Page 58 of Under Fire

Unable to resist, he pulled her tight against his chest and kissed her, long and deep. Matt came up for air minutes later and was gratified to note Delilah’s breathing was as erratic as his own. Nice to know he wasn’t the only one skating the edge of control.

Mindful of their centralized location, Matt eased her back to his side and grabbed the remote.

“You’re not going to research Sebastian.”

He chuckled. “Wouldn’t do me any good right now, Delilah. The chemistry between us is off the charts. I need to clear my head first.”

He found a mystery series Delilah liked and gave himself time to slow his racing heart and calm his rioting emotions.

By the thirty-minute mark, the woman in his arms was sound asleep. Moving carefully, Matt carried Delilah into her room and tucked a blanket around her. He left the bathroom light on so she could see if she woke in the middle of the night again. He expected her to awaken in a few hours. Nights were the worst for him because his mind was unguarded. Memories held at bay during the daylight hours resurfaced and slammed into him with a vengeance when he slept.

He returned to the living room and glanced at the clock. Liam would want to know about the vandalism at Wicks. Hoping the other man was asleep, he sent his teammate a text with the details.

Within seconds, Liam responded that he would check on Piper immediately. His friend had it bad for Delilah’s perky shop assistant.

Matt messaged Zane, asking him to run deep background checks on Oliver Shannon, Sebastian Norris, and Ace and Cage Randolph, and for him to hack into the security and traffic cams in the area around Wicks. That done, he booted up his laptop to do his own research.

By the time Cade entered the living room to take over the watch from Simon, Matt had unearthed some interesting tidbits of information about Norris and the Randolphs.

“I thought you’d be asleep by now.” His friend strode to the kitchen to pour coffee into a mug.

“Too much on my mind.”

Cade sat on the arm of the couch. “Something happen while I was asleep?”

Matt told him about the vandalism at Wicks.

After Matt relayed the information about Wicks, Bravo’s EOD man scowled. “How much damage?”

“Don’t know yet. I planned to call Gator in a few minutes, have him assess the damage so I can take care of the repairs.” Gator was a trainer at PSI, a former full-time operative at Fortress who’d suffered a leg injury on a mission that prevented him from returning to the field. His family owned a contracting business specializing in remodeling homes. Gator had worked in the family business from the time he was ten years old until he joined the police force and ultimately the FBI, then Fortress. He’d know what materials would be needed for the Wicks repairs.

Cade’s eyebrows rose. “Won’t her insurance cover the cost?”

“She needs to be open for business before the insurance paperwork clears. I can help her do that.” Anything to take pressure off Delilah was worth the cost of repairs to him.

“Your woman is loaded, Matt. The repairs to Wicks won’t even put a dent in her account.”

He grinned. “I know. She’s forgotten that fact.”

“Gator will do the repairs himself if you ask.”

“That’s the plan. Didn’t think he’d be awake until about now.” Gator didn’t sleep much after midnight.

Cade stood. “I’ll relieve Simon.”

Matt closed his laptop and grabbed his cell phone. A moment later, the PSI instructor answered. “It’s Matt. I need a favor.”

“Name it. I’ll get it done.”

“Wicks was hit by vandals earlier tonight. Swing by the shop, assess the damage, and, take care of the repairs. I’m out of town with Delilah or I would do it myself.”

“Cops give you an idea of the damage?”

“Brick through a display window, broken jars, and graffiti on the brick facade outside the shop.”

“I’ll take care of it. Deadline?”

“Santana should release the scene sometime tomorrow. Wicks needs to be ready for business by Friday morning.”

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