Deadly Reunion (Hardy Brothers Security Book 20) (8 page)

“History, baby. Now shut your mouth and go to work. We both need a good night’s sleep, and we’re going to have to put in a workout before that happens. Giddyap, woman.”

“
I
’ve got
good news and bad news,” Grady announced, breezing into Mandy and James’ kitchen the next morning with a bag of breakfast food containers in his arms and a grim expression on his face. “What do you want first?”

“Eggs,” Mandy replied, rubbing the side of her cheek as James pushed a mug of coffee in front of her. “Hash browns and toast, too.”

“Yes, little glutton, I’ve got your food,” Grady said, dropping the box on the kitchen table and giving his sister-in-law a sidelong glance. “You look exhausted, kid. Did James’ freakout last late into the night?”

“I wasn’t freaking out,” James muttered, taking a seat at the head of the table and making a face. “Why does everyone think I freak out?”

“Because we’ve met you,” Grady replied, rolling his eyes. “You look exhausted, too. Did you guys fight?”

“Almost,” Mandy replied. “He wanted to pick a fight as a form of punishment for himself, but I dropped my clothes instead. We compromised.”

“Nice,” Grady said. “It’s good to know that in a time of crisis you two can always be counted on to continue your sex fiendish ways.”

“A classic never goes out of style,” James said, offering Mandy a wan smile as he squeezed her hand. “We had a late night. I couldn’t sleep.”

“Finally I had to knock him out,” Mandy supplied.

“With your boobs?” Grady asked.

“No, I made him take nighttime cold medicine,” Mandy answered honestly. “I did my best, but I wasn’t enough for him.”

“You’re always enough, wife,” James said. “Heck, three-quarters of the time you’re too much. I just couldn’t get this thing out of my head. The more I think about it, the more it bothers me. Nothing about this makes sense.”

“I figured,” Grady said. “What about you, kid? Do you have work?”

“I called in sick.” Mandy slathered a piece of toast with strawberry jam and enthusiastically bit into it. “I’m off and yours for the day.”

Grady’s eyebrows flew up his forehead as surprise washed over him. “You voluntarily called in sick to work? What happened to that infamous work ethic of yours?”

“The judge knows I’m quitting and he told me to use up all of my sick days because otherwise I’ll just lose them,” Mandy replied blithely. “Believe it or not, despite how often I’ve taken off from work since James and I got together, I have a ton of them banked.”

“Aw, that’s just sad,” Grady said. “You’re essentially saying you had no life before the Hardys saved you from a world of misery and loneliness.”

“I’m saying that some things are more important than work and you’re bugging me,” Mandy said, slapping Grady’s arm so he would move away from the box of food. “I’m also starving. Get me some juice from the fridge.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Grady said, mock saluting before shuffling over to the refrigerator. “You guys are okay, right? We can’t start investigating if James is distracted by a fight.”

“We’re fine,” James said. “She wouldn’t let me fight last night so we talked things out.”

“With your tongues?”

“Do you talk without your tongue?” James challenged. “If so, you must be some sort of wizard.”

“Yes, I’m going to be Dumbledore in another life,” Grady said, not missing a beat as he returned with a jug of tomato juice. “Drink up, kid. You clearly need your nutrients.”

“Ha, ha.” Mandy poured herself a glass of juice and then flipped her eggs on top of her hash browns so she could mash everything together. When she spoke again it was with a mouth full of food. “You said you had good news and bad news. What is it?”

“Oh, that’s a face only a husband could love right there,” Grady intoned, sitting on the other side of James and digging into his own breakfast entrée.

“And her husband does love her,” James said. “Drooling and eating tendencies included.”

“Yeah, we’re going to fight later if you’re not careful,” Mandy said. “Tell us the news.”

“Okay, the bad news is first,” Grady said. “Finn has to spend another night in the hospital.”

James balked. “What? Why? The doctor said he was fine. Did he have a setback?”

“No, drama queen,” Grady replied. “He’s just extremely sore and when Emma let it slip in front of the doctor that there was no way for him to get to his apartment without climbing stairs the doctor insisted he stay another night.”

“Oh.” James blew out a sigh. “Okay. That’s actually probably a good thing.”

