Hardy Brothers Security: Deadly Proposal Part 21

Grady took the Dairy Queen bag from Sophie and rattled it. "I brought her ice cream to soften the blow."

Mandy c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "What is that?"

"A hot fudge sundae," Grady said. "I knew I'd need a bribe to steal him for a few minutes."

"Score," Mandy said, straightening to a sitting position and reaching for the bag. "I think you hit my price."

James pulled himself up, keeping her body close to his. "You're selling me out for ice cream?"

Mandy already had the sundae open and was dipping the red, plastic spoon into the whipped goodness. "It's chocolate."

James c.o.c.ked an eyebrow. "Give me a bite of that."

Mandy did as instructed, shoveling the spoon into his mouth. James swallowed and then brushed a kiss against her mouth. "Eat your treat." He scooted out from beneath her, watching as Sophie took his place on the couch.

"This is Jake Harrison," Grady introduced the two men.

"You're the guy out at the tent city," James said, motioning for Grady and Jake to follow him into the kitchen. "Do you have something?"

Grady told James what Jake had told him, waiting for Jake to fill in the gaps. When the man remained mute, James fixed him with a hard stare. "I understand that we've put you in a hard position," he said. "I do not want to go after an innocent man. I just need to keep her safe."

Jake glanced over at the blonde, who was enthusiastically relating some story to the comely brunette on the couch with her. "You love her," he said finally.

"More than anything in this world," James affirmed.

Jake blew out a sigh. "Cole Gordon might be an actual threat."

JAMES listened as Jake laid out the evidence he'd acquired. It didn't necessarily mean anything, but it was enough to give James chills. He opened his mouth to respond when the door to the apartment flew open.

Ally, wild and flowing curls flying, barreled into the room. She pulled up short when she saw James, Grady, and Jake standing in the kitchen. "Who is he?"

"He's helping us with Mandy's case," James replied, scalding her with a hard look. "Do you know how to knock?"

"Did Grady knock?" Ally sneered. She loved getting under her brother's skin, and this was no exception.

"Why are you here?" James pressed.

"Why do you care?"

Jake shifted uncomfortably next to James, his gaze fixed on the wide-eyed Ally.

"I'm sorry," James said, taking a step back. "Jake, this is my sister, Ally."

Ally extended her hand. "Hi."

Jake took it, holding it briefly before pulling away and eyeing her curiously. "It's nice to meet you."

"I'm nice to meet," Ally agreed, wrinkling her nose as she looked Jake up and down.

James didn't like the look. "Don't you have something to gossip with your cohorts about?"

Ally rolled her eyes, potential drama evident on her face. "You're such a wet rag."

James watched his sister join Mandy and Sophie on the couch. They had the remote control, and were flipping through the channels. There was something overtly delightful about their interaction, the giggles they dissolved into, the smiles they shared, that James couldn't help watching them for a second. After a moment, he realized Grady and Jake were mesmerized, too.

"Sorry," James said, shaking his head. "Back to Cole Gordon. What do you think his current situation is?"

Jake shrugged, leaning back against the counter. "There are only so many places these guys can go, and I can't say for certain he's not going back to the tent city when I'm not there."

"If he really did get money for a hit on Mandy, then he might be renting a place," Grady interjected.

"Except the hit failed," James pointed out. "She survived. Who would pay a homeless veteran for a hit that failed?"

"He has a point," Grady said. "If Cole didn't get paid, and he has nowhere else to go, what are his options?"

"I don't know," Jake admitted. "We can question the guys out at the tent town again, but I'm not sure what that will yield."

James rubbed his hand over his jaw, considering. "We'll take a full load of supplies. I was planning on doing it anyway. Coats. Food. Bottled water. We'll bring the whole enchilada. If we can get some information? Great. If we can't? We're out nothing more than time."

Jake nodded. "They'll appreciate that."

"Then it's a good idea regardless," James said, shifting as Mandy made her way into the room. He watched her pull a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, her gaze trained on Jake the whole time. "Do you want to tell me what you're doing?"

Mandy pulled up short, fixing James with a sultry look. "Who says I'm doing anything?"

"I do," James said. "You're acting odd. What are you doing?"

Mandy sighed, tossing a haphazard gaze in the direction of the couch. "I was checking to see if Jake was wearing a wedding ring."

James' eyes narrowed. "Really? Do you want to tell me why? Or should I just kill Jake now?"

Mandy rolled her eyes. "I wasn't looking for me." She gave James a quick kiss, and then rejoined Sophie and Ally in the next room. James' eyes followed her, realization washing over him.

