Deadly Illusions(49)

His mouth found hers, the kiss sweet.

She would have to tell him, Emma realized. She would have to tell him the truth – which would ultimately drive him away. She had no doubt about that. She was running out of time here. Her heart was already gone – and when she told him the truth, his would be gone, too.

She didn’t have a choice in the matter anymore.

Not tonight. She didn’t have to tell him tonight.

Tomorrow was another story.





Twenty


The next few days were tense – for everyone.

Mandy was still playing hooky from work, Judge MacIntosh calling to tell her that he wanted her to take the rest of the week off to recuperate. She’d thought about arguing, but giving James what he needed right now was more important than her work ethic. She’d thanked him, promising him she would return the following Monday, and then proceeded to dote on James every chance she got. He needed her attention, and she was happy to give it.

Slowly, he started returning to normal.

The day-to-day activities at Hardy Brothers Security fell into a rhythm. Every day, Finn would arrive at the office with Emma in tow. Then, the three Hardy brothers would run background checks on the witnesses from Lance Pritchard’s trial. It was slow work, but they plodded along.

Most of the suspects they completed runs on could be ruled out. Other than visits to local therapists, most of Pritchard’s victims didn’t ping on any search engines. The bulk of them had managed to stay off the radar of local law enforcement and seemed to be trying really hard to mind their own business. That didn’t mean they weren’t psychopaths – but the odds were long in most cases.

To keep Emma away from what they were doing, the intricacies involved with invading the privacy of her father’s victims bound to upset her, Mandy kept her busy. She spent her afternoons upstairs with an increasingly bored blonde and her constant litany of complaints. They watched soap operas, gossiped, and generally just lazed about.

Mandy refused to press Emma on what she’d discovered. James agreed to keep quiet, but the way he watched Emma when she was in the room with him was a dead giveaway. That’s why Mandy had insisted on separating herself and Emma from the action downstairs. She didn’t want the woman to feel any more uncomfortable than she already did.

It wasn’t working out as well as she hoped.

“I don’t think James likes me,” Emma admitted Thursday afternoon as she sat on the couch reading a magazine.

From her spot on the floor where she was playing solitaire, Mandy glanced up. “That’s not true. Everyone here likes you.”

“He’s always giving me weird looks,” Emma said. “I don’t think he thinks I’m good enough for his brother.”

Mandy faltered, unsure of how to respond. “James hasn’t really been at his best the past few days,” she said. “That’s my fault, not his. He’s better now.”

Emma sighed. “I just wish he liked me.”

“He does like you,” Mandy said. “He just gets really focused when they have a case.”

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay.” Emma still looked doubtful.

Mandy turned back to her game. The truth was, everyone was starting to fray at the edges. They needed a distraction.

“I think we should all go out tonight,” she announced.

“I don’t think James is up for another girl’s night,” Emma said pragmatically. “I think that would be just about enough to send him to the loony bin.”

“No, he’d chain me to the bed before he’d let that happen,” Mandy said. “That’s why we all have to go out together.”

“All?”

“You, me, Sophie and the boys,” Mandy said. “Everyone can hang out in a social setting – get away from the work for a while – and things will be better.”

“Are you sure he’s going to agree to that?”

“Oh, he’ll agree to it,” Mandy promised, not letting the doubt in the back of her mind creep into her voice. “Whether he wants to or not.”



“I CAN’T believe I let you talk me into this,” James said as they settled around a table at Paul’s Pool House. “Just for the record, I think this is a terrible idea.”

“Everyone needs a break,” Mandy said. “Especially Emma.”

James glanced over Mandy’s shoulder, fixing his eyes on Finn and Emma. They were standing near the bar, placing drink orders, and laughing easily. They looked like they didn’t have a care in the world, like they belonged together.

“You need to stop doing that, too,” Mandy said. “Emma thinks you don’t like her.”