Deadly Prospects (20 page)

“Do you see anything?”

Thredson was intent on his search. He cast looks in her direction from time to time, making sure she was never more than a few feet away from him, but he was starting to get frustrated. “I don’t see anything.”

“There has to be something,” Ally pressed. “You’re not looking hard enough.”

“I’m looking,” Thredson grumbled.

“Look higher up on the trees,” Ally instructed. “He probably carved something into one of them, a symbol or something.”

“What kind of symbol?”

“How should I know?” Ally asked, her hands on her hips, her voice full of faux consternation. “You knew him.”

“Stop yelling at me,” Thredson said.

“I’m not yelling,” Ally said. “I just don’t think you’re looking hard enough.” An idea occurred to her. “What did he like?”

“Who?”

“Michael Sawyer,” Ally said. “What did he like?”

“What does that matter?”

“It might give me an idea of what kind of symbol he would leave,” Ally explained, purposely taking a step away from Thredson.

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Thredson said. “I’m not sure what to tell you.”

Ally pretended she was searching the tree closest to her, running her hands up and down the trunk. “Okay, for example, was he in a fraternity?”

“What does that matter?”

“Well, then we might be looking for Greek symbols,” Ally explained, taking another step away.

“Oh, you’re smart,” Thredson said. “No, he wasn’t in a fraternity.”

“Okay, well, what was his favorite sports team?”

“The Lions.”

“Okay, so if you see something that looks like a lion call out.”

“Good call.”

Ally rolled her eyes, shuffling to her right. “What was his favorite color?”

“I don’t know,” Thredson said, kneeling so he could take a better look around the base of the tree to his left.

“Well, if he liked green, it might be on a tree,” Ally said. “If he liked orange, it might be higher because of the sun. Think.”

Thredson scowled. “You are really bossy.”

“Hey, I want to find this money,” Ally said. “I want you to have it. The sooner you get your money, the sooner I get to go home.”

“Right,” Thredson said, although his voice was hollow.

Ally knew he was lying. He’d never let her escape. She had to make her move – and she had to do it now. She caught a hint of movement out of the corner of her eye, and she jerked her head. She fought the urge to cry out in relief when her gaze met Jake’s. He was about fifty feet away, but he was close enough for Ally to feel in her heart.

Jake lifted his finger to his lips. Ally nodded, returning to the game.

“Hey, did he have a favorite flower?” Ally asked.

“I don’t know,” Thredson said. “What guy has a favorite flower?”

Ally considered the question. “My brother Finn likes petunias.”

“Your brother is obviously gay,” Thredson said.

“I don’t think Emma agrees,” Ally said, taking another step away.

“She is hot,” Thredson said. “Good grief, she could be a model.”

“She is a model,” Ally replied. “She’s a local boat model. That’s how she met Finn.”

“And she doesn’t care that he’s gay?”

“I guess not.”

“Hey, wait, where are you?” Thredson straightened, looking around.

Ally had found a tree trunk big enough to hide behind. She made herself small, making sure to suck in shallow and silent breaths. She wasn’t moving again. Jake had given her the signal. He was now only ten feet away. She could run into his arms if she wanted. Sure, it was a terrible idea, but she wasn’t ruling it out.

“Ally?” Thredson was moving in her direction. “Ally?”

Ally froze. He was close now. Too close. Suddenly, the foliage to her right exploded and a figure rushed out, tackling Thredson and knocking him to the ground. Ally flinched at the sound of a gun going off, covering her ears.

Jake was moving, rushing headlong into the melee. He bolted past Ally, his gun trained on the two figures grappling on the ground. James punched Thredson, rearing back and pummeling his fist into the man’s face again. And again. And again.

“James,” Jake said, pulling him off the unconscious man. “He’s unconscious.”

James struggled at first, but he finally went limp. Jake left him where he was, leaning over Thredson’s prone body, and moved toward Ally. She stepped out from behind the tree, tears already running down her face.

The sight of Jake standing there – so close she could actually touch him – sent her over the edge. She was moving, although she had no idea where her body found the energy.

Jake’s arms were around her before she could suck in another breath, his mouth was hot and seeking, and his heart was hammering. “I’ve got you, angel. I’ve got you.”

“I knew you would find me,” Ally said, gasping. “I told Mandy how to find me. I knew she would understand. I knew you would get to me.”

Ally kissed Jake back, laughing as his hand tangled in her hair.

“Nothing in this world could ever keep me away from you,” Jake said, fighting back his own tears. “Nothing.”

James made an exasperated sound in his throat. “Can you stop making out with my sister and help me tie this guy up?”

Jake ignored him. The only thing he wanted to do was hold Ally – and even her brother couldn’t ruin this moment.

Ally hit the ground running in Jake’s driveway, his truck still rolling to a stop.

“Ally!”

James and Jake were out of the truck, their faces weary, as they followed her. They’d spent almost two hours answering police questions, even though James was desperate to see Mandy for himself.

Things were settled now. The police were angry, and they were threatening charges. Given Sophie’s position as a reporter, and Mandy’s proximity to a circuit-court judge, James had his doubts that those threats would come to fruition. If they did, they’d deal with them together.

Ally was through the front door and colliding with an excited Mandy before Jake and James could stop her.

“I knew you would understand me,” Ally squealed.

“Of course I understood you,” Mandy said. “I’m not stupid.”

The two women hugged, swaying from side to side. James moved forward, pushing Ally away.

“Hey,” Ally protested.

“You’ve had your moment,” James said. “I’ve been dying to see her for three hours.”

“Go nuts, Captain Obnoxious,” Ally said.

James ignored her, cupping Mandy’s face in his hands and giving her a deep kiss. “You did good today, baby.”

