Deadly Conflicts (Hardy Brothers Security Book 21) (19 page)

“
W
hat’s in there
?” Jake asked, his world-famous patience wearing thin.

“Nothing good,” MacIntosh replied, shaking his head. “Click on that, Mandy.”

Mandy did as instructed, her face screwed up in concentration as she read through the file.

“Mandy, I love you dearly and I’m really glad we made up, but you’re killing me here,” Jake said. “What is in that file?”

“It’s kind of a mess,” Mandy replied. “It looks as if Vince was caught up with some bad guys out in California. He was running drugs out of his dealerships.”

“Yes, look here,” MacIntosh said, pointing. “This says that Mr. Dawkins purposely hired two legitimate salesmen for each dealership, but the mechanical staff was made up of people who ran drugs rather than changing engine oil. The dealerships were covers.”

“I don’t understand,” Jake said. “Why isn’t he in prison?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Mandy replied. “Were still weeding through the details. This says that Vince did legitimate work through his shop, but the drugs were his bread and butter. The cops ran an undercover sting on him and got a man in place in his operation.

“After the undercover operative got all of the information they arrested Vince and hauled him in,” she continued. “It looks like it was an absolutely huge arrest and almost a hundred people were taken into custody during various raids.”

“Wouldn’t we have heard about this on the news if it was that big?” Jake was intrigued by the information but doubt clawed at the back of his brain. He was having trouble understanding what Mandy was telling him.

“Not necessarily,” MacIntosh replied. “The reason these files are sealed is because Mr. Dawkins made a deal.”

“What deal?”

“He rolled over on bigger bosses in the area,” Mandy answered. “He put three of them away in exchange for probation. He also cut all of his employees off from any deal and they were locked up for long stretches.”

“It sounds like this guy has a lot of enemies.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Mandy said, reaching for the phone on her desk.

“What are you doing?” Jake asked.

“I need to talk to James. He has to know about this. I think I know what happened with the car.”

“Of course you do,” Jake muttered. “You’ve always been smarter than the rest of us.”

“And don’t you forget it.”

J
AMES
almost ignored
his ringing phone because he was so busy watching Maverick toil on his computer. On a whim he looked at the screen and realized Mandy was calling from the courthouse.

“What’s up, baby? We’re kind of busy here. Just come straight home from work and we’ll order pizza.”

“And hello to you, too, husband.”

James sighed. “Hello, my beautiful wife. How are you this fine summer day?”

“I think I solved your case,” Mandy replied, smugness seeping into her tone. “You’re going to owe me a two-hour massage in the hot tub … just as soon as we can get naked in our back yard without risking your parents seeing us, that is.”

James could hear two men laughing in the background. He recognized Jake’s voice right away. “Who is with you?”

“Jake came to apologize,” Mandy answered. “Judge MacIntosh is here, as well. He’s the one who helped me solve your case. You owe him a massage, too.”

“If I thought I could get away with it without being creepy or sexually ambiguous I might just do that,” James said. “What do you have?”

“Vince Dawkins had three sealed criminal files from the state of California,” Mandy said, returning to the business at hand. Flirting could wait for later. “He was tied up in a huge drug operation. When he was arrested he turned state’s evidence and was responsible for several big names going down.”

“Please tell me the judge unsealed those files and you’re not going to jail.”

“He did unseal them and I would never leave you like that,” Mandy said. “I would make you go to jail with me.”

“As long as we’re together, I can live with that,” James said, running the new information through his head. “Hold on, baby. I’m going to put you on speakerphone.” James was silent for a moment and then the line came to life. “So Vince makes a bunch of money selling drugs and everyone working for him – and more importantly, everyone who he was working for – goes to jail and he gets away with what?”

“Probation and fines.”

“Were they big fines?”

“Um … yeah, huge,” Mandy said. “I’m not sure how he would be able to afford these on a car dealership salary. My guess is that he would need another influx of cash somewhere.”

