Deadly Dealings (Hardy Brothers Security Book 13) (6 page)

“What are you doing up here?” James asked, climbing the stairs that led to the reading nook on the second-floor landing and fixing Mandy with an unreadable look.

It was Sunday afternoon, and instead of a barbecue like the family used to enjoy on the patio when the weather was warmer, now everyone was at the house hanging out while Emma bustled in the kitchen. Mandy made herself scarce as soon as people started arriving, and James was worried when he couldn’t find her.

Mandy glanced up from the book she was reading. “I … .”

James feigned patience as he moved over and sat on the couch beside her. “You shouldn’t have climbed the stairs alone, baby. I would’ve carried you.”

“I don’t want you to carry me up the stairs,” Mandy said. “I let you do it last night – and then carry me down again this morning – because we were alone and I knew you needed it. I don’t need everyone else to see you treat me like I’m an invalid.”

James pursed his lips and reached over to brush Mandy’s hair out her face. She’d showered and let it air dry so it was bigger than normal. Even without makeup she was beautiful, but her face was marred with unhappiness right now and it frustrated James to no end. “I’m not treating you like an invalid. I’m treating you like my wife who almost died.”

“I know you think I’m being an unreasonable pain … .”

“I think  you don’t like to be smothered and I can’t help myself from doing it right now,” James said, cutting her off. “I think I love you more than anything. I also think you still feel sick to your stomach and you’re worried you’re going to throw up in front of everyone. No one cares. They understand.”

“I care.”

“Baby, you’re going to be the death of me,” James muttered, slipping his hand under Mandy’s legs and tugging her onto his lap. “Everyone understands that you’re sick and you can’t help it. I still want you to try eating something tonight. It’s been almost forty-eight hours since you’ve kept anything down.”

“I’m not eating in front of them,” Mandy said, crossing her arms over her chest obstinately. “They’ll all stare at me and make a big deal … as if I’m a circus freak or something.”

“You
are
a circus freak,” James teased. “You’re the amazing Mandy, the most stubborn woman in the Midwest.”

“Ha, ha.”

“You don’t have to eat in front of them,” James said. “If you want, I’ll kick them out of the house and it can be just the two of us.”

“You can’t do that,” Mandy protested, making a face. “It’s rude and they’re our family.”

“And they’re here because they love you,” James said. “They just don’t love you as much as I love you.”

“I don’t want you to worry,” Mandy said, resting her forehead against his strong chin. “I see your face when you’re watching me. It’s like … you’re waiting for me to fall down. I’m not going to fall down.”

“I know you’re not,” James said. “I’ll always be standing by to catch you, though. That’s my job.”

“Ugh. It’s hard for me to be pouty and morose when I have the best husband in the world.”

“You do have the best husband in the world,” James agreed, kissing her cheek. “I have the best wife in the world, too. That’s why I want to take care of you.”

“You are taking care of me … maybe a little too much.”

“I know that,” James conceded. “I think it’s been something of a miracle that you haven’t snapped and killed me today. I have a compromise for you about dinner, if you’re willing to listen, that is.”

Mandy turned her expectant blue eyes to James.

“I’ll keep everyone away from you while you’re eating and even bring your food to you up here if you promise to let me carry you to bed tonight.”

“That seems like too easy of a compromise,” Mandy said.

“I think I’m willing to give you just about anything you want right now,” James admitted.

“Okay,” Mandy said, sighing dramatically. “You know Ally is going to fight this, right?”

“Ally is downstairs letting Jake distract her with his tongue right now because she doesn’t want to focus on how worried she is about you,” James replied. “She’ll live.”

“I love you more than anything, James.” Mandy snuggled her head into the hollow of James’ neck and let him pull her tightly against him.

“Baby, there are no words for how much I love you.”

“ARE
you sure I shouldn’t go upstairs and eat with Mandy?” Ally asked, her expressive brown eyes focused on the stairs, which James kept cutting her off from every time she tried to skirt around him.

“Mandy is still sick,” James replied, snagging the back of Ally’s shirt and tugging her around to the other side of the table and planting her in the chair next to Jake. “She’s your responsibility. Make sure she behaves.”

Jake wrinkled his nose. “Yes, because she always listens to me.”

“Mandy shouldn’t be alone,” Ally tried again.

“Mandy doesn’t want to eat in front of anyone in case she gets sick,” James said. “Leave her be.”

