Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) (18 page)

“Of course she does,” Jake muttered. “Ally, I love you, but you don’t need to cook. Takeout will make everyone happy.”

“I want Emma to have a home-cooked meal,” Ally argued. “Would you really take something like that away from the baby?”

Mandy snickered as Jake blanched.

“You’re using an unborn baby as a weapon against me, and I don’t like it,” Jake warned.

“I have an idea,” Mandy said, hopping to her feet and moving to Ally’s side. “James and I are trying to ask each other’s permission to do things instead of bossing one another around. Try asking Jake if he’ll take us to the grocery store.”

“I like bossing him around,” Ally countered.

“We all like it when you do that, angel,” Jake said.

“Just try it,” Mandy prodded.

Ally blew out a dramatic sigh. “Fine!” She turned to Jake with her best “you love me and can’t tell me no” smile plastered on her face. “Will you please take us to the grocery store so I can cook?”

Jake opened his mouth to deny the request and then snapped it shut. She was going to get her way regardless. He might as well give in now and get it over with. “Will you let me be the boss tonight?”

“Absolutely,” Ally answered, beaming.

“Good,” Jake said, getting to his feet. “Grab your coats. We’re going to the grocery store.”

“How are you going to boss me around tonight?” Ally asked, curious.

“Oh, I’m going to gag you and slip sleeping pills into your drink,” Jake replied, fighting not to laugh at the murderous look on her face. “As the boss, I’m putting you to bed early and getting a good night’s sleep.”

“That backfired on you, didn’t it?” Mandy teased.

“I hate you both sometimes,” Ally complained as she trudged toward the front closet. “No one appreciates me.”

“I appreciate you, angel,” Jake said. “I just love you best when you’re asleep.”

“This place is a hole,” Grady said, studying the white house with a worried expression. “How do you want to handle this?”

The house in question was a one-story dive on Oakland County’s southern border. It was nondescript and looked empty. James had been through similar situations enough times to know that looks could be deceiving.

“Marcus Gibson is a robber and not a murderer,” James said. “I think we should just go in. If he runs, we’ll chase him. If he’s not there, we’ll wait.”

“Morgan might be wrong about this,” Grady said. “He didn’t tell us who gave him the tip.”

“He might be,” James conceded. “I think he’s hot to get Gibson, though. If he does, that means his department will be responsible for turning over three of the four escapees. He’s banking on Pritchard coming to us.”

“Does it bother you that he’s been watching us?”

“I figured he was,” James answered. “I think his biggest problem is that he doesn’t have the manpower to follow up on every sighting and watch every possible acquaintance. That’s why you guys managed to grab DeAngelo. They weren’t expecting him to return to his sister’s house that night.”

“I’m still amazed Sophie figured that out,” Grady admitted.

“She’s a wonder,” James said, smirking. “All of our women are wonders.”

“Oh, my lovesick brother,” Grady said, pinching and tugging on James’ cheek as he smirked. “Just think, you almost walked away from Mandy. Think how different your life would be now.”

“Don’t bring that up,” James warned. “I’m sick of it. Mandy still has it in the back of her head that I’m going to walk away from her a second time. I hate it.”

“Did she tell you that?”

“No,” James said, reaching into the console between the seats and grabbing his gun. “She denies that she thinks it. I see it all over her face when we fight sometimes, though. It makes me batshit crazy.”

“Bro, you’re batshit crazy because you’re addicted to her,” Grady countered, checking the chamber of his own weapon. “You’re going to have to accept that she has crazy ideas and you’re still going to love her anyway.”

“I will love that woman until the day I die,” James acknowledged. “She still frustrates the crap out of me.”

“That’s love,” Grady said, pushing his door open. “Let’s get this over with, shall we?”

“I can’t wait to see this schmuck’s face.”

MARCUS
Gibson sat in front of his computer screen and studied the information he’d managed to dig up. He dipped his fries into the mountain of ketchup and frowned. He was out of a time and now he had no choice but to follow through on his promise.

