Deadly Conflicts (Hardy Brothers Security Book 21) (11 page)

“Not as much as I do.”

“No, probably not,” Louis said. “Still, it makes me wonder what other things you guys are hiding.”

“Oh, geez, Dad,” James grumbled. “Don’t worry about that. It’s not a big deal.”

“It is, but it won’t be a problem for much longer,” Louis said, turning his attention back to Peter. “So, can I get a tour of your house?”

Peter beamed. “Absolutely.”

James knit his eyebrows together as he considered what his father said. “What do you mean it won’t be a problem for much longer, Dad?”

He didn’t get an answer because Peter was already leading Louis away. For some reason, Louis’ words sent a jolt of dread through James. What exactly was going on with his parents?

“Dad?”

A
lly hated being a secretary
. There was no escaping the fact that it irked her to the bone. The fact that she had to run into the office on a holiday weekend, though – mostly because her boss was too lazy to send his own fax – was doubly annoying.

It took her twenty minutes to drive to the office and three minutes to do the task. She was beyond irritated, mostly because she envisioned spending the day floating on an inflatable lounger in Mandy’s pool. Since Jake had to go to work, she thought she could share the day with her best friend and margaritas. That didn’t look to be in the cards – at least not yet.

When Ally hit the parking lot she pulled up short, a shadow moving in front of her and causing her heart to flip. It took her a moment to recognize who was standing there and when she did she wasn’t thrilled with the realization.

“Seriously, Vince, you scared the crap out of me,” she complained, tugging a hand through her hair. “Make a noise or something.”

“I wasn’t trying to frighten you,” Vince said, holding his hands up. “In fact, I was trying to do the opposite. That’s why I waited out here. I didn’t want to knock on the glass and freak you out or anything.”

“Uh-huh.” Ally wasn’t convinced. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I looked up your address because I was hoping to talk to your boyfriend,” Vince replied. “James didn’t give me his cell phone number and the phone at the office goes straight to voicemail.”

“It’s a holiday weekend.”

“I’m still missing a car,” Vince said. “I plugged your name into a Google search and found your address. I think I found your brother’s, too, but I didn’t think he would appreciate me just showing up on his doorstep.”

“Probably not,” Ally agreed. “Why do you want to talk to Jake?”

“I just want to see how they’re doing on the case,” Vince answered. “This might not be a big deal to them, but it is to me. This was supposed to be my coming out party on my home turf.”

“I get that,” Ally said, realizing she legitimately felt sorry for him. He put a lot of work into the launch and then lost it through no fault of his own. “Jake took off this morning because he was doing something with James. I don’t know what it is, though.”

“I guess they keep you out of the loop, too, huh?”

“I don’t particularly care about being in the loop on a stolen car case,” Ally said, opting for honesty. “I know it’s a big deal to you, but I wanted to float in the pool all day and instead I had to come out here.”

“I didn’t see a pool in your backyard when I pulled up.”

“No, but Mandy and James have one,” Ally said, scratching the side of her nose as something occurred to her. “Hold up. You said you were outside of my house. How did you end up here?”

“You were leaving when I pulled up,” Vince replied. “I tried to get your attention. Heck, I even honked my horn twice. You didn’t even turn around. I had to follow you out here. I figured this was where you worked, but I didn’t want to scare you so I waited outside. I didn’t think you would come out this quickly.”

“I just had to send a quick fax and I didn’t have access to the document I needed at home,” Ally said, her expression thoughtful as she regarded him. “Give me your cell phone number and I’ll give it to James. We’re having a barbecue at his house tonight. He’ll call you.”

“Why can’t you just give me his cell phone number?”

“Because he can’t stand you,” Ally replied. “I don’t blame him. You’re a real dick whenever he’s around.”

Vince’s smile was rueful. “I guess that’s fair,” he said. “He brings out the worst in me. He’s so … bossy.”

“That goes along with the Hardy genes,” Ally explained. “The only one who isn’t bossy is Finn. He’s the most even tempered out of all of us.”

“That must be hard on your parents.”

Ally giggled. “They’re bossy, too,” she said. “Give me your cell phone number and I’ll make sure he gets it. I agree that showing up on his front doorstep would not be a good move. It will totally tick him off.”

“And nobody wants that,” Vince said. “He’s like the Hulk, right?”

