Deadly Arrival (Hardy Brothers Security Book 16) Read Online Free Page A

kid. They’re desperate to help, but Finn is the only one who can get through to her right now.”
    “Okay,” Jake said. “I’m going to help Grady with the cameras. I’ll call you when we need you to double-check that the feeds are working.”
    “Good,” James said. “While you’re doing that, I want to make sure we have alarms for every single window in this place – including the second floor.”
    “Do you think Pritchard is going to bring a ladder?”
    “I’m not leaving anything open to chance,” James replied. “Emma is going to give birth any day now. The stress of her father escaping might cause it to occur early. If that happens, I want to make sure there’s no way Pritchard can catch us off guard. We’re going to have to come up with a contingency plan to get Emma to the hospital if she goes into labor.”
    “And we thought Finn was a mess before,” Jake lamented.
    “I can’t imagine being in his shoes,” James admitted. “This is … .”
    “The worst thing that could’ve happened,” Jake finished. “Let’s get ahead of it.”
     
    “HE’S going to try and take our baby,” Emma said, pacing as Finn and the other women helplessly watched her fall apart. “He’s going to take him and … hurt him.”
    “That’s not going to happen, sweetie,” Finn said. He’d given up trying to get her to sit down. “I won’t let it happen. I promise. I’m not going to leave your side.”
    “Emma, why don’t we put your new stuff away?” Ally suggested, trying to distract her distraught friend. “You like to organize things. Let’s do that.”
    “I don’t want to organize,” Emma shrieked. “My father is coming to get me. Do you know what he’s going to do when he gets his hands on me?”
    “Emma, that’s not going to happen,” Finn said, his eyes filling with tears. She was terrified. He could feel it wafting off of her. “I promise.”
    “I testified against him in court,” Emma said. “I didn’t say what happened to me because I was embarrassed, but I testified about some of the other kids. He told me then that he was going to kill me.”
    Finn rubbed the back of his neck as he watched. “Guys, I need you to go downstairs,” he said, focusing on Mandy, Ally, and Sophie. “Emma and I need some time alone.”
    “We understand,” Mandy said, getting to her feet and grabbing Ally’s arm. “We’ll leave you two to talk.”
    “If you need anything, we’ll be right downstairs,” Sophie offered. “Call on the cell phone and we’ll handle it.”
    “I’ll be down in a few minutes,” Finn said. “I want to talk to James about a few things. I just need a few minutes with Emma first.”
    Ally moved to Finn’s side and gave him a warm hug, whispering something only he could hear before separating. While all the Hardy siblings were close, Grady and James had the tightest relationship. That was followed closely by Finn and Ally’s relationship. They were closer in age so they bonded as children. Ally more than anyone knew how to make Finn feel better.
    “Thank you, Ally,” Finn murmured, kissing her cheek. “I love you, too.”
    Finn watched the women leave before turning his full attention to Emma. His heart rolled at the pained expression on her face. She was losing it. “Sweetie, I’m going to draw you a bath,” he said. “You need to relax. I’m going to make you some of that calming tea you like.”
    “How am I supposed to relax? He’s going to … .”
    Finn closed the distance between them, pulling Emma to him and holding her as tightly as he could manage given the circumference of her stomach. “I won’t let him touch you, sweetie. You’re my heart. I will protect you with everything I have. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby. Please … have a little faith.”
    “I’m trying,” Emma said, bursting into tears. “I’m so afraid.”
    “I know you are,” Finn said. “I’m not leaving your side, though. I promise.”
    “I love