Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) (11 page)

Grady and Sophie woke up twined together the next morning. They’d returned to her place after midnight, both bone tired from searching through the documents, and fell directly into bed. Despite their exhaustion, the duo managed a brief burst of lovemaking before falling asleep – both of them reaching for each other wordlessly and succumbing to their combined passion.

“Morning,” Grady murmured when he felt Sophie shift next to him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“You didn’t. I was already awake.”

“Then why are you laying there with your eyes closed?”

“I’m hoping that, if I pretend to be asleep, you’ll pretend, too.”

Sophie laughed. “I have to go to work today.”

Grady sighed deeply. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

“Don’t you have work to do, too?”

“Probably.”

“Probably?”

“James has been giving me leeway over the past few days so I can focus on you,” Grady said.

“Me?” Sophie’s heart rolled.

“I mean your case,” Grady corrected.

“How am I a case for you guys? It’s not like I’m paying you,” Sophie said, trying to tamp down her sudden disappointment.

“Maybe we’re just good guys,” Grady suggested.

Unfortunately for Sophie, she was starting to believe that was the truth. “I need to take a shower.”

“Do you want help?”

Sophie glanced at the clock. “I better not,” she said. “If you help, I’ll be late.”

“When do you have to be to the office?”

“I’m not going to straight to the office today,” Sophie said. “I have to go to a funeral first.”

Grady stiffened. “Who died?”
Why didn’t she tell me someone died?

“A local fireman, Ed Reid,” Sophie replied. “He was the one who died in that apartment-building fire last week.”

Grady ran his hand up and down Sophie’s naked back. “Was he a friend of yours?”

Sophie shook her head. “I never met him. I have to cover it for the newspaper.”

“Oh,” Grady said, sighing in relief. “I thought you were going because it was personal. I didn’t realize you were going for work. It’s got to be tough to go to a funeral and have to cover it.”

Sophie shrugged. “In some cases? Yeah. Like when a teenager is killed in an accident, or someone is murdered, it becomes intrusive when it’s one of those things. This is different.”

“How?”

“This is kind of a … show,” Sophie said. “Every fireman not on duty in the county will show up in their dress uniform. They’re expecting photographers and reporters. They want Ed to be revered as a hero. They want him to get a lot of attention. In cases like this, we’re feeding into what the public – and the fire department itself – wants. They want the attention. It’s like a public feeding frenzy.”

Grady raised himself up on his elbow, pressing a kiss into Sophie’s shoulder. “Your job sucks sometimes, doesn’t it?”

“Sometimes,” Sophie agreed. “I think that can be said of any job, though.”

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you to your job then,” Grady said. “I have some things I want to run down today anyway.”

“Like what?”

“I want to see what I can find out about John Madison.”

“What do you think you’ll find?”

Grady shrugged. “I don’t know. That’s why I have to look.”

Sophie reluctantly pulled away from Grady and climbed out of bed. “If you promise to be quick, you can take a shower with me.”

Grady smirked, following her wordlessly.

FUNERALS
are sad – even when they’re for show.

While Ed Reid’s family had hosted a private event for the fallen hero earlier in the week, the tears were just as fresh and real at this public funeral, Sophie figured. His wife, a thin, blonde woman, looked frail and weak as she was led down the aisle by two of Ed’s firefighting brethren. His daughter, a blonde teenager, was devoid of makeup and already had tears cascading down her face as she followed behind.

Sophie sat through the funeral, taking the occasional note, making sure to seclude herself in the back of the room so she wouldn’t intrude on anyone’s grief. When the funeral ended, Sophie moved outside – interviewing a few tearful residents – and then waiting for the casket to be carried out by the uniformed firemen’s procession.

Sophie was surprised when two men moved in behind her. She glanced up, recognizing two sheriff’s deputies right away. Mike Monahan and Trevor Gold were both lieutenants. They’d been with the sheriff’s department longer than Sophie had been with the newspaper. While she wasn’t particularly familiar with either of them, she hadn’t had any nasty run ins with them either.