He moved to get up but stilled when he saw the two men standing on the other side of the living room. The one with long hair had his gun drawn and leveled at Marcus’ chest. The one with shorter hair but more intense eyes merely clutched his gun at his side.

“Well … crap.”

“You can say that again,” the longhaired man said.

“SIT
down,” James instructed, pointing toward the chair Marcus was trying to vacate.

“Are you cops?” Marcus asked, confused. They didn’t look like cops to him. That didn’t necessarily mean anything, though. There were guys in the joint who looked like women and yet they had penises. That was frustrating on a whole other level.

“Sit down,” James repeated.

Marcus did as instructed, resting the palms of his hands against his knees. “If you’re not cops, who are you? We might be able to work out a deal.”

“We’re going to ask you questions, you’re going to answer them, and then we’re taking you to the cops,” James replied. “There will be no deal.”

“I don’t see how that benefits me,” Marcus replied, nonplussed.

“Well, if you don’t answer the questions, then I’m going to smack you around,” James offered. “The benefit to you is not getting hurt.”

“You make a compelling argument,” Marcus said, sighing heavily. “What do you want to know?”

“Where is Lance Pritchard?”

Marcus stilled, surprised. “You’re here about Pritchard? Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Pritchard is an animal and we want to put him down,” James explained. “You’re an animal, too. You’re not an animal we care about, though.”

“I don’t know where Pritchard is,” Marcus said. “I can’t help you.”

“I don’t believe you,” James charged. “For argument’s sake, though, when was the last time you saw him?”

“Two hours after we escaped.”

“You’ve managed to stay under the radar since running,” Grady pointed out. “Why did you stick around the area? You would’ve had a better shot if you fled the state.”

“I had a job to do,” Marcus said, laughing hollowly. “It’s kind of weird that you guys showed up when you did. I finally geared myself up to do the job, and then you guys arrived at the perfect time to stop me. I’m kind of relieved.”

James and Grady exchanged a dubious look.

“You’re relieved to go back to prison?” James challenged. “That doesn’t sound likely.”

“I’m relieved not to have to do my job,” Marcus corrected. “There’s a difference.”

“Okay, I’ll play your game,” James said. “What is your job?”

“I have to kill a woman.”

James’ eyebrows flew up his forehead. “Excuse me? Are you actually admitting to us that you were about to go out and commit a murder?”

“It’s either that or die myself,” Marcus replied, his face unreadable. “You guys saved me from having to kill someone. I guess I owe you.”

“Who were you going to kill?”

“Audrey Lassiter.”

James made a face. “Should I know that name?”

Grady was one step ahead of his brother. “Is Audrey Lassiter married to the Jackson prison’s warden?”

James’ face drained of color. “Crap. That’s where I know that name from.”

“She is,” Marcus confirmed. “She’s about to be his ex-wife, and Lassiter doesn’t want to pay child support or give up half his pension.”

Things started clicking in place for James. “Lassiter helped facilitate your escape, didn’t he?”

“He did,” Marcus said. “He arranged for DeAngelo and myself to be in the right place at the right time. DeAngelo screwed up and killed the guard, though, so the whole plan was shot to hell from the start.”

“What about Lupo and Pritchard?” Grady asked. “Were they supposed to be part of this?”

“Pritchard was,” Marcus replied. “Lassiter wanted him to escape with us because he knew that the cops would focus on him over us. Lupo just hitched a ride. He was always an idiot, so it doesn’t surprise me that he was the first one caught.”

“Lassiter wanted Pritchard on the outside to draw attention,” James said. “You and DeAngelo were supposed to kill his wife. You didn’t, though. Why?”

“I never wanted to kill anyone,” Marcus explained. “I just wanted out. I’m a small guy. I was … popular … inside. I didn’t want to keep going through that.”

James realized what he was referring to. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, surprised to find he actually meant the words. “Why did you and DeAngelo separate?”

