Deadly Intuition (Hardy Brothers Security Book 2) (15 page)

Sophie’s mind was busy during the ride to the Daily Tribune. She wanted to remember where she’d seen that exact monetary number before – but her brain was too cluttered. There were too many numbers dancing around between her ears. She knew she’d seen that number before.

She’d avoided getting on the freeway since the accident – and tonight was no different. It would take her an additional five minutes to get to her destination, but the mental torture associated with the freeway was too much for her to deal with. She’d jump over that hurdle when all of this was settled.

The drive to the newspaper gave Sophie time to think. Most of those thoughts revolved around Grady.

He was a beautiful specimen of a man – inside and out. He had the face of an angel, the body of a model, and the heart of a poet.
How did he manage that?

Sophie knew she wasn’t just falling for him. She was already gone. She’d been gone since their first night together. She’d played it cool the next morning – something that clearly infuriated him – which, of course, made her want to keep up the charade.

The problem was, when this was all over with, the charade would actually be over. He would be gone, and she would be alone. Again.

Sophie’s heart had moved past “at risk” and settled on “in imminent danger.” She’d never let herself even consider the option of love. She had other plans. She didn’t plan on staying in Michigan forever. New York was her ultimate goal. She still wanted that, didn’t she?

Grady Hardy wasn’t in New York. The realization was obvious – and painful. Was her dream really New York? Or was it just a better life than what she’d been living before she met him? Was New York just a symbol? She wasn’t sure.

Grady would never leave his brothers. She didn’t want him to leave his brothers. He was happy with his brothers, with his family, with his job. They fit together – the whole puzzle. They loved each other; relied on each other. She would never try to make him leave his family. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right.

Would she stay for him? Sophie knew the answer. She would. Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure he would even figure into her decision. Even if she was perfect at work, even if she broke three huge stories over the course of the next year, her dream of moving to New York was years away. Would Grady Hardy last more than a few days when this was all over?

Sophie was scared. No, she was terrified. She couldn’t think about forever. She had trouble picturing the next week. Any time she tried, though, her imagination conjured images of Grady.

When reality smacked her in the face, when realization dawned, those images included pictures of Grady’s back as he walked out the door and moved on.

He’d never been anything other than honest with her. He told her that first night when they kissed that he wasn’t a relationship guy. He hadn’t lied. He’d been upfront. She couldn’t use the past two weeks to erase his words.

He could leave.

He would leave.

Sophie tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She would eventually lose him. She couldn’t delude herself.

Grady Hardy wasn’t hers. He’d never been hers. He never would be hers. They had a few days left together. A few weeks, tops. Then he would be gone, and she would be left with her old dreams.

Those old dreams were nothing compared to the new ones she’d been fantasizing about. And that was a crushing thought.

GRADY
was bored.

Surveillance was always a monotonous gig, no matter whom you were watching. This was Finn’s current assignment, but a plumbing emergency at Ally’s house had called him away. James had been apologetic when he phoned, but he was already tied up with a chauffeur job across town – one that wouldn’t end until the wee hours of the morning. Grady preferred the job that would ensure a few hours of sleep in Sophie’s bed to the one that would keep him away for the entire night.

That was a sobering thought.

He was looking forward to going home – Sophie’s home – and climbing into bed with a woman. The same woman he’d been sleeping with for more than a week. The same woman he’d spent five straight days with and never once looked at the clock. The same woman who smiled and sent his heart into palpitations.

He was falling. He was falling for her. He was falling hard.

No, he was already gone. He was already at the point where he hurt when she hurt, where he smiled when she smiled, where he reached for her before she reached for him.

Yeah, he was definitely gone.

Grady knew that this case would end – and probably sooner, rather than later. Danger was an easy excuse for him. He could tell his brothers he was staying with her because she needed him. He could tell himself the same thing.

The truth was, he needed her just as much as she needed him.

More. He needed her more than she needed him. He knew that now. There was no use denying it.

She was cold sometimes. No, cold wasn’t the right word. She was guarded. He didn’t blame her. She’d been left alone at an early age, then shuffled from house to house. She’d finally settled with a family who accepted her, even loved her. She never embraced them fully, though. He knew what real family looked like. He also knew that Sophie desperately wanted it.

She wanted connections. She’d found one with him. She’d also found one with Mandy, although he wasn’t sure if his brother’s girlfriend realized it yet. Sophie was hungry for love – like an abandoned pet – and she was thriving now that she’d bonded with both Grady and Mandy.

Grady never considered himself an astute student of the human condition. He recognized Sophie’s needs before she did. He loved seeing her blossom.

There was still a niggling urge to run pushing at the back of his brain. He wasn’t looking for an escape route – but he wasn’t plotting a forever either. He knew he should want to leave.
Did he really want that?

The thought of walking away from her was distant, although it was still there. He wasn’t ready to settle down. He wasn’t ready for … forever.

He also wasn’t willing to give Sophie up. He’d die before he did that. He was a work in progress. For now, that would have to be enough. He’d make her see it was enough.

WHEN SOPHIE
pulled into the parking lot in front of the Daily Tribune she was nervous. It was late. The night crew had already put the paper to bed and left. The building was empty.

The lights were on a motion sensor, so they clicked on when she exited the vehicle. She could hear the intermittent traffic from the far-off road. The parking lot was completely empty. She was perfectly safe.