“Deputies.”

“Ms. Lane,” Gold said. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m just covering the funeral for the Daily Tribune,” Sophie said. “It’s big news when something like this happens.”

“I’m surprised you have the time to cover this, what with all the mudslinging you’ve been throwing in the sheriff’s department’s direction these days,” Monahan challenged.

“I don’t consider it mudslinging,” Sophie said, meeting his gaze evenly. “I consider it doing my job.”

“I guess that’s how you can sleep at night,” Gold sneered. “You lie to yourself.”

“Lieutenant Gold, I would think you’d want me to uncover the truth,” Sophie said. “Isn’t that what being in law enforcement is all about?”

“Not
your
kind of truth,” Gold said. “Your kind of truth comes in the form of lies.”

“The money is missing,” Sophie countered. “That’s not a lie. I’m not the one covering something up.”

“The sheriff didn’t take it,” Gold replied. “He’s a good man.”

“I’m not saying he isn’t,” Sophie replied. “Someone else could’ve taken the money.”

“Who?” Monahan asked.

Sophie considered pressing the issue.
Why not?
“Why is it, do you think, that James Madison is the primary account holder on all of the sheriff’s department’s accounts?”

Monahan furrowed his brow. “What?”

“Oh, now you’re going to blame it on John?” Gold said. “That’s just rich.”

“John is a good man,” Monahan said. “You shouldn’t throw stones – especially given your
unsavory
ties.”

“Meaning?”

“Weren’t you raised by the Marconis?” Monahan asked. “They’re mob.”

“That’s funny,” Sophie said. “They’ve never been convicted of anything.”

“That doesn’t mean they’re not mob,” Gold said. “Just that they’re too smart to get caught.”

“We’re all entitled to our opinions,” Sophie said stiffly. She’d heard numerous aspersions cast on her foster family throughout the years. It was better not to engage in situations like this.

“Some of us get to print our opinions in the newspaper as fact, though, don’t we?” Gold said.

“I don’t print my opinions in the newspaper,” Sophie replied. “That would be an editorial. I don’t write editorials. I print facts.”

“The sheriff didn’t steal any money,” Gold seethed.

“And I never said that he did,” Sophie argued. “I merely pointed out that money allocated from the county disappeared before being registered in the sheriff’s department’s accounts. You should actually be glad that I’m investigating this case.”

“How do you figure?”

“Because that money was supposed to go for new vehicles and equipment for you guys,” Sophie said. “You’re the ones who’ve really been screwed here. You should be angrier than I am.”

“Who says we’re not angry?” Monahan asked. “Maybe we’re just angry at the right people.”

“And who are the right people?”

“Those would be those fat cats sitting up on their thrones at the county commission,” Gold said. “They’re the ones who stole the money, and now they’re just trying to use the sheriff as a scapegoat.”

“That’s possible,” Sophie conceded. “I just got a huge packet of financial information from the county, just in case that was the case.”

“And what did you find?” Monahan asked.

“It’s almost two thousand pages of stuff,” Sophie said. “I haven’t been able to go through all of it. I just got it yesterday.”

“Well, maybe you should be doing that instead of acting like a ghoul at a funeral,” Gold suggested.

“I have to go where my editor sends me,” Sophie said. “I still have to follow rules, just like everyone else.”

“Well, why don’t you focus on your rules and leave the sheriff alone,” Monahan said. “I think we’d all appreciate that.”

“You might not like what happens if you don’t,” Gold added.

Sophie froze at the words – words that were a little too similar to the email threat.
Could he be the one who sent it?

Even though the day was warm, Sophie shivered – a reaction not lost on Gold. He was getting off on her rush of sudden fear, Sophie realized, puffing out his chest like he was some big, strong man. She took a step away from the two deputies. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You do that.”