“After DeAngelo killed the guard, he knew that there was nothing he could do but die or run,” Marcus supplied. “He didn’t want to die, but he didn’t know how to run. He decided to ignore Lassiter’s orders and hang around so he could see his sister. I think he knew he was going to get caught.”

“Why do you think DeAngelo didn’t tell the truth when he was captured?”

“He’s probably sitting on the information until he can use it to his advantage,” Marcus said. “He thinks I’m going to kill the wife and then he’ll have all the ammunition he needs to make a deal.”

“Do you really think you would’ve done that?” James asked.

Marcus shrugged. “I’ve been putting it off for days,” he said. “Lassiter tracked me down through a prepaid cell phone he had waiting for me in the laundry truck, though. I should’ve dumped it, but it was the only thing I had once I ran.

“I still don’t know why I answered it when it rang,” he continued. “I’ve been hiding out for days with no one to talk to. It’s funny, but when I was being … used … inside, all I wanted was to be alone. Once I was outside, the loneliness was overwhelming.”

“Do you have any idea where Lance Pritchard is?” James asked. “It’s important. We’ll do what we can and help you go to another prison if you tell us the truth. We’ll make sure you’re not put in Lassiter’s care again.”

Marcus sighed and shifted his hand to the computer keyboard, tapping his finger against the side lightly. “Pritchard is a disgusting piece of filth, so I don’t feel guilty about telling you this,” he said. “Lassiter has been helping him hide. He knew that the longer Pritchard was on the outside, the more people would focus on him instead of me.”

“Lassiter told our man he thought he was going to lose his job,” Grady interjected. “He had to know this was going to go bad.”

“I think he believes that his wife’s death at my hands will somehow vindicate him,” Marcus said. “All that public hate will turn to sympathy when Audrey Lassiter is murdered.”

“And then he’ll get to keep his money and his job,” James surmised. “Jake was right about not trusting him. I can’t wait to take that jackass down.”

“Join the club,” Grady said, keeping his gaze fixed on Marcus. “How is Lassiter helping Pritchard? Where is Pritchard staying?”

“Lassiter has a cabin on Lake St. Clair out in Chesterfield Township,” Marcus replied. “It’s close to Twenty-Two Mile Road. I can’t be more specific than that. Pritchard has been hiding out there.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Marcus said, nodding. “He’s supposed to stay there during the day and only leave at night, but he hasn’t been doing what he was told to do either.”

“That’s because Lassiter can’t control Pritchard,” James said. “Pritchard manipulated Lassiter into thinking he would act as a pawn when Lassiter was actually his pawn all along. Pritchard doesn’t care about furthering Lassiter’s cause. He cares about getting his hands on his daughter.”

“I can verify that,” Marcus said. “All Pritchard talked about during the escape was using and abusing his kid. He’s sick. I don’t want that to happen to anyone. I’m sure you understand.”

“I do,” James said, surprising sympathy washing over him. “Okay, come on. We’ll make sure you’re kept in isolation at the county jail until Lassiter is taken into custody. I can’t promise things are going to be good for you, but I promise to fight and make sure things are better.”

“That’s nice of you,” Marcus said. “I’m not going back, though. I would rather die.” He reached up and pressed a button on the laptop. “I’m really sorry.”

“What did you just do?” Grady asked.

“The house is wired with explosives I stole from the construction site around the corner,” Marcus said. “You have twenty seconds to get out. Well, actually about fifteen now. I would hurry if I were you.”

James and Grady exchanged a look and then broke into a run. There was something about Marcus’ defeated demeanor that told them he wasn’t making it up. They raced through the front door and jumped toward the spotty grass on the front lawn.

James and Grady hit the ground hard, momentarily relieved.

“I think we … .”

Grady didn’t get a chance to finish his sentence. Instead of announcing they were safe and probably faked out by a convict, his words were drowned out by a deafening explosion.

James and Grady rolled to their stomachs, covering their heads, and waited for the debris to stop falling. It seems Marcus Gibson wasn’t bluffing after all.