Chapter 24
Matt
It didn’t matter how many times I told myself the date wasn’t real, or reminded myself that her brother would be nearby, I still looked forward to a night out with Madi.
Sure, I’d be on high alert, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t enjoy myself. Since I wasn’t supposed to look like I was on duty, enjoying myself worked in our favor.
It occurred to me that whoever was stalking Madi, most likely Paul, now knew that her boyfriend was also her bodyguard.
“Will that make them more or less dangerous?” I asked the hanging plant on the porch as I scanned the street.
My phone buzzed in my pocket. Jay’s name flashed across the screen.
“Robinson.”
Jay skipped the small talk. “Doug’s setting up comms, you want one?”
Hell no. Fake or not, I didn’t want Madi’s brother listening in on our date.
“No. The distraction could cause an issue.”
“Is that the only reason?”
Did I detect a hint of humor in his voice?
“Yes, listening to chatter will be disruptive, and then I’ll look like her bodyguard, not her date.”
“Fake date.”
That fact was solidified in my mind, so I didn’t need him to keep reminding me.
“We can’t sell it if I look like I’m listening to someone else all night.”
“You ever have to observe and collect in a hostile environment?”
Busted. Of course I could have an earwig and pretend like I didn’t. Of course I could listen to the SSI team and Madi at the same time. It was a skill you learned, or you found yourself nose-deep in shit without a rope.
My silence was my answer.
“Just wanted you to know that I’m not buying the bullshit you’re selling.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Remember, even if I can’t hear you, I’ll be close by.”
“I’ll treat your sister with the utmost respect.”
The words weren’t said to appease him; they were a vow.
Whether I was protecting her body at dinner, or tying her hands with a red scarf after ripping her clothes off, I did it with the utmost respect.
“Good to hear.” Someone called his name in the background. “Get back to work.”
The call disconnected.
“Yes, sir.” The hanging plant didn’t care anymore about my reply than Jay had.
The afternoon was more of the same monotony. In other words, it was a good day.
“Our reservation is for seven, so I’ll pick you up at six-thirty,” I said, walking Madi to her Jeep.
“And I’m not supposed to pretend I don’t know Jay and Cate, just in case Paul knows?”
“It’d take two seconds of searching the internet to find your family history. We’ll assume the attacker knows. Just pretend you weren’t expecting to see him. And I’ll make a show of not wanting to double date.”
Doubt flashed across her eyes. “Okay.”
When she reached for the door handle, I stopped her. “Hey, look at me.” I waited for her to turn and face me. “I’ll keep you safe.”
“I know.” Madi sighed. “I just want this to end.” Hearing Madi sound small pissed me off. She was a force to be reckoned with, and Paul, or whoever was responsible, would pay.
“Soon. That’s why we’re doing this tonight.”
“I know this is normal for you guys, but it’s not for me.”
Because of Madi’s strength and a healthy dose of bravado, it was easy to forget she needed reassurance.
“Come here.” I reached over and, using her hands, tugged her into my chest. “You’ve got this.”
“I know I do.”
I laughed. Even afraid, she had a feisty streak.
“Thank you,” she said, pulling away. “I needed that.”
“I know.”
She slapped my chest before turning without another word and climbing into her Jeep. The engine roared to life, and then Madi wiggled her fingers goodbye.
My heart did a little dance at the gesture, accompanied by a shy smile.
I told my heart to calm the fuck down; it didn’t mean anything.
We’re just friends.
My heart ignored me and kept on dancing like no one was watching.
This job will be the death of me. If I didn’t lose my sanity first.
Lose? I was arguing with my heart after spending the day talking to a plant.
I knocked on Jack's door at six-fifteen, arriving early at his request. Despite being on paternity leave, he still worked two or three hours a day. I couldn’t fault him for wanting to talk to me before my mission. Which happened to be a date with his sister.
“Come in,” Jack said, stepping aside. His eyes scanned the road behind me. “Madi will be ready in a minute, but we need to talk.”
“Shoot.” Probably not the best thing to say to the over-protective brother of the woman I’d tied up with her silky red scarf and made scream my name.
“Jay said you declined comms.”
“Yes, sir.”
“It’s Jack.” He waited for the reply I didn’t give. “Right. Any particular reason you don’t want them?”
