Page 29 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

"She said she didn't. Frankly, I don't think she wanted to know, either. My mother brought a lot of trouble and drama with her."

He gave her a searching look. "Are you telling me you couldn't find her? You, who found Alanna and AJ before I did?"

"I didn't find her because I didn't look.

I didn't see the point. It's not like we were going to console each other.

But I have to admit that over the years whenever the phone rang in the middle of the night, I thought someone was going to tell me she was dead.

But the one call I got was about Landon, and that one I never imagined. "

"I'm sorry, Haley.

She shrugged. "It was what it was. I didn't win the lottery with parents, but I did with my brother. He was such a great kid, super smart but also hilarious in a geeky kind of way, and very kind. I loved him so much. I have to find out what happened to him, Matt. I just have to."

"We will. He doesn't just have you anymore; he also has me."

The simple sincerity in his voice made her chest tighten. She looked up to find him watching her with an intensity that made her breath catch. "Matt…thank you."

"I haven't done anything yet."

"Yes, you have. You've protected me, and you've given me a reason to hope again."

He sucked in a quick breath. "I just hope you don't end up disappointed."

"Me, too." She licked her lips. "Matt…"

His gaze darkened at her tone. "I don't think you should say whatever you're thinking about saying."

She slid down the couch, breaching the distance between them as she put her hand on his leg. "How do you know what I'm thinking?"

"Because you have a very expressive face."

"It doesn't have to mean anything. I just said I like casual and fun. Don't you?"

He smiled. "I do. But this wouldn't be that. You're under my protection. You're scared and vulnerable. I won't take advantage of you."

"You can't take advantage of me when I'm the one offering. There's something between us that's unrelated to the case. We have chemistry." She paused, giving him a long look. His face was guarded, but there was a gleam in his dark-brown eyes. "You feel it, too, don't you?"

"I don't want to. I need to maintain a professional distance."

"Now you sound like an FBI agent."

"That's what I am, Haley."

"It's what you do. It's not who you are."

"It is who I am," he said forcefully. "This is a job for me, Haley. And I can't allow it to be anything else. It wouldn't be smart. It would complicate things." He removed her hand from his leg, although his fingers lingered for a moment before he put her hand on the couch.

"Okay," she said. "That was embarrassing. So much for taking risks…"

His expression shifted. "I feel it, too. I just don't think we should act on what we're feeling. We might have regrets."

"Or we might have an incredible night together."

His gaze weakened. "You are not making this easy. I'm trying to do the right thing."

"And you always try to do the right thing, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I like that about you, Matt. I like a lot of things about you."

"I feel the same way about you, Haley, but I think we should call it a night. Regroup in the morning." He got to his feet. "I may not be able to crack the encryption, but I think I'll give it a shot on my computer. Do you need anything?"

"No. I'll do the dishes and then head to the guest room."

"You don't have to clean up."

"It's the least I can do," she said as she got to her feet.

His lips tightened as he gave her a conflicted look. "You may not believe this, but walking away from you is not easy."

She smiled, flattered by the look in his eyes, by the knowledge that no matter how much he wanted their relationship to be professional, it had already crossed the line into personal, and whatever was between them wasn't just going away because he wanted it to.

"It was your choice," she said. "The right choice, according to you. I guess we'll find out if that's true."

What a stupid choice he'd made…

Matt regretted everything about his decision to keep Haley at a distance as he spent an unsuccessful few hours trying to decrypt Landon's files and then another five hours trying to sleep without her image floating through his head every few seconds.

When he finally got out of bed around eight on Sunday morning, he was in a bad mood, annoyed with himself and also at Haley for being so damned attractive and interesting.

He hadn't connected with any woman the way he'd connected to her.

They'd known each other for two days, and it felt like they'd known each other for twenty years.

Every moment of being together had been heightened by danger, by the mystery around Landon's death, by sharing their personal histories.

He'd told very few people about his life as a kid torn between divorced parents, but after she'd confided in him, he'd found himself revealing more than he normally would.

And now…he didn't know what the hell to do about her.

Their conversation, their acknowledgment of the chemistry between them, had changed their boundaries, whether they'd acted on anything or not.

He knew he needed to get things back on a more professional level; he just wasn't quite sure how to do that.

