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A smile curved her mouth. “That’s perfect. Where did he find this?”
“He has a stash of different ones.” His cheeks burned. “I might have mentioned you a few times in casual conversation.” More like every time he talked to the SEAL.
“Would Zane mind if I sent a text to thank him?”
“Of course not.”
Delilah typed a message to Zane and sent it. “Thanks for arranging this, Matt.”
He saw the moment she remembered the loss of her mother. Matt hugged her close and held her until Cade and Sasha returned to the living room. When he released Delilah, she brushed tears from her cheeks.
Matt hoisted his Go bag and duffel to his shoulder while Cade grabbed the mike bag with Matt’s medical supplies. “We’ll take the stairs. I’d rather not be boxed in if there’s another attack.”
At the front desk, Matt turned in their key cards and accepted the complimentary basket from the hotel manager.
Delilah held out her hands. “I can handle the basket along with my bag. You’re loaded down.”
Though he hated she had to carry anything, Matt acknowledged that she was correct. If trouble found them again as they left the hotel, he needed to have his hands free.
He pressed his hand to Delilah’s lower back and guided her toward the garage stairs with the Ramseys close behind. Once the women were inside the SUV, he and Cade loaded the gear.
A minute later, Matt drove from the garage and headed out of town. “Do you know how to get to West Fork?” he asked Delilah.
“Yes. Why?”
“Zane reserved a suite for us at the River’s Edge Hotel.”
Delilah’s face lit. “I heard the River’s Edge is really nice.”
“Worth the inconvenience of another move?”
She nodded.
The trip to West Fork was uneventful. They arrived ninety minutes after leaving Harmony because of Matt’s detours. He couldn’t alleviate Delilah’s grief, but he was determined to give her an undisturbed night of rest.
Tomorrow, all bets were off. Matt would pursue every avenue of investigation to find the culprit and stop the attacks on Delilah, no matter what it took.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Matt registered at the River’s Edge Hotel and picked up the key cards. According to the desk clerk, their suite was on the fourth floor with a view of the river. Since they hadn’t been followed from Harmony, Matt felt confident Delilah was safe for the moment.
They climbed the stairs to the fourth floor. Matt opened the suite door and understood why Delilah had been excited about staying here. Oil paintings on the walls, a grand piano in the corner of the living room, a fireplace with gas logs, plush carpet, and overstuffed leather furniture along with a large-screen television. This was going to cost him. Worth it, he reminded himself. Anything to keep Delilah safe. Besides, he had the money to cover the suite charge. Brent Maddox demanded a lot from his operatives but paid them well for their service.
While Delilah and Sasha explored the suite, he and Cade returned to the SUV for their gear.
“We’re in the room on the left,” Sasha told Cade when he reentered the suite with Matt.
Matt set his bags against the wall next to Delilah’s room, carried her belongings inside, and placed them on the queen-size bed. “Do you like the room?”
“It’s great.” She sat on the bed gingerly, hand to her ribs. “I still feel guilty for making you sleep on the couch, even if the couch is worth more than all the furniture in my house combined.”
“I’ll rest better if I’m close to you and positioned to hear if someone breaks into the suite.” He crouched in front of her. “Ribs still hurt?”
Delilah nodded.
“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
“It’s better than being shot.”
