Deadly Reunion (Hardy Brothers Security Book 20) (9 page)

“That’s a good idea,” James said. “How long do we have?”

“One hour.”

“If I let you do all of the talking, Peter, can I go?” Mandy asked.

“No,” Peter and James answered in unison, causing Mandy to scowl.

“Why not?”

“You know exactly why not,” James said. “You’re a trouble magnet and I’m not letting you anywhere near a mob kingpin. No offense, Peter.”

“None taken,” Peter said. “James is right. You do not want to get on this man’s radar.”

“How come James can get on his radar?” Mandy pressed. “That seems like a double standard.”

“It is a double standard,” Peter confirmed. “David Barber has a certain reputation. When he sees a woman he wants, he takes her. He tends to like blue-eyed blondes.”

“Oh.” Mandy pressed her lips together. “Okay. I’ll stay here.”

“That was too easy,” James muttered.

“I only want to be taken by you,” Mandy said. “Besides, Finn is already hurt. I don’t think we want to risk adding my potential for terrible injuries to the mix.”

“That’s my baby,” James said, dropping a quick kiss on her upturned mouth. “For that I will pick up dinner at Red Lobster and go all out. I’ll get every single thing you love … and I’ll make sure there’s extra so you can stuff your face. You deserve it after last night … and I don’t just mean what happened in my office. You held us together, baby.”

Mandy smiled. “I love you, too.”

James graced her with another soft kiss. “I love you more.”

“Oh, barf time,” Grady said. “Get a move on. We need answers and you guys have the only lead to get them.”

“Yes, sir,” James said, rolling his eyes as he saluted and kicked his heels together.

“Oh, if we’re playing that game, get extra lemon and butter sauce,” Grady said. “I plan on eating my weight in lobster.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to see Peter’s point about boys,” James said. “I would’ve left you by the side of the road if I had a chance when we were growing up, too.”

“
Y
ou seem distracted
.”

Peter watched James in the backseat of his car as Sven drove them to Grosse Pointe, his expression unreadable.

“I’m not distracted,” James clarified, staring out the window. “I’m just thinking how lucky we got.”

“Finn was injured but will recover,” Peter said. “Now his only worry is Emma and you smothering him.”

“You sound like my wife.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Peter said, smiling. “Speaking of your wife, she seems … happy. I don’t mean she’s happy about Finn getting shot, mind you, but she seems to be on even footing after the terrible events this past spring.”

“Mandy always bounces back, and I’m not sure how she does it,” James said. “She amazes me.”

“I think that’s love talking, but she amazes me a little, too,” Peter said. “From my perspective I can take a step back and watch her, though. She was lost for a little bit after the Pritchard fiasco, but she seems back to her old self now. She’s even fighting with you.”

James smirked. “Yeah, she kind of went all out last night. She was ready to fight.”

“And you?”

“I like fighting over little things,” James answered. “The drool fight is a big crowd pleaser, in fact. I don’t like fighting over big things. I don’t like frightening her.”

“What do you mean?” Peter asked, genuinely curious. “How do you frighten her?”

“I have a terrible temper and sometimes I explode,” James explained. “She … flinches.”

“I don’t think Mandy is worried that you would ever physically hurt her,” Peter said, scoffing at the mere notion. “She’s aware you’re a yeller.”

“She shouldn’t be afraid of me,” James said. “Ever. That’s not fair. I’m working on being a better husband for her, a better man, but she really pushed me last night.”

“I think that was the point,” Peter said. “Mandy could never be fearful of you. She’s fearful for you, don’t get me wrong. She doesn’t want you to hurt yourself in the pursuit of vengeance for Finn. She wants you to take care of yourself. She’s fearful of you running yourself down. She will never fear you.”

“I threw a chair once,” James said, shame washing over him. “It was when we were still in the apartment and she’d just been shot at and I demanded she stay home. She said no and … I threw a chair.”

Peter lifted an eyebrow. “At her?”

“At the wall.”

“That’s good,” Peter said. “If you threw a chair at her I was going to have to send you for a ride with Sven.”

“It wasn’t close, but you should’ve seen the look on her face.”

“Son, you’re young and fiery,” Peter said. “You and Mandy can’t see past your own passion sometimes. You feel things with your whole heart. That’s the way it should be.”

“I’ll die before I hurt her,” James said, rubbing his thumb over his bottom lip as he gazed out the window.

“The fact that you’re worried about it means you never will,” Peter said. “You can’t let your guilt about what happened to Finn eat you alive. It’s not good for anyone, and it’s certainly not going to help us.”

“Did Mandy tell you I feel guilty?” James asked, finally dragging his eyes away from the fast-moving scenery on the other side of the window. “She thinks I feel guilty, but … .”

