Page 23 of Deadly Forever

“What? You don’t know the name of the teenager you brutally killed?” Landers challenged. He was clearly trying to goad James.

“Now you wait just a minute,” Mandy spat, taking a step forward.

James extended an arm to keep her behind him, making sure she was safe even as her temper flared. “Baby, please don’t make things worse.”

Mandy was hurt by the insinuation. “But … .”

“Mandy, stay in my office,” James ordered, stepping over the threshold. He wanted Landers to understand that he meant business, and should he attack Grady because he was closest, things wouldn’t end well. “What do you want, Mr. Landers?”

Landers looked caught as he licked his lips. “I want to know why you killed my son.”

“He’s not the one who shot Dakota, Marty,” Graham supplied. “I talked to the sheriff’s department people. They told me that Mr. Hardy is the one who killed … who ended … who was there when Nate died.” Graham appeared to be searching for the right phrase because he didn’t want to offend anyone. “The police shot Dakota.”

“Yeah, but he was there,” Landers argued, jerking his head in James’ direction. “He was there and he’s got a very … unseemly … reputation. I want to know why he was there. I’m certain that he had something to do with Dakota’s death and I want to know what.”

James quirked an eyebrow but otherwise remained still. Mandy was a different story.

“Unseemly?” Mandy’s voice was shrill as she stormed through the doorframe. “What is that supposed to mean?”

James’ small blonde was in front of Landers, within touching distance, before he could think to stop her. He was beyond frustrated when he took a step in her direction. “Don’t touch her,” he warned, his voice low and full of warning.

Landers jolted at the look on James’ face but refused to back down. “Why would I want to touch her? Is that what happened? Did Dakota touch your precious wife? Is that why he had to die?”

“Your son died because he took a gun to a mall and stole a bunch of things,” Mandy barked, annoyed. “He died because he was a criminal. James didn’t kill him. He didn’t have anything to do with what happened at the mall.”

“Then why was he there?” Landers challenged. “Why did the sheriff’s department take him with them when they moved on those boys?”

“Because they had four gunman and thousands of shoppers,” Grady interjected, taking Landers by surprise when he entered the conversational fray. “They needed people with tactical training. That’s why they took us. We were already on scene – and have a working relationship with the sheriff – so he sent us in.”

“And why were you on the scene?” Landers asked.

“Because my wife, sister, and two future sisters-in-law were in a wedding dress shop in the mall,” James gritted out. He hated how close Mandy was to Landers. He wanted her in his arms – or at least ten steps back from where she stood now – and he could barely focus given her proximity to potential danger. “We went in to get our family.”

“And you killed mine in the process,” Landers spat, frustrated. “My son is dead. Do you understand that?”

“I do,” James confirmed. “I didn’t kill him, though.”

“But … you were there!”

“Oh, don’t get me wrong, I would’ve killed him to get to my wife or save an innocent shopper,” James clarified. “I don’t want you to think otherwise because it’s completely untrue. The simple fact is, though, I was nowhere near your son. If you have issues with what happened at the mall yesterday, then perhaps you should take it up with the sheriff.”

“I’ve tried that,” Landers said. “He won’t give me the answers I want. He won’t tell me why.”

“That’s probably because he doesn’t know why,” James said. “Your son is the one who ran into a mall with a gun. Your son stole things and thought he could somehow make a getaway. You knew your son better than the sheriff did. You need to search your heart for the hows and whys.”

Landers rubbed his cheek, his eyes bouncing between faces. Finally his gaze landed on Mandy and James’ heart rolled when he saw the hate reflected in that stare.

“You’re the woman who killed Lance Pritchard, aren’t you?” Landers barked, spittle forming at the corners of his mouth. “You killed him. I remember. You were all over the news. Did you like that? Did you have something to do with my son being killed?”

James was at his wit’s end when he took two large steps and grabbed Mandy’s arm, tugging her behind him as he stared down Landers. The two men were chest to chest when James was finished positioning himself, and neither looked ready to back down.

“My wife has nothing to do with this,” James hissed. “Don’t touch her … or threaten her … or even address her in anything other than a respectful tone.”

“Why?” Landers challenged. “What will you do? Will you kill me like you did my son? Like she killed Pritchard? Are you a bloodthirsty couple? Is that your thing?”

James risked a glance at Mandy and saw the cloudy expression on her face. Lance Pritchard died months before and it was an uphill climb for her to overcome the horror associated with ending his life. She had no choice when it happened, but she was still haunted by her actions that day.

“Is that our thing?” James was ready to beat Landers within an inch of his life. The only thing stopping him was Mandy’s presence and the knowledge that this was a grieving man. “My wife had to deliver a baby that night. She had a knife to her throat the entire time. Then she tried to sacrifice herself to save the mother and little boy because she wanted to give them time to run from a rapist and murderer. Don’t you dare say one word about her!” James roared the last sentence so loudly that Landers had no choice but to take a step back.