He glanced over at Jake, who was just about as red as one man could get without profound sunburn.

Grady was shaking with silent laughter.

"I don't think it's funny," James said.

"She's an adult," Grady countered. "You take this whole big brother thing far too seriously."

James scowled as he watched Ally send Jake a saucy wink, and then dissolve into a pile of giggles with Sophie and Mandy.

This was not good.

Twenty.

The next afternoon, James, Grady, and Finn met Jake at the parking inlet by the river. They'd stocked up, and they'd need to make multiple trips between the vehicles and the tent town to unload. The constant furloughs back and forth allowed the three brothers to get the lay of the land without looking too suspicious.

When they were done, James unpacked the fresh hotdogs, buns, and condiments they'd brought, and proceeded to start roasting them over the open barrel fires.

The men living there were naturally suspicious of the new invaders, but hunger and need had them warming up relatively quickly. Within a few hours, the men were sharing stories and jokes.

James had purposely refrained from asking questions at the onset, wanting the men to trust him before he blindsided them with invasive queries. The more time he spent with them, the more guilt set in.

This wasn't right. These men were veterans, for crying out loud. There had to be something else they could do here. Blankets, coats, and food were fine and dandy but they weren't a solution.

"I know what you're thinking," Jake said, stepping up next to James.

James raised an eyebrow briefly. "You do?"

"You're trying to figure out a solution to all of this," Jake said. "I've been there."

"And you don't think there's a solution?"

"Not one that will make you happy," Jake replied. "You can't save everyone."

"I'm not trying to save everyone," James said. "I'm trying to save these men. That shouldn't be some insurmountable feat."

"It shouldn't," Jake agreed. "You're going to be disappointed if you try to fix everything, though, because everything can't be fixed. Only some things can be fixed. What you've done here today, that stuff is going to make life better for these guys for a long while."

"I guess."

Jake patted James on the shoulder. "You can only do it in steps, man."

James nodded. "I guess you'd know better. Have you heard anything?"

"I've asked around about Cole," Jake said. "As far as I can tell, no one has seen him in a few days."

"I don't like it," James said. "There can't be a lot of places a guy like him can go to hide."

"No," Jake agreed. "I'm worried, too. I'm worried that, if he really was involved in this, someone did something to him to shut him up."

James grimaced, tugging a hand through his hair. The thought had already occurred to him. "I hate to say it, but maybe someone should make a call to the medical examiner's office."

Grady, who had been pa.s.sing out blankets, straightened up and faced his brother. "I was thinking that, too. I'll text Sophie. She'll do it."

Jake furrowed his brow, confusion washing across his face. "Why would she call them?"

"She's a reporter for the Daily Tribune," Grady explained. "She's got a working relationship with the people over there."

"I knew she looked familiar," Jake mused. "She was the reporter who took down John Madison, wasn't she?"

"Do you know Madison?"

"I knew his kid," Jake said. "He's a sc.u.m-sucking little weasel."

Grady barked out a laugh. "Well, I'm betting he's someone special's sc.u.m-sucking little weasel in prison these days."

Jake smirked. "We can only hope."

Finn finished stacking cases of water bottles and joined the other three men. "I don't think this Cole Gordon is here," he said.

"We don't either," James agreed.

"We could keep someone out here, just in case," Finn said.

"Are you volunteering?"

"I will if I have to," Finn replied, shrugging. "I don't think Emma will like it, but it's not like it will be forever."

"I think that's going to be a waste of time," James said. "I don't think he's coming back here."

"So, what's our next move?" Grady asked.

"I say we order some pizza and go back to my place to brainstorm," James said, turning to Jake. "What do you like on your pizza?"

Jake looked surprised. "You want me to come with you?"

"You're part of the group now," James said. "I'd like to hear what you think about the situation."

Jake nodded mutely, his face unreadable.

The phone in James' pocket dinged, signifying an incoming text. He pulled it out of his pocket, letting loose with a string of curses as he read it.

"What's wrong?" Finn asked.

"It's Mandy," James said. "She just wanted to tell me Ally is picking her up, and they'll meet us at home."

"Why is that a problem?" Jake asked.

"I dearly love my sister," James said. "I do. And I love Mandy with my whole heart. When they get together, though ... I just want to ... ." James mimed throttling an invisible person.

"They grew up together," Grady explained. "They kind of get immature and obnoxious when they get together."

"Oh, you all grew up together," Jake said. "I didn't realize that. I guess you've been with Mandy a long time."

"We've only been together for about eleven months now," James replied.

"Yeah, if they would have dated back in the day, James would have been arrested for criminal s.e.xual conduct," Finn teased.