Sophie flashed her security pass in front of the panel, letting loose a relieved sigh when the red light flashed to signify the lock was disengaged. She entered the building, her pace quick. The faster she found what she was looking for, the faster she could return home.

Grady would be there before she knew it.

She would be safe then.

You’re safe now. You’re being ridiculous. You have nothing to worry about. You’re being a moron.

Sophie was angry with herself. She’d never been the type of woman who needed a man to feel safe. She’d also never been the type of woman who was attacked – twice – and forcefully run off the road.

She was the type of woman who liked to discover the truth. She loved the idea of uncovering a story no one else could crack. She liked being special. She liked being the best.

Sophie walked through the empty building with a purpose, making her way to her desk. She booted up her computer while she was there – figuring that checking her email was a good idea. She was being pragmatic.

She’d been reading emails for about fifteen minutes when the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. Sophie pushed away from her desk, the rolling wheels on the bottom of the chair humming against the plastic mat on the floor.

Cubicles segregated the newsroom. She was out in the open now, vulnerable. Except there was no one there. The newsroom was still empty.

I should get home. I should get back to Grady. I promised him an outfit.

Sophie focused on her computer long enough to shut it down. She pulled the files she was looking for out of the overhead compartment, hugging them close to her chest. She wanted to be anywhere but where she was.

This was a mistake.

GRADY
was at his limit. Boredom had rendered him numb an hour ago. His phone rang, signifying an incoming call. He recognized the number.

“I thought you were playing chauffeur tonight?”

“It’s me.”

“Mandy?”

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“You’re never a disappointment,” Grady said. “What’s going on?”

“Are you with Sophie?”

“She’s at home.”

“Oh. I tried calling her, no one answered.”

“She was fixated on endless piles of paper when I left,” Grady said. “She’s probably ignoring the phone. She’s kind of a workaholic.”

“I bet,” Mandy said.

Silence.

“Is there a reason you called? You don’t want to tell me about the nail polish, do you?”

“The nail polish?”

“I asked Sophie why you included three bottles of nail polish in her little sick kit, but she wouldn’t tell me why. When I brought it up with James, he seemed uncomfortable.”

“Women like nail polish, Grady, it’s not a big deal.”

“Something tells me I’m missing something,” Grady said.

“Something tells me you’ll be happy you’re missing it.”

“I’m going to take your word on that.”

“That’s probably wise.”

Grady was confused. “Not that I’m not happy to talk to you – I’m always happy to talk to you – but why are you calling?”

“Well, I found something in the files.”

“What files?”

“The ones you left at the apartment.”

“I took all of those files yesterday,” Grady said.

“Not all of them,” Mandy replied. “I had some on the nightstand. You didn’t grab those.”

“And you kept looking through them?”

“What can I say? I’m kind of OCD sometimes.”

“What did you find?”

“There was something that kind of jumped out at me,” Mandy admitted. “I couldn’t figure out why at first. I kept coming back to the document, though.”

“And? What did you find?”

“Okay, this might sound weird … .”

“You are weird.”

“This might sound weirder.”

“I love you dearly,” Grady said. “I might have to kill you if you don’t tell me what you found.”

“There’s a name here that kind of threw me for a loop,” Mandy explained. “Trevor Madison.”

“Who is Trevor Madison?”

“He’s a dogcatcher for the county.”

“A dogcatcher? Why do we care about a dogcatcher?”

“Well, this dogcatcher is making more than a hundred grand a year,” Mandy said. “He also has the same last name as the sheriff’s assistant.”

Huh. “Madison is a common name.”

“It is,” Mandy agreed. “That’s why I asked around before I brought it up and found out he is, indeed, John Madison’s son.”

“Who did you ask?”

“Judge MacIntosh.”

“Why did you ask him?”

“He’s a great judge and a great man,” Mandy cautioned.

“Duly noted.”

“He’s also a gossip.”

“Ah. What did he tell you?”

“He says that Trevor Madison is … unbalanced.”

“Unbalanced how?”

“Well, according to the judge, he says that Trevor has washed out of at least three rehabs. He’s got a drug problem. And an alcohol problem. Oh, and maybe a little stalking problem.”

Grady’s heart skipped a beat. “Go on.”

“I have no idea how Trevor got a job as a dogcatcher,” Mandy said. “The county has certain
requirements
when it comes to hiring employees. A dogcatcher only has to do three things.”

Grady waited.

“He has to go through the interview process. He has to be approved by the hiring committee on the county level. He also has to pass a drug test,” Mandy continued. “If the gossip is true, he shouldn’t have been able to pass any of them because he’s got a stalking conviction regarding a high-school classmate on his record.”

“And Trevor Madison somehow passed all three of these hurdles?” Grady asked.

“Judge MacIntosh says certain … liberties were taken where Trevor is concerned,” Mandy said. “The interview process was done by Sheriff Morgan. The drug test was done by a facility other than the one the county usually uses. Oh, and the hiring committee never saw paperwork on Trevor Madison.”

“How is that possible?”

“The judge says there’s a lot of gossip around Tevor,” Mandy said. “He can’t be sure, but he’s fairly certain that Trevor was hired outside of the process and shifted into a harmless position.”