Sophie took the opportunity to flee, casting a series of glances over her shoulder as she made her way to her car. Thankfully, no one was following her – at least not that she could see. Once she was inside, she locked the door and took a few moments to catch her breath. She was being silly, she told herself. There was no way that two sheriff’s department deputies – two lieutenants, for crying out loud – would be stupid enough to threaten her.

It was just a coincidence.

Once Sophie had calmed herself, she started the car and pointed it in the direction of the Daily Tribune. She had a story to file – an important one. Once she was done, she could escape to relative safety. The fact that relative safety resembled Grady Hardy was not lost on her.

Despite her best efforts, she was falling for him. That meant only heartbreak could be around the corner.

Sophie didn’t fully catch her breath until she was in the Daily Tribune’s parking lot. She’d watched her rearview mirror for signs of someone following her the entire ride across town. There were even a few times she was convinced she saw the same dark SUV moving in and out of lanes on the highway behind her.

No one had followed her into the newspaper’s parking lot. She was sure of that.

Sophie gathered herself, grabbing her notebook before exiting the car. Marge was sitting behind the desk in the reception area, the look on her face full of disdain when she caught sight of Sophie.

“I wasn’t sure you still worked here.”

“I’ve been busy.”

“Doing what?”

“Working on a story,” Sophie replied. “Something you would know nothing about, Marge.” Sophie had no idea why Marge’s negative attitude was so chafing today. Usually, she just ignored the gossipy secretary. Today, the sight of her round face and pointed glare was just too much.

“You’re so full of yourself,” Marge snapped. “You think you’re better than everyone here.”

“I think you’re projecting,” Sophie said. “You’ve got a rich fantasy life up here, don’t you? You think you know everything that is going on, and you really don’t know anything that’s going on.”

Marge’s face colored with rage. “And you think, because you look like a model, that everyone is just going to bow down and do what you want.”

“I don’t think anything of the sort,” Sophie shot back. “I’m here to do my job, and nothing else. What bug crawled up your butt and died, by the way? You’re never pleasant, but you’re usually not this unpleasant.”

“You’ve been quite the talk around here the past couple of days,” Marge sniffed. “You probably didn’t know that because you haven’t been here, you know, doing your job.”

“And what are people saying?”

“I heard the women in advertising talking,” Marge said. “They said you were attacked outside a bar two nights ago. What? Did some guy want more than you were willing to give? Did he find out you’re frigid?”

“Who told you that?”

“That you’re frigid? Everyone thinks it.”

“Not that. Who told you about the guy attacking me with the knife outside of the bar?”

Marge shifted uncomfortably. “He had a knife? I’m sorry. I didn’t know that. The way everyone was talking, it sounded like you had just ticked some guy off at the bar and were purposefully making a scene.”

Sophie was surprised by Marge’s apology. “To be fair, he didn’t get that close to me. I was with three other women, and two of them noticed him before I did and stopped him.”

“You were out with friends on a Sunday night? I didn’t even know you had any friends,” Marge said. “I thought you were married to the job.”

Were they friends? Were they her friends?
Sophie still wasn’t sure – although the pang in her heart told her that was something she actually wanted. “I haven’t known them very long,” Sophie admitted. “It was just a friendly couple hours at the bar.”

Sophie moved toward the glass double doors that led to the inner sanctum of the newspaper.

“The ad reps said something else,” Marge said.

Sophie stilled. “What?”

“They said that you were picked up at the bar by a man.”

Oh, that’s what this was about.
“They know a lot about a situation they weren’t present for.”

“Actually, Jolene was there,” Marge said. “You just didn’t see her.”

Jolene was one of the blonde ad reps who had been fawning all over Grady when she dropped him off in the advertising department the day they met. Sophie didn’t know her well – but what she did know wasn’t complimentary.

“I caught a ride home with a friend,” Sophie replied.

“Grady Hardy is a friend of yours now?” Marge asked, her tone accusatory.