“I don’t think it’s good for Emma,” Grady said. “She refuses to leave Finn but being away from Avery is killing her. Jake and Ally are taking the baby over there now. Ally is thrilled, by the way. She thinks her evil plan to be Avery’s favorite is working.”

“For a change, Ally is the least of my worries,” James said. “Avery is in good hands with her and Jake. Crap! What about Jeff? I forgot all about him when I decided to work from here today.”

“I handled that, too,” Grady said. “Some of us have been up for hours because we’re not sex fiends.”

“Sophie said no, huh?” Mandy wrinkled her nose when Grady shot her a death look and James cracked his first genuine smile of the day.

“She was tired,” Grady said finally. “She didn’t call in sick to work today like other lazy people I know.”

“That’s because she wants to find out more about this case,” James supplied. “She can’t help herself. She’s a reporter. Digging for dirt is what she does … and she’s good at it.”

“Yes, my sugar is amazing,” Grady agreed. “She’ll call if she comes up with something, by the way.”

“That’s good,” James said. “We can use all the help we can get. What did you do with Jeff?” Grady’s smirk told James he wasn’t going to like the answer. “You made him do inventory, didn’t you?”

Grady shrugged. “It had to be done and we’re very busy,” he said. “Jeff wants to be close to the security building because of Avery. He also can’t be around us if we get our guns out – which is bound to happen – so I figured it was the best thing all around.”

“You just don’t want to do it,” James said. “Still, I can’t think of anything else to do with him while we’re so preoccupied so it’s probably a good thing.”

“Thank you,” Grady said. “Next time just open with ‘Grady, you’re a genius’ and we’ll all be a lot happier.”

“Grady, I’m going to thump you if you’re not careful,” James warned, turning to his breakfast. “You said you had two bits of news. If Finn having to stay in the hospital is the bad news, what’s the good news?”

“We have more help on the way,” Grady replied.

James furrowed his brow, confused. “Who?”

“Well, Sophie was on the phone with her father this morning and … you know … she might’ve let something slip about Finn being shot.”

“Peter.” James glanced at Mandy, conflicted. In addition to being Sophie’s adopted father, Peter Marconi was also a local mafia figure. He had connections and knew how to ask the right questions. He could be a big help, but his presence could also be cause for concern in the wrong circles. “I’m not sure … .”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Mandy announced. “He’ll be able to get information that’s not readily available to us and he might know people at the casino who can help. Casino people are not known for being chatty.”

“How do you know that?” James challenged.

“I just watched
Las Vegas
on Netflix.”

James shook his head as Grady dissolved into laughter. “You and Ally are barred from watching television. I’m putting my foot down.”

Mandy wasn’t worried in the slightest. “Yeah, we’ll see how that goes when I take my clothes off tonight.”

“Well, at least I have something to look forward to,” James said. “Eat your breakfast. I’m guessing Peter will be here soon.”

“Fifteen minutes,” Grady said. “That’s when our day begins.”

“
Y
OU LOOK
tired
, my dear.” Peter cupped Mandy’s chin when she greeted him at the door, taking an extra moment to scan the dark circles under her eyes. “I was led to believe Finn’s wound wasn’t life-threatening. How bad is it?”

“They’re not tired because of Finn,” Grady scoffed, dodging James’ outstretched arm when his brother tried to grab him. “They played a rousing game of hide the salami that went well into the night. They don’t deserve your sympathy.”

“Ah.” Peter chuckled as Mandy’s cheeks turned crimson. “Don’t fret, my dear. You and James can’t keep your hands off each other on a normal day. Finding out how you deal with stress isn’t exactly surprising.”

“It’s going to be surprising when I put my foot in Grady’s ass,” James said, ushering Peter into the house and directing him toward the kitchen. “He’s got a big mouth.”

“He does indeed,” Peter said. “Sven and Rodrigo will be here shortly. I sent them to check out a few leads when I got some disturbing information on this case.”

“You already have information?” Mandy asked, impressed. “How did you manage that?”

“Because he probably worked late into the light without distractions,” James said pointedly.

“I was in bed by ten,” Peter countered. “I find I’m much happier if I’m up before the sun.”