“More like the
Jaws
shark with an appetite for blondes,” Ally said, accepting the business card Vince handed her. “Whoops. I don’t need two of these.” She moved to hand the second card back, but Vince waved it off.

“The second one is for you in case you lost the one I gave you at the mall the other day,” he said. “You haven’t used it, so I thought that might be a possibility.”

Ally frowned. “Vince, I’m not sure what you’re getting at, but I’m with someone,” she said. “I’m happy with him, too.”

“I didn’t say you weren’t happy with the carny,” Vince said, his condescending tone causing Ally’s hackles to rise. “You’re dating him, though. You’re not married.”

“It’s only a matter of time until we do get married,” Ally countered. “Don’t call him a carny either. I don’t like it. You might think that smug thing you do is attractive, but trust me, you’re the only one who thinks that.”

For a brief moment Ally could’ve sworn Vince let his happy-go-lucky façade slip, a brief flash of anger rippling across his face. It was over before she could be sure, though.

“I’m not telling you how to live your life, Ally,” Vince said, his congenial tone firmly in place. “I lost that right a long time ago.”

“You never had that right,” Ally clarified.

Vince ignored the statement. “I’m just saying that you’re living with this guy and you claim you love him and yet he hasn’t put a ring on your finger,” he said. “If he loves you so much, why isn’t he already married to you?”

“We haven’t even been living together for a year,” Ally protested.

“But you’re ready to get married,” Vince pointed out. “Why isn’t he?”

“I … don’t know.” Ally was frustrated. She didn’t trust Vince as far as she could throw him – and she was pretty sure his ego was so big she could never muster the strength to lift him off the ground – but the fact that Jake still hadn’t committed to forever with her grated.

Ally would never admit it to anyone – not even Mandy – but she was starting to wonder if Jake would ever ask her to marry him. She told herself it wasn’t a big deal and she hated herself for doubting him, but her heart hurt when she saw Emma and Finn planning a wedding. They had everything she wanted. And while Ally wouldn’t trade Jake for anything, at a certain point she was going to have to draw a line in the sand because she wanted to be a wife … and she definitely wanted to be a mother. She never thought of herself as old-fashioned, but she wanted to be married before she had children. She couldn’t help it.

“I’m not trying to screw up your life, Ally,” Vince said. “I just want you to know that I’m not the same man who walked out on you. I’ve changed. I’ve grown up. You have other options if this guy isn’t going to give you what you deserve. You don’t have to settle.”

Ally sucked in a breath and steadied herself. It didn’t matter if Jake never proposed to her. She loved him. Vince wasn’t a quarter of the man Jake was and she had no doubt the man before her was working an angle. “I’ll make sure James calls you,” she said. “As for Jake … don’t worry about it. Things have a way of working out.”

“They definitely do,” Vince agreed, smirking. “I have no doubt about that.”

“
H
OW WAS
your shopping excursion
?”

James found Jake in the kitchen shortly before five, the generally quiet man smiling as his eyes boasted a distant quality. He was obviously daydreaming.

“That good, huh?” James’ smile was as goofy as Jake’s when they locked gazes. “Where is my wife? You didn’t lock her in a closet and leave her somewhere, did you?”

Jake snorted. “She’s upstairs changing for the barbecue. I think you give her a bad rap sometimes,” he said. “She was great. She was nowhere near as bad as you make her out to be.”

James stilled. Did he do that? “I don’t ever think she’s bad,” he said. “I love everything she does.”

“I was joking,” Jake said, rolling his eyes. “I know you love her. Anyone who has ever met you knows that. You like to play games, though. She does, too. I didn’t mean it as an insult.”

“That’s good,” James said, pursing his lips. “I would hate to think my teasing gives people the wrong idea. She doesn’t deserve that.”

“You’re in a mood,” Jake said. “What’s going on?”

James shrugged. “Nothing is going on. Peter is hearing whispers that the car theft was an inside job, though. He’s got feelers out and if it shows up at a chop shop we should hear about it before anything happens to it.”

“That’s good,” Jake said, grinning. “You have a look, though. It says you’re feeling guilty about what you said and now you want to make it up to Mandy even though there’s nothing to make up.”

“I’m not thinking that,” James protested. “It’s just … sometimes she’s still insecure. I hate it. I never want her to worry about anything, especially the way I feel about her. Maybe I give her reason to worry without realizing it.”

“You’re like a woman sometimes. You know that, right?”

