Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) (2 page)

Emma woke up when cold water splashed across her neck, jerking in surprise. She found herself prone on the ground, her shoulders supported by strong legs and confident hands. When the face of the man holding her swam into view, she recognized Finn Hardy.

“What happened?”

“You fainted,” Finn replied, his face grim.

“I don’t faint.”

“Then you just performed a great audition for a soap opera,” Finn said. His brown eyes were soft and concerned. “How are you feeling?”

“Weird,” Emma admitted. “I’m still not quite sure what happened.”

“Well, some guy tried to throw something on you,” Finn said. “I managed to hit his arm. He got away when everyone panicked.”

Emma straightened, glancing around at the mostly empty room. “Where did everyone go?”

“To the nearest exit, I would guess,” Finn replied. “When someone screams at a public venue these days, most people think terrorism and run as fast as possible.”

“You didn’t run,” Emma pointed out.

“And leave a damsel in distress? That wouldn’t help my street cred.”

Emma narrowed her eyes. After a moment, she realized he was joking, so she graced him with a small smile. “I guess I deserved that.”

“I’m just trying to make you feel better,” Finn said. “Is it working?”

Unfortunately, it was. Emma had written him off as a horny alpha male within thirty seconds of meeting him. The hard muscles rippling beneath his shirt, his easy smile, his handsome face, and smooth chatter had all been signs that he was not the type of man she wanted to get to know better.

Now, with his hard chest pressed against her bare back, she was forced to rethink that position.

“Can you stand?” Finn asked.

“I think so.”

Finn wrapped his hands under her arms and helped lift her up. He made sure her footing was solid before pulling away. “Hey, look at me a second.”

Emma fixed him with a curious stare. “Why?”

“I just want to check your eyes,” he said. “They seem fine.”

“Thanks. I guess.”

“I just don’t want you passing out again,” Finn said. “No need to get your panties in a bunch. I’m not hitting on you.”

Emma scowled. “I already said I was sorry about that.”

“I know,” Finn shot back. “Maybe I like seeing you suffer.”

The jab hit Emma square in the gut, but she brushed it off. “You wouldn’t be the first man who liked that.”

Finn bit his lower lip. “Why don’t you sit down?”

“Why?”

Finn pointed to the door at the far end of the room, which was currently filling with police officers. “Because they’re going to want to talk to both of us.”

Emma sighed. “Great.”

TALKING
to law enforcement had never been one of Finn’s favorite tasks. After an hour chatting with St. Clair Shores’ finest – he felt like he was on the edge of a cliff, and he was ready to jump.

“I don’t know how many different ways I can tell you what happened,” Finn explained to the officer questioning him. “It’s not going to change.”

“I guess I’m just trying to understand what drew your attention to the man.”

“He was acting strange.”

“Strange?”

“He just didn’t look like he belonged,” Finn said.

“You’re part of Hardy Brothers Security, right?”

Finn bristled. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Nothing. I’m just curious.”

“I am.”

“Are you the one who saved the clerk or the reporter?”

“Neither,” Finn said. “Those were my brothers.”

“And how do you know Ms. Pritchard here?”

“I was running security for Madison’s Marina. She was the model they hired for the day. I don’t really know her. We just met this afternoon.”

The officer shifted his gaze to Emma, looking her up and down with predatory eyes. “She’s not hard to look at. It must have been a nice afternoon.”

Finn didn’t like the look. “She’s a person, not a thing.”

The officer rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”

“Am I done?”

“Yeah, you can go.”

Even though the Madisons had collected the diamond and taken it home for the night, Finn lingered. Another officer a few feet away was still questioning Emma, and she didn’t look happy. Finn found himself heading in her direction.

“And you have no idea why someone would want to harm you?”

Emma sighed, shaking her head. “I told you. I have never seen him before. I didn’t get a very good look at him. It all happened really fast.”

The cop glanced down at the notebook. “And you’re Lance Pritchard’s daughter, right?”

