Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13) (2 page)

James shifted, frowning when he realized his wife wasn’t behind him. “They had a gift table in the backroom,” he said. “She probably stopped to buy something.”

“What kind of gifts?”

“Gross ones. Stay here. I’ll find her.” James turned on his heel and stalked back into Hell House.

“Something tells me Mandy is going to have to bribe him with some outrageous sex to make up for this debacle,” Grady said, running his hand through his hair.

“Something tells me James is going to be fine with it,” Ally said.

MANDY
wasn’t drawn back into Hell House by the gifts. She could buy those trinkets online – and for half the price. Something did catch her attention, but it wasn’t the gift table.

In one of the later rooms, she’d noticed a huge aquarium taking up an entire wall. The water inside was gray and hard to see through, but Mandy distinctly saw a fin flapping in the filthy water.

In her head, Mandy knew there wasn’t really a horrible ocean-dwelling beast in the aquarium. As a lover of all things shark, though, she was dying to get a better look. When she broke off from the group she thought she would be right behind them after a quick study of the tank. She had no idea she’d lost fifteen minutes in the room until she turned around and realized she was completely alone.

“James is going to kill me,” Mandy muttered, moving away from the aquarium.

A hint of movement caught Mandy’s attention at the doorframe, and she turned her head in that direction, expecting to find James. Instead, one of Hell House’s actors – someone wearing one of the clear masks with a painted face – was standing there watching her.

“This is a great place,” Mandy enthused. “What’s in this tank? Is it just a mechanical fin?”

The actor didn’t answer, instead cocking his head to the side as he regarded her.

“That’s creepy,” Mandy said, moving in the man’s direction. “I guess you’re not supposed to break character, huh? I need to get going or my husband is going to have a fit when he can’t find me.”

The masked man didn’t move as Mandy approached.

“Can you move?” Mandy asked, making “shooing” motions with her hands to direct the man out of her path.

He remained silent and unmoving, and even though Mandy loved all things scary, he was beginning to unnerve her.

“Move,” Mandy repeated.

The man merely stared at her.

“My husband will kick your ass if you don’t move,” Mandy warned.

Finally the man moved to his left, opening the doorframe so Mandy could walk through.

“Your act is good,” Mandy said, sidling past the actor. “You should be careful who you cut off, though. I … . Ow!”

Mandy’s hand flew to her neck as she passed the man, a stinging sensation causing her to wince.

“That hurt,” Mandy said. “What did you … do?”

Mandy’s eyesight blurred at the edges, and her previously sure footing faltered as she slammed into the doorframe. Something was terribly wrong. She knew it, and as the man stared at her, Mandy realized the stinging sensation in her neck was from a needle. She’d been injected with something.

Even though her mind was fraying, Mandy latched onto the one thing she knew could save her. She tried to open her mouth and call for her husband, but no sound would come out.

All she could do was scream in her mind.
James!

“Did you find her?” Grady asked, appearing at James’ side as he searched the large room at the back of the haunted warehouse.

James ran a hand through his brown hair, frustrated. “I don’t understand where she is. I swear … she was right behind me.”

“You weren’t holding her hand?”

“She needed to touch everything she saw,” James replied, his eyes darting around the room for a hint of the blonde he loved more than life itself. “I … crap. I know where she is.”

“Where?”

“She’s in the room with that big aquarium,” James said. “I saw her staring at it. She probably thinks there’s a demented shark in there.”

“There’s nothing in there,” Grady said. “It’s a mechanical flipper and red light bulbs to make it look like there are creatures in there.”

“I know that and you know that … heck, she knows that … she’ll still want to get a closer look,” James said, moving back toward the bowels of the warehouse. “I’m going to spank her bottom blue for this.”

“You guys play some kinky games,” Grady said, following his brother.

“I love that woman beyond reason, but she drives me crazy,” James grumbled, stepping around a group of squealing teenage girls. “I … .” He broke off, a terrified whisper causing a shudder to run down his spine. Someone was screaming, and it sounded like Mandy.

“What?” Grady asked, glancing around. “Did you hear her?”

James didn’t have any idea how he knew his wife was in trouble, but he instinctively did. The scream had been brief, but he knew it was her. He broke into a run, pushing anyone who got in his way to the side as he raced back in the direction of the aquarium room.

Instead of questioning his brother further, Grady embraced the man’s instincts and followed. If James believed Mandy was in trouble, odds were the feisty blonde needed help. Trouble found her no matter what innocent situation she put herself in.

James rounded the corner and plunged into the aquarium room, his eyes landing on a man in a mask who was reaching for an unsteady Mandy. She swayed back and forth, reaching for the doorjamb to anchor herself, and James was convinced she was going to pass out.

