Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1)
Read Deadly Intentions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 1) Online
Authors: Lily Harper Hart
Deadly Intentions
Hardy Brothers Security
Book One
By Lily Harper Hart
Text copyright © 2014 Lily Harper Hart
To the real James Hardy
Eleven years ago …
That whole seniors-ruling-the-school thing isn’t a myth – and no one was happier about that simple fact than James Hardy.
He was one semester away from graduation; one semester away from escaping this one-stoplight town and moving on to something bigger. Sure, he was getting out by joining the military, but that was the only way anyone ever got out of Barker Creek.
Those who stayed were happy with small-town life – or at least they pretended to be – but James saw something else for himself. He had no idea what the future held, but he did know this small town wasn’t big enough to hold the future he envisioned for himself.
He smiled when he heard laughter behind him, even though he had no idea what his friends found so funny. He was just enjoying being on top of the student heap right now, the first stepping-stone to his dreams finally within walking distance.
A hint of movement down the hall caught his attention, and he broke out in a wide smile when he saw Amanda Avery. At only fourteen, Amanda, or Mandy as everyone called her, was still in middle school. She came to the high school for art class every day because downsizing couldn’t fund an art class at both levels.
Mandy was best friends with his baby sister, Ally, and she was a constant visitor at the Hardy house. She and Ally were practically joined at the hip, wearing the same clothes and mooning over the same movie and music heartthrobs. She was a good kid, a little shy, but always quick with a sweet smile and sarcastic comeback once you got to know her.
Mandy grinned when she saw James, offering him a half-hearted wave. “Hey.”
“Going to art class?” James asked, taking a few steps toward her. “You took art two semesters in a row?”
“Well, I can’t play an instrument, so it was either art of band,” Mandy said, laughing lightly. “There aren’t a lot of electives to choose from.”
“You don’t want to be a band geek anyway,” James teased. “That will ruin your reputation forever.”
Mandy slipped a strand of her shoulder-length blonde hair behind her ear, glancing around nervously. James could practically read her mind, but he fought the smile that was playing at the corner of his mouth. She was kind of cute, with her big blue eyes and over-sized black hoodie. He knew what she was worried about. He slung an arm around her, lowering his mouth to her ear. “It’s not so big when you get here.”
“How did you know what I was thinking?”
James shrugged. “I’ve known you for a long time.”
“It’s too bad you won’t be here.”
James smirked. Mandy had been harboring a crush on him for as long as he could remember. It was fairly obvious – and even flattering. He had a feeling it had more to do with being Ally’s older, mysterious brother than anything he’d done to warrant the teenage infatuation. He liked to feed into her fantasies, though. It was harmless. Once she got a little older, she would find someone her own age to fixate on and he would be a distant memory.
“Something tells me you’ll be fine,” James said, tugging her hair affectionately.
The moment was interrupted by a flurry of dark hair and angry attitude. “What is going on here?”
James froze. Ann. They’d been dating for six months, but it was more out of boredom than anything else. Barker Creek didn’t have a lot of choices when it came to women and James had finally settled on Ann because he knew it was impossible to become attached to her. She was pretty – in an overly made up way – and she filled out a pair of jeans better than anyone else in the school.
She was also a stuck-up princess who would rather talk about nail polish than anything of substance. It wasn’t love. He was just biding his time. He knew he would have no problem walking away from Ann once summer hit. That didn’t mean he wanted Ann to take out her wrath on Mandy, who presently looked like she was trying to find a nearby exit to escape through.
“We’re just talking,” James said, his tone terse. “There’s no need for a freak out.”
“You have your arm around another girl and I shouldn’t freak out?” Ann placed her hands on her hips expectantly, casting a dark look in Mandy’s direction.
James protectively tightened his arm around Mandy’s slight shoulders. “She has art class over here,” he said. “We were just talking. She’s in middle school, for crying out loud. Don’t be a bitch.”
Mandy couldn’t stop the burning sensation from rushing over her cheeks, and Ann noticed the blush creeping up the girl’s neck.
“Shouldn’t you go to class then?” Ann turned on Mandy.
“I was just going,” Mandy mumbled, starting to pull away from James.
James’ face was also flushed, but with anger. “Leave her alone.”