As he finished dressing, he could hear her moving around in the kitchen, and he knew he couldn't stall much longer.

He'd no sooner stepped into the hallway when he got a text from Jason that he'd be there in ten minutes to pick up Landon's computer drive.

He hadn't wanted to take Haley to the office or leave her in his apartment alone, so he was happy to have Jason pick it up.

When he finally made his way into the kitchen, he found Haley standing at the stove in jeans and a soft-blue T-shirt, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. She looked even prettier in the morning light, quickly weakening his resolve to keep things impersonal and professional.

"Good morning," she said, glancing over her shoulder with a smile. "I hope you don't mind. I found pancake mix in your pantry." She flipped a golden pancake with practiced ease. "Also, syrup. In fact, I'm impressed at how much you have in your cupboards."

"Don't be impressed. I have a cleaning lady who stocks my fridge and cupboards every couple of weeks with the basics. I guess she thought that included pancake mix."

"That's nice. I wish I had someone to do that for me."

Matt poured himself a coffee and leaned against the counter, watching her cook. She was delightfully messy, with pancake mix on the counter and a touch of it on her cheek. He wanted to wipe it off of her face and then kiss her until everything was burning, including themselves.

As his body tightened, he cleared his throat.

She gave him a speculative look. "Are you okay?"

"Fine. How did you sleep?" he asked, trying to distract himself from thinking about what additional lines he wanted to cross.

"Better than I expected." She slid three pancakes onto a plate and handed it to him. "It seemed odd after everything that's happened the past two days. I guess it just all caught up to me."

"You needed the rest. Aren't you eating?" he asked as she turned off the stove.

"I already ate." She refilled her coffee mug, then followed him over to the dining room table. "I was thinking we should talk to Brooke again and show her the video we have. She can tell us who was with her and what she was doing in Landon's room. She has all the information we need."

"Do you think Brooke will tell us everything because you ask nicely?" he asked dryly. "She has had six years to come forward and has not done that. In fact, she's only gotten in deeper with all the people in Landon's fraternity, their families, and their friends."

"How about we don't ask nicely? Can't you bring her in for questioning, interrogate her?"

"We don't have enough evidence to do that. Maybe once the files get decrypted, we will, but right now we don't need to tip Brooke off about what we have uncovered."

She frowned. "We can't just do nothing, Matt."

The doorbell rang, and she jumped. "Who's that?"

"Relax. It's Jason, a fellow agent. He's here to pick up the drive." He got to his feet and went to answer the door while Haley stood up, hovering by the table. After checking to make sure it was Jason, he opened the door.

Jason walked in, wearing gray slacks and a navy-blue polo shirt, looking more like a golf pro than an FBI agent.

"Morning," Jason said, his gaze immediately moving to Haley. "Ms. Kenton. I'm Jason Colter."

"It's nice to meet you," Haley said. "Would you like some coffee? Or pancakes? There's plenty."

"I'm good, thanks. How are you holding up?"

"I'm doing all right. Just eager to get some answers."

"We all are."

"I have the drive in my office," he said, leading the way down the hall. Both Haley and Jason followed. Clearly, Haley did not want to be left out of any conversation.

As he handed over the drive, he said, "The only files we were able to look at were video clips of Brooke Mercer stealing the notebooks out of Landon's desk and handing them to an unidentified male.

He also had a camera set up in Drew Sanderson's room at the fraternity where there are a couple of scenes with Drew, Henry, and Jill.

The rest of the files are encrypted. I'm guessing that the contents of those files are what got him killed. "

"And he's pointing us to a few people in particular," Haley added. "Otherwise, Landon wouldn't have included those clips."

"I'll get Derek on this right away," Jason said as he pocketed the drive. "Are you still interested in going to the golf tournament at Valmont this afternoon?"

"Yes. And Haley will come with us. She makes people nervous, and I want to remind everyone that the FBI has her back."

"I'll meet you both by the valet stand at one o'clock," Jason said. "Most of the golfers will be finishing up then. No jeans, no tank tops, or flip flops, not that you would. Dress code is upscale casual."

"Got it," he said.

"See you then."

After Jason left, Haley said, "I need to go by my apartment and get something to wear before the tournament. I didn't bring anything appropriate for upscale casual."

"Let's do that now."