Deadly Illusions (Hardy Brothers Security Book 3) (7 page)

“I don’t have any idea where I’m going to sleep tonight,” Emma admitted when the police were done questioning the group.

After James’ outburst, two members of local law enforcement were threatening to take him into custody for disturbing the peace and interfering with a police investigation – but Sophie jumped in their faces and threatened to publish a story about the police department trying to lock up a worried boyfriend and they backed off.

No one had said it, but everyone was secretly relieved that Sophie managed to manipulate the situation to their advantage.

After Emma’s announcement, Finn rubbed her shoulders thoughtfully as he moved in closer behind her to ward off the cold. “You can stay at my place.” His face colored when five heads swiveled in his direction. “I mean, you can stay in the guest room at my house.”

Emma pulled back slightly, her eye makeup running down her face due to the tears she’d been shedding. “Maybe I should try and get a hotel room – that might be the safest bet – although all of my identification and credit cards went up in smoke in the fire.”

Mandy stirred from her spot on the ambulance step, pulling the oxygen mask away from her nose and mouth while James made a face and reached for it so he could secure it in place again. “You can stay at my place,” she offered.

Emma shook her head. “I can’t impose on the two of you. You’ve already been so sweet to me. Besides,
he
looks like he wants you all to himself tonight.”

Finn chuckled under his breath as he glanced over at James, who was resting his head against Mandy’s as he rubbed her arm and tried to gain control of the oxygen mask in her other hand.

“I wasn’t talking about his apartment,” Mandy said. “I was talking about my apartment.”

Now Emma was the one who was confused. “I thought you two lived together.”

“Not exactly,” Mandy said. “We pretty much spend every night together, but I still have my apartment. You can stay there until you find a place. I’m hardly ever there. In fact, we haven’t spent a night there in weeks. There are even some clothes you can borrow until you get some new ones – although I think you’re about four inches taller than me.”

“Are you sure you’re not going to want to stay there?” Emma asked, clearly nervous.

“She’s not going anywhere but our bed,” James said, finally winning the oxygen-mask war and slapping it back into place. “I’m taking her straight there and not letting her out for at least twenty-four hours.”

“That sounds kinky,” Grady teased, immediately sobering when James shot him down with a terrifying glare.

“I don’t know what to say,” Emma hedged.

“Try ‘thank you,’” Finn suggested.

Emma smiled ruefully. “Thank you.”

THE RIDE
back to James’ apartment seemed like it took longer than it should. Mandy was struggling to stay awake. Even though the paramedics had given her a clean bill of health – James had considered hauling her into the hospital on his own.

When Mandy insisted it wasn’t necessary, James finally relented and loaded her into his Explorer so he could take her straight home. She was so tired during the trek up the staircase, James ultimately lifted her into his arms and carried her the rest of the way, not putting her down until they were safely locked inside.

“Do you want me to get you some pajamas?” James’ voice was weary, causing Mandy’s heart to flop over painfully.

“I think I need to hop in the shower first,” Mandy admitted. “I smell like a dirty ash tray.”

“I do, too,” he said. “Let’s go and get it over with.”

Mandy arched an eyebrow. “You can’t be serious.”

“About taking a shower? Yeah.”

“That’s all you want to do?” Mandy looked doubtful.

“That’s all I want to do,” James said. “After a good night’s sleep, I’ll probably feel differently. I can’t even wrap my mind around
that
right now.”

Mandy closed her fingers around James’ wrist tightly. “I’m sorry you thought … .”

“That you were dead?” James’ eyes were hard and pointed. “You’re sorry I thought you were dead because you ran back into a burning building to get a photograph?”

Mandy took an inadvertent step back, the anger in his voice causing her to flinch.

James ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sorry,” he said, his voice softer. “I didn’t mean to yell at you. You have no idea what not being able to find you was like. You knew you were okay. I didn’t. I refuse to fight, though. Let’s get in the shower, get cleaned up, and get some sleep. We’ll probably both still feel like fighting – and then making up – in the morning.”

Mandy wasn’t sure what to think.

“It’s going to be all right,” James said, running a hand over her matted hair. “I just … I just need to be able to go to sleep and know you’re there beside me, and things will be better after that. I promise.”

Mandy bit the inside of her cheek, nodding. She turned and moved into the bathroom, dropping her clothes in a heap on the floor as James started the shower, turning the temperature up as high as they both could tolerate. He stripped out of his own clothes and slipped into the shower behind her, reaching for her shower gel as the water sluiced over them.

Mandy stood beneath the steady stream, letting the water pelt her directly in the face. Her eyes were still burning from all the smoke, but her heart was in the most pain. James’ screams would haunt her for weeks – maybe years – to come. His heartbroken face would plague her nightmares. She felt guilty.

She jumped when she felt James’ hands in her hair. Without opening her eyes, she detected the unmistakable scent of coconut as he massaged the shampoo into her golden locks. He drew in as close as he could behind her, massaging her scalp with his fingers. She wanted to purr like a cat – but the situation seemed somehow more serious than that.

After the shampoo rinsed clean, James did the same with the conditioner, ultimately finishing up by filling her purple sponge with body gel and rubbing it over her body until all of the black soot washed away. On a normal night, the shower would have been sensuous. Tonight, though, it was sweet and poignant.

When he was done, James shut off the shower and wrapped Mandy in a towel before heading toward the bedroom.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Mandy said.

“What are you going to do?” James asked, his tone suspicious.

“I have to blow dry my hair. If I don’t, I’ll wake up looking like Medusa.”