“The big question is where,” James said. “Well, we have another little tidbit here. We tore the car completely apart and … .”

“Who tore the car apart?” Sven interjected.

“Fine. Sven and Rodrigo tore the car apart and found nothing missing,” James said. “Maverick, on the other hand, stuffed his face full of pancakes and found the car was missing a navigation chip. When he delved deeper he found that whatever chip was being stored in the car had been modified. We don’t know for what purpose.”

“I have a theory about that,” Mandy said.

“Of course you do,” James said. “That’s why you’re the love of my life.”

“We’re trying not to puke over here,” Grady said. “I just thought you should be reminded that you’re not alone.”

“I could never forget that with your big mouth on the premises,” James said. “Hit me with your theory, wife.”

“Vince was in a pickle,” Mandy said. “He needed money to pay his fines. Sure, he got off light compared to everyone else, but he knew he was in danger because the people he put away had friends. He had to come up with a lot of money, but I don’t think he was doing it to pay fines.”

“Go on.”

“I think Vince moved back home because he knew that it would be easier to operate in this area,” Mandy said. “Think about it. Our police departments are already over-taxed. They were watching him in California. They weren’t watching him here and he had a legitimate reason to return.”

“He said his mother was sick, right?”

“Yeah. He probably told the judge that he would keep sending in payments but move home to take care of his sick mother. You know, that whole turning over a new leaf thing.”

“I’m following you,” James said. “If he’s paying off his debts in California, what does that have to do with the car here?”

“The California police only have jurisdiction over his businesses there,” Mandy replied. “I looked it up. He told Ally he had like twenty dealerships in a bunch of states. That’s total crap. He has eight dealerships. Seven are in California.”

“And one is here,” James said, his mind clearing as he began to catch on to what his wife was laying out for him. “So Vince is using the money from his legitimate dealerships to keep paying off his fines, but the new one in Michigan is not under that umbrella.”

“I’m guessing that he doesn’t believe the cops will catch on to what he’s doing until it’s too late,” Mandy said. “He has ties to this area. Ally said that he never really talked about himself and told her he had a business meeting when he took off and never came back.

“He probably got into business with the California people and never wanted to return because it was big money,” she continued. “He only came back now because he was forced to. He chose Michigan because it wouldn’t alarm the judge in his case because this is where his mother lives.”

“I’m not sure I’m following,” MacIntosh said, making James realize Mandy had put him on speakerphone. “Even if he opened the dealership here the police would eventually catch up to him. They would demand their fair share of his profits.”

“Unless he’s running this dealership like he originally ran the ones in California,” James supplied.

“Oh, you think he’s running drugs out of Detroit,” MacIntosh surmised. “That would make sense.”

“It makes sense on multiple levels,” Mandy said. “He probably sold drugs here when he was dating Ally the first time. He moved to a bigger market, but I’m guessing he kept up ties here.”

“That’s probably why I hated him,” James said. “I always knew there was something off with that guy. I should’ve done a background check on him then.”

“It would’ve come up empty,” Mandy said. “He didn’t have a record before California. My guess is that he’s running drugs out of this new dealership and he’s socking a ton of money away. Instead of a long con he’s running a short one this time. He’s trying to put enough money together to get out of town. By the time the police in California realize what’s happening he’ll be gone … probably to a non-extradition country where he can live high on the hog for less money.”

“You are brilliant, my baby,” James said. “I just … good job. I’m going to kiss you silly later.”

“I’m not done,” Mandy said. “I told you I solved the car conundrum. You said you didn’t find any parts missing in that car and the navigation chip was gone. My guess is that the car was rigged for deliveries and Vince set it up so whoever was picking up or dropping off merely had to follow the GPS. The navigation card probably told his drivers where to go and then they took the card when they left. Each delivery resulted in a new card.”

“Okay,” James said. “Why was the car stolen, though?”