“Why? You want to protect your little girlfriend from me?”
James cleared his throat. They were beginning to draw a crowd. “Leave her alone,” he repeated, his eyes traveling down to Mandy’s rapidly shrinking frame. He didn’t miss the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes and he mentally cursed himself for putting her in this position. Ally was going to have a major meltdown when she heard, and that was the last thing he needed right now. He had to find a way to extricate Mandy from Ann’s wrath without making it look like he was interested in a middle-school girl. “You should go to class.” James gave Mandy a small shove back in the direction of the art class, taking a step between her and Ann to make sure that Ann wouldn’t try to intimidate the girl even further.
Mandy stumbled a little with the shove, putting her head down and hurriedly trying to make her way to the classroom. James was relieved when he saw her disappear through the open doorway. Once she was gone, he fixed his eyes back on Ann. “Did you really need to make a scene?”
Ann’s face was haughty. “You don’t think I know she has a crush on you?”
“She’s fourteen,” James countered. “I’m her best friend’s older brother. Of course she has a crush on me. She probably has a crush on Grady and Finn, too.” James had no problem throwing his younger brothers under the bus in an attempt to temper Ann’s fury. “That’s what teenage girls do, right?”
Ann’s grim smile faltered, but only slightly. “You like it that she has a crush on you, don’t you?”
James’ face colored slightly. “She’s a kid,” he said. “She hangs around with my kid sister. I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss about this.”
Ann’s eyes narrowed as her dark brown eyes glanced back in the direction of the art class. “Oh, I haven’t even begun to make a fuss.”
James’ heart clenched. He knew that look. Ann had made a name for herself as the one girl you didn’t want to cross in this school. Her revenge was legendary – and it was not something that a fourteen-year-old girl was likely to be able to fight off. He decided to try a different tactic.
“Do you somehow think that terrorizing a middle schooler is going to give you some street cred? It’s just going to make you look like a witch,” he said. “Or even more of a witch than most people already think you are.”
James knew the minute the words were out of his mouth that he should have kept them to himself. Ann’s eyes were narrow and calculating now.
“You think I’m a witch?”
James plastered a smile on his handsome face, one that had talked many a girl into the backseat of a car before he settled down with Ann. “Maybe I like witches,” he said, forcing his tone to go low and flirtatious.
Ann’s lips tipped up into a small smile as she sidled closer to James. “I bet you do,” she purred. “A witch can do a lot more for you than a Pollyanna like Amanda Avery. I can promise you that.”
“I have to be nice to her,” James sighed. “She’s at my house all the time. If I’m mean, my dad will not be happy. Mandy’s dad and my dad are friends.” James felt mildly guilty for saying the words, especially when he didn’t mean them.
Ann’s smile washed over her entire face as she cuddled up to James, enticingly running her hands across his narrow waist. James shivered, but not because of the feelings she was trying to elicit from him. For some reason, now, the idea of Ann touching him made his skin crawl.
Despite those feelings, James didn’t put up a fight when Ann pushed her lips against his. His mind was already wandering. He couldn’t wait to get out of this town and away from everyone in it – especially Ann.
Present Day …
“You’re never going to guess who I saw today,” Grady Hardy announced, striding into his brother’s office like it was his own.
James glanced up from behind his desk and smiled. Grady was prone to fits of drama, which was probably why he’d let his brown hair grow long. Grady said it was because women liked long hair – which James didn’t doubt – but the long hair also seemed to fit Grady’s wild personality. “Who did you see?”
“Ann Nelson,” Grady replied, his grin wide.
James involuntarily shuddered, his mind jolting back to high school for a second. “God, where did you see her?”
“She tracked me down at my house,” Grady said, raising his eyebrows for emphasis.
“Why?” James was horrified. “She wasn’t looking for me, was she?”
“As a matter of fact, she was,” Grady said, throwing himself in one of the open chairs across from James’ desk.
“Why?” James groaned, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “What did she want?”
“What did who want?” Another voice joined the fray as the third Hardy brother, Finn, stepped in through the open office door. While his hair was the same brown his brothers boasted, his was clipped much shorter to reflect the military lifestyle they’d all been a part of for years.