“I don’t care if she gets sick,” Ally said. “I … I think she needs me.”

James wanted to yell at his sister, but he understood the sentiment. “Mandy is going to need you when she’s feeling a little better,” he said, tugging on his patience. “Right now Mandy needs a little space.”

“Just because you’ve been crowding her, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to see me,” Ally argued, crossing her arms over her chest.

“I have been crowding her,” James conceded. “I’ve been hovering and … watching … everything she does. I don’t need you to do it, too.”

“Who said … ?”

“Ally!” James yanked on his hair and pressed his eyes shut as he tried to rein in his temper. “Do not go up there.”

Instead of the anger he was expecting, Ally’s face reflected sadness. “Fine.”

“Great,” James said, slamming his plate down at the head of the table, glancing to his right – to the spot Mandy usually occupied during family dinners – and sighing. “It will better in a couple of days.”

Jake rubbed Ally’s back as she focused on her own plate, the youngest Hardy sibling occasionally shooting murderous glances in James’ direction.

“I think we should talk about the case,” Finn said, hoping to steer the conversation to a safer topic.

“What did you find out?” James asked, grateful for the reprieve.

Jake and Finn filled him in on their afternoon, fielding the occasional questions from the assembled family members. James listened to every word, but his gaze was constantly darting to the top of the stairs. He couldn’t see Mandy, but he knew she was up there.
Was she sick? Was she sleeping? Was she lonely? Did she need him?

“We need to find out more about this Jasper Gunderson guy,” Grady said. “I’ll start a search on him.”

“We need to keep an ear to the ground to see if we can glom onto any other stories from haunted houses, too,” Sophie said. “I talked to Peter today … .”

“We talked to Peter today,” Ally corrected.

“We,” Sophie conceded, rolling her eyes. “He wants in on this and he’s going to go full out to see what he can find.”

“You went with Sophie to Peter’s house today?” Jake asked, focusing on Ally. “You didn’t tell me that.”

Ally realized her mistake too late to take it back. Instead, she opted for full-on belligerence. “So?”

“So maybe you should’ve told me where you were going to be,” Jake suggested.

“Maybe you’re my boyfriend and not my keeper,” Ally shot back.

James couldn’t help but smile at the small argument. It reminded him of a similar one he had with Mandy months before. “Peter’s house is safe,” he said. “I wasn’t thrilled the first time Mandy went there either, but it’s safe. Peter would die before letting anything happen to any of them.”

“Thank you,” Ally said.

“You should still tell Jake where you’re going so he doesn’t worry,” James chided.

Ally made a face. “I need to go to the bathroom.”

“We’re talking about this when you get back,” Jake warned, his face serious.

“I can’t wait.”

“WHAT
are you doing up here?” Ally asked, lifting Mandy’s legs from the coffee table and skirting around her so she could get comfortable on the other side of the huge sectional.

“Reading,” Mandy replied, saving her place in the book and tossing it on the coffee table. She knew Ally wasn’t going to leave her to her pitiable thoughts and book. “What are you doing up here? James said he was going to bar you from entry.”

“James can only focus on one thing at a time and right now they’re talking about the people manufacturing and moving the Twilight,” Ally said. “He got distracted because Jake was mad about me going to Peter’s house and I slipped by unnoticed.”

“You’re wily.”

“I am,” Ally agreed, her gaze moving to Mandy’s mostly untouched plate. “Didn’t you eat anything?”

“I ate some of the potatoes.”

“What about the chicken?”

“If I even get it close to my mouth I want to hurl,” Mandy replied.

“If chicken makes you sick why don’t we try beef?”

Mandy made a face.

“What doesn’t make you want to hurl?” Ally asked, shifting so she was closer to Mandy on the couch and could rest the side of her head against her best friend’s.

“Not much,” Mandy admitted. “Hopefully I’ll feel better tomorrow.”

“If you don’t feel better soon James is going to hurl,” Ally said. “He’s going to hurl a chair through the sliding glass doors. He’s really tense.”

“I know. I don’t know what to do. I can’t force food down and then make him watch me puke. That doesn’t seem like much of a reward.”

“Reward?” Ally cocked an eyebrow. “What are you rewarding him for?”

“He saved my life.”

“He saved both your lives,” Ally corrected. “You’re the thing he loves most in this world. You don’t need to reward him for saving your life when it would’ve killed him to lose you.”

Mandy remained silent, her gaze fixed on the wall across from them.