“Because Vince is greedy as all get out,” Mandy replied. “I will bet my
Jaws
movie collection that Vince had drugs in that trunk. You guys took it apart. You didn’t have it sniffed by dogs or anything, though.”

“So you think Vince arranged for his customers to steal the car and dump it in a deserted garage? Why?”

“I can think of two reasons,” Mandy answered. “The first is that Vince can make an insurance claim and get cash for a car that he knows the location of. The second is that he could sell it on the secondary market when no one was looking and essentially triple his money.”

“Triple? How?” MacIntosh asked.

“He would get paid for the drugs. The insurance company would pay him. He would get paid by the car choppers.”

“Okay, now I’m starting to think you’re brilliant, too,” Grady said. “If you’re right about the choppers, though, why didn’t the car show up there?”

“Because Peter put out feelers right away and whoever took the car is in deep enough he heard about it and got scared,” Mandy replied. “He put the car in that garage for safe keeping. He never expected it to be discovered.”

“That’s pretty good, baby,” James said. “What do you think Vince’s next move is?”

“That depends,” Mandy replied. “Is there any way he can know you guys have the car?”

“Not that I can think of.”

“That’s not true,” Sven interjected, taking everyone by surprise. “We never kept it a secret that we found the car. We didn’t think it was necessary.”

“He’s right,” Rodrigo said. “We called the chop shops and reported that we found the car we were looking for after we confirmed it through the VIN. It was no secret we found the car.”

“That means Vince’s partner knows,” James said.

“Which means Vince knows,” Jake added.

“So what’s his next move going to be?” James asked. “We have the car, which is going to screw up his insurance payout and the chopping money. I don’t think that’s going to be a lot in the grand scheme of things, but it’s going to make his wallet twenty grand lighter.”

“It all depends on when he plans on running,” Mandy said. “I mean … where does a guy like that think he’s going to find a big chunk of money on short notice?”

“I don’t know,” James replied. “I don’t like it, though. If we screwed up his plan that means he’s going to be desperate.”

“Yeah,” Jake said. “I … hold on. My phone is buzzing.” James heard silence on the other end of the line and then Jake started swearing.

“What’s going on?” James asked, instantly alert.

“The security alarm at my house is going off,” Jake replied, his voice rigid. “Someone pushed the emergency button, but no one picks up the line when the security company calls the house. They texted my line as backup.”

“Son of a … he’s got Ally,” James muttered.

“Everyone get moving to my house,” Jake instructed. “The judge is going to call the police and send them over there. I’m heading there now. I’m closest.”

“I’m coming with you,” Mandy said, her voice firm as it caused James’ heart to roll.

“Mandy … .”

“She’s coming with me,” Jake said. “She loves Ally, too. I don’t have time to fight with her.”

“You stay in Jake’s truck, Mandy,” James ordered. “Ally is already in trouble. We don’t need you making a target of yourself, too.”

“It’s going to be okay, James,” Mandy said. “Have a little faith.”

“We’re on our way,” James said. “We’re ending this right now.”

“As long as he hasn’t ended it first,” Jake said, his voice cracking. “I will kill him if he touched her.”

“We all will,” Mandy said. “Let’s go.”

“
J
ake and James
are going to rip your heart out and feed it to you!”

Ally rubbed her arm, glaring at Vince as he paced behind the couch. He broke through her front window minutes after she locked him out. She had time to press the panic button on the security system before he physically threw her into the couch, but she couldn’t find her phone in time to call for help. She had to hope the security company would call the police because Vince was obviously deranged.

“Oh, your brother couldn’t find his own ass with both hands,” Vince snapped. “He’s not going to do anything to me.”

“You’re dumber than you look,” Ally said, frowning at the angry red marks on her arm. They would eventually bruise, which ticked her off more than the broken window for some reason. “You’d better hope the police get you before Jake does. He’ll kill you.”

