Page 98 of Under Fire

Delilah turned to look at her stepfather. “About what? The fact that you cheated on my mother for years and blew through her money like there was no tomorrow?”

He scowled. “Your mother understood how our marriage worked. Michelle accepted my preferences.”

“I don’t believe that for a minute. I’d care a great deal if Matt had an affair.”

“Never going to happen, sweetheart.” Matt kissed the back of her hand. “Why would I settle for less than perfection?”

She flashed him a blinding smile before looking at her stepfather. “What’s your point, Randy?”

“I know you can’t divide the lottery winnings because of Michelle’s ridiculous will. That doesn’t prevent you from giving gifts to your family.”

“Gifts?”

“Cars, houses, trips, vacations, boats. Gifts.”

Matt glared at the slimy worm in the rearview mirror. “Forget it, Holloway. You’ve had your fun. Michelle cut you off permanently. If she loved you so much, why did she change her will?”

“How should I know? It’s not fair. I’m tempted to seek out a lawyer. What have I got to lose?”

“Money you don’t have. Lawyers are expensive. If you take Delilah to court and the ruling goes against you, that empty bank account of yours will go into the red. Do you really want to gamble a good portion of the money Michelle left you on breaking an air-tight will?”

“Why bother to give me a ride? Did you just come to gloat about your good fortune, Dee?”

“Two reasons. One, I wanted to give you this.” Delilah handed him the check.

Randy’s eyes widened. “The whole amount. Why?”

“I thought you and the rest of the family might need the whole amount while you all decide what jobs to pursue.”

“And the second reason?”

“Do you know anything about the attacks on Delilah?” Matt asked.

The other man frowned. “What attacks?”

“The Randolphs shot up Baxter’s with us inside. Later that night, a sniper fired at Delilah when she sat on the balcony of our hotel. Yesterday afternoon, someone detonated a bomb in Michelle’s house.”

“I don’t know anything about . . .” Randy’s voice petered off. “Did you say a bomb?”

“That’s right. Somebody planted a bomb and set it off with Delilah inside the house. Know anything about that?”

“Are you insane? Of course I don’t. I’ve been at the police station for more than a day. I had nothing to do with any of that.” He turned to Delilah. “Is the damage bad?”

“Total loss. What the bomb didn’t take out, the fire finished. I hope you removed everything from the house, Randy. If you didn’t, your belongings are now ash.”

Matt turned left into Tulip Grove Estates and followed Randy’s directions to his girlfriend’s place. He parked in front of a two-story brick house with flowers blooming in abundance in the yard and an agate walkway that led to the porch steps. White posts, slats, and railing enclosed the large porch.

“We need to ask you some questions about Zach and the cousins.” Matt unbuckled his seatbelt and climbed out. He met Delilah at the front of the SUV and waited for Randy to heave himself out of the backseat. They followed a few feet behind her stepfather.

At the door, Randy dug into his pocket and pulled out a key.

As he slid the key into the lock, Matt noticed a red dot on his back. “Randy, get down!” At the same time, he grabbed Delilah and took her to the ground, flipping at the last second so he took the brunt of the hit with the ground, then rolled to cover her body with his.

Randy turned. A rifle fired. Delilah’s stepfather fell back against the front door, shock on his face. He slid to the ground, a red stain spreading over his white shirt.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

“Randy!” Delilah pushed against Matt’s heavy weight. “We have to help him.”

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