Jack was the least likely to rip my head off, so I gave him a more honest answer. “I have to sell being Madi’s boyfriend. I can’t do that if I have to worry about Jay growling in my ear every time he hears something he doesn’t like. Or Nathan and AJ laughing at Jay growling. Or hearing Cate—”
He held his hands up. “You made your point. How much does Madi know?”
“You didn’t ask her?”
“I did. She didn’t want to talk about it.”
“She knows what I know.”
“Good. Jay didn’t want to tell her. He said you told him she could handle it.”
“I stand by my assessment.” Talking about Madi like a client made my skin crawl, but I had to maintain professional detachment for her brother’s sake.
He nodded. “Good, I happen to agree with you. Madi grew up dealing with us, then dealing with sailors while serving in the Navy. She can handle this.”
“I can handle what?” Madi’s tone made it clear she didn’t like us talking about her.
I turned to answer and promptly forgot how to breathe.
Madi had changed into a strapless dress that I immediately thanked God for.
Her pale shoulders glowed and I longed to kiss them.
The top half hugged her gorgeous curves and accented her impressive chest. The skirt part billowed out from her perfect hips and stopped just short of her knees.
I’d just started imagining lifting that skirt when Jack smacked my shoulder, dragging me out of my fantasy.
“You can handle fake dating Robinson, so we can flush out the psycho stalking you and put an end to it.” Jack didn’t mince his words when he answered her question.
“Oh. Okay.” She accepted his answer as her eyes roamed up and down my body.
And damn if her gaze didn’t feel like a lover’s touch.
“You look amazing.” Now that I wasn’t fantasizing about removing her clothes, I noticed that her purple dress wasn’t a solid color but had microdots in a slightly different shade of purple. My woman loves her purple.
My woman? Where the fuck had that come from?
I opened a compartment in the back of my mind, shoved the thought in, and slammed the lid.
Then I locked it for good measure.
And because Madi was temptation brought to life and I couldn’t risk catching feelings for her, I buried that fucking compartment in cement.
I had to keep my emotional distance.
Only Madi looked at me the same way I looked at her.
Did she think of me as hers?
The cement liquefied and drained away.
Would I hate if she did?
The lock shattered.
Would her brothers kill me if I asked her out for real?
“Thank you.” As Madi approached, Jack intercepted her.
“Madi, I wish I could be there tonight, but I trust our team.”
“Including Matt?” Her comment had more snark than her dress had dots.
“Including Matt, or we wouldn’t have green-lit Jay’s plan.”
“We?”
“Dad, Jamie, and I. Jay’d never plan a mission like this without consulting us.”
Madi cringed at the word mission. Her head dropped and her shoulders slumped.
“Hey,” Jack lifted her chin. “I’m sorry. The planning part is always considered a mission, but please don’t believe for a second that we aren’t taking this personally.”
“I know. It was just a shock to hear.”
Jack made eye contact with me as he hugged his sister. His message was loud and clear: Don’t let anything happen to her.
Message received. I nodded. She’ll be safe with me.
“We should go,” I said, glancing down to read Jay’s text. “Jay and Cate are almost there.”
Madi said her goodbyes.
I shook hands with Jack and reminded him. “With my life.”
“I know.” His voice didn’t waver, but his eyes still held fear.
Playing the role of the perfect boyfriend, I opened Madi’s door and helped her step up.
During the drive, I reassured Madi she’d be fine and reminded her of the game plan and her role in it.
“Just be myself? With my brother watching me while I’m on a date?”
We’d been over this before; Jay wouldn’t be watching us. But Madi needed a distraction, not a mission update.
“How about I make this the best date you’ve ever had so you forget everything else?”
Madi’s expression could’ve been the image accompanying the word skeptical in the dictionary.
“I’ll pour on the charm.” But wouldn’t overdo it. My plan: take advantage of the existing attraction. It was dangerous territory, but if it helped Madi relax during our date, it’d be worth it.
“Do you think he’ll show up?” she whispered.
“Paul? Maybe. If he does, we doubt he’ll come inside, which is why we have AJ and Nathan.”
The J-squad hadn’t found evidence to prove Paul was the threat, but he still sat at the top of the suspect list. Sadly, we didn’t have enough clues to add anyone else to the list.