“It would’ve killed me to lose you, too.”

Mandy chuckled. She couldn’t help herself. “I’m glad James saved your life.”

“And if I would’ve died then Jake would’ve died because he can’t live without me,” Ally said. “James really saved four lives. He’s a hero.”

“He’s my hero. That’s for sure.”

“I guess I shouldn’t have given him such a hard time at dinner then,” Ally mused.

“That was probably good for him,” Mandy said. “He needs someone to yell at and he can’t yell at me because I almost died. He’s a big ball of energy.”

“And you can’t have sex with him to relieve that energy because you’re sick.”

“This is true.”

“Do you know what you should do?” Ally asked.

“What?”

“Tell him you love him every chance you get and then get better at your own pace,” Ally said. “You can’t do anything more than that so you need to stop trying.”

“You’re the best friend I’ll ever have, Ally.”

“I know.”

“WHERE
is Ally?” Jake asked, glancing around the empty living room.

After cleaning up the dinner dishes, Finn, Emma, Grady, and Sophie said their goodbyes. That’s when Jake noticed everyone’s favorite fireball was missing, although he couldn’t figure out how that escaped his attention previously.

“One guess,” James grumbled, moving toward the stairs.

Jake followed James to the second floor, and when James stilled Jake moved around him to get a gander at the couch. Mandy was asleep on one end, her head resting on a pillow and a blanket hanging off her hips. Ally was asleep on the other side, her pillow touching Mandy’s and her fingers resting on top of the blonde’s still hand.

“I’ll wake her,” Jake whispered, moving to walk around the coffee table and collect his girlfriend.

“Leave her,” James said. “Mandy hasn’t slept this hard since she woke up in the hospital.”

“You want Ally to spend the night here?” Jake asked, surprised.

“The couch is big,” James said. “If you move the pillows at the back of it to the floor you can fit next to Ally.”

“Are you suggesting the four of us sleep on this couch together?” Jake didn’t look thrilled at the prospect.

“I’m suggesting Mandy and Ally want to be close to one another right now,” James said. “If we want to be close to them we’re going to have to make some concessions.”

Jake sighed, resigned. “Fine. I’m not holding your hand, though.”

James smirked. It was the first real smile he’d managed to muster all day. “All I want to hold is the blonde. If you get fresh with my sister while we’re all sleeping together, though, things are going to be rough in the morning.”

“I’ll take that under advisement.”

James woke to a “clicking” sound, and when he lifted his head the next morning he found Grady standing next to the couch snapping photographs with his cell phone.

“You guys are just so cute,” Grady teased, sticking his tongue out as Jake stirred. “I’m going to post these all over the Internet. You guys are going to be the hit of Facebook today, my friends.”

“I see you just let yourself into my house,” James grumbled, running his hand through his hair as he rolled Mandy slightly.

Mandy opened her eyes at the noise, her gaze bouncing between James and Grady as her morning muddled mind worked to clear. “What’s going on?”

“Grady is being a tool.”

“If you post any of those photos and my hair looks bad I’m going to sneak into your house and chop all of your precious hair off while you’re sleeping,” Ally warned as she struggled to a sitting position.

Jake sat next to her silently.

“What’s wrong with him?” Grady asked, gesturing toward Jake with one hand while he snapped a photo with the other.

“He doesn’t like mornings.”

“No one does,” James grumbled, pressing his lips to Mandy’s neck. “How are you, baby?”

“I’m … .” Mandy tilted her head to the side as she considered the question. Before she got a chance to finish her statement her stomach ruthlessly growled.

“You’re so hungry, baby,” James said, rubbing his hand over her flat midriff and frowning as he felt her rib bones. She was thin on a normal day. Two days without eating had caused her to shrink down to a level he wasn’t comfortable with. “Please tell me you’re going to try and eat something.”

“I am,” Mandy said, and she meant it for herself as much as James. “I actually … I don’t feel sick to my stomach.”

Hope flitted across James’ face. Her sleep had been mostly heavy, a nightmare causing her to whimper a few times and let him draw her close as he struggled to make sure she felt safe in slumber. If she could eat something – and keep it down – he would feel a lot better about their present situation. “What do you want? I will go and get you anything your heart desires.”

“I want a pony,” Ally said.

“No one was talking to you, Ally.”

“I don’t want to push it before I’m sure,” Mandy cautioned. “How about we start with scrambled eggs and toast?”