“What is it with you and the carny?” Vince exploded. “He doesn’t even wear a suit, for crying out loud.”

Ally rolled her eyes. Despite the surreal situation – and Vince’s erratic mannerisms – she didn’t believe he truly meant to harm her. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t if he was boxed in, of course. She had no idea what his agenda was, but she knew she had to keep him talking until help arrived.

“I love Jake,” Ally said. “I love him with every fiber of my being. I don’t care that he doesn’t wear a suit. Who needs a suit? He looks great in his jeans and I like him even better when he’s naked.”

Vince shot Ally a challenging look. “You used to like me when I was naked, too.”

“Yes, well, I used to like soaking up the sun and the occasional cigarette back then as well,” Ally said. “That doesn’t mean any of those things were good for me.”

“Oh, come on, Ally,” Vince prodded. “We were great together.”

“And then you left and I realized that I just thought we were great together,” Ally said. “The reality was something much different. You didn’t care about me. You didn’t even really care about yourself. We never had long conversations where we bared our souls and admitted what frightened us … or what the future held.”

“And your carny does that?”

Ally ignored the “carny” remark. She knew Vince was only using it to get a rise out of her and she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. “Jake is my soul mate.”

Vince made an incredulous face. “Your soul mate? Do you really believe in that crap?”

“The fact that you don’t just tells me how stupid I was to spend time with you,” Ally replied. “I do believe that there is one person out there for everyone. Jake is that person for me.”

“And why do you think that?”

“He listens to me when I’m upset. He enhances my dreams when I tell him about them. He’s always excited to see me. He comforts me when I’m afraid.”

“So he’s like a dog? Is that what you’re saying?”

Ally scowled. “Jake is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“And yet he hasn’t married you,” Vince said, returning to his old refrain. “Doesn’t that tell you something?”

“Yes, that it’s not time yet,” Ally answered, not missing a beat. “He’ll propose when he’s ready.”

“And what if he never does?”

“He will.”

“How can you have blind faith in him like that?” Vince asked, leaning over the back of the couch and making Ally’s skin crawl. “If he loved you he would’ve already proposed.”

“You can’t mess with my head where Jake is concerned,” Ally said, relieved to find she actually meant it. “I know he loves me. I feel it in my heart. I don’t know why you’re here … I don’t know what you expect to accomplish … but you can’t make me doubt Jake, so stop trying.”

“Well, I guess it was worth a shot.” Vince didn’t appear overly upset by Ally’s admonishment. “As for why I’m here, I think you’re going to be pleasantly surprised.”

“Oh, why?” Ally adopted a mocking tone. “Are you here to steal my virtue?”

“You gave that away for free a long time ago,” Vince said. “It wasn’t that good to begin with so don’t let your ego get away from you.”

Ally made a disgusted face but refrained from slapping him, which was what she really wanted to do. “So, what do you want?”

“Money.”

Ally stilled, surprised. “Money?”

“Yes, and you’re going to get a lot of it for me, Ally,” Vince said. “If you don’t, I’m going to have to start hurting you. You’re the type of woman who won’t do the right thing until she tries every wrong thing in the book first. I don’t have time for that. So, you’re either going to give me money or I’m going to start breaking bones. Which is it going to be?”

“
H
E’S
inside the living room and Ally is sitting on the couch,” Jake said, greeting James on the street corner before the man could completely vacate his Explorer. She looks okay, a little scared maybe, but she’s alive. I don’t think he’s armed, which is good for us.”

James rested his hand on Jake’s shoulder, cringing when Jake’s eyes traveled to the back of the Explorer and witnessed Louis and Rose climbing out of the back seat. “We’ll get her back.”

“What are they doing here?” Jake was flabbergasted.

“They heard us talking in the garage and insisted on joining us,” Grady said. “We didn’t have time to argue.”

“That’s my baby,” Louis said, his forehead creasing. “Why aren’t we rushing the house?”