“Ann Nelson,” Grady said, his tone teasing. “She showed up at my house today.”
Finn smirked. “Was she trying to give you herpes or something?”
Grady frowned. “Does she have herpes? That’s a bummer. She still looks pretty hot. I was thinking of giving her a shot if James doesn’t want first dibs.”
James frowned. “I don’t want any dibs.”
“Doesn’t she have a few kids?” Finn asked. “Last time I heard, she was married to some investment banker and had popped out a few kids to make sure he would have to pay child support when he inevitably divorced her.”
That sounded about right
, James mused. Trapping a man with money so she wouldn’t have to work sounded exactly like something Ann would do.
Grady furrowed his brow. “Oh, I didn’t know she had kids.”
James couldn’t hide his smirk. None of the Hardy brothers were looking to settle down and raise a family any time soon, but Grady was especially leery of what he called “knee biters.”
“She’s not looking so attractive anymore, is she?” James leaned back, looking smug. “As someone that has firsthand experience with that … woman … trust me when I say, you don’t want to get caught in her web.”
“Because she’s a spider?” Finn asked.
“A black widow,” James agreed. “What did she want?”
“She wants to hire us,” Grady replied.
James sucked in a breath. There was no way in hell he was going to work for that woman. He didn’t care how much she paid. “Why would she need our services?”
Grady smiled cagily. “She’s looking for someone to track down her husband.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know she was married,” Finn interrupted.
“No, I said I didn’t know she had kids,” Grady countered. “There’s a difference.”
“So, you have no problem banging a married woman, but a mother is out of the question,” Finn supplied.
“Pretty much.”
“You’re a sterling example of the male gender,” Finn teased.
“Oh, like you wouldn’t take a poke if a hot woman showed up at your door practically begging for it,” Grady groused.
“She was looking for James,” Finn pointed out.
“Yeah, why was she looking for me at your house?” James asked.
“She said she couldn’t find a listing for a residence for you,” Grady replied. “From the sound of it, she was looking pretty hard, you lucky dog.”
James rolled his eyes. “Why would she think we would be able to find her husband? If he’s missing, she should file a missing person’s report with the police. We’re not private investigators.”
Grady shrugged. “A lot of people think that a security company is the same thing as private investigators.”
“I’m sure you set her straight,” James pressed.
“No,” Grady shook his head. “I gave her your cell number.”
James visibly blanched, his throat suddenly dry. “You what?”
Grady’s sly smile was too much. James had to fight the urge to jump over the desk and punch his brother in the face. They were only eleven months apart in age, but James was fairly sure he could still take him.
Grady read the stiff set of James’ shoulders and held up his hand in a placating manner. “I’m kidding. I told her that we don’t do missing person retrievals. It doesn’t sound like the guy was kidnapped or met with foul play anyway. From the sound of it, he emptied their bank accounts and purposely disappeared.”
James let out a ragged breath. “If anyone could drive a man to run away from his family, it would be Ann.”
“What did you tell her to do?” Finn asked.
“I directed her to Mike McManus,” Grady replied. “I told her he actually does track down runaway spouses for a living.”
“Good job,” James grunted, turning his attention back to the paperwork on his desk.
“She still wanted to know about you, though,” Grady added. “She wanted to know if you were married. I told her you were single, and that seemed to brighten her right up. I told her to drop by the office when she had time.”
James cleared his throat angrily.
“I also told her our office was in Troy,” Grady said quickly. “If she’s really dedicated, she’ll be able to find us. We’re Hardy Brothers Security, after all. It’s not exactly like we’re hiding.”
James frowned. Grady had a point.
“Maybe we should change the name of the business,” Finn offered.
James considered the suggestion and then pushed it out of his mind. He’d spent years building up this business, both of his brothers joining the fold when their military stints came to an end. Hardy Brothers Security had a great reputation – and not just in Southeastern Michigan. The brothers were starting to get international clients, so starting over from scratch sounded like a lot of work just to hide from Ann. This was Ann Nelson, though, so it was still worth considering.
“He’s actually thinking about it,” Grady said. “God, how much do you hate that woman?”
“I don’t hate her,” James replied carefully. “I just don’t like her.”
“You’re the one that dated her,” Grady reminded him.