“Of course you feel guilty,” Peter said, waving off James’ half-hearted denial. “You believe you didn’t do your job and check out Owen Parker as thoroughly as you should have. You also believe you might have sent Finn on the job in part because you wanted to have dinner with your wife. You’re being eaten alive by guilt.”

“How did you know about dinner?” James asked, flabbergasted. “Did Sophie tell you that, too?”

“No, that would be Grady when we were talking while you were in getting Finn settled,” Peter replied. “I love the boy, but he’s a gossipy thing. Sophie was never gossipy as a child. It’s weird to say because she grew up to be a reporter who is gossipy by nature now, but she was never that way as a child. Grady is another story.”

“Grady has Middle Child Syndrome,” James explained. “It comes from being born into a big family.”

“Oh, do tell,” Peter said, grinning.

“Ally is the youngest so she’s spoiled rotten and used to getting her way,” James explained. “It wasn’t just our parents who spoiled her. We all spoiled her, too. I’m surprised her head isn’t even bigger than it is now.”

“Ally is a delight,” Peter said. “She’s a little loud, though.”

James snickered. “I’m the oldest so Grady and I have a unique relationship,” he explained. “He’s my best friend. We’re close because it was just the two of us for a few years. We’re close in age like Finn and Ally are close in age.”

“Okay,” Peter said. “To be fair, your parents were very busy for a five-year stretch there. You’re all very close in age.”

“Yeah, but Grady and I were treated as the big brothers,” James said. “My father told me the day they brought Ally home that it was my job to take care of her.”

“That’s probably a big weight to put on a small boy’s shoulders,” Peter said, his gaze thoughtful. “You obviously took it to heart, too. You’re constantly looking out for your siblings.”

“They’re looking out for me, too,” James said. “They’re extremely loyal.”

“That’s not what I said.” Peter licked his lips. “You’re the oldest so you feel you need to take care of everyone. You’re a nurturer. I see it with Mandy, too. She’s an only child so she waffles between wanting to take care of you and needing to be self-reliant. Sophie balances the same needs as well.

“Grady is the second oldest,” he continued. “You took care of him when he was younger, which essentially allowed him to develop a big ego because he knew you would always back him up. You enabled him.”

“Yeah, well, now it’s coming back to bite me,” James complained. “He’s a pain.”

“He’s your best friend,” Peter said, chuckling. “Grady is so charming you can’t help but like him even when he’s being an ass.”

“Which is all of the time.”

“Which is actually very rare,” Peter corrected. “Grady tries to deflect with humor. You were the strong one so he had to be the funny one. He’s not trying to be a pain. He just doesn’t know any other way to be.”

“Huh. I never considered that,” James admitted. “You have a lot of insight into my family.”

“I like to watch you all interact,” Peter admitted. “Mandy and Ally, for example, know so much about each other they can love each other even when they’re needling one another. In times of distress, though, Ally has been the one to get through to Mandy even more than you. Why do you think that is?”

“They’re chicks and they’ve been best friends forever,” James replied, not missing a beat.

“No, you have a tendency to coddle Mandy and take your role as protector to heart,” Peter said. “Ally is the youngest and was spoiled. Mandy was an only child and was spoiled. On paper, those two never should’ve become friends. Now, when push comes to shove, Ally isn’t afraid to shove Mandy no matter how delicate you think she is.”

“I don’t think she’s delicate,” James corrected. “I just told you she was strong.”

“And you also told me you worry she’s afraid of you when you lose your temper, which is ridiculous, and we both know you can’t tell her no unless you think her life might be in jeopardy,” Peter said. “You told her no today, but only because you wanted to keep her safe. Otherwise you never tell her no.”

“You’re saying I spoil her.”

“She’s ridiculously spoiled,” Peter acknowledged. “She also has a heart of gold and doesn’t take advantage of your giving nature. Sure, for games she lets you go out of your way to give her what she wants. For the big things, though, you both work overtime to make the other happy. That’s a good marriage.”

“I guess I never gave the pecking order much thought,” James mused. “I just always fancied myself the alpha dog.”

Peter smirked. “Join the club.”

James chuckled, the sound warming Peter’s heart. “What about Finn, though? He’s a middle child, but he doesn’t deflect with humor like Grady does.”

“Finn is the youngest boy, which gives him a unique perspective,” Peter said. “He was an older brother to Ally, but you said they were closest because they were in the house longer together. Finn hero worships you, is annoyed by Grady because Grady needed someone to boss around and that was Finn, and he understands women better than the rest of you because he was closer to Ally and Mandy growing up and paid attention to the things they talked about.”

“It’s kind of weird that you said that because I’ve always thought Finn was better at talking to the girls than anyone else,” James said. “There are times when Grady is better with Mandy than I am, though. Finn is almost always better with all of them.”