Emma visibly stiffened. “What does that have to do with anything?”

Finn didn’t move from his spot, sensing the police officer had hit a nerve.

“Well, your father is one of those most notorious criminals Macomb County has ever seen,” the cop prodded.

“That’s my father, not me.”

Finn furrowed his brow, wracking his brain. Lance Pritchard.
Why did he know that name?

“Your father left a list of victims a mile long,” the officer said. “Maybe your assailant was one of his victims.”

Finn took a step forward. “Who is your father?”

Emma squared her shoulders when she heard Finn’s voice. “You haven’t heard of Lance Pritchard? The man who molested fifty boys in ten years? Come on. That must ring a bell.” Her voice was hollow.

Long ago news coverage niggled the back of Finn’s brain. He had heard the story. Lance Pritchard was a piano teacher who lived in Eastpointe, offering “free lessons” to underprivileged boys for years. He was revered as a hero in his rundown neighborhood until his very public arrest.

Then, when the truth started coming out in a trickle, it didn’t stop until it was a raging waterfall. By the time everything was settled, Pritchard had been convicted on more than a hundred and fifty criminal sexual conduct charges and sentenced to life in prison. It had been big news about four years before.

“You can understand why I think that one of your father’s victims would be responsible for an attack on you,” the police officer said.

Finn felt a rush of anger course through him. “You’re treating her like this is her fault,” he said. “She was the victim here.

The cop fixed Finn with unreadable eyes. “And you are?”

“Finn Hardy,” Finn said. “I was running security when it happened.”

“And can you supply us with a description of the suspect?”

“I already supplied it to that guy over there,” Finn said, pointing.

“So, why are you still here?”

“Because I wanted to make sure Ms. Pritchard was okay,” Finn replied. “She was shaken after the attack.”

“She looks fine now.”

Finn rolled his eyes, turning so he could get a better look at the melted plastic display. “This looks acidic.”

“Are you a chemist now? I thought you Hardys were more about guns and flouting law enforcement. Now you know about acid?”

“I was in the Navy,” Finn replied, chafing at the police officer’s open disdain. “I’ve seen my share of acid. We used it on naval carriers from time to time. And, if you knew who I was, why did you ask me to identify myself?”

The cop ignored the question. “Well … bully for you.”

Finn glowered at the officer for a moment, standing toe-to-toe with him before finally fixing his gaze on Emma. “Are you okay?”

“I’m great,” Emma said, her voice cold. “Can’t you tell? I’m Lance Pritchard’s daughter. That means I’ve earned everything that’s coming to me – even this.”

“No one said that, ma’am,” the officer replied. “We just have to be open to all avenues of investigation here.”

Finn reached over, grabbing Emma’s arm and tugging her toward him. “Well, why don’t you do your investigating then,” he said. “I think you’ve done just about enough here.”

The officer shot Finn a disdainful glare but left, handing Emma a business card before going. “I’ll be in touch.”

Emma forced a small smile onto her face. “Thank you.”

Once he was gone, Finn looked her up and down. She was still wearing her bikini. And, since the room was now empty, the temperature had dropped a good twenty degrees. “I don’t suppose you know where your clothes are?”

Emma waved to the table at the back of the booth. “They’re in a bag over there.”

Finn retrieved the duffel, handing it to her wordlessly. Emma pulled a pair of jeans and a T-shirt out of the bag, dressing quickly. She tugged on a pair of tennis shoes – not bothering with socks – and then turned to him. “Thank you for staying. It really wasn’t necessary.”

“Well, it’s not necessary to walk you out to your car either, but I’m going to do that, too.”

Emma opened her mouth to argue, shutting it when Finn shook his head. “That’s non-negotiable. Let’s go.”

After spending the day locked in the stifling heat, it was a relief to breathe in the fresh, night air. It was cold – bordering on frigid – but it was Emma’s coldness that was worrying Finn.

“You know, that cop was just doing his job.”