“Not me,” Mandy said. “I would rather play late and sleep all day.”

“And that’s why I love you, baby,” James said, kissing her cheek before sitting in the chair next to Peter. “What did you find out?”

“Quite a bit actually,” Peter replied. “Sophie filled me in on all of the pertinent details this morning.”

“She was also up before the crack of dawn,” Grady interjected.

“That’s because she’s a chip off the old block,” Peter said fondly. “Anyway, for some reason the name Owen Parker rang a bell with me, although I couldn’t figure out why. I ran his name and came up with a few hits.”

“I didn’t do a thorough background check on him,” James said, lowering his gaze. “I should’ve done it but … .”

“You didn’t think it would be a big deal,” Peter finished, shooting a sympathetic look in James’ direction. “There’s no shame in it. He just needed a driver to the casino. That should’ve been a simple job.”

“And now my brother has been shot and has to spend another night in the hospital.”

“Actually, he might not have to do that,” Mandy said, rubbing her cheek with her knuckles. “I might have an idea on that front.”

“Really?” James was intrigued. “What’s your idea?”

“I need to make a call before I get Emma’s hopes up,” Mandy said. “Let me see if I can work my magic first.”

“If anyone can, it’s you,” James said, collecting her hand and pressing her palm to his lips. “Tell me if I can help you.”

“Oh, barf,” Grady intoned. “If you two drop your clothes in here I’m going to run screaming from the room.”

“Well, that’s incentive enough for me,” James snapped.

“Okay, gentleman, that will be enough of that,” Peter warned, shaking his head. “Seeing this display makes me realize how lucky I was to have one daughter. I would’ve killed three sons.”

“Yes, they’re delightful,” Mandy agreed, grinning. “Go back to Owen Parker. You obviously found out something about him. You wouldn’t have bothered coming to the house if you didn’t.”

“I definitely found out something about him,” Peter said, bobbing his head. “I found out that his name is not Owen Parker.”

“It’s not?” James lifted his eyebrows, surprised. “I ran his name through our initial search engine and found a hit. I did a cursory search. It wasn’t what it should’ve been, but he passed my initial investigation.”

“That’s because he changed his name two decades ago,” Peter said. “Perhaps I phrased that wrong. He
was
legally known as Owen Parker. His birth name, however, was Owen Barber.”

“I … is that supposed to mean something to me?” James asked.

“Probably not,” Peter conceded. “It means a great deal to me, though. You see, Owen Barber is the son of David Barber. While you might not recognize the name of the son, you should most certainly recognize the name of the father.”

“It sounds familiar but … I can’t quite place it,” James admitted.

“Me either,” Grady added.

“Oh, come on,” Mandy said, rolling her eyes. “You complain that Ally and I watch too much television and yet you clearly don’t watch enough. David Barber is on the five o’clock news every night these days.”

“He is?” James’ gaze bounced between Mandy and Peter. “Why?”

“Because David Barber is in the same line of business I am,” Peter answered. “He’s just not as good at it as me.”

“No one is as good at it as you are,” Mandy said, patting Peter’s hand. “David Barber is on trial for a fraudulent real estate scheme even though everyone knows he’s been dropping bodies in the Detroit River for thirty years. His trial is even being held on the same floor as Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom.”

“Oh,” James said, things clicking into place. “Oh!”

“Yes,” Peter said. “Now you understand.”

“I definitely understand,” James said. “We couldn’t figure out how Owen Parker got his hands on a million dollars. Come to find out he got it from his father.”

“Don’t jump to conclusions,” Peter warned. “My understanding is that David and Owen had a falling out a very long time ago and Owen wanted nothing to do with his father, which is probably why he changed his name.”

“If that’s true, then why is he dead?” Grady challenged.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” Peter replied. “That’s simply another piece of the puzzle we have to fit together.”

“Well, let’s get on it,” James said. “Until we know our lives are in limbo, and I hate limbo.”

“He does, however, enjoy the mattress mambo,” Grady offered.

“I’m definitely beating you,” James groused.

“Boys.” Peter shook his head. “I’m so glad I didn’t adopt boys.”