James looked like he didn’t care, but instead of arguing he turned and walked back into the bathroom, rummaging through a drawer until he found the blue hair dryer. He plugged it in, pushing the toilet seat down so he could sit on it, and then motioning to the spot in front of him.

Mandy raised an eyebrow, confused.

“Sit,” James ordered.

“I can blow dry my own hair,” Mandy said, clutching the towel closer to her chest.

“Sit,” James repeated.

Mandy reluctantly lowered herself toward the ground, but James snagged her by the waist and pulled her onto the toilet seat with him, making sure her rear was snug against his groin. He then flipped the hair dryer on before she could protest and started jerking the warm air over her hair.

Mandy was keenly aware of just how upset he really was – and she felt ashamed. She hadn’t thought it was a big deal when she handed Emma the photograph. She’d been basking in her triumph. James’ reaction was startling, causing her to realize just how close she had come to breaking his heart.

It took James about ten minutes to dry her hair. Mandy jumped when the hair dryer finally shut off. James’ forehead lowered to the back of her head briefly, and Mandy stilled so he could gather the strength he seemed to be lacking. After a few seconds, James pushed her up in front of him and deposited the hair dryer back in the drawer.

Once they were in the bedroom, Mandy climbed between the cool, satin sheets and rested her head on the pillow. James flicked the light switch and, even though she couldn’t see him, Mandy could feel him as he slipped beneath the covers next to her.

Most nights, Mandy slept on her left side and James snuggled in behind her. Then, sometime during the night, they both shifted so she ended up waking up with his left arm around her back and her head on his shoulder.

Mandy wanted to reach out to him, to comfort him, but she was terrified to push him over the edge.

It was James who finally reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body on top of his. He settled her so her head was pressed to his chest – the steady rhythm of his heart already lulling her – and her legs were clamped together between his thighs. He tightened his arms around her, giving her absolutely no wiggle room.

“You’re never going to be able to sleep like this,” Mandy murmured, already drifting off. “I’m too heavy. You’ll be uncomfortable.”

“Shh,” James admonished her. “I need to hold you, baby. I just … let me hold you.”

Mandy sighed, snuggling closer to him and resting her hand on his solid chest. “I love you.”

“You’ll never know how much I love you,” James whispered.

That was the last thing she heard before sleep claimed her.

FINN
let himself into Mandy’s dark apartment with the key James had supplied before leaving Emma’s burnt-out former home. He flipped on the hallway light, ushering Emma inside, and locking the door behind them. Emma took a second to adjust to the light, blinking rapidly.

“This isn’t what I expected,” she said.

“What did you expect?” Finn asked curiously.

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know. Something more … homey.”

“She doesn’t really live her,” Finn reminded her. “Most of her stuff has migrated over to James’ place. There’s very little of her left here now.”

“If they practically live together, why don’t they actually live together?” Emma asked.

“It’s a safety net,” Finn explained. “If they officially move in together, that’s significant to both of them.”

“But you said they spend every night together.”

“They do.”

“So they really are living together,” Emma said.

“You’ll have to broach that subject with them,” Finn said. “Although, after tonight, I have a feeling their official living status is going to be on the fast track.”

Emma smiled, the idea giving her a small sense of comfort. “Well, thanks for bringing me. I guess I can take a cab back over to the apartment to get my car tomorrow.”

Finn grunted. “I can take you to get your car.”

“I don’t want you to have to come all the way back over here,” Emma said. “That doesn’t seem fair. You’ve already gone above and beyond.”

“Who says I’m leaving?” Finn asked pointedly.

“I … I … .”

Finn didn’t let the ready sigh escape his lips. He was moving too fast. She wasn’t ready – and she’d lost everything she owned tonight. Crowding her wasn’t a good idea. “I’m going to sleep on the couch,” he said. “The bedroom is over there. I just need to get a blanket and pillow.”

Emma’s shoulders slumped, her relief evident. “Oh. That’s nice of you. You don’t have to, you know. I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”

“Yeah?” Finn challenged. “Well, I won’t. I’m exhausted, and I’m not driving another mile tonight. I’ll be comfortable on the couch.”

“Are you sure?” Emma asked, her lower lip quivering.

“I’m sure.”

It took Finn about ten minutes to settle down on the couch. He stripped out of his clothes – which smelled terrible – and stretched out on the couch wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. Emma was already in bed, the day sucking any energy she was holding on to out of her the minute her head hit the pillow. Finn was pretty sure she was already asleep.

As much as he wanted to dwell on the night’s events – and the fact that Emma had opened herself up to him a little bit – he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

Finn had no idea how long he’d been asleep when he jolted awake. Someone was crying. He bolted up into a sitting position and cocked his head to listen. It was Emma – and she was whimpering.

He slid off the couch, his feet tangling in the blanket as he fought to keep his footing. He made his way down to the bedroom and pushed on the door – which Emma hadn’t closed or locked. He couldn’t see specifics in the dark room, but what he did see was enough to make his heart ache. Emma was thrashing in her sleep, making soft mewling sounds in her throat as she fought off some unknown assailant in her dreams.

Finn wasn’t sure what to do – he just knew he couldn’t let her keep making that noise. It was breaking his heart.

He stepped over to the bed, sitting on the edge cautiously and reaching over to touch her shoulder. “Emma?” She was still crying, so Finn slipped closer to her on the bed. “Emma?”

Emma jumped as his body touched hers, her eyes snapping open.

“It’s me,” Finn said. “You were crying in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare about the fire?”

“Finn?” Emma choked out a half-expressed sob. “I don’t remember.”