Deadly Conflicts (Hardy Brothers Security Book 21) (16 page)

“
M
andy
?”

James poked his head into the bedroom an hour later, pausing by the door and listening for telltale signs of his wife. He hadn’t heard a peep from her since she disappeared from the garage. He knew she was embarrassed and angry with herself and he wanted to give her a little time to decompress.

The bedroom was empty, Mandy’s shoes on the floor next to the bed and her skirt and top hanging off the edge of the mattress. James pursed his lips as he shuffled toward the bathroom. He wasn’t exactly happy with her attitude – and still couldn’t figure out why she was so worked up – but he didn’t want her wasting the entire night pouting.

“Baby?” James lightly rapped his knuckles against the bathroom door. They were married, but she still valued her privacy. “It’s going to be okay. I talked to Mom and she swears she won’t tell Ally. Jake is calmer now and I think he’ll listen to your apology. He wasn’t really angry with you. He’s just nervous.”

Mandy didn’t answer, which grated James.

“Baby, I’m not going to coddle you all night,” Jams said. “I love you and I know you’re sorry. We’ll fix it. Just … stop being a pain.”

He knew it was a gamble to push her in that manner. When she didn’t respond yet again James lost any semblance of patience. “I am not messing around, Mandy. You need to stop being a baby.” He pushed open the door, ready for a fight. He frowned when he found it empty.

“Mandy?”

Guilt coursed through him when he realized he’d been thinking bad thoughts and she wasn’t even in the room. He would have to apologize for that later, even though she had no idea what he said. The guilt would gnaw at him otherwise.

James trudged back to the bedroom and glanced around. Her work clothes were haphazardly strewn about the room. She didn’t like the pencil skirts nearly as much as he did and he was going to be sad when she stopped wearing them. That was the only thing he didn’t like about her leaving the job at the courthouse.

James moved to the window and glanced out, staring at the guesthouse to see if he could see a hint of movement through the window. She probably went to her studio, he internally mused. She felt guilty and sad so painting would be her emotional outlet once she calmed down. James made up his mind on the spot. He knew she was upset, but he refused to be separated from her all night. He was almost to the bedroom door, the intention to join her in the guesthouse at the forefront of his brain, when he noticed a sheet of paper on the nightstand.

James corrected his course and snagged the note, furrowing his brow as he read it. It seemed his wife wasn’t in the guesthouse after all. She wasn’t even on the property. To deal with her transgression she decided to drown her sorrows another way. And she wasn’t going to the bar alone.

“Son of a … !”

“
M
EN ARE
stupid
.” Ally sipped her grapefruit martini and wiped her cocktail napkin over the condensation left behind before shifting her eyes to Mandy. “Don’t you think men are stupid?”

“I don’t want to talk about men.” Mandy was two drinks into their margarita pitcher, but she was still mindful of keeping her mouth shut about her fight with Jake. When she called Ally to go to the bar she merely said she had a long day. Ally was eager to drink for some reason, too – although Mandy had yet to hear why – so the duo met at a lakefront bar with a shuttle service so they wouldn’t have to worry about driving – or calling the men in their lives to pick them up, for that matter. “Let’s talk about something else.”

Ally made a face that was downright comical, and it wasn’t simply because of the margaritas. “If we don’t talk about the men in our lives, what are we going to talk about?”

Mandy shrugged. “We’re adults. We’re not supposed to let our lives revolve around men.”

“Yes, that’s lovely in theory,” Ally said. “I’m a pathetic person, though. My life
does
revolve around Jake.”

“You’re not pathetic,” Mandy countered. “You’re … awesome.”

“No, you’re awesome,” Ally said, taking another sip. “These are good. We should make them at your house one day.”

“I like those blueberry ones we made the other day,” Mandy said. “These are good. Those were better, though.”

Ally snorted. “You just like the blueberry ones because they turn your tongue blue,” she said. “James told Jake that you liked kissing him with your blue tongue, too. He said you reminded him of a horny smurf.”

Mandy frowned. “That’s not very nice.”

“The smurf part or the horny reference?”

Mandy shrugged. “I’m not particularly fond of either of them.”

“Yeah. I get that. Wait … what were we saying?”