“I know all about cops doing their jobs,” Emma said. “I’m used to it.”

“I’m betting you were questioned quite a bit when your dad was arrested,” Finn said. “That had to be rough.”

“Finding out your dad has been molesting little boys? Yeah, it’s rough. He got what he deserved, though. If you think I’m one of those people who doesn’t believe in the guilt of a loved one, you’re wrong. I believed it from the beginning.”

Finn tried to meet her gaze, but she averted her eyes. “It must have been hard on you. When things like this happen, people can’t help but blame the family.”

“I know all about that, too,” Emma said, her voice bitter.

Finn felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and touch her, offer her some form of solace. He had nothing to offer her. Actually, that wasn’t quite true.

“You know, this is exactly the type of thing my brothers and I could help you with,” he said. “We could open an investigation.”

Emma finally raised her chocolate eyes. “Why would you do that?”

“Because you look like you need some help,” Finn replied honestly. “And, despite how much you seem to despise me, I want to help.”

“What makes you think I need your help?”

“You were attacked by a guy carrying a vial of acid,” Finn said. “If that’s not a plea for help, I don’t know what is.”

“And what do you want in return?”

Finn tamped down his irritation. “I don’t know, how about a thank you?”

Emma’s eyes filled with unshed tears. “Thank you.”

Finn exhaled deeply.

“I can’t accept your help,” she continued. “Thank you for offering. Thank you for trying to help with the cop. Thank you for walking me to my car. I can handle this on my own.”

Finn wanted to argue, her face told him it was fruitless. “Okay.” He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet so he could hand her a business card. “Just in case.”

Emma took the card wordlessly, nodding.

Finn watched as she got into her small Honda and drove away, staring into the dark night long after she was gone.

When Finn got back to Hardy Brothers Security, he found James sitting behind his desk in his office working on his laptop. James glanced at his brother, then up at the clock, and then back to his younger sibling. “You’re late.”

“It was an eventful day.”

“The boat show was eventful? That’s got to be a first.”

“The end of it was.”

James lifted his eyebrow in question, causing Finn to launch into his story. When he was done, James swore under his breath. “Even a simple guard detail turns into mayhem for us these days.”

“We do seem to have a knack.”

“What about the girl?”

“She was shaken, but I don’t think it was just the attack,” Finn said. “The cops were kind of hard on her.”

“Why?”

“She’s Lance Pritchard’s daughter.”

James’ eyebrows knit together. “Why do I know that name?”

“He was the big child molester from a few years ago,” Finn replied, filling in the gaps in James’ memory. “He was the one that went to Jackson for like three hundred years.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember him,” James said. “He was a real scumbag.”

“That doesn’t mean she is,” Finn shot back, feeling an overwhelming urge to stand up for the gorgeous brunette.

James leaned back in his chair, fixing his brother with a curious look. “I didn’t say she was.”

“Well … you kind of inferred it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, she was the victim today,” Finn said. “She could have been seriously hurt.”

“She wasn’t, though,” James said. “You saved her. Do you want to tell me why you’re so worked up over this?”

“I’m not worked up,” Finn protested. “I’m just … tired.”

“You’re tired?”

“Yes. What? I can be tired.”

James barked out a laugh. “Let me guess, she’s a boat model, which means she’s unbelievably hot, and you’re unbelievably attracted to her.”

“I am not.”

“It looks like I’m going to have another lovesick puppy on my hands.”

Finn threw himself into one of the open chairs across from his brother’s desk. “I’m not lovesick.”

“Not yet, no,” James said. “Although, you are showing clear signs to the contrary.”

“Who’s lovesick?” Mandy asked, poking her head into the office.

Finn groaned. “You have ears like a cat, I swear.”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Mandy countered. “I was just coming down to check and see when your brother was coming up.”

Finn rolled his eyes.

“What? I was.”

James motioned for Mandy to join him, which she did wordlessly. He pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her protectively. “Maybe you should stay out of this?” James suggested.

