake and Ally out in the guesthouse,” Mandy said. “Ally is going to be the one irritating everyone, and Jake is definitely going to be on edge because of it. At least out there, they can be alone.”

“And we can seclude Ally if she starts … well … being Ally,” James said.

“We have two guest rooms, so everyone will have a bed.”

“There’s going to be a lot of sex happening under this roof for the next few days,” James mused.

“Let’s hope so.”

“What?”

“If there’s not a lot of sex, there’s going to be a lot of pissed off people.”

“You’re very wise, baby,” James said, kissing her softly. “Are you okay with this?”

“I’m fine,” Mandy said. “I think this is one of those situations where I’m going to handle things better than you.”

“You’re an only child, though,” James said. “You like your space. Sometimes I can tell just by looking at you in the morning that I shouldn’t bother speaking until you’ve had your breakfast. You and I are as close as they come, but there are still times you want to sit in the corner with a book and be left alone.”

“Well, if that happens, I’ll just lock myself in our bedroom and read a book,” Mandy said. “I’m more worried about you.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you’re going to be living with your brothers and sister,” Mandy said. “You have family history working against you.”

“So?”

“Do you remember sharing a bedroom with Finn and Grady?”

“Yeah. We got along great.”

“That’s not the way I remember it,” Mandy said. “You forget, I spent hundreds of nights at your house.”

“So?”

“Do you remember when Grady lit off fireworks in the big pot because he was bored?”

James frowned. “Yeah.”

“Do you remember what happened after?”

“I beat the crap out of him.”

“Yeah. Do you remember what happened the first time Finn brought a girl home and you and Grady teased him mercilessly?”

“Oh, yeah, what was her name again?”

“Rhonda.”

“You remember that?”

“She was only one year ahead of me,” Mandy said. “She was a bitch. That’s beside the point, though. I seem to remember that Finn retaliated by throwing all of your clothes out the window and rearranging the bedroom so you and Grady had to sleep right next to each other for a week.”

“You have a good memory for this stuff,” James said.

Mandy bit her lower lip ruefully. “I remember everything about you. I was in love with you even then.”

James rubbed the back of her head. “You were cute,” he said. “You used to wear those sweatshirts that were way too big for you. You had an adorable little smile, too.”

“Do you know why I did that? Wore the sweatshirts, I mean?”

James shrugged, curious.

“Because I hadn’t developed yet, and I didn’t want you to know that.”

“You hadn’t developed what?”

Mandy pointed down to her chest.

James laughed, the sound loud and throaty. “Seriously?”

“You were dating Ann,” Mandy reminded him. “Her boobs were huge. I couldn’t compete. And, yes, I know that it wasn’t a competition because Ann had already won you, but I was still trying in my own way.”

“There wasn’t a competition,” James agreed. “And it wasn’t because Ann had won me. She never won me.”

“Whatever.”

“No one
won
me until you came along,” James said. “No one even piqued my interest for the long haul until you came along. No one showed me what love was until you came along.”

Mandy’s face softened. “Thank you.”

“I’m the one who won, baby,” James said, lowering his mouth to hers. “I won the lottery when I found you. Don’t you ever doubt that.”

“Will you still believe that five years from now?”

“I’ll believe that forever,” James said, grabbing her rear and squeezing it for emphasis. “Forever.”

“I’M
bored.”

“You’ve been here for a half hour, Ally,” James said. “Why don’t you give it at least an hour before you decide that you’re bored?”

“Because I’m bored now,” Ally said.

“Well, the pizza will be here in a few minutes,” James said. “That should keep you busy for twenty minutes or so.”

“And then what?”

“Then we’ll watch a movie or something.”

“What kind of movie?”

James sighed. “What kind of movie do you want to watch?”

“I want to watch
The Notebook
.”

“Absolutely not,” James said. “That’s a chick flick.”

“And there are four chicks in this room,” Ally countered, turning to Mandy. “What do you want to watch?”

“
Jaws.”

“No,” Grady said. “I can’t watch
Jaws
.”

“Why not?” Mandy pressed. “That’s one of the top movies of all time. It’s a classic.”

“It also makes you randy,” Grady said. “You and James cannot play shark attack when we’re all stuck in this house together. We’re in too close of quarters.”

“It doesn’t make me randy.” Mandy turned to James for confirmation. “Tell him.”

“It totally makes her randy,” James said. “Why do you think I watch it so often?”

“
Jaws
is out,” Ally said. “We should watch
The Notebook
. It’s romantic. We’re four couples. We should watch something romantic.”

“I want to watch
Predator
,” Finn said. “I love that movie.”

“What’s
Predator
?” Emma asked.

“It’s a lame action movie that makes no sense,” Ally said. “It exists to make men feel all manly.”

“How does it not make sense?” Finn asked. “That movie makes perfect sense.”