Mandy smiled. “I got your message. I’m really happy that you sent it back with your brothers just in case you died.”

James smirked. “That’s not why I told them to tell you,” James said. “I just wanted you to know how well you did.”

“Well, you can reward me with a back rub tonight,” Mandy said.

“I’ll rub you for the next two days if that’s what you want,” James said, kissing her again.

“Hey, you’re going to give me nightmares,” Grady said. He was sitting on the couch, Sophie’s head resting on his shoulder. “Although, to be fair, she was the real hero today.”

“I’m the one who took out Thredson,” James argued.

“I have to agree with Grady,” Finn said, rubbing the back of Emma’s neck as she sat on his lap. “Without Mandy’s quick thinking, we never would’ve gotten to Ally.”

“Mandy is a hero,” James said, wrapping his arms around her waist. “And, because she is, I’m taking her home to give her a hero’s welcome.”

Emma made a face. “I made dinner.”

James slung his arm over Mandy’s shoulder, pulling her close. “I think that your dinner is probably going to be just for Ally and Jake.”

Grady cocked an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Everyone needs to go home,” James said, casting a look at the snuggly couple in question. They were secluded and kissing in the corner. “I think Ally and Jake have their own plans.”

Jake pulled his mouth away from Ally long enough to nod his head. “Yeah, we do.”

Ally smiled widely. “Everyone needs to get out.”

Emma was downtrodden. “But I made dinner.”

Finn kissed her. “I’ll buy you whatever dinner you want if you let this one go.”

Emma wrinkled her nose. “Fine, but I want something big.”

“I’ve got something big for you,” Finn teased.

Jake rolled his eyes. “I know you’re my employers, and I know she’s your sister, but if you don’t get out of my house right now, you’re all going to see her naked.”

James picked Mandy up, slinging her over his shoulder, and shooting Jake a dark look as he passed. “We’re out of here.”

ALLY
woke with a start, the dark closing in, her heart hammering. She was in danger. She had to run.

“What’s wrong, angel?” Jake’s voice was sleepy.

“I … I guess it was just a nightmare.” Ally leaned back, resting her head on Jake’s chest.

“No more nightmares, Ally,” Jake said.

“I can’t help it,” she said.

“I can,” Jake said, pressing his lips to hers. “Tonight, I’m the boss, and I say no more nightmares.”

“Okay,” Ally said, forcing her eyes closed. “I’m back to being the boss tomorrow, though, right?”

Jake chuckled. “You’re back to being the boss forever. I like it when you’re bossy.”

“I think you’re lying,” Ally said, dropping a soft kiss to Jake’s chest.

“I’m not lying.”

“I think you are.”

“Ally?”

“Yeah.”

“Shh.”

“Oh, fine,” Ally said, closing her eyes. “I’ll give you this one night.”

BERTHA
Lawson smiled when she saw the man waiting for her at the gate. She was worried she’d be too late to catch the flight to Dubai. She’d made it just in time.

Sidestepping the police hadn’t been easy, but she’d known they were coming. She’d had inside information, which was just how she planned it.

She’d had to leave a few items at her house, but she could buy new. She had two million dollars, after all. She hadn’t spent three weeks digging in a smelly field and playing games for fifteen years just to have things unravel on her now. That’s not how she rolled.

Bernie Archer smiled when he saw her approach. “Did it go down how we thought it would?”

“Not exactly,” Bertha said. “Ray isn’t dead. The police took him into custody. They’re going to be looking for me, especially if Ray admits he’s not the one who planted the bomb on the girl’s car. This whole thing would have been over that much quicker if she had just died then.”

“It’s too late now,” Bernie said. “We’ll be gone in ten minutes. By the time they realize what happened, they won’t be able to touch us.”

“They found Donnie,” Bertha said. “I can’t stay here. Ray will try to cut a deal, and he’ll use me to do it.”

Bernie kissed Bertha, his smile wide, and his oxygen tank suspiciously absent. “It doesn’t matter now.”

“We had to wait too long,” Bertha complained. “We should’ve been able to do this years ago.”

“We were running a long con,” Bernie said. “Those take time.”

“Twenty years?”

“Yes, but this was the con to end all cons,” Bernie said. “We’re set for life, my love.”

“Well, all I can say is that it’s about time,” Bertha said. “Let’s go. I have one of those fruity little umbrella drinks in my future.”

“Honey, you’ve got hundreds of umbrella drinks in your future,” Bernie said. “Say goodbye to your old life, because our new life is going to be so much different.”

“I’m ready,” Bertha said. “I’ve always been ready.”

Bernie extended his hand. “Let’s go and see our happily ever after, shall we?”

“You don’t have to ask me twice.”

Happily ever after isn’t easy to find – no matter how much you might want it. 
James Hardy knows that better than anyone.

With his wedding approaching, the only thing he longs for is peace, and maybe a little time to spend with his beloved Mandy. What he gets is a bullet in the shoulder from an anonymous sniper, and a worried fiancée.

James is on edge, and when Mandy becomes an unintended target, the eldest Hardy brother finds himself in danger of losing everything.

The investigation isn’t easy, and the arrival of his mother, father, and future in-laws only compounds the problem. James soon finds himself in an untenable position: He wants everyone to think things are fine, but his military past his stalking the future he desperately needs to deliver.

Between wedding plans, moving into a new house, and Mandy’s obstinate personality, James is in a fix. He has to ask for help from unlikely sources, and he has to protect Mandy from the one person who could ruin their dreams.

James is determined to make it down the aisle – but there is a gun-happy madman equally determined to stop him dead in his tracks.

Will James and Mandy get to say “I do,” or is happily ever after a dream they’ll never be able to realize?

Deadly Ever After hits shelves on March 3, 2015. Purchase it
here.