“I just want to hear why Finn is lovesick,” Mandy said, ignoring the silent plea in her boyfriend’s eyes. “That’s not meddling.”

“Did I say you were meddling?”

“Not yet,” Mandy replied. “You will, though.”

James shook his head, turning back to his brother. “What do you think? About what the police said about her father’s enemies, I mean.”

“I think it’s a definite possibility,” Finn said. “Lance Pritchard left a trail of sexually abused boys that is longer than the county line. The guy looked to be in his twenties. He could definitely be a victim.”

“If we try to look at all the victims, that could be … problematic,” James said. “I’m not a big fan of revictimizing them.”

“And you think I am? She’s innocent here,” Finn said.

“I know she is,” James said. “I’m just thinking that we need to be really careful how we approach this.”

“We?” Finn asked, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re obviously not going to let this go,” James said. “I think we should try to get in front of it and not chase it from behind – like we usually do.”

“Lance Pritchard was in front of Judge MacIntosh,” Mandy said. “It was one of the first cases in his courtroom after I got the job.”

“You sat through the trial?” James asked, rubbing her back with the palm of his hand. “That must have been horrible.”

“It was,” Mandy said. “There were all these boys … more than twenty of them.”

“I thought he had fifty victims,” Finn said.

“Yeah, but in sexual-abuse cases, it’s really hard to get victims to testify,” Mandy explained. “Some of the kids were too young, and their parents refused to put them on the stand.

“Others were too old,” Mandy continued. “The statute of limitations had passed and they couldn’t testify. There were some victims who claimed that nothing had ever been done to them – even though Pritchard had photographs. It came down to twenty victims.”

“What do you remember about him?” Finn asked.

“You know how when you look at people who are accused of heinous crimes and they just look like normal people?”

Finn nodded.

“That was not Lance Pritchard,” Mandy said. “You could tell by looking at him that he was evil. I remember he would try and stare down each one of his accusers. The prosecutor stood between him and the kids, bodily trying to block him off, but he kept jostling around so he could look around the prosecutor. It was creepy.”

“How long did the trial go?”

“It was a long one,” Mandy said. “It was about four months long. I was fresh out of college. The worst thing I’d seen up to that point had been a couple of armed robbers and a handful of wife beaters. This was the first … predator I’d ever come into close contact with.”

“Did he try to speak to you?”

“He tried to speak to all of us,” Mandy said. “During breaks, I would come back to my desk before the judge. He was always smiling at me with these big, yellow teeth.”

James tightened his arms around Mandy instinctively.

“It wasn’t just me. He tried to talk to Heidi, too. The bailiff was always threatening him.”

“What about his family?” Finn pressed. “Were they in court?”

Mandy’s face scrunched up as she searched her memory. “He had a son,” she said. “He was about twenty-three at the time. I remember hearing the prosecutor talking to another lawyer. Everyone thought the son had been abused, too, but he would never admit to it.”

“What did you think?” James asked.

“The son had vacant eyes,” Mandy said. “You could tell something horrendous happened to him. He was back in court about a year ago. I remembered him from that first case. This time he was the one in front of the judge.”

“What was he in for?” Finn asked.

“Armed robbery. He held up a liquor store,” Mandy said. “The family was in real financial trouble. The mother just took off at some point. That came up in court. The defense attorney tried playing on Judge MacIntosh’s sympathy.”

“Did it work?”

“Actually? Yeah,” Mandy said. “The prosecutor didn’t even try to fight a lighter sentence for him. The family was living in poverty. The brother was trying to take care of himself and his younger sister. He could have gotten fifteen years and the judge gave him five.”

“That was nice of him,” James said. “I never pictured the judge as a softy.”

“He remembered the father’s trial, too,” Mandy said. “I think he knew that he was abused.”

“What about the sister?” Finn asked softly. “Was she ever in the courtroom?”

