Deadly Vacation (Hardy Brothers Security Book 10) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

idea why people would purposely seek it out. It was the one thing she didn’t understand about Mandy. She loved the woman more than life itself, but her morbid curiosity when it came to all things scary was enough to tip Emma over the edge.
    “Did you get bored looking at the house?”
    Emma shifted, smiling at Stanley when he joined her in the foyer. “It’s not really my thing,” she said. “How about you?”
    “Iris loves it,” Stanley said. “I don’t really care for it. It’s only an hour out of my day, though. I can survive.”
    “How long have you been married?” Emma asked, happy for some normal conversation.
    “Twenty-five wonderful years,” Stanley said. “And two awful ones.”
    Emma raised her eyebrows.
    “It’s a long-running joke in our family,” Stanley said. “Sorry.”
    “Oh, don’t worry about it,” Emma said. “Everyone has special jokes.”
    “I’m sure they do,” Stanley said. “Where did your friends go?”
    “Mandy is lost upstairs, and Sophie is looking for her,” Emma said. “I hope they hurry up. I’m ready to go back to the hotel.”
    “Where are you from?”
    “Michigan.”
    “Where in Michigan?”
    Stanley’s questions shouldn’t have been cause enough to worry Emma, but something about the tone of his voice did just that. She studied the man’s face for a moment, his dark eyes boring into her soul like he was searching for something. “Grand Rapids.” She had no idea why she was lying. It just seemed like the right thing to do.
    “I see,” Stanley said. “Have you been doing a lot of shopping? I’ll bet you have. You probably bought so much stuff you had to ship it home.”
    “I’m not a big shopper,” Emma said. “I’ve only been to one store.”
    “Oh, now, don’t be shy,” Stanley said. “You must have bought a few things. Did you ship some things home?” He grabbed her arm tightly. “You can tell me.”
    Emma jerked her arm away. “I haven’t sent anything home. I … I should probably find my friends.”
    Stanley stepped in front of her, blocking her path back into the house. “I need the chip,” he said.
    Emma was confused. “What chip?”
    Stanley gripped her arm tightly again. “Stop playing games with me right now,” he said. “I need that chip, and you’re going to give it to me. Don’t you even think about making a move. I’ll end you before you have a chance to take one step.”
    He grabbed Emma’s shoulders and started to shake her. “You give me that chip!”

Eleven
    “Get your hands off of her.” Mandy picked up a dusty book from the side table and slapped Stanley across the back of his head with it. Hard.
    “Oomph.” Stanley jerked forward, his grip on Emma’s arms loosening enough so she could take a step back.
    Sophie moved up to Mandy’s side and shoved Stanley as far to the left as she could manage. Once she’d made some room, she gestured for Emma to move forward. The model was shaky but resilient as she joined her friends.
    “What happened?” Sophie asked, giving Emma a quick hug.
    “I don’t know,” Emma said, tears pooling in her eyes. “He was fine. We were talking about the house. Then, all of a sudden, he freaked out and asked me where the chip was?”
    “The chip?”
    “I don’t know,” Emma said. “It didn’t make any sense.”
    Mandy was still brandishing the book over Stanley, who was leaning against the wall with a hateful expression on his face. “What chip are you looking for?”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Stanley said. “She’s making things up.”
    “She doesn’t make things up,” Mandy said. “Try again. Did you find us by accident, or were you watching us?”
    “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
    Iris walked into the room, her eyes wide as they bounced from person to person. “What happened?”
    “Your husband attacked Emma,” Mandy said. “I was just asking him why. He wanted to know about some chip. Do you know what he’s