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A smile flickered at the edges of her mouth, some of the temper fading from her eyes. “I do.”
Matt opened the coffee container and scooped out the appropriate amount of coffee plus a little extra for the caffeine kick. Based on Zach’s condition when he answered the door, he’d drunk himself into a stupor last night and still felt the results of his overindulgence.
Five minutes later, the shower kicked on. By the time Zach walked into the kitchen, he was steadier on his feet although his skin was still the color of paste.
Matt poured coffee into a large mug as Zach dropped into a chair and propped his head on his hands with a groan. He set the mug on the table along with over-the-counter pain meds he found in the cabinet. “Take these.”
Delilah’s brother opened his eyes to slits, tossed back the pills, and chased them down with sips of coffee. He shuddered. “Who made this? It’s terrible.”
“Drink it.” When Zach finished the coffee, Matt refilled the mug. “Again.”
Glaring at Matt, he managed to down the second mug. Zach shoved the mug aside. “No more unless you want to clean up after I barf. What’s going on with Randy? Why did the cops take him in for questioning?”
“Answer a few questions, then we’ll talk about your stepfather.”
Zach slumped in his chair and motioned for Matt to get on with the questions.
“Why were you following us yesterday?”
“How can you ask me that? Our childhood home blew up yesterday. I wanted to make sure Dee was safe.”
“What did you plan to do? Run interference and beat down any attempt to hurt her?”
“Well, yeah.”
Matt stared. “I’m in private security. I’ll take care of your sister.”
Zach waved his statement aside. “I know what you said, but I don’t know you, do I? You talk a good game. That’s no guarantee you’re capable of doing what you say.”
Ouch. Much as he hated to admit it, Delilah’s brother had a point. Zach was also Delilah’s only relative. Matt didn’t like the clod, but he could reassure him about Delilah’s safety.
Matt called Zane and placed the phone on speaker.
“Yeah, Murphy.”
“It’s Matt. You’re on speaker with Delilah and her brother, Zach.”
“What do you need?”
“Zach is concerned I can’t protect his sister.”
“No worries, Zach. Matt Rainer is a decorated war hero, many times over. He’s an Army Ranger with too many missions to count, all of them classified so I can’t tell you what they were. The president honored him for his bravery four times. He’s been employed by Fortress for five years. Our employees are invited to apply and the boss only issues invitations to the best in the business. We don’t advertise our services, but never lack missions. Fortress specializes in rescuing hostages and combating terrorism. Matt is the medic for one of our best teams. You couldn’t ask for a better man for Delilah.”
Although scowling, grudging respect filled the man’s eyes. “Will he put her safety first?”
“He’d take a bullet for her in a heartbeat and die for her without a second thought. Her safety will always be Matt’s top priority.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I would do the same for my wife. Matt cares deeply about Delilah and that makes him more dangerous to anyone who threatens her, including you. Do you have more questions?”
“Why can’t you tell me about his missions? Don’t you have access to them?”
Zane chuckled. “I know more than I tell anyone. The missions are classified which means the brass determined knowledge of his work is a threat to national security. I’m also military. I won’t leak classified intel to satisfy your curiosity. If what I told you isn’t enough, I’ll transfer you to our boss. He’ll confirm everything I said.”
“No need.”
“Matt, anything else I can do to help?”
