Deadly Illusions(8)

Finn wanted to argue, her face told him it was fruitless. “Okay.” He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet so he could hand her a business card. “Just in case.”

Emma took the card wordlessly, nodding.

Finn watched as she got into her small Honda and drove away, staring into the dark night long after she was gone.





Four


When Finn got back to Hardy Brothers Security, he found James sitting behind his desk in his office working on his laptop. James glanced at his brother, then up at the clock, and then back to his younger sibling. “You’re late.”

“It was an eventful day.”

“The boat show was eventful? That’s got to be a first.”

“The end of it was.”

James lifted his eyebrow in question, causing Finn to launch into his story. When he was done, James swore under his breath. “Even a simple guard detail turns into mayhem for us these days.”

“We do seem to have a knack.”

“What about the girl?”

“She was shaken, but I don’t think it was just the attack,” Finn said. “The cops were kind of hard on her.”

“Why?”

“She’s Lance Pritchard’s daughter.”

James’ eyebrows knit together. “Why do I know that name?”

“He was the big child molester from a few years ago,” Finn replied, filling in the gaps in James’ memory. “He was the one that went to Jackson for like three hundred years.”

“Oh, yeah, I remember him,” James said. “He was a real scumbag.”

“That doesn’t mean she is,” Finn shot back, feeling an overwhelming urge to stand up for the gorgeous brunette.

James leaned back in his chair, fixing his brother with a curious look. “I didn’t say she was.”

“Well … you kind of inferred it.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Well, she was the victim today,” Finn said. “She could have been seriously hurt.”

“She wasn’t, though,” James said. “You saved her. Do you want to tell me why you’re so worked up over this?”

“I’m not worked up,” Finn protested. “I’m just … tired.”

“You’re tired?”

“Yes. What? I can be tired.”

James barked out a laugh. “Let me guess, she’s a boat model, which means she’s unbelievably hot, and you’re unbelievably attracted to her.”

“I am not.”

“It looks like I’m going to have another lovesick puppy on my hands.”

Finn threw himself into one of the open chairs across from his brother’s desk. “I’m not lovesick.”

“Not yet, no,” James said. “Although, you are showing clear signs to the contrary.”

“Who’s lovesick?” Mandy asked, poking her head into the office.

Finn groaned. “You have ears like a cat, I swear.”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” Mandy countered. “I was just coming down to check and see when your brother was coming up.”

Finn rolled his eyes.

“What? I was.”

James motioned for Mandy to join him, which she did wordlessly. He pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her protectively. “Maybe you should stay out of this?” James suggested.

“I just want to hear why Finn is lovesick,” Mandy said, ignoring the silent plea in her boyfriend’s eyes. “That’s not meddling.”

“Did I say you were meddling?”

“Not yet,” Mandy replied. “You will, though.”

James shook his head, turning back to his brother. “What do you think? About what the police said about her father’s enemies, I mean.”

“I think it’s a definite possibility,” Finn said. “Lance Pritchard left a trail of sexually abused boys that is longer than the county line. The guy looked to be in his twenties. He could definitely be a victim.”

“If we try to look at all the victims, that could be … problematic,” James said. “I’m not a big fan of revictimizing them.”

“And you think I am? She’s innocent here,” Finn said.

“I know she is,” James said. “I’m just thinking that we need to be really careful how we approach this.”

“We?” Finn asked, arching an eyebrow.

“You’re obviously not going to let this go,” James said. “I think we should try to get in front of it and not chase it from behind – like we usually do.”

“Lance Pritchard was in front of Judge MacIntosh,” Mandy said. “It was one of the first cases in his courtroom after I got the job.”