If we got lucky, we’d get answers tonight and put an end to the threat.
“Is it bad I hope he tries something so this can end?”
“No one blames you for wanting that.”
“As long as no one gets hurt,” she added.
I couldn’t guarantee that, so I made the only promise I could. “We’ll do our best to prevent it.”
Wanting to have instant access to my truck, I once again declined valet service when we arrived at Seb’s, an upscale seafood restaurant.
Despite knowing AJ and Nathan were watching and her brother was near the entrance, I refused to entertain the idea of dropping Madi off. She would walk in on my arm.
The feelings I’d locked away inside the cemented compartment were slowly leaking out.
“Matt?” Madi asked as we walked across the mostly full parking lot. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“I like it when you act all chivalrous,.” she said, squeezing my arm. Her megawatt smile shone brighter than the sun.
The floodgates opened.
One sentence. One admission.
From anyone else, it meant nothing.
From Madi, it meant everything.
The feelings I’d been denying rose up and flooded my system.
My heart hopped, skipped, and jumped.
All it took was one confession.
“If you tell my brothers, I’ll castrate you.”
God I love this woman.
Wild horses couldn’t have dragged the idiotic smile off my face.
Not wanting the moment to end, I slowed to a snail’s pace.
“Madi?” Cate called out.
Wild horses couldn’t, but that did.
“Hey sis,” Jay added without taking his eyes off me. “Robinson.”
He sees it. He knows this is personal.
“Hey guys. Fancy meeting you here,” Madi’s voice squeaked, so I squeezed her hand to offer what little support I could.
“Thought I’d treat my fiancée to a nice dinner,” Jay said, finally shifting his gaze towards Madi.
“That’s so sweet,” Madi said, patting his arm. “You grew up good.”
Her smile lit up the dim entryway as she praised her brother.
“Thanks. Do you have reservations?” Jay asked.
“We do.”
“Then you won’t mind if I keep Cate to myself?”
“No, sir. Have fun,” I answered.
Madi hugged each of them, then returned to my side and clasped my hand. She looked calm, but her death grip told a different story.
I leaned in and kissed her temple before whispering, “You’ve got this, Red.”
She tilted her head, just enough to make eye contact without actually turning toward me. “Thanks, Robin.”
Aw fuck. Now I’m hard as a rock.
I reminded myself her brother was nearby and just like that, I was soft as a noodle.
“Table for two?” the hostess asked.
I cleared my throat. “I have a reservation under Robinson.”
“Just a moment.”
When the hostess pulled out a chair for Madi, I gently nudged her to the opposite side of the table. “Sorry, Red, but I prefer to face the door.”
Madi laughed. “Why am I not surprised?”
“Let me guess, your father always chose the same seat?”
“And my brothers.”
I pushed her chair in and thanked the hostess. Before we looked at the menu, I reached across the table. “Do me a favor, tell me if you sense you’re being watched.”
“Of course I’m being watched.” She glanced over to the table where Jay and Cate held hands while talking.
“You know what I mean.”
“Is it okay for me to order a glass of wine?” she asked.
Once again, I hated how small she sounded.
“Of course.”
When our server arrived, I ordered the house red for Madi, per her request, and a beer for myself. I’d sip it to give the illusion of drinking, but I couldn’t forget I was working.
We ordered two steak and lobster dinners, both medium-rare.
My phone buzzed with a text from Nathan.
Jay says Madi looks tense.
Well played Sheppard. He used the comms to relay the message, so he didn’t have to interrupt his date to text me.
Tell him not to worry. She’s got this.
Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
I put my phone back in my pocket.
“Who was that?”
“Jay’s being obnoxious.”
Her laugh trickled down my spine and calmed nerves I hadn’t realized were buzzing. “He’ll grow out of it someday.”
“You think?”
“I do. Cate’s been good for him. He-”
“Let’s not talk about your brother.” I slipped my hand under hers and rubbed the back of her wrist with my thumb.
Madi’s gorgeous hazel eyes shot to mine as her breath hitched.
Good, my goal was to keep her too preoccupied to worry.
“Think about me touching you and you’ll forget to be nervous.” She might hate me for laying it on thick, but I could live with that if it meant she could live her life on her terms.
“I’ll forget about a lot of things.”