“
E
verything is set
in the den,” Mandy announced shortly before lunch, strolling into the kitchen and gracing the assembled men with a bright smile. “You may now bow down to my greatness.”

“I’ll bow later, baby,” James said, his eyes trained on his laptop screen. “If you play your cards right I’ll do it in the shower.”

It was a titillating offer, but Mandy was still annoyed by the lack of reaction from the men in her life. “Fine.” She blew out a dramatic sigh. “What have you found?”

James ripped his eyes away from his screen and grabbed Mandy’s hand so he could pull her close. He recognized the cold tone of her voice. “I’m always wowed by your greatness. Finn and Emma are going to be thankful that you arranged this. Frankly, I don’t know why we didn’t think of it sooner.”

“Yes, it’s a great idea,” Grady agreed. “Now you’re going to have an injured Finn, a hovering Emma, and a wailing infant under your roof. You’re a genius.”

“Shut up,” Mandy said, cuffing the back of Grady’s head. “They’re going to be sleeping in the den. We won’t even hear Avery when he cries, although I can’t help but wonder if we should move him up in the guest room so Emma and Finn can get a good night’s sleep.”

“Yeah, good luck tearing Emma away from Avery,” Grady said. “I talked to Jake and he said that she grabbed the baby out of Ally’s arms when they arrived at the hospital this morning and Ally almost had a meltdown. I guess James isn’t the only one who freaks out at the drop of a hat.”

Mandy bit the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. Even though James and Ally fought like cats and dogs, she’d often thought they had a lot of the same traits. Finn was known as the calm one in the Hardy family – and he generally held that distinction by himself. “I don’t know who you think you’re fooling,” Mandy said. “You’re just like Ally and James.”

“Hey,” James said, offended. “I am nothing like the Candy Crush king here.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Grady said. “That’s a hard game. It takes skill.”

“Multiple children make me tired,” Peter said, rolling his neck until it cracked. “I much prefer having bodyguards to sons.”

“Oh, puh-leez,” Grady intoned. “You love us and you know it.”

“Sadly, that’s very true,” Peter said, shaking his head. “I still would’ve dropped you in the middle of the woods and driven away without a backward glance if I had to raise you. I don’t know how your poor parents did it.”

“Neither do they,” James said, grinning. “What did you put in the den for Avery to sleep in, baby? We don’t have a crib and the one at the apartment is big and bulky.”

“We have a playpen,” Mandy reminded him. “Avery is fine sleeping in that for a few nights.”

“My guess is Emma is going to put him on the floor with her and Finn,” Grady said. “I hear tell she wouldn’t even hand the baby over long enough for Ally to say goodbye once you called with the change of plans. Our sister is deeply miffed, by the way. Jake is going to have to binge watch
Gilmore Girls
or something with her to get her to perk up.”

“He’d better propose soon or she’s just going to get knocked up no matter what,” James said. “She needs a baby.”

“What about you?” Peter asked, genuinely curious. “Do you need a baby?”

“I have a baby,” James said, smiling at Mandy.

“Sophie told me you two decided against children,” Peter said. “I think it’s bold and wonderful that you two know each other well enough to admit you don’t want children. Many women are shamed into thinking those feelings are wrong. I wondered if perhaps you changed your minds after Avery arrived, but I see that’s not the case.”

“We’ve decided to be the indulgent aunt and uncle,” Mandy supplied. “The kids can come over and swim in the pool whenever they want.”

“And then go home so we can swim naked in the pool once they’re gone,” James added, earning a playful shove from Mandy. “If there was an accident or something, I’m sure we would adapt. I love my wife so I would love anything that came out of her. As of now, though, we’re happy with the way things are.”

“And you?” Peter turned his pointed gaze toward Grady.

“I can’t even get the balls up to ask Sophie to marry me,” Grady said. “We’re nowhere near talking about kids yet.”

“That’s not what I asked,” Peter said, shaking his head. “And don’t worry about proposing. It will happen when it’s supposed to happen. It’s not like Sophie is freaking out and wondering why you haven’t asked her to marry you yet.”

“Even though he has a great ring,” Mandy muttered.

Peter stilled. “You bought a ring?”

“Thanks a lot, blabbermouth,” Grady snapped.