As if sensing him, Mandy turned. Her blue eyes were clouded and she looked confused. James took a step toward her. “Baby?”

Mandy managed one step in James’ direction, relief washing over her troubled features. “James.”

She collapsed in his arms, her eyes rolling back into her head, and James’ heart started pounding as the thing he loved most in this world threatened to die right in front of him.

“Help!”

“HELP
us,” Grady yelled at the hospital staff as he cleared a path for James to move through the lobby unhindered ten minutes later.

Instead of waiting for emergency responders to make it to them, James loaded Mandy into his truck, cradling her to his chest as he fought tears the entire time, and Grady drove the five minutes to the hospital. Everyone else was following, but all Grady could focus on now was Mandy.

“What happened?” Dr. Jennifer Livingston removed her stethoscope from around her neck and moved in James’ direction, her face unreadable as she studied the still blonde in his arms.

“Help her,” James ordered.

“You have to tell me what happened,” Livingston said, her voice calm. She could tell the man was beside himself, but she still needed information if she was going to help the woman.

“We were at Hell House,” Grady answered. “She got separated from us. When we found her she was … off. She was stumbling. She fell in his arms and passed out.”

“Did she hit her head?” Livingston flashed a light in Mandy’s eyes.

“I don’t know,” Grady said. “I … we don’t know what happened. She was fine when we got separated.”

“Okay,” Livingston said, motioning to a nurse to bring a gurney over. “We’ll take it from here.”

James refused to let Mandy go even though Livingston watched him expectantly.

“Sir, you need to put her down so we can help her,” Livingston ordered.

“She’s my wife.” James’ voice was flat.

Livingston softened her approach. “Sir, we’re going to try and help your wife,” she said. “You have to put her down for us to do it.”

James reluctantly lowered Mandy to the gurney, his hands shaking. “Baby, please wake up.” He was on the verge of tears.

The nurse started to push the gurney away from James, causing him to balk. “I’m coming with you.”

“Sir, we need all hands on deck for this,” Livingston said. “We can’t work around you. We need you to stay here. The second I have any information on your wife’s condition … .”

“She needs me,” James interrupted.

“She needs all of us to save her,” Livingston countered.

“What if she … dies … and I’m not with her?” James’ eyes were swimming with tears, the  possibility too horrible to comprehend. “I can’t leave her.”

“Let us save her,” Livingston said. “We need a clear room to do it.”

Grady grabbed James’ arm and pulled him away as Livingston and her team wheeled Mandy from the lobby. The second Mandy was out of sight James broke down, listing to the side and causing Grady to have to catch him so he wouldn’t hit the cold linoleum floor.

“She’ll be okay,” Grady murmured, struggling to support his brother’s weight.

“I can’t go through this,” James sobbed. “Not again.”

“IS
there any word?” Ally asked, her brown eyes red-rimmed from crying during the drive over from the haunted warehouse.

“Not yet,” Grady said, rubbing the back of his neck as he offered his sister a hug. “She’ll be okay. You need to have faith.”

“I don’t understand what happened,” Jake said, his face a mask of concern and anger as he rubbed Ally’s back. “She was fine when we saw her.”

“I don’t know what happened,” Grady said. “She was in the room with the big aquarium and she was struggling to stand up. One of the actors was in there. He had a mask on and he was trying to grab her arm.”

“We should find him,” Finn said. “Maybe he knows what happened.”

“Maybe she wasn’t paying attention and hit her head on something,” Sophie suggested.

“That’s a possibility,” Grady conceded. “The doctor is in with her now. Her breathing got kind of … shallow … on the drive over.”

“Oh, no.” Emma’s fingers flew to her mouth as she struggled to stave off tears.

“It’s okay, sweetie,” Finn said, rubbing her back. “She’s going to be fine. She’s too tough to … .”

“Where is James?” Ally asked, cutting off Finn’s well-meaning comment.

Grady inclined his head in the direction of the bay windows over his shoulder. James was standing in front of them, his face streaked with tears, and he was clasping his hands so tightly in front of him Grady was worried he was going to rip his own fingers off.

Ally moved toward her brother, but Grady grabbed her arm to stop her. “Don’t go over there.”

“He’s upset,” Ally argued.

“He’s beyond upset,” Grady said, keeping his voice low. “He’s is barely holding on. He’s ready to explode. If you go over there, he’s going to explode all over you.”

“I can take it.”

“Leave him be,” Grady said. “If he explodes all over you then Jake is going to feel the need to stand up for you and … leave him be.”

“But Mandy might be … he needs me to support him,” Ally said, her lower lip trembling.

“If something happens to Mandy … he’s going to be beyond our support,” Grady said.