“Baby, I would buy you chickens and a bread factory right now if it meant you could eat something,” James said, nuzzling her neck.

Grady snapped another photograph. “That one is a keeper.”

“I will beat you,” James threatened.

“Do it down at the breakfast table,” Grady suggested. “I’m starving.”

“I guess that means I’m cooking,” Ally said.

“And it had better be good if you don’t want me spreading these photos all over the place.”

“VOILA!”

Ally slipped a plate in front of Mandy while Jake doled out heaping helpings of eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast to everyone else.

Mandy glanced at the plate and then back at Ally. “Thank you.”

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Ally bit her lip, unsure.

“Not while you’re watching me.”

“Go.” James flicked Ally’s ear. “Leave her to eat on her own for a few minutes.”

James forced himself to focus on his own plate of food for the next five minutes, and when he finally couldn’t take it for one more second he risked a glance at Mandy’s plate and almost cried with relief when he saw that she’d eaten the bulk of the food Ally heaped on it.

“How do you feel, my baby?”

“I feel okay,” Mandy said, her blue eyes wide. “I … I feel okay. I don’t feel like I’m going to throw up. Stop worrying about me.”

“Can we please not talk about throwing up while I’m eating my breakfast?” Grady asked.

“I will thump you,” James threatened.

“You’re going to have to hold off until I tell you the information I have.”

“I … .” James cracked his neck. “I will refrain from killing you long enough to see what information you have.

“While you’re doing that I’m going to take a shower,” Mandy said, pushing herself up from her chair.

“Do you need me to … help you upstairs?” James felt guilty for asking the question.

Instead of snapping at her husband, Mandy leaned over and gave him a soft kiss. “I can handle it. I’ll be fine.”

“I love you, baby.” James grabbed her hand and squeezed it, exhaling heavily as he realized how much worry had been weighing down his shoulders.

“I love you, too.”

“And everyone loves me,” Ally chimed in.

“And everyone loves Ally,” Mandy said, her eyes twinkling.

“I CAN’T
believe the guys are letting us do this,” Ally said, clapping her hands together a few hours later as she and Sophie trudged up the front sidewalk of the Night & Day Spa in Sterling Heights.

“You need to be chill here,” Sophie warned, stilling the rambunctious brunette before Ally could open the door and enter the spa. “I know you want to help Mandy. The only reason Jake agreed to let you be part of this is because they didn’t want me going in here alone. You can’t do anything wonky when we find this woman.”

“I don’t do wonky things.”

“You’re the queen of wonky,” Sophie shot back.

Peter’s efforts to track down a lead on local Twilight manufacturers uncovered one name: Winona Sanders. Peter didn’t know much about her – other than she had her finger in eight different drug manufacturing pots throughout the tri-county area. Peter also found that Winona’s credit card was being used for multiple purchases at the spa. Since a male presence would stand out at a business dominated by women, Sophie volunteered to go. And, since Grady balked at the idea of letting her go alone, Jake finally acquiesced and allowed Ally to go with her.

No one except Ally was happy about the situation.

“Mandy is my best friend,” Ally said, crossing her arms over her chest and fixing Sophie with a hard look. “I want to find out who tried to hurt her. If this woman had a hand in it … bam!” Ally mimed a violent act.

Part of Sophie wanted to laugh. The other part wanted to carry out the violent act on Ally. “We have to be low key,” she said, forcing herself to remain calm. “If we tip our hand that we’re up to something we could ruin this case and this woman could get away forever. I need you to keep that at the forefront of your brain when we’re in there.”

“I’m. Not. Stupid.” Ally spoke in an exaggeratedly slow manner.

“This is going to suck,” Sophie muttered, pulling open the door and ushering Ally inside.

The receptionist greeted the two women with a smile that was wide enough to convince Sophie she was on uppers and then led Ally and Sophie to the back so they could change into robes.

When they entered the main spa area, Sophie spotted Winona almost immediately. The woman was tall, and she had blond hair straight out of a bottle. Her fingernails were long and acrylic, and she was wearing enough makeup to make a clown think she’d gone overboard.

Ally and Sophie settled in chairs, and Ally immediately started chatting away. It took Sophie a moment to realize what she was doing, and when she did, she was happy Ally was the one with her. Ally might not be great at undercover work, but if it was one thing she knew, it was how to talk “girl.”