Mandy feigned contrition. “I’m very sorry.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You’re right. I’m not sorry,” Mandy said. “I want you to ask Sophie to marry you because I think she’s going to make a great sister-in-law. You need to get a move on things.”

“Mind your own business,” Grady said, rolling his eyes. “Women.”

“I prefer the way this woman is thinking right now,” Peter said. “You’re already a part of my family, Grady. I’ll be thrilled when you make it official.”

“See.” Mandy stuck her tongue out and swiveled quickly when Grady reached for her. James slapped down his brother’s hand before he could touch her.

“Don’t make me thump you,” James said.

“I see how it is,” Grady lamented. “You’re choosing her over me. I get it.”

“You won’t get it until you stop being a pussy and propose,” James said. “Until then … you’re lost in a fog of your own making.”

“Oh, that was profound, husband.” Mandy stroked the back of James’ head. “People say you’re not sensitive, but they’re wrong.”

“I owe it all to you, baby.”

“
O
KAY
, WHAT
do you need?”

Finn reclined on the mattresses Mandy set up on the den floor and stared at James and Emma as they nervously circled him.

“Are you hungry?” Emma asked. “I can whip up some chicken noodle soup from scratch. It’s your favorite.”

“Do you want me to turn the television on?” James asked. “I’m sure there’s a baseball game on somewhere. You love baseball.”

“Are you in pain?” Emma queried. “The doctor said you can’t take your pain medication for another two hours, but I might be able to give you something from over the counter to help you.”

“Do you need another pillow?” James asked. “That can’t be comfortable. I’ll get more pillows.”

Finn worked his jaw but no sound came out. Finally he turned to Mandy, who held Avery in her arms and swayed back and forth as she watched the show with a bright smile on her face. “How can you find this funny?”

“Because I’m usually the one hurt and having people hover over me,” Mandy admitted. “This is downright adorable when you’re not the one hurt.”

“Now I know how a goldfish feels when a little kid wins it at the carnival and loves it to death for forty-eight hours,” Finn complained.

“Just hope they don’t overfeed you and then forget you under a bright light,” Mandy said. “They’ll chill out after a few hours. You just need to relax and let them dote on you.”

“You know we’re right here, right?” James challenged. “We can hear what you’re saying.”

“And we don’t like it,” Emma added.

“Ooh, Mommy and Uncle James are crabby,” Mandy said, widening her eyes to get Avery to laugh. “You’re going to be a neurotic mess if this keeps up.”

“He’s going to be a neurotic mess no matter what,” Finn said, grimacing as he held an arm up. “Give him to me.”

Mandy cocked an eyebrow, unsure. “Are you supposed to hold him?”

“The doctor said no,” Emma said, gripping her hands together nervously. “He said that Finn couldn’t risk carrying him for at least a week.”

“Do you see me walking around?” Finn asked. “I’m laying on a mattress, which happens to be on the floor. I have no intention of getting up because I know you people are going to get me whatever I want. Now, what I really want is to snuggle with my son. I haven’t held him in forty-eight hours. I don’t think it’s too much to ask to spend five minutes with him.”

Finn’s voice was sharp and Emma cringed at the tone.

“Okay.” Emma’s voice was barely a whisper. “I’ll … um … get you something to drink.” She hurried out of the room, but not before Finn heard her sniffling.

“Great,” Finn muttered.

Mandy cast him a sympathetic look before kneeling next to him and positioning Avery on his lap. “James, can you please check on Emma and give me a minute with Finn?”

James looked uncertain. “Why?”

“Don’t do it,” Finn said, shaking his head. “She’s going to yell at me.”

“I’m not going to yell at you,” Mandy argued. “We’re going to have a frank discussion about being injured and having everyone go out of their way to make sure you’re okay. James, do what I asked.”

“You’re very bossy today, wife,” James muttered, although he turned on his heel and headed in the direction of the kitchen. “I’m going to use that to my advantage later.”

“I’m looking forward to it.” Mandy waited until she was sure James and Emma were out of earshot before speaking again. “I know this is hard for you, but you’re going to have to take it down a notch.”

“I just wanted to hold my son,” Finn said, rubbing his hand over the back of Avery’s soft head. “I missed him.”