“What does that mean?” Ally was angry.

“It means if Mandy dies, we’ll lose him, too,” Grady said, his tone grim.

“I won’t let that happen.” Ally crossed her arms over her chest as Jake and Grady exchanged knowing looks.

“Angel, I think you’re all-powerful and wonderful,” Jake said, rubbing his hands over her shoulders. “I think Grady is right, though. Stay away from James.”

“But … .”

“No.” Jake’s tone was no-nonsense, and the look Ally shot him was murderous. Jake kept one eye on her as she dramatically threw herself in the chair next to Finn and used the other to watch James in front of the window. He looked lost.

“Here comes the doctor,” Sophie said, jumping to her feet.

James must have heard Sophie’s words because he swiveled quickly and moved in Livingston’s direction. “How is my wife?”

“Your wife is holding her own,” Livingston said.

James released a relieved sigh. “Can I see her?”

“In a minute,” Livingston said, holding her hand up. “Mr. Hardy, your wife has an injection point on her neck.”

“What does that mean?” Emma asked.

“It means someone shot her up with something,” Finn said, running his hands up and down Emma’s arms to keep her warm.

“But … .”

James cut her off. “What was she injected with?”

“We took a blood sample,” Livingston said. “We’re running tests on it now. Rather than let it get a foothold, though, we’ve started flushing her system. She’s already … more aware of her surroundings.”

“She’s awake?” Hope flared on James’ face.

“She’s not awake,” Livingston cautioned. “She’s thrashing around and we’re probably going to have to strap her down.”

“No!”

“Mr. Hardy, we need your wife to be calm so we can treat her,” Livingston said. “If she keeps this up she’s going to hurt herself or one of the nurses. She’ll rip the IV out and she needs it in place if we’re going to be able to flush her system.”

“Take me to her,” James ordered.

“Sir … .”

“Take me to her,” James repeated forcefully.

“Take him to her,” Grady said, moving up next to James. “I’ll come, too. Everyone else will remain here.”

Livingston didn’t look convinced. “That’s not standard protocol in a situation like this.”

“If anything is going to calm her down, it’s James,” Grady said.

“Then why are you coming?” Livingston asked.

“Moral support,” Grady replied. In truth, he was going to make sure someone didn’t need to calm James down.

“I’m going to allow this, but only because I don’t think strapping Mrs. Hardy down is an optimal course of action right now,” Livingston said. “If things get out of hand … .”

“They won’t,” Grady promised. “I won’t let them.”

JAMES’
heart lodged in his throat as Livingston led him into Mandy’s room. His wife’s blond hair was a mess, and she was tossing back and forth on the gurney, her eyes pressed shut as she cried.

James thought he was going to lose it. Instead, he squared his shoulders and moved around a nurse, kicking his shoes off and climbing onto the narrow bed next to Mandy, being careful not to jostle her.

“What’s going on?” The nurse was surprised by James’ actions.

“Let him see if he can calm her,” Livingston said. “We need to get that IV in her and we need to make sure she doesn’t move around so much that she yanks it out. I’m doubtful he can keep her calm enough for this to work … but I’m willing to let him try.”

“Hey, baby,” James murmured, turning on his side. He slipped an arm underneath Mandy’s waist and rolled her so she was facing him. He gathered her close, pulling her body flush against his even as she fought the effort, and then he pressed the side of her head against his chest.

For almost a year now, James and Mandy had been sleeping this way, although usually James was on his back and Mandy was completely on top of him. That wasn’t an option now. James rubbed his hands up and down Mandy’s back, making sure her ear was against his heart, and then he started talking to her.

“I’m right here, wife,” he said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I won’t leave. I will never leave you. You’re my whole heart. I need you to be still, my baby. I need you to let me hold you so these doctors can flush out your system.”

“Can she even hear him?” one of the nurses asked.

“She can hear him,” Livingston said, her eyes wide as she watched James soothe his tortured soul mate.

“I’m going to be right here when you wake up,” James said, brushing a series of kisses across Mandy’s forehead as he held her. “I won’t go anywhere. I’ll be right here. It’s you and me forever, my baby. Don’t you even think about leaving me.”

“Her blood pressure is dropping,” one of the nurses marveled.

“She’s not moving,” Livingston said. “We need to get the IV in her.” She glanced at Grady, giving him an appraising look. “How did you know?”

“She’s all he’s ever wanted,” Grady replied, his eyes fixed on his brother. “He’s all she’s ever wanted, too. They need each other.”

“Let’s hope he can keep this up all night,” Livingston said. “We’re not out of the woods yet.”

“He’ll keep it up,” Grady replied. “He doesn’t have a choice.”