Page 37 of Coff

Brian paces back and forth at the foot of my bed, then stops and stares at me. “It’s an ongoing FBI investigation. You know I can’t share all the details.”

“All the details? You knew seeing that man would throw me off, so maybe sharing his presence was a possibility!” I yell.

“Did you do it on purpose?”

Okay, now he’s pissing me off. “Yes, you got me. I purposely got shot so Durango would have to shoot Rocky. It was all part of my big plan before we went into the warehouse. I actually knew Rocky’s schedule and that he would be there.”

My brother sighs and falls into a chair beside my bed. “This is so fucked up.” He buries his face in his hands.

Yeah, he’s right about that. Never in a million years did I expect to see that man. Or any of the Manzia family ever again. After my heart was ripped out when his daughter chose her criminal father over me, I swore I’d never think about her again.

Unfortunately, I’ve thought about her a lot. Too much, despite the fact it’s been twelve years since I last saw her.

“Tell me about Delaney,” I say.

Brian sits up. “No. No, you don’t want to know.”

I roll my eyes. “I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t want to know.”

He stares at me for a moment. “All right, but you won’t like it. She’s married.”

His words are a gut punch. Married? I mean, she has every right to be, but the idea that she fell in love again hurts. I’ve tried to put myself out there, but then I end up comparing everyone to her. Well, the version of her I knew twelve years ago. I need to see her again. Maybe I remember some idealized version of her that isn’t realistic. If I see her for who she really is, then I can move on. If she stayed with her family, then she must be a part of it by now.

“Did Delaney stick with her father?” I ask.

Brian nods. “She and her husband live at the family mansion.”

She never left him. But now I know where I can find her.

“Don’t even think about it,” Brian says.

I glance up. “What?”

He leans forward. “Don’t go see her. Duke lives there, too. He’s ruthless and wouldn’t think twice about killing you on sight.”

Duke, Delaney’s brother, wasn’t someone I got to know really well, but the idea he’s more ruthless than his father seems unlikely.

“You’re saying he’s worse than Rocky?”

Brian nods. “But don’t ask for details. You know I can’t give you any. It may be a messed-up investigation now, but it’s still ongoing.”

“When’s the funeral?”

Brian stands up. “No, not an option.”

I shrug and instantly regret it as I wince again.

He steps up to the bed. “Don’t even think about going to that funeral.”

I tilt my head. “Why are you so hell-bent on my staying away? Is there something you aren’t telling me?”

My brother sits on the edge of the bed. “Logan, you think getting one glimpse of her is somehow going to help? It won’t. And if the brother of the FBI’s lead investigator into their family shows up at their home or at Rocky’s funeral, well, I doubt you’d make it out alive.”

This man has no idea what I’m capable of, despite using my team and me at Reed Hawthorne Security’s services numerous times.

He stands up and walks toward the door but stops and turns back. “I’m glad the bullet didn’t hit anything serious. I have to get back to work, but I’ll come by again tonight.”

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.”

---