“And that’s okay,” Mandy said. “I understand about feeling helpless and frustrated. If anyone knows, I do. Trust me. You still can’t lash out at Emma. She’s struggling in her own right.”

“I don’t know how you’ve done this so many times.”

“I guess I got used to it,” Mandy admitted. “The thing is, I lashed out when I was injured after the explosion, too. James was hurt the worst. Do you want to hurt Emma?”

“No.”

“Then think before you speak,” Mandy implored him. “You’ll regret it if you don’t.”

“I don’t ever want to hurt Emma,” Finn said. “It’s just … I don’t think she slept at all last night. I woke up twice and she was stiff as a board both times.”

“And after the explosion James slept as far away from me as he could because he kept having nightmares about the incident and in every one I died,” Mandy said. “He jolted awake and worried he would jostle me in the process. I was the one hurt, but he’s the one who suffered.

“He also suffered after I was drugged at that Halloween attraction, almost froze to death around Christmas, and got kidnapped in New Orleans,” she continued. “It’s harder for the people who aren’t hurt. I fully believe that. You’re going to sleep half the day away for the next few days. The people who love you are going to worry all of that time.”

Finn let loose with a long-suffering sigh. “You’re smarter than you look. You know that, right?”

“That’s impossible because I look like a genius,” Mandy said. “Just … be patient. That’s what you’re known for anyway.”

“Thank you,” Finn said, surprising Mandy when he pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. “I also want to thank you for arranging this. Emma refused to leave me in the hospital, but I thought she was going to cry the entire day if she had to be away from Avery.”

“My understanding is that the only thing she has to fear now is Ally’s wrath for stealing the baby back.”

“Yeah, that was pretty funny,” Finn said, smiling at the memory.

“How are things in here?” James asked, walking back into the room with Emma at his side. “We’re sorry we smothered you, by the way. I know that never works out and yet I did it anyway.”

“No, I’m sorry,” Finn said, patting the spot next to him so Emma could sit as Mandy got up and moved in James’ direction. “I’m tired and crabby and took it out on you guys. It wasn’t fair. I just really missed Avery.”

“I get that,” Emma said, resting her head against Finn’s shoulder as they both cuddled the baby together. “It will be better now, though. We’re all under the same roof.”

“It will be better,” Finn said, winking at Mandy. “We’ll be able to turn James into our slave. Now the house rule won’t be ‘whoever touches him last changes him.’ It will be ‘whoever notices he needs changing has to call for James first.’”

Mandy broke out into hysterical laughter while James scowled.

“This really isn’t my day,” James muttered.

“I guess it’s a good thing you have a happy life in general so you don’t have to worry about a single day,” Finn shot back.

“I do indeed,” James said, wrapping his arms around Mandy’s waist and kissing her neck. “That’s the one thing I never doubt.”

“
O
KAY
,
I’ve managed to set up a meeting with David Barber,” Peter announced, walking back into the kitchen. “I’ve also managed to get another angle of video from the parking garage. You didn’t get to see what’s heading our way and it shows something very interesting.”

“That’s so much information I don’t know where to start,” James said, rubbing Mandy’s back as they stood next to the counter. “Start with the video. The casino claimed they only had the one angle and accidentally taped over the other.”

“They lied,” Peter said matter-of-factly. “I have a contact who works in security there. They looked at the video first and opted not to give it to you. I haven’t seen it yet, but my contact says it very plainly shows a man in a mask approaching Owen Parker after Finn passed out and pulling something from his pocket.”

“Holy crap,” James said, annoyed. “How can they hide that?”

“Casino owners think they can hide anything,” Peter said. “They fancy themselves above everything, not just the law. Don’t take it personally. They think they’re protecting their interests because they don’t want other guests to think robbers are targeting casino visitors in the parking garage. We won’t be able to see the video before we meet with David, but we’ll still ask him about what’s on it.”

“I’m going with you?” James was surprised.

“It’s your family, son,” Peter said. “I thought we were in this together.”

“We’re definitely in it together,” James said. “Thank you.”

“Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine,” Peter said. “I think we should keep this little meeting between this small group until after it’s over with. I don’t want to work up Finn and Emma.”