“So, I was like, Jake … I can’t put up with this macho crap of yours,” Ally said, effortlessly slipping into her part. “If he thinks I’m going to spend my day cleaning the house and cooking dinner for him while he’s out running around and having fun without me … well … he’s crazy.”

Sophie fought the mad urge to laugh. Ally was the one who liked cooking for Jake and he didn’t care in the slightest if Ally ever cleaned. “I wouldn’t put up with him,” Sophie said, wrinkling her nose. “I can’t stand a man who thinks he’s God’s gift to everything in a skirt and that you should bow down and worship him.”

“I know, right?” Ally’s eyes flashed as they met Sophie’s somber brown orbs. She was enjoying herself. “I want to break up with him, but he makes too much money and he’s so good in bed that I never have to finish myself off.”

Sophie was about to kick Ally as a warning that she’d gone too far when an interested Winona joined in the conversation.

“Never let that man go,” Winona said.

Ally shifted so she was facing Winona and fixed a quizzical look on her face. “What do you mean?”

“You have no idea how rare it is to find a man who even cares about finishing you off,” Winona said. “The last five men I’ve been with didn’t care about my needs at all.”

“He’s really bossy, though,” Ally said, her voice taking on an air of irritability. “I like what we do in bed, but I don’t like it when he demands that I cook him dinner.”

“How hard can it be to cook dinner?” Winona asked. “Buy one of those rotisserie chickens and the sides at the grocery store and pretend you made it. Just make sure you throw away the containers in a spot he can’t find him.”

“That’s a good idea,” Ally said. “I … wow. You’re smart. I never would’ve thought of that. I bought soup at Panera and pretended I made that myself once. I think he knew, though.”

Sophie decided she wanted to play the game. “That was because you left the bread in the Panera bag when you served it.”

Ally giggled and playfully slapped Sophie’s arm. “You’re so funny.”

Even though she was joking, Ally’s slap stung so Sophie slapped her arm back. “No, you’re funny.”

Ally fought off the overwhelming urge to give Sophie’s hair a good, hard yank and turned her attention back to Winona. “Are you from around here?”

“I live over in Harrison Township,” Winona replied. “I love this spa, though. What about you?”

“I live in Clinton Township,” Ally replied, not missing a beat. “This is our first time here. We were going to that place over on Metropolitan Parkway, but their service has been a little … meh … lately.”

“I’ve never been there,” Winona said. “I saw their advertisements, though. I was considering them. This place is closer to the mall.”

“I love the mall, too,” Ally giggled. “This place is also closer to bars and restaurants – although I’m not even sure which ones are happening and which ones should be avoided out here these days. I feel so old.”

“Hannigan’s Bar & Grill over on Schoenherr just opened two weeks ago and that’s the place to be right now,” Winona said. “That’s where I’m going tonight.”

“That sounds fun,” Ally said, turning to Sophie. “Don’t you think that sounds fun?”

“We might need reservations,” Sophie replied, stalling for time. Ally was getting the two of them in a lot deeper than she probably realized.

“I already have reservations,” Winona said. “You can come with me if you want.”

“That sounds great,” Ally said, refusing to let Sophie come up with an excuse. “We would love that. I haven’t had a good girls’ night out in forever.”

“What about your boyfriend?” Winona asked, narrowing her eyes. “Won’t he be mad?”

“Luckily he has a job to do tonight,” Ally said, the lie slipping off her tongue easily. “He’s a limo driver for this outfit out of Grosse Pointe. He has to take some businessman to a Red Wings game and then to the casino. He said it could be four or so before he even gets home.”

“That works out well for you,” Winona said, smiling.

“Incredibly well,” Sophie muttered, racking her brain for a way to explain how this happened to Grady.

“He usually works an earlier shift so this is really lucky that we ran into you,” Ally said. “Out of curiosity, what should I wear tonight?”

Sophie realized the evening had spiraled out of control before she even got a firm hold on what Ally was doing. In typical fashion, though, Ally was ahead of the game. She’d had this planned from the beginning, and Sophie had to applaud her effort. Ally had managed to worm a chick date out of a drug dealer in less than twenty minutes. That had to be some sort of record.

Sophie took advantage of the mud mask that was distracting Winona for a few minutes and turned on Ally. “You realize how mad Jake is going to be, right?”

“I realize that Mandy almost died and I want to make someone pay,” Ally countered. “If this bitch had something to do with it, I’m taking her down.”

“You are terrifying when you want to be.”

“And don’t you forget it.”