“For lack of other options,” James shot back.
“You had your hand,” Finn said, not even trying to hide his wide smile. “It seems to me that would’ve been a better option.”
James couldn’t argue with that logic. Still, high school seemed so far away now. He’d thought Ann Nelson would be nothing more than a dark memory for the rest of his life – not one of his present problems. That was one of the reasons he’d built the security business four hours south of his rural, northern Lower Michigan hometown. He could still go home to visit his parents – but he didn’t have to stay there on a regular basis.
“What is she even doing down here?” James asked.
“She moved to Oakland County a few years ago, I guess,” Grady said. “I have no idea where she met the husband, but there’s not a big call for investment bankers in Barker Creek.”
“Couldn’t she have met someone that lived in a different state?” James grumbled.
Finn smiled at his brother’s obvious discomfort. “This all would be a moot point if you hadn’t dated her and then dumped her in the ditch five minutes after graduation.”
“At least he didn’t do it the day before senior prom like he originally planned,” Grady said.
James scowled. “Can we stop talking about Ann Nelson and focus on business?”
Finn and Grady exchanged knowing glances, which James didn’t miss but chose to ignore. “Sure, bro. What have you got?”
James sighed. He wanted to change the subject. Unfortunately, there were no new cases clogging his desk so he didn’t have anything shiny and new to distract his brothers with. “Umm … well … .”
“He doesn’t have anything,” Grady ascertained. “He just doesn’t want to be reminded of what a douche he was in high school.”
“I was not a douche in high school,” James countered. “I was … .”
“Horny?” Finn supplied, cringing when James shot him a death look. “Hey, I don’t blame you. She was hot in high school.”
“She was still a bitch,” Grady said.
“You’re the one that was considering sleeping with her five minutes ago,” Finn reminded him.
“Yeah, but I would’ve gagged her first,” Grady said, an impish grin on his face.
“Good to know,” Finn smiled back.
James had a feeling his brothers were never going to let this go. He was relieved when a bell jangled, alerting them someone had entered through the front door of the business.
James got to his feet, fixing Grady and Finn with a pointed look. “While you two continue doing whatever it is that you’re doing, I’m going to actually go and help a paying customer.”
“It could be Ann,” Grady warned for good measure.
James cringed but squared his shoulders. He wasn’t about to let his brothers see him run from his big high school mistake. He couldn’t hide his relief when the woman he saw standing uncertainly in the lobby clearly wasn’t Ann.
James took a second to look her up and down. She had long, blonde hair and big, blue eyes. Her cheekbones were high, making her face beautiful despite the worried look that was splashed across it. She was about five feet, five inches tall, with a narrow waist and toned legs. If she wasn’t a potential client, she was exactly the type of woman James would be drawn to. He’d made a rule a long time ago not to get involved with clients. It just messed everything up and made things too complicated.
“Can I help you?”
The woman seemed surprised by his voice, jumping noticeably when he stepped into the lobby. When she caught sight of him, their eyes meeting for the first time, her face broke into a wide smile. There was something familiar about that smile, but James couldn’t quite place what.
He moved closer to the woman, extending his hand to her as he did. “I’m James Hardy. Can I help you?”
The woman put her small hand in his, shaking it uncertainly. She still hadn’t spoken.
“Are you lost?” James tried again.
The woman bit her bottom lip. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
James wracked his memory, but he couldn’t put a name with the beautiful face. “I’m sorry. I don’t. Have we met?”
The woman forced out a harsh laugh and glanced down at her hands. “I don’t know why I thought you would remember me. It’s stupid really.”
James kept the welcoming smile on his face, but he was less certain inside. He couldn’t help but be sure that, if he’d met this woman before, he would remember her. She didn’t have a face that was forgettable – or a body, for that matter. Up close, not only were her legs long and trim, but the blue jeans she was wearing were snug enough to paint a clear picture of what was under the denim. The V-neck shirt beneath her canvas jacket was also proof that the breasts, currently hidden beneath a layer of cotton, were pretty spectacular, too. No, he definitely would not be able to forget this woman. “I’m sorry; you might have to remind me.”
“My name is Mandy,” she said, finally lifting her eyes up to meet his again. “Mandy Avery.”
