Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) (5 page)

Mandy saw Emma walk away from Finn and return to the Aspen display. Finn was watching her leave, his face sad and wistful. She was so busy watching Finn, she didn’t notice that James had returned.

“How’s my little snow bunny?”

Mandy jerked her head up, focusing on her beautiful boyfriend. He had a knit cap pulled over his ears – and the reddish tint to his cheeks made his handsome face so appealing it was almost criminal. “I’m good,” Mandy said. “Your brother just got shot down by Emma, though.”

James glanced over his shoulder. “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Did I say you have to do anything?”

“No,” James said. “Let’s just say I know that look on your face. You’re about to meddle.”

“That’s an ugly thing to say.”

James leaned his head down, brushing his cold nose against Mandy’s. “What’s in it for me?”

“Oh, you two are so cute I could just puke,” Heidi said, nudging Mandy with her hips. “Can you hand me one of those bags?”

Mandy rolled her eyes, grabbing three bags and shoving them in Heidi’s direction. She wanted a few minutes to manipulate James to her way of thinking.

“What do you want?”

“Is this a trick?” James asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Nope. It’s a genuine offer.”

James tilted his head to the side, considering. “Can we play lost woman in the avalanche when we get home? I want to be a Mountie.”

Mandy smirked. “I have no idea what that is, but I’m game.”

“Okay,” James said, brushing a quick kiss against her lips before straightening up. “Now, what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, go and cheer him up,” Mandy said.

“How? I can’t give him what he really wants.”

“No,” Mandy said. “You can take his mind off of his troubles, though.”

James thought about it a second, his face breaking out into an evil grin. “I have an idea.”

“I figured you would.”

FINN
was still standing off to the side, lost in thought, when a snowball plowed into his jaw. Since his mood was already dark, he looked around for someone to beat – expecting to find one of his brothers as he wiped the wet slush from his face.

It wasn’t James or Grady standing there watching him. It was a small boy with bright, green eyes, and an impish grin. All of Finn’s anger dissipated. “Did you throw that snowball?”

The kid’s smile faded. “That guy told me to.”

Finn looked in the direction the boy was pointing, finding James doubled over with laughter. Grady was standing a few feet behind him smiling widely.

“Did he now?”

The boy nodded, his lower lip trembling. Finn knelt down, motioning for the boy to come closer. The boy seemed nervous, but he took a few steps forward.

“What’s your name?” Finn asked.

“Ethan.”

“Well, Ethan, do you want to help me get my brother back?”

“You’re not mad?”

“Nope. I’ll only be mad if you’re not on my team. With an arm like that, we can’t lose.”

The smile was back. “Cool. Can my brother play, too?”

“Get everyone,” Finn said. “Because we’re going to take them down.”

James and Grady must have realized their predicament, because they were running before the mob of kids – all armed with snowballs and squeals of delight – started chasing them.

EMMA
watched the snowball fight progress with undisguised glee. When you grow up without money, you have to find cheap ways to amuse yourself when you’re a kid. Snowball fights had been a particular favorite in the Pritchard house.

James and Grady were at a distinct disadvantage. They’d been pelted with so many snowballs, Emma had lost count. Finn seemed to be enjoying serving as general to his little army. And, while most of the parents opted to stay out of the melee, a few of the fathers joined in.

The joy on the street was palpable.

Well, to almost everyone.

“This is so immature,” said Gwen, one of the other Aspen models. “Although, I have to say, those guys who started the fight are pretty hot.”

Emma nodded noncommittally. “I guess.”

Gwen pushed her lips out so she could apply some gloss. “Maybe I should join them.”

“Which one do you like?” Emma asked, making a silent wish that she wouldn’t say Finn.

“I like the one in the hat,” Gwen said. “I think he’s going to be my date for the night. I bet he looks good when you strip all those clothes off him.”

Emma frowned. “I think he has a girlfriend.”

Gwen was haughty. “I don’t think any bargain-basement girlfriend is going to be a match for me.”

“Well then, why don’t you go and get him,” Emma challenged, hoping against hope that James really was as loyal to his girlfriend as Finn suggested.

MANDY
had avoided getting hit by a snowball for more than a half hour. She knew her luck wouldn’t hold out forever.

When the assault finally came, it was Finn leading the charge.

Four small children popped up on the other side of the table and pelted her with a barrage of hits. Heidi squealed, ducking. Mandy didn’t bother, wiping her face and pointing at Finn threateningly. “You’re dead.”

“Come and get me, blondie,” Finn sang out.

Mandy jumped over the table, running out into the melee. She scooped up a pile of snow, packing it tight. She launched it at a guffawing Finn, who didn’t have time to duck.

“I forgot how good you were in a snowball fight,” Finn lamented, rubbing the side of his head.

“You guys taught me,” Mandy reminded him. “At your house it was either learn or get learnt.”

