“Oh right. Yep. Come in. Ahh, Mari needs her lunch soon, though.”
“Would you like to stay for lunch?” Marisol asked, thinking they should be polite since it sounded like he was here to help them.
Zander watched her as though confused by the offer. “No. Thank you. I like to prepare my own food. Less likelihood of being poisoned.”
“Poisoned? You mean food poisoning?”
“That too.”
That too? Who was this guy?
“This won’t take long,” Zander said.
“Sure. Come in, we’ll talk in my office.” Linc took her hand again, leading her into the house.
“Your doors should be locked,” Zander lectured. “And you need an alarm system. Do you have a weapon?”
“I’ve got a rifle.”
Zander shook his head, looking incredulous. “You need a weapon in every room. Loaded and hidden.”
“I don’t think that’s necessary,” Linc said. “And it would be dangerous with Mari around.”
Zander glanced down at her. “Do you know how to use a gun?”
She shook her head as Linc stripped off her jacket, scarf and hat, putting them away. The foyer was already pretty small, with Zander in here, it felt tiny.
Marisol really didn’t want to learn how to fire a gun.
“She should know how to use one. Everyone on the ranch should,” Zander countered.
“The ranch is a safe place to live.”
“Doesn’t mean trouble won’t come here. Always be prepared for the worst. I told Clint to build a safe room into each cabin. Didn’t listen to me. I have one in each of my houses.”
A safe room? Guns? Self-defense? One in each of his houses?
She looked at Linc in alarm. He smoothed back her hair. “Why don’t you go rest for a while, teeny. Read Caley’s book. I’ll put some leftovers in the oven to heat. We’ll eat in about forty-five minutes, okay?”
“Don’t you need me for this meeting?”
“I’ve got it.”
Zander gave her a nod. Linc led him into his office and she raced off gratefully. Even if she did feel a bit guilty about leaving Zander to Linc.
Linc led Zander into his small office. “Take a seat.”
“I don’t like to sit,” Zander replied, leaning against the back wall and staring out the window. Linc sat with a sigh. He hadn’t had much to do with Zander, even though the other man had worked for JSI for years.
Blunt and eccentric, Zander didn’t live here on the ranch. Nobody knew exactly where he lived most of the time. Doc had to go and help him a few months back when he was shot, but he said he’d been blindfolded before being driven to him.
Paranoid.
Rumors were he had his own small group of mercenaries that he led. Linc wasn’t sure why he even continued to work for Kent.
Anyway, none of that mattered right now.
“Kent told me everything he knows. Can you go over it in case he missed anything,” Zander said jumping straight into business. He didn’t really do small talk.