“Because we don’t want to get Ally killed,” James snapped. He was at his wit’s end. He clearly didn’t want to work in front of an audience but saw no other choice. “You guys get back in that truck and be quiet.”

“You be quiet,” Rose shot back. “You’re not the boss of me.”

“Oh, I just … .” James pinched the bridge of his nose. “This is like the worst day ever.”

“It will be fine,” Rodrigo said, moving to the spot next to James. He and Sven followed the family to Ally’s house, refusing to leave when they knew they could help. “Ally is strong and Vince can’t kill her. She’s the only leverage he’s got.”

“That doesn’t make me feel any better,” James said.

“How are we going to do this?” Louis asked, rubbing his hands together. “Should I pretend to be a deliveryman and punch Vince when he comes to the door?”

“Oh, my … no!” James glanced down the street, his gaze falling on Ally’s house. Everyone was smart enough to park almost a block away to avoid Vince seeing them. He didn’t know they were there. That was an advantage. “We’re going to play this smart.”

“Oh, well, there’s a first time for everything,” Grady deadpanned.

James ignored him. He knew his brother was talking out of both sides of his mouth because he was worried. He always did that. Ally being in danger upset everyone, especially the Hardy brother she fought with most often.

“Rodrigo and Sven are going through the back,” James said. “We want Vince focused on us, which means Jake and I are going through the front. Grady, I want you to go with Sven and Rodrigo. You know that trick to the lock on Ally’s back gate.”

Grady wordlessly nodded.

“Why do you want Vince’s attention on you?” Louis asked, legitimately curious. “Wouldn’t it be better if you just jumped through the front window and grabbed him?”

“In theory,” James replied. “What happens if Vince panics, though? He’s closer to Ally and might be able to get his hands on her before we can stop him. We do not want him using her as a human shield. The police are on the way. We need to focus on him from the front and let the other three go in through the back and get Ally. It’s the safest course.”

“How do you know he’ll focus on you?” Rose asked.

James exchanged a smug look with Jake. “I think we can pretty much guarantee it,” he said, shifting his eyes to Jake’s truck. Mandy sat in the passenger seat, her eyes glued to the house. She looked anxious. “Give me twenty seconds.”

He hurried over to the window and waited for Mandy to roll it down.

“Go get her,” Mandy instructed. She’d been crying. James recognized the puffy redness surrounding her eyes.

“I’m going, baby,” James said, cupping the back of her head. “You stay right here. Don’t leave this truck. I’ll bring Ally out to you.”

Mandy chewed on her bottom lip and nodded.

“Watch my parents while you’re at it,” James said. “They might panic. They’re not used to tense situations like us.”

“Like us?” Mandy blew out a sigh. “Be careful.”

“I will.” James pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “Don’t worry about anything. This will be over before you know it.”

“That would be a nice change of pace.”

“
I
DON’T
have
any money,” Ally said, resting her hands on her bare knees. She was dressed in simple cotton sleep shorts and a tank top. She hadn’t been expecting company so didn’t bother to dress after Jake left. “I’m a secretary, for crying out loud.”

“Yes, but your brother is rich,” Vince said. “You’re going to call and tell him I need fifty grand – in cash – or he’s never going to see you again.”

“I’m not doing that.” Ally was frightened – Vince’s bone-breaking comments sending a chill through her – but she refused to back down. “I’m not helping you. You can die for all I care.”

“I will die if you don’t help me, Ally,” Vince said. “There are a lot of people out there who want to hurt me. I have to get out of here. I had a plan for that, but your brother ruined it.”

Ally was confused. She had no idea what Vince was talking about. “Do you owe the mob money or something? If so, we know someone who might be able to help.”

“No, I turned on some low-ranking mafia types out in California,” Vince explained. “They’re out to get me. I came home because I had a plan. That car was part of it. Your brothers ruined my plan when they found the car and now I don’t have enough money to run.”