“I remember.”

Mandy scooped up some more snow. “Either admit defeat or get it again.”

Finn held up his hands in mock surrender. “Never.” He launched himself at her, tackling her into a nearby snowdrift where he could shovel piles of white fluff on her to his heart’s content.

JAMES
saw Finn’s bodily assault on Mandy, but he was too far away to come to her aid.

“He’s got your girl, man,” Grady said, resting against a building so he could catch his breath. “What are you going to do?”

“She can take care of herself,” James said. “He’ll be the one crying when she’s done.”

“You’re not going to save her?” Grady asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Did you forget who taught her how to throw a snowball?”

Grady smiled at the memory. “Yeah, that was fun. She and Ally started it and you and I finished it.”

Grady jerked his head up when he heard a familiar scream. He couldn’t hide his smile when he realized that Sophie – her notebook still clutched in her hand – had also been dragged into the fight.

Finn’s small army was hitting her from every direction.

“Are you going to go and help her?”

Grady shrugged ruefully. “She’s not as tough when it comes to these sort of things as Mandy. She’s softer.”

“You just want to be her hero,” James grunted. “You’re so predictable.”

“You don’t want to be Mandy’s hero?”

“She’s already promised to play a game with me later,” James said. “I’ll be her hero then.”

“You’re sick.”

“You don’t even know what game I’m talking about.”

“Whatever it is, it’s sick and dirty,” Grady said. “Tell me about it later. I might want to try it myself.”

Grady ducked, a snowball barely missing him, and then he tucked his head down as he raced toward Sophie. He pulled up short when he realized that she was the one on the attack now, chasing two small, giggling girls with huge mounds of snow.

“Oh, it’s too late to run and hide now,” she said. “I’m coming to get you.”

James turned back to the task at hand. Mandy had managed to shift her weight and use her booted foot as leverage, tossing Finn to the side like he was a rag doll.
See, she was fine.

James stiffened when he felt a body move in next to him. He turned, expecting to see one of Finn’s tiny minions about to douse him with a mountain of white fluff. Instead, he discovered one of the Aspen models.

“Hi.”

“Um, hi,” James said. “Are you joining our team or something?”

“What kind of team are we talking about?” The woman extended her hand. “I’m Gwen by the way.”

James realized what was happening.
Who tries picking up a guy in the middle of a snowball fight?

James ignored her proffered greeting. “I’m James.” He purposely focused his attention back on the fight, hoping she would take the hint.

“So, do you want to knock this kid stuff off and buy me a drink? I can think of better ways to spend an afternoon,” Gwen said.

“It’s a nice offer,” James hedged. “I’m spoken for, though.”

“And where is your girlfriend?” Gwen asked pointedly. “I certainly don’t see her.”

James extended his gloved finger. “Over there, rolling around in the snow with my brother.”

“You must be awfully secure,” Gwen said. “Or are you just disinterested?”

James scowled at the pointed jab. He may be the one mired in a snowball fight, but she was the one who needed to realize that this wasn’t high school anymore. “I’m a little busy here. You can either join in or … go away. I don’t care which.”

The look on Gwen’s face was priceless. “Are you playing hard to get?”

“No,” James said, shaking his head. “I’m just impossible for
you
to get.”

Gwen ran her hand up James’ arm. “I think you’re just playing a game with me.”

James opened his mouth to argue, but the snowball slamming into Gwen’s head stopped him cold. He looked over to find that Mandy was on her feet – and she was the one who had launched the slush grenade.

He swallowed the mad urge to laugh.

“Who threw that?” Gwen asked, incensed.

“That would be my little snow bunny,” James said, moving away from her. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and give her a good roll in the snow.”

After the snowball fight wound down, James suggested everyone go to a local restaurant for dinner and a few drinks. Finn’s attention was focused on Emma, who was packing up about a hundred yards away, so he didn’t initially hear the question.

James poked him in the ribs. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, whatever,” Finn said. “I’m ready to go home.”

James sighed. “Let’s get dinner.”

“Oh, dinner,” Finn said. “That actually sounds good.”

“What are you in the mood for?” James asked.

“I’m easy.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” James teased.

“Uh-huh,” Finn said, clearly distracted. “Maybe I should go and invite Emma?”

“If you want,” James said.

Mandy was the one who stopped him. “Why don’t you let me invite her?”

Finn narrowed his eyes, regarding Mandy curiously. “Why do you want to invite her?”

“Because if I invite her, it won’t seem like a date,” Mandy said.

“And you think she doesn’t want to date me,” Finn said, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. “That’s what you’re saying.”

“Actually, I think she is interested in you,” Mandy replied. “I just don’t think she wants to be interested in you.”

“How is that different?”

“It’s a woman thing,” Sophie supplied. “It’s how we keep our sanity when hot men are around.”