Mandy giggled, love for her friend washing over her. Ally was the one person who always managed to make her laugh. Sure, it was dangerous getting drunk with a person when you’re hiding something from them, but Mandy needed a break from James – and especially his parents – and Ally was the only person she thought about when the realization that she needed to get away hit.

“You know I love your mom and dad, right?”

Ally nodded. “Are they driving you crazy?”

“Your dad walked into the guesthouse and saw me naked.”

Ally giggled. “Were you guys in the middle of doing it?”

“Right before.”

“Oh, well, things could be worse,” Ally said. “You could’ve been actually in the middle of the act. That’s what happened to Jake and me when James walked in that first time.”

“Yes, I still hear how traumatized he is by that every once in a while.”

“I think that’s probably why Jake is still with me even though he doesn’t want to marry me.”

Mandy froze at the words, uncertain she heard them correctly. “What?”

“It’s true,” Ally said, taking another huge sip of her drink. She was going to be hammered in twenty minutes at the rate she was going. “Jake is probably only with me because he promised James he wouldn’t hurt me and now he’s caught.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.” Mandy didn’t realize how harsh the words sounded coming out of her mouth until it was too late to drag them back.

“You’re stupid,” Ally shot back, wrinkling her nose. “It’s true.”

“That is not true,” Mandy argued. “Jake loves you. He doesn’t care what James thinks. Well, he cares. They’re friends. You’re still the most important thing to him.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Ally said, her expression morose. “I brought up the topic of marriage the other day.”

Mandy was thankful Ally’s eyes were trained on the table because she couldn’t hide her obvious gulp. “I … um … what did he say?”

“He blew off the question and said he loved me.”

“Are you sure he didn’t just misunderstand the question and that he really does love you?” Mandy asked.

“I want to believe he loves me but … maybe he’s never going to marry me.”

Mandy was flustered. She had a pile of information at her fingertips and she couldn’t use any of it because it would ruin things for both Jake and Ally. She was determined not do that. “Can I ask you a question?”

Ally’s shoulders hopped up and down. “Is this like one of those questions you ask James where I’m going to have to be philosophical and deep? If so, I don’t think I’m up for that.”

Mandy shook her head. “No. It’s a regular question.”

“Shoot.”

“Where did your sudden desire for marriage come from? I mean, I know you want to get married, but it wasn’t such a dire predicament when we had drinks a week ago.”

“It’s not a dire predicament,” Ally said. “I always thought that we would get married when the time was right. I thought Jake would somehow know the perfect moment. I stupidly assumed he was planning something big … and, yes, I know how lame that sounds.”

“It doesn’t sound lame,” Mandy said, hoping her voice reflected neutrality instead of squeaky panic. “Ally, I think you’re going off the rails here. I thought I was the one doing that, but now I think it’s you. Jake loves you. Please don’t doubt that.”

“I know Jake loves me,” Ally said. “I just don’t understand why he doesn’t want to marry me. I wasn’t even worried about it until Vince brought it up the other day and now it’s all I can think about.”

“Vince?” Things slipped into place for Mandy. “What does he have to do with this?”

“Nothing,” Ally replied hurriedly. “He actually followed me out to the office because I had to send a fax and we got to talking and things just kind of spilled out there. He wasn’t hitting on me or anything. He just wanted me to know I had options in case Jake never proposed.”

“Uh-huh.” Mandy wasn’t even remotely convinced that was true. “He just sort of followed you and accidentally said things that made you feel insecure?”

“I’m not insecure!”

“You’re acting insecure,” Mandy argued. “Jake loves you so much and instead of believing that you’re putting faith in a guy who walked out on you without a backward glance five years ago.”

Ally narrowed her eyes. “I’m not putting faith in Vince. I don’t trust him. That’s not what I was saying.”

“What were you saying?”

“That … I need Jake to love me.” Ally’s eyes filled with tears and Mandy’s heart almost broke in two at the traumatized look on her friend’s face.

Mandy got up from her seat and gave Ally a hug, the friends embracing for a long moment. “Jake does love you,” Mandy whispered. “I swear it. I see it every time he looks at you. Have a little faith, Ally.”

Ally wiped away an errant tear and nodded. “I’m sorry I’m being such a pill.”