“Well, that’s not really my fault,” Ally said. “You created your own problems. I think you should have to deal with them.”

“I was dealing with them until James decided to stick his nose into my business,” Vince snapped. “Now he’s going to fix the problem he made. I need money and he’s going to give it to me.”

“Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen.” James appeared in front of the open window, his hands raised. Ally’s eyes widened when she caught sight of her brother and all she could do was gasp. “Are you okay, little sister?”

Ally bobbed her head up and down.

“It’s going to be all right,” James said. “We’re here. We got your message with the security system. I won’t let him hurt you.”

“I hoped you got the message,” Ally said. “I … where’s Jake?”

“I’m right here.” Jake appeared in the hallway, causing Vince to cast his terrified eyes in that direction.

“How did you get in this house?” Vince was beside himself.

“I live here,” Jake replied calmly. “I know how to get in and out. James and I wanted to make sure we approached you from two different directions, so I came through the bedroom window while he went through the front.”

“Yeah, you really should’ve paid better attention when you forced your way in here,” James said, punching a code into the security system and then opening the front door to test it. He seemed calm – at ease even – but Ally knew better. “Ally did the exact right thing. She pressed the panic alarm and when she didn’t answer her phone the security company called Jake.”

“Then I called James,” Jake said. “The police are on their way, too.”

“You’re lying,” Vince hissed, blindly reaching for Ally’s hair. She easily avoided his hand and moved off the couch. Vince was too worried about James and Jake attacking to pay close attention to her.

“You’re unarmed,” Jake said. “You still broke into my house and terrorized my … angel. I’m pretty sure that’s going to cost you.”

“I’m pretty sure he’s right,” James said, internally snickering when he caught a hint of panic wafting off of Vince. The man was outnumbered and overwhelmed, and he didn’t even know about the three men entering through the kitchen door. “You should’ve never touched my sister.”

“You’ve got that right,” Jake said, taking Vince by surprise as he strode closer and grabbed his arm. Jake cocked his fist back and slammed it into Vince’s face, the sickening crunch of breaking bones filling the air as Vince listed to the side and slid down the side of the sofa. James watched with amusement as Ally closed the distance between herself and Jake, throwing her arms around his neck.

“I knew you would come for me,” she said. “I was surprised when I saw James, though. I thought for a second you weren’t going to be here.”

“We wanted to make sure his attention was split,” Jake explained, cupping the back of her head as he rocked her. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

“Just a little. He threw me into the couch.”

Jake growled as he glared at Vince, who lay unmoving on the floor.

“He must have a glass jaw,” James lamented. “He went down like a ton of bricks. I’m kind of sorry I didn’t get to hit him.”

“Join the club,” Grady said, walking into the living with a bored-looking Sven and Rodrigo flanking him. “I didn’t even get to see the takedown.”

“It wasn’t much of a takedown,” James said, moving past Vince so he could get a better look at Ally. She had red marks on her arm but otherwise seemed solid. “Are you okay? Mandy is out in Jake’s truck and she’s about to have a meltdown if she doesn’t see you.”

“How come you didn’t bring her?”

“I didn’t want her to be in danger,” James said, shifting his eyes back to Vince. “I had no idea this was going to be the easiest takedown in the history of takedowns. Had I known that I would’ve been the one insisting on hitting Vince. I thought we would both get a turn.”

“Well, hindsight,” Ally said, shrugging. She seemed to be in good spirits for a woman held hostage for part of the afternoon. “Do you know all the ins and outs of what he was doing?”

“My genius blonde figured it out,” James replied. “Our friend here is going away for a long time, and I’m sure he’ll turn on whoever he was working with to get a better deal. That seems to be the way he operates. There’s no way he will get off without prison time this go around, though.”

“Well, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer jerkoff,” Ally said, burrowing her face in the hollow of Jake’s neck. “I’m glad you came to my rescue.”