“Grady is better with Mandy at times simply because he understands you and when she gets overly frustrated it’s with the one she loves the most,” Peter explained. “He can talk Mandy down from a ledge because she needs insight into you that only he can give.”

“Wow. What about Finn, though?” James asked. “I’m not used to him being hurt. What does he need right now?”

“Rest,” Peter said, grinning. “He also needs you to treat him like a man and not your younger brother. He was shot but that doesn’t mean he’s an invalid. Don’t shut him out of discussions on this case. It’s not fair to him.

“I know you would do it out of a sense of protection, but Finn desperately wants to be able to take care of his family and prove he’s an equal with you and Grady,” he said. “Don’t take that chance away from him.”

“Finn isn’t equal, though,” James said. “In most ways he’s better than Grady and me.”

“And there’s that giving nature again,” Peter clucked, shaking his head. “Sometimes I think you’re a martyr.”

James balked. “That’s what Mandy said last night when she decided it was time for a fight.”

“She’s beautiful and wise,” Peter said, grinning. “You’re a lucky man.”

“That’s the one thing I do know,” James said. “Remind me to get her extra cheese biscuits at Red Lobster. She loves those things.”

D
AVID BARBER
was
a broken man and he didn’t bother hiding it when one of his associates ushered James and Peter into his inner sanctum. Barber’s house was a lakefront monstrosity in Grosse Pointe, not far from Peter’s mansion, and James couldn’t help but be a little nervous when he came face to face with the mobster.

“Peter,” David said, his eyes swollen. “Thank you for paying your respects.”

“I would’ve done it regardless, but I only found out Owen’s real identity because he contracted the Hardys to run security for him,” Peter said. “How is your daughter-in-law?”

“She’s in a coma.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Peter said. “I’m also very sorry about Owen. I only met him once or twice when he was younger, but he seemed like a good man.”

“He was the best man,” David said, sighing. “He was better than the likes of you and me.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Peter said, taking a seat in one of the open chairs and gesturing for James to take the other. “This is James Hardy. Owen hired him yesterday to act as a chauffeur at the casino. Do you know why he would do that?”

David shook his head. “If he needed security, he could’ve come to me. None of this makes any sense.”

“I’m confused, too,” James admitted. “Owen told me he had a quarter of a million to gamble with and that’s why he wanted us. I thought it was a normal job and sent my brother. When Finn got to the casino with Owen, he said your son had a million dollars and he checked it all in at the front gate.”

“That doesn’t sound like Owen,” David said, tugging his hand through his messy hair. He obviously hadn’t slept. “He liked to play cards here and there, but I never thought of him as a gambler.”

“Where did he get the money?” James pressed. “I ran a brief background check on him – which wasn’t as thorough as it probably should’ve been – but his occupation was listed as stockbroker. Were you funding him?”

“Owen never wanted money from me,” David said. “I tried giving it to him. I was desperate for us to come to some sort of understanding. He wasn’t thrilled with what I did for a living, though. He just didn’t seem to understand that leaving the business wasn’t an option for me. Once you’re in, you’re in. You got lucky with Sophie, Peter. She understands.”

“Sophie has a very pragmatic nature,” Peter agreed. “That doesn’t mean she likes what I do for a living. Go back to Owen, though. If you weren’t funding his gambling, where did he get the money? I’ve looked at his financials and he didn’t make nearly that much in a year.”

“His mother.” David was matter-of-fact and precise when he responded.

James shifted, confused. The way David said the two words it was apparent he was explaining something to Peter. James didn’t want to step on the wrong toes because he didn’t understand the reference.

“Ah.” Peter leaned forward. “I never thought of Stella. That makes sense.”

“I don’t understand,” James admitted.

“Stella Barber was Owen’s mother,” Peter explained. “She died when Owen was five. She was the daughter of a local businessman – Leonard Dombrowski, I’m sure you’ve heard of him – and she was very wealthy. She took her mother’s maiden name – Parker – to do business, though.”

“Her father refused to put her in his will unless I signed off on the money,” David added. “I loved Stella and had plenty of money on my own. He didn’t want his business being run by me after his death, and I guess I can’t blame him. When Stella died, she left all of the money in a trust for Owen. It was not to comingle with my money in any way, shape or form.”

“I forgot about the money,” Peter said. “When did Owen get it?”

“When he turned twenty-five,” David answered. “I was worried he would do something stupid and blow through it, but Stella was always wise. She invested in such a way that Owen could never blow through all of that money. I loved the woman, and even though I raised Owen alone, he was more like her. I was thankful for that … until now.”

“Owen’s death is a tragedy,” Peter said. “Someone was waiting for him, though. He came out of the casino without his briefcase. He was supposed to text Finn when he left, but he didn’t. Do you know why?”