“Is that what you did with me?” Grady asked.

“No,” Sophie said, rolling her eyes in Mandy’s direction – a silent message passing between them. “Of course not.”

“I knew it!”

James stifled a grin. “Why don’t you go and invite her, baby. We’ll meet you at Charlie’s Tavern. It’s nice and low key, and the food is good.”

“Okay,” Mandy said. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Finn still didn’t look convinced, but James forced him to leave anyway. He had no doubt that Mandy would succeed where his brother had failed.

EMMA
was so distracted with the gift the Aspen storeowner had given her – the jacket and pants at no cost – she didn’t notice Mandy approaching.

“The outfit looks too good on you,” the man was explaining to Emma. “It’s like it was made for you.”

Emma felt his hand brush her rear end. “Thank you, Mr. Anderson. That’s very generous of you.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“I guess.”

“How about you let me take you to dinner, and then I can be even more generous?”

Emma stiffened. She was used to this. So many business owners had asked her out she couldn’t even remember all their faces – let alone their names. “I’m sorry, but I already have plans.”

“With who?” Mr. Anderson clearly didn’t believe her.

“With me,” Mandy interjected, stepping closer to Emma. “I was just waiting for her.”

Anderson took a step back. “I’m sorry, I didn’t see you standing there. And you are?”

“Amanda Avery,” Mandy said, shooting him a dark look. “Are you ready for dinner, Emma? Everyone is waiting for us.”

“Everyone?” Anderson pressed.

“Yeah, there’s a whole group of us,” Mandy said.

“Well, if there’s a group, maybe I’ll join you.”

Emma was mortified. She was used to being degraded. Having Mandy see it, though, made her feel just about as low as any human being could get.

Mandy’s smile was hard for Emma to read. “Okay. That’s sounds good. Just one thing, my boyfriend is crazy jealous. That last guy who showed up uninvited ended up dead behind the courthouse. You just need to let me warn him that you’re not really here to hit on me. It shouldn’t be a big thing.”

Anderson took a step back. “Your boyfriend is the one who shot up the courthouse?”

Mandy waved off Anderson’s comment with fake bravado. “He is crazy jealous. I can talk him out of beating people up more than fifty-percent of the time, though, so I wouldn’t worry. The odds are in your favor.”

Anderson forced a smile onto his pinched, rat-like face. “You know what? I forgot that I already have dinner plans. I’ll just let you two ladies go on your way.”

Mandy kept the fake smile plastered on her face until Anderson disappeared around the corner. “What a dick.”

Emma realized she had been holding her breath. She exhaled heavily. “Thank you.”

“No problem. I hate guys like that.”

“How did you even know I was still here?”

“I came to get you for dinner,” Mandy said. “I wasn’t lying about that.”

Emma knit her eyebrows together, confused. “Dinner?”

“You do eat, right? I would hate for you to reinforce that models-starving-themselves thing.”

“I eat,” Emma hedged. “I just don’t know if … .”

“It’s not open for debate,” Mandy said. “The restaurant is just around the corner – and you’re coming with me.”

Emma sighed. “Finn said people didn’t tell you no.”

“You should listen to Finn,” Mandy said. “He’s smarter than he looks. Well, most of the time.”

Emma gave in and followed Mandy, letting the amiable blonde carry the bulk of the conversation over the course of the one-block sojourn. When they arrived at Charlie’s Tavern, Mandy scanned the crowd. She grabbed Emma’s arm and dragged her through the crowded restaurant until she found the table she was looking for.

Emma wasn’t surprised to see Finn was already seated.

Mandy gave Emma a small push, directing her to the open seat next to Finn, before sliding into a chair next to James.

“I was about to come looking for you,” James said, running a hand through his tangled hair. The hat had done him no favors – not that Mandy seemed to mind. In fact, the messy hair and wide grin gave him a more
approachable
countenance.

“I just had to talk Emma’s boss into letting her go,” Mandy said.

Emma waited for Mandy to expand, but the blonde grabbed a menu and focused on it instead.

“I’m glad you could join us,” Finn said, gracing Emma with a small smile. “I wasn’t sure you would … .”

“Mandy wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Emma replied.

“She never does,” James said, slinging an arm over the back of his girlfriend’s chair and winking. “Why do you think I’m always so tired?”

“I think that Gwen wanted to tire you out herself,” Emma said. “She told me that she thought all of you were attractive, but she was particularly interested in the one in the hat.”

“Yeah, Mandy handled her in just the right way,” Finn said. “I don’t think she’ll be wanting to play with any of the Hardy boys any time soon.”

Emma glanced down to the opposite end of the table, where a striking brunette was sitting with the one Hardy brother she hadn’t met yet.

“Oh, crap,” Mandy said. “We’re being rude. That’s Grady and Sophie. They’re probably debating which one of them has prettier hair.”