Sophie swiveled back around. “Why do you care?”

“I don’t care,” Marge said. “I just find it surprising. You two weren’t exactly friendly to each other the other day.”

“We’ve had some time to reassess,” Sophie said. “I’m sure that’s what you want to here, right? So you can spread it around the gossip mill?”

Marge was silent, her eyes dark.

“Or is this about his brother, James?” Sophie knew she’d hit the nail on the head when Marge flinched. “Oh, good grief. He’s a client of the newspaper, Marge. He’s not interested in you. He’s never been interested in you. He’s a nice guy. That’s all.”

“You don’t know,” Marge said. “He could be interested in me. I have a great personality.”

“I do know,” Sophie said. “I’ve met his girlfriend. She’s funny – and nice – and she’s his entire world.”

“Grady said they weren’t serious,” Marge replied.

“Grady was lying to make you feel better,” Sophie said. “That’s what he does.” She knew she was being mean, but Marge’s constant attitude where she was concerned was pushing her over the edge. “He’s a nice guy. James is a nice guy. James is a nice guy who is completely infatuated with his girlfriend.”

“You’re just saying that to be mean,” Marge said. “Admit it.”

For a second, Sophie considered lying. Marge looked upset – genuinely upset. Sophie realized the greater kindness was telling her the truth, so maybe then she would move on and find someone she could actually connect with.

“James Hardy is so in love with his girlfriend it hurts to look at them sometimes,” Sophie said, the honestly of the words washing over her – drowning her own heart. “We should all want what they have.”

Sophie left Marge stewing behind the desk. Part of her felt guilty. The other part realized that she was one of the people who wanted want James and Mandy had – even if it involved incessantly watching shark movies.

Once she got to her desk, Sophie found herself swarmed by curious co-workers.

“I heard you got attacked the other night?”

“Do the police have any leads?”

“Did you recognize the guy?”

“Do you think it’s because of the story you’re working on?”

Conrad scattered his employees as he joined the fray. “How was the funeral?”

Sophie shrugged. “Sad.”

Conrad glanced at his loitering reporters. “Don’t you all have work to do?”

Her co-workers were reluctant to leave, but they knew Conrad meant business, so they did. Once they were gone, Conrad fixed her with a hard look. “What have you got on the other thing?”

“It’s fluid,” Sophie said. “I got a huge packet of information yesterday – and there is some information there that’s important. I need to go through it all, though. It’s like two thousand pages.”

Conrad’s eyebrows lifted. “Crap.”

“Yeah.”

“You should’ve told me. I would’ve pulled you off the funeral.”

“It’s okay. It’s good to get a break,” Sophie replied. “I’m going to file my story, and then get out of here. I need to get back at it.”

“Okay,” Conrad said. “Keep me posted.”

“You got it, boss.”

Conrad smiled. “Make sure you keep safe, too. If the other night is any indication, you’re on someone’s radar.”

IT ONLY
took Sophie a half hour to bang out her story and file it in the system. When she was done, she gathered her things and slipped out the back door of the newsroom to avoid prying eyes.

She found Marge pouting behind her desk in the lobby.

“Bye, Marge.”

Marge glared at her. “Bye, bitch.”

Sophie climbed into her car, pulling out her phone before starting it. Grady picked up on the first ring. “Hey, sugar.”

Sugar?
“Hi. I was just checking in as instructed.”

“You don’t have to sound so happy about it,” Grady teased. “How long until you’re done?”

“I’m done now,” Sophie said. “I’m going to head home.”

“Okay,” Grady said. “I should be there in about a half hour.”

Sophie hadn’t invited him, but she was thrilled he’d invited himself. Although, part of her was mortified by the flutter of happiness in her belly. “Okay. Do you want me to pick up dinner?”

“I’ll do it,” Grady said. “Why don’t you go straight home?”

“You mean you want me to go home and lock myself in my house until you can get there and protect me, right?”