“Me, too,” Mandy said, offering her friend a rueful smile. “I called you here to buck me up. I didn’t know it was going to be the other way around.”

“Speaking of bucking up,” Ally said, sucking in a breath and collecting herself. “What did my brother do to tick you off?”

Mandy opened her mouth to answer, making sure to collect her thoughts before doing so. Before she could utter a word, though, a tall figure moved in at Ally’s left and caused her heart to plummet.

“Hello! What a nice surprise.”

Ally widened her eyes when she caught sight of Vince, stunned disbelief flitting across her features before she locked gazes with Mandy.
What are the odds?
“Um, hi.”

“It’s nice to see you again,” Vince said, flashing a warm smile in Mandy’s direction. “Both of you. It must be kismet or something. Running into you like this out of the blue … it’s fate.”

“I don’t really believe in fate,” Ally said, her cheeks flushed with color. “I do believe in grapefruit margaritas. If you want to buy us another round, we’d be happy to drink them. I mean … there’s no harm in old friends having a few drinks, is there?”

“As long as I can join you, that sounds like a great idea.”

Mandy forced a smile even though her stomach twisted with worry. “I have to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.”

“Do you want more of the same?” Ally asked, oblivious to her friend’s shifting mood.

“That sounds lovely,” Mandy said, clutching her small purse closer to her chest. “I’ll be right back.”

“Take your time,” Vince said, his eyes trained on the vee in Ally’s shirt. “We’ll keep your seat warm.”

“I’ll be right back,” Mandy repeated. She maintained her cool until she rounded the corner that led to the bathroom and then dug in the purse until she found her cell phone. She wasn’t thrilled with the call she was about to make, but she didn’t have any other options.

James picked up on the first ring. “Where are you?”

“Um … .” She didn’t like the tone of his voice. He was her husband, not her keeper.

As if sensing her anger through the phone, James adjusted his harsh tone. “Baby, where are you? I’m worried. I don’t like going to our bedroom and finding a note when I expect to find you.”

“I’m sorry. I … .”

“Where are you, baby?” James repeated. “I know you’re with Ally and Jake is beside himself because he thinks you might tell her what he has planned.”

“I wouldn’t do that.” Tears flooded Mandy’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to blurt it out like that. I wouldn’t tell Ally.”

“I know you wouldn’t,” James said. “I have faith in you. I told Jake before you walked into the garage that you wouldn’t say anything. I desperately need to know where you guys are, though. Jake is going to have a meltdown. He’s a calm guy, so it takes a lot to push him over the edge. He’s almost there, though.”

“We’re at the Shores Inn.”

James was silent on the other end of the phone for a moment. “That explains why your car is here and Ally’s is at home. You guys took a cab because they have that shuttle service.”

“Yes.”

“Okay,” James said, his voice clipped. “I was worried about you, but I am not tracking you down and dragging you back home. I will be here when you’re ready to come back, but if you’re filthy drunk, I’m not taking care of you. This one is on you.”

“I’ve only had two drinks,” Mandy said, her voice cracking.

“Baby, why are you crying?” James’ frustration was evident over the phone. “I thought you needed some space. Isn’t that why you took off?”

“I just wanted to have a few drinks and complain about men with Ally,” Mandy replied. “I was going to pretend I didn’t want to complain about men and then let her draw it out of me. Not Jake’s plan, mind you, just how annoying I find men sometimes.”

“Uh-huh.” James wasn’t thrilled with the admission. “So what’s wrong?”

“Ally doesn’t think Jake loves her and is convinced he’s never going to propose.”

“We both know that’s not the case and you’d better not say a thing to her,” James warned.

“That’s not why I’m calling!”

James sucked in a deep breath. “Fine. Why are you calling?”

“Vince Dawkins showed up here and acted as if it was a coincidence, but I’m not that stupid,” Mandy said. “I think he’s following Ally and she’s kind of drunk and I don’t know what to do because we don’t have a car.”

“Okay, baby,” James said, his attitude shifting. “We’re on our way. Hold Vince off for fifteen minutes. Do you think you can do that?”

“Can I dump margaritas on him?”

“Wife, I don’t care if you dump the entire contents of the bar on him,” James replied. “If he touches you, though, I’ll kill him. Don’t let him convince Ally to do anything stupid.”