“How come the alien never left that specific area?” Ally asked. “If the alien was going after people it perceived as a threat, why didn’t it go after that whole camp of commandos? They were obviously there for a long time. That little group of soldiers was only there for two days and they were all wiped out, and yet those commandos – or whatever they were – were there for weeks and nothing. So stupid.”

“What about
The Hunger Games
?” Sophie suggested. “That appeals to both men and women.”

“No,” Ally said. “I want to watch
The Notebook
.”

“Ally, you’re not going to get your way here all of the time,” James warned. “You’re going to have to compromise.”

“Then I want to go home.”

“You’re home for the next few days,” Jake said. “We’re all safer together, and that includes you. If you want, I’ll watch
The Notebook
out in the saloon with you. They can watch another movie in here.”

“I don’t want them to watch another movie,” Ally said. “I want us all to watch the same movie.”

“Then pick another movie,” James said.

“We can watch
Jaws
,” Mandy said. “Men and women like that movie.”

“Baby, we can watch
Jaws
in the bedroom tonight,” James said. “I promise. No one else wants to watch
Jaws
.”

“But it’s … .”

“A classic, I know,” James said. “They still don’t want to watch it.”

“Well, then they’re crazy.”

“You’re crazy,” Ally shot back. “
Jaws
is stupid. There is no shark big enough to take down a boat like that.”

“You’re stupid,” Mandy argued.

“You’re stupid,” Ally said.

“Ladies,” James said, grabbing Mandy and wrestling her into his lap on the couch. “You cannot start fighting now. We’ve been in this house together for exactly twenty minutes. If you two are already fighting, then that doesn’t bode well for the rest of us.”

“Come here, angel,” Jake said, pulling Ally to the opposite end of the couch and settling her on his lap. “I know you love
The Notebook
. Can you at least try to watch another movie?”

“As long as it’s not stupid,” Ally said. “And sharks are stupid.”

“You’re stupid,” Mandy said.

“You’re stupid.”

James sighed. “How about
The Avengers
?”

“What’s
The Avengers
?” Emma asked.

“How can you not know what
The Avengers
is?” Ally asked, turning her attention to Emma. “It was like the biggest movie of the year two years ago.”

“I don’t watch a lot of movies.”

“You model at the Detroit Comicon, though,” Ally said. “There must be hundreds of geeks who fancy themselves Thor at Comicon.”

“Is he the super hero with the golden hair and the hammer?”

“Yes.”

“Oh. I’m not sure I like him,” Emma said.

“You’ll like him in the movie,” Mandy said. “He’s flipping hot.”

“And buff,” Ally added.

“Totally buff,” Sophie agreed.

“So, is everyone agreed on
The Avengers
?” James asked.

“Can we have popcorn?” Ally asked.

“Yes.”

“I have Red Vines in the cupboard, too,” Mandy offered.

“I love Red Vines,” Ally said.

“They’re awesome,” Mandy agreed.

“So, wait, are you two done fighting?” James asked.

“We were never fighting,” Ally said.

“You just called each other stupid,” Jake pointed out.

“So?”

“So, that usually indicates people are fighting,” James supplied.

“Mandy and I don’t fight,” Ally said. “We spar.”

“Exactly,” Mandy said.

“I remember a fight or two,” Grady interjected.

“You do not,” Ally scoffed. “We’ve never fought.”

“Oh, really?”

“Really,” Ally sneered.

“How about your freshman year when you both bought the same dress for the homecoming dance?” Grady asked.

Finn guffawed. “Holy crap! I forgot all about that. Mom was pissed when she saw the mess in the kitchen when they were done. Dad, per usual, thought it was cute.”

James smiled. He’d already enlisted in the Marines by the time Mandy and Ally hit high school. He enjoyed hearing the stories. They made him feel closer to his wife – even if she was mortified by some of her actions. “What did the dress look like?”

“It was white,” Grady said. “The only reason I remember is because the two of them threw drinks on each other and ruined the dresses before they got out the door.”

“I picked that dress out first,” Ally said.

“You did not,” Mandy said. “That dress was all wrong for your coloring.”

“You can’t wear white with your hair,” Ally countered. “It washes you out.”

“White looks great on me.”

“It does not. You couldn’t even have a white wedding dress because it washed you out.”

James poked Mandy in the side. “How long did you two fight about the dress?”

“I don’t know,” Mandy said. “I just know we never made it to the dance. We yelled and screamed at each other, and when our dates showed up they got in a fight because we were fighting. I just know that we ended up in our pajamas in front of the television.”

“Because even a dress couldn’t come between you,” James said. “Just like a movie can’t now.”

Mandy nodded. “I know.”

“Listen,” James said. “This is going to be a really long couple of days. We’re all going to have to do our best to get along. If you feel the need to fight? Walk it off. Take a bath. Lock yourself in a bedroom. We can’t figure this thing out and solve it if we’re all trying to kill each other.”

“Captain Bossypants is back,” Ally said.

James wrinkled his nose. “Ally?”

“What?”

“Go to your room.” James pointed to the back of the house.

“Excuse me?”