Grady stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry in Mandy’s direction. “I’ve already won that competition, my dear.”

Sophie rolled her eyes. “In your dreams.”

Emma felt herself relaxing, even though social situations often freaked her out. “You’re the reporter for the Daily Tribune, right? I’ve read a lot of your articles.”

Sophie beamed. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“And you didn’t grow up with them like Mandy, right?”

“No, I just met them a few months ago,” Sophie said. “I’m still trying to decide if it was a good thing or a bad thing.”

Grady reached over to tickle her ribs. “I’m the best thing that ever happened to you, sugar, and you know it.”

“Of course you are,” Sophie said, smiling and patting him on the arm. “He needs constant reinforcement,” she explained to Emma. “It’s weird.”

“It’s the hair,” Mandy said. “It makes him forget he’s not a woman.”

“Hey, don’t hate the hair,” Grady warned. “When you hate the hair, it gets a complex.”

“Do you have any idea how creepy it is when you talk about your hair like it has feelings?” James asked.

“You think it’s funny when Mandy wears those shark slippers and pretends they have feelings,” Grady countered.

“I think that’s cute,” James replied. “It gets her all riled up – and I like her when she’s all riled up.”

Despite the in-jokes, Emma couldn’t help but feel welcome. “Shark slippers?”

“Mandy is infatuated with all things shark,” Finn explained. “It’s obsessive and weird.”

“It’s adorable and sexy,” James argued. “Don’t make fun of my girl.”

“Don’t worry, I’m still going to play avalanche with you later,” Mandy said. “You can tell the truth.”

James’ eyes reflected doubt. “Well, in that case, it’s a little odd. What can I say? I like my women odd.”

The table erupted into laughter. Emma felt her knee brush against Finn’s under the table. She fought the urge to yank it away and, instead, kept it snug against his. The warmth emanating from their small point of contact was enough to make her feel lightheaded.

What is happening?

Conversation progressed after the waitress took everyone’s orders, settling into comfortable chatter and mindless exchanges for the bulk of the meal. Emma relished the feeling of normalcy. This is how regular people live, she thought. This is how people who aren’t related to child molesters go about their everyday lives, with laughter and love.

Emma glanced over to find Mandy studying her worriedly.

“So, how many days a week do you work, Emma?” Mandy asked.

“I’m usually booked Saturdays and Sundays for festivals and events,” Emma said. “I have a standing gig at one of the casinos in Detroit on Fridays, too.”

“So, you’re free during the week?”

“I’ve been taking some classes online,” Emma said. “I usually focus on that during the week.”

“You’re going to school? That’s great. What are you going for?”

Emma bit her lower lip. “I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” she said. “Right now I’m just taking basic stuff, though, until I’m one-hundred-percent sure. I don’t want to waste any money.”

“And the modeling pays for your classes?”

“That’s the only reason I do it,” Emma said. “It’s never exactly been a dream of mine.”

“It sounds like you don’t have a lot of free time,” Mandy said. “What do you do for fun?”

Fun? What’s fun?
“I kind of keep to myself,” Emma said. “I honestly don’t have a lot of friends. The girls I meet at jobs are all superficial and obnoxious – well, you met Gwen, and she’s pretty much representative of all models – so I really just keep my nose to the grindstone.”

Mandy tilted her head to the side, considering. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”

Emma had no idea where Mandy was going with her line of questioning. “I have to be back at the festival during the afternoon,” Emma said. “I’m free after that. Why?”

Mandy’s smile was wide. “I have a great idea. We should have a girl’s night.”

Sophie perked up at the end of the table. “That’s a great idea.”

James cleared his throat. “Do I have to remind you what happened at your last girl’s night?”

“Do I have to remind you who handled that situation?” Mandy shot back. “Besides, what are the odds of us getting attacked by another knife-wielding maniac?”

James balked. “Where are you going to go?”

Mandy shrugged. “I don’t know. Out to a bar or something.”

“Why don’t you have everyone over to our place instead,” James said. “I would feel better about it if I knew where you were.”

“Because you and your brothers have a poker game at the apartment tomorrow,” Mandy said. “Did you forget?”

James rubbed his chin. “Go over to Sophie’s then.”

“You can’t just invite people over to Sophie’s house,” Mandy said. “That’s not fair.”

“It would normally be fine,” Sophie said. “I’ve actually got construction going on right now. They’re building a sun porch. Sure, I picked the worse time of year to do it, but it’s already half done.”

“Ooh, that sounds nice,” Mandy said. “I want to see it when it’s complete.”

“Sure.”

Emma wasn’t sure, but she made the offer anyway. “You could come over to my place.”

Mandy’s smile was so wide it almost swallowed her entire face. “Sold.”

And, just like that, Emma felt like part of the group.