“She was called to testify against her father,” Mandy said. “I remember thinking how young she looked. She was seventeen or eighteen at the time, which I guess would make her around twenty-two now. She seemed … older, though. She had one of those faces where you just knew she’d seen some horror.”

Finn gripped the arm of the chair, his knuckles turning white. “What did she testify about?”

Mandy was trying to remember. “She said she didn’t know about the abuse, and I believed her. She seemed more like a neglected little girl than anything else. It came out in court that her mom was a drunk and drug addict. Most people believed the mother knew what was going on, although they never had enough evidence to charge her.

“What I really remember is that the girl was wearing these hand-me-down jeans that were two sizes too big for her, and a shirt that was clearly from a thrift store, but she was really beautiful,” Mandy continued. “She didn’t have any money. She couldn’t even buy anything from the vending machine. She just sat in the hallway when everyone was at lunch, all by herself, staring at the wall.”

“She didn’t even have enough money to get lunch?” Emma’s insistence on modeling was starting to make sense to Finn.

“No. I ended up giving her my lunch a couple times,” Mandy said. “I told her I had too much. She was too proud to take it, but I talked her into it eventually. I tried to talk to her, but she was so scared and closed off she wouldn’t tell me much. I just remember feeling really sorry for her.”

“Did she come to the brother’s trial?” James asked, brushing his nose against Mandy’s jaw as he snuggled in closer.

“Yeah. She testified for him, saying that he wasn’t perfect, but he’d always been a good brother. I think her testimony is what really got to Judge MacIntosh.”

Finn sighed, leaning back in his chair. “Well, that explains why she’s modeling. She said she needed the money. I didn’t understand. She really seems to hate it.”

Mandy raised her eyebrows. “Would you like people staring at you while you’re half-naked for hours?”

“Baby, I think that’s every guy’s dream,” James said. “It’s different for women, I guess.”

“Is she the one you’re lovesick for?” Mandy asked, glancing over at Finn.

“I’m not lovesick,” he growled.

“Is she the one you’re attracted to?” Mandy corrected, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not attracted to her,” Finn said. “She just seemed so … sad and vulnerable.”

Mandy and James exchanged a look.

“Yeah, I know that look,” Mandy said. “You’re already to rush into danger to save her.”

“That doesn’t mean I’m hot for her,” Finn countered.

“I didn’t say you were,” Mandy said. “I would just be really careful with her. She’s been through more than you … or I … or anyone, for that matter, could ever fathom.”

Finn pushed himself to his feet. “Let’s get one thing straight, shall we? I’m not attracted to her. After everything she’s been through, I just want to make sure she doesn’t get hurt. Is that so wrong?”

Mandy shook her head. “No. Just be careful with her. I know you Hardy men think every woman will break. That’s not usually true. With Emma, she actually might break.”

Finn waved a half-hearted goodbye, leaving out the front door with Mandy’s words swimming through his head. He had a lot to think about.

When he was gone, and it was just James and his girlfriend, Mandy lowered her forehead to his.

“You realize he’s already a goner, right?”

“I knew that before you came down,” James said. “I knew it the minute I laid eyes on him. I think what you told him just made him all the more … conflicted.”

“I wasn’t kidding about him breaking her,” Mandy said. “The good news is, if anyone can get through to her and treat her right, it’s your brother.”

“Are you saying I don’t treat you right?” James asked, poking Mandy in the ribs.

“No. You treat me better than right. I’m not Emma, though. She’s been through a lot more than I have. She really is fragile.”

James reached up, tilting Mandy’s mouth so he could give her a sweet kiss. “You have a huge heart. This is Finn’s thing, baby. We just have to let him handle it, and be there for him when he needs help.”

“You’re being awfully smart tonight,” Mandy teased. “It’s like you’re a really smart teacher or something.”

“Tonight?” James raised an eyebrow playfully.

Mandy shifted so she could straddle James on the chair. “Do you want to show me just how smart you are?”

James groaned as he felt Mandy grind against him. “Class is definitely in session.”