“Sounds like a classy family,” James mused.
“They’re totally hilarious,” Sophie agreed. “This actually was a good case for Mandy to have right out of the gate.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because the worst has already happened, James,” Sophie said. “There was a disruption in the courthouse, and Mandy was not only protected like she’s the mayor of Gold Town, she had a good time.”
James pursed his lips, watching Mandy work with unreadable eyes. “She had a good time?”
“It was really funny.”
“And she … she wasn’t hurt?”
“She wasn’t hurt.”
Once every individual was arraigned and taken into custody, the courtroom cleared. James moved toward Mandy without delay. The look on her face told him he was in a heck of a lot of trouble.
“How did you get up here?”
“Clint brought me. He wanted to know if I could be tempted away from you by a model, by the way. I think he’s hoping I’ll dump you so he can swoop in and dry your tears with his penis.”
Mandy paused, frowning. “What?”
He’d hoped to distract her. It had worked. “So, blondie, how was your first day back?”
“Exciting,” Mandy said. “Why are you here?”
James sighed. She wasn’t going to let it go. “I might have panicked when I saw the news coverage.”
“Might?”
“Okay, I panicked.”
Mandy slouched to her side, resting her chin on her shoulder. “I’m not going to yell at you.”
“You’re not?”
“No,” Mandy said. “The worst thing that could have happened today happened, and you survived. More importantly, I survived, and there’s not a scratch on me. This should help you … relax.”
“I’m not going to relax until we catch this guy,” James said. “Although, I do feel better about things.”
“Good.”
James held out his hand. “Do you want to come home with me and help me feel better about things together? If not, I think Clint would be willing to let you console him.”
Mandy shook her head, a small smile playing at her lips. “You’re incorrigible.”
“I just want to take you home,” James said. “Look at the bright side, we’re going to get to do this all over again tomorrow.”
“I just need to drop the files off in my office and grab my stuff,” Mandy said. “Let’s go.”
James moved up behind her, putting his hand on her hip when he was sure no one was looking. “You’re still not wearing panties, right? What? I need a visual.”
Sixteen
Grady had been staring at the schematics in front of him for so long his eyes were starting to cross. He was sitting on the living room floor in Sophie’s house, waiting for her to come home from work, and studying the three-dimensional rendering in front of him.
The sheriff’s department had been thorough. While the device recovered from the undercarriage of Mandy’s car had been mostly destroyed, the tech team had sifted through the debris and managed to come up with a fairly complex design.
It was thought provoking, but incomplete. He was missing something.
Grady lifted his head when he heard the front door open, waiting until Sophie’s dark head breached the archway between the kitchen and the living room before greeting her. “Hey, sugar. How was your day?”
Sophie dropped her purse on top of the counter before stripping her coat off and discarding it on the armchair at the edge of the room. Grady narrowed his eyes. He adored the woman, but she never put anything away. They needed to hire a maid – or someone to follow Sophie around with the sole intention of picking up after her.
“You mean you didn’t hear?”
“I didn’t hear what?” Grady asked, lifting his head so he could accept her proffered kiss as she bent down to say hello.
“Haven’t you talked to James?” Sophie asked, sinking down onto the floor next to him.
“Why would I talk to James?” Grady asked, shifting his schematics so Sophie could stretch her legs out. “I’m working on the bomb angle. We’re not taking on any other cases until this one is solved.”
“Mandy went back to work today,” Sophie reminded him.
“So?”
“There was a disruption in Judge MacIntosh’s courtroom,” Sophie said. “A big fight broke out, and a bunch of people were arrested.”
“Is Mandy okay?”
“She’s fine,” Sophie said. “The security guard grabbed her and got her out before anyone else – although I don’t think she’s figured that out yet.”