James scowled. “Fine. I’ll let it go. Tell me how the shopping went.”

“She was great,” Jake said. “She was a little leery at first. I think she was worried about draining my bank account. I had to set her straight after the second time she told me Ally’s dream was to be with me and that the ring was only secondary.”

James snorted. He could practically picture the scene unfolding. “Did you find something?”

“We did,” Jake replied. “It’s getting sized tonight and I can pick it up tomorrow. I had no idea how expensive rings were, though.”

“Do you need money?” James made the offer without thinking it through. “I can float you a loan if this straps you.”

“I have money,” Jake said, making a face. “I’m not the type of guy who lives high on the hog. Before Ally and I moved in together I was socking away a nice sum every month. Once we started sharing the same roof – and bills – that allowed me to save even more. I have a lot of money, in fact.”

“That’s good,” James said. “I can’t imagine Ally’s dream ring was cheap.”

“No.” Jake shook his head, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “The second Mandy demanded to see it, though, I knew she was right. She said it’s exactly like a ring Ally showed her when they were fourteen.”

“Fourteen?”

“Yeah. She said they got a jewelry catalog from your mother and spent hours going through it,” Jake said. “Mandy dreamed about marrying you with the ring she picked and Ally dreamed about snagging whoever the quarterback was at that time. At least she’ll get half of her dream.”

“She’s getting the whole package,” James corrected. “You’re better than the quarterback. I knew they picked out rings together. That’s why I had Ally help me. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to keep her big mouth shut, but she was so excited for Mandy I remember thinking it was the first time she seemed like a real adult to me.”

“Yeah, Mandy was all business,” Jake said. “She even told the sales clerk to shut up at one point. She was worried I felt pressured.”

“Well, you pick up the ring tomorrow,” James said. “When are you going to do it?”

“Mandy and I talked about that, too,” Jake said. “I asked her what Ally’s dream proposal was and she kind of laughed. She said the dream proposal always shifted depending on the guy so she didn’t know. She said I would know the right way to do it.”

James rubbed his hand over his jaw as he considered the statement. “Do you know?”

“I have an idea,” Jake confirmed. “I did need Mandy’s help picking out a few things.”

“Like what?”

Jake averted his eyes. “Oh, you know … things.”

James’ eyes darkened. “Like sex things?”

“No! You’re such a pig.”

James wasn’t convinced. “Then what did she help you buy?”

“I don’t want to tell you all of the details about what I have planned,” Jake admitted. “One thing I’ve noticed about these women is that half the fun of getting engaged is telling your story thirty times. I want her to be able to tell you.”

“That sounds reasonable,” James said. “I’m still curious what you went shopping for with my wife. I keep picturing a sex shop with flavored oils and lingerie … and wow, look at that. Now I want to punch you.”

Jake barked out a coarse laugh, amusement washing over him. “She helped me pick out some candles and plan a menu. It was nothing nefarious.”

“Candles, huh?” James’ expression was thoughtful. “I never planned out Mandy’s proposal. I mean, I did, but it never happened the way I thought it would. I found her that day crying because she was upset about killing her stepmother and losing the house and … I just did it.”

“So?” Jake was confused. “As far as I can tell she loves her proposal story. You gave her a ring and her dream house in the same thirty seconds.”

“Yeah, but … it wasn’t special like I planned,” James said. “Maybe I should propose again. You know, do it right this time.”

Jake made an incredulous face. “You’re already married.”

“I don’t want to do the wedding over,” James said. “I could just give her a special proposal. She deserves a great story.”

“Oh, whatever,” Jake scoffed. “You just want to win. Not everything is a competition, man. Now that I’m going to propose to Ally you’re worried Ally will have a better story than Mandy, and for some reason, that drives you crazy.”

James wanted to argue, but he feared his friend was right. “It’s not that I want to win,” he said. “I just want Mandy to have everything she’s ever wanted.”

“She does,” Jake said. “While we were eating lunch she told me that she used to believe that happiness like she feels when she’s with you only existed in books and paintings. She said that’s why she wanted to be an artist, so she could always get a glimpse of happiness. Now she gets it whenever she looks in your eyes.”

James briefly pressed his eyes shut, the words warming him to the core. “She said that?”

“Your biggest problem is that you’re a little insecure, too,” Jake said. “You’re so worried about making everything perfect for Mandy that you don’t realize you’ve already done it. She’s happy. Why can’t you just enjoy that?”