Grady sighed. “No. I mean I would like to buy you dinner.”

“I’m going to let you buy me dinner, but only if you let me pick where,” Sophie said.

“Fine.”

“Good. What do you like?”

“I like everything.”

“Okay, why don’t you stop at that Middle Eastern place on the corner by my house? They have great humus.”

“That sounds good. What do you want?”

“Just get me a beef kabob dinner with rice.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a little bit. You can tell me about your day over dinner. I have a few things to tell you, too.”

“About John Madison?”

“Yeah.”

“Are these good things or bad things?”

“I’ll tell you over dinner.”

“Not even a hint?”

Grady sighed, she could almost picture the frustrated look on his face over the phone. “I’ll see you in a few.”

Sophie couldn’t help the smile playing at the corner of her lips. He was buying her dinner. He wanted to hear about her day. This was starting to sound downright … domestic.

Don’t think like that? He’s only hanging around until this is over.

Still, for tonight, things would be good. They would have a nice dinner, they would share important conversation, and then they would go to bed. Together. For now, that was enough.

Sophie started the car, pulling out into rush-hour traffic before merging onto the I-94 freeway to go home. She was lost in thought, but Sophie’s attention was drawn to the entrance ramp behind her. More importantly, it was drawn to the dark SUV that had pulled out of the gas station behind her as she passed.

Sophie tried to keep her heartbeat in check. There were thousands of dark SUVs on the roads during this time of day. There was no way it was the same one she thought was following her earlier. No way.

Sophie accelerated, testing her theory. The SUV sped up behind her. Sophie shifted lanes to the left, slowing down. The SUV stayed in the previous lane, but the driver decelerated, too.

Crap.

Sophie wasn’t sure what to do. She fumbled in the seat next to her, finding her phone. She pressed redial and held it to her ear.

“Do you want to change your order?” Grady answered, his tone flirty.

“Someone is following me on the freeway.”

“What kind of car is it?” All pretext of fun was gone from Grady’s voice.

“It’s a dark SUV. I think it followed me from the funeral earlier.”

“Can you see a license plate?”

“It’s behind me.”

“Can you see a driver?”

“The window is tinted.”

“Are you near an exit?”

Sophie glanced at the sign on the side of the road. “The Harper Road exit is coming up.”

“Take the south exit,” Grady said. “There are businesses there. Pull into the first one you see, and don’t get out of your car. Stay on the line with me. I’m on my way.”

“Okay.”

Sophie signaled, cutting back into the right lane of traffic.

“Don’t use your turn signal when you get off the expressway,” Grady ordered. “Wait until the last possible second, and then get on the exit.”

“Okay.”

“It’s going to be okay, Sophie. I’m coming.”

“I know.”

“Put the phone on speaker and put it on the seat next to you,” Grady instructed. “Keep both of your hands on the wheel.”

“Okay.” Sophie’s voice was shaking, but she did as she was told.

“Just keep talking to me,” Grady said, his voice soothing. “Tell me what you see.”

“I’m almost at the exit.”

“Just remain calm.”

“I know you’re trying to help,” Sophie said. “You’re starting to freak me out, though.”

“Okay. I’ll try to stop.”

“I’m pulling off now.”

Silence.

“He exited with me.”

Grady cursed. “Do you see a business?”

“Yes. There’s a gas station right across the road. I’m at the light.”

“Look in the rearview mirror. What do you see?”

“Nothing. It’s just a guy behind the wheel. I can’t make out any features.”

“Don’t worry about it. Focus on what’s ahead of you.”

“The light is still red.”

“As long as you stay in the vehicle you’re safe,” Grady said.

“It turned green.”

“Head toward the gas station.”

“I’m about to turn … oh, shit.”

“What?”

Sophie braced for impact as the SUV accelerated. She knew she was about to get hit, but there was nowhere to go. The traffic coming from the other direction was too heavy. She’d cause an accident, possibly kill someone, if she tried to get away.