Page 35 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

"No, I did," she admitted. "But Landon kept me from going too dark.

He was always looking up, always believing that some kind of magic was out there, that people were inherently good, we just couldn't always see it.

We used to go up on the roof of our apartment building after my dad died.

We'd lie on our backs and look up at the stars, and Landon would point out constellations.

He'd tell me about all the other worlds that could be out there, how we were just one small grain of sand in the universe.

He wanted me to look up, look forward, believe in tomorrow.

" She gave Matt a tired, sad smile. "Now all I do is look down and backward, trying to find answers in the past. It's ironic, isn't it? "

"Maybe finding those answers will let you look forward again."

"What about you? What made you look forward when you were a kid?"

Matt was quiet for a moment as he stirred the chili. Then he said, "Birthdays."

"Really? Because you got two celebrations?"

"No, because I wanted to get old enough to control my own life.

I hated flying back and forth between San Francisco and San Diego, never knowing which parent actually wanted me there.

I always felt like I was interrupting their new lives, their new families.

I couldn't wait to be eighteen, so no court could tell me where I had to be. "

"That makes sense."

"I envy your relationship with Landon, the closeness you shared," he said, glancing back at her. "My siblings are so much younger; we never had that kind of bond. I have certainly never had anyone in my life who would fight for me the way you fight for Landon."

"Landon and I fought for each other," she said quietly. "It was the only way we survived. It's a habit I can't break now, even though he's gone."

As the chili began to boil, Matt lowered the heat, and she got up to get some salad dressing from the fridge. As she turned around, she collided with Matt, who was reaching for a spoon. She stumbled as she set the dressing on the island, and Matt's hands landed on her waist to steady her.

He was suddenly so close, his face just inches away from her; his lips parted, his breath mixing with hers. For a moment, they just stared at each other.

"Haley," he said, his voice rough and sexy.

She knew he wanted her to move away, but all she wanted to do was get closer, and she couldn't stop herself from putting her hands on his shoulders. She licked her lips as she gazed into his eyes. "I know this is complicated, but?—"

"I don't care anymore," he interrupted. And then he kissed her.

She responded immediately, her fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as the sparks ignited between them, creating fiery kisses that were hungry, desperate, full of a need they'd both been denying. But now they'd surrendered.

Matt's hands tangled in her hair, holding her close as he deepened the kiss, sending heat shooting through her body.

The closer they got, the more she realized it wasn't close enough.

She wanted to lose herself in him and for him to lose himself in her.

She wanted to put away all the questions and fears and just savor what was happening right this second.

And then a buzzing phone jolted them apart.

Matt's phone was vibrating on the nearby counter. He looked at it, then back at her. "I should?—"

"Get it," she finished. "It could be important."

As he stepped away, she let out a breath and pushed her messy hair behind her ears as she moved around to the other side of the island.

"Hello?" Matt said, a question in his voice. "Who is this?" He paused. "Anthony?"

Her pulse jumped. Anthony was the name of his whistleblower, the one whose phone had been disconnected, who'd given Matt's name to Sabrina. She motioned for him to put the phone on speaker.

"Anthony?" he repeated as he did as she requested. "Where the hell are you? I've been looking for you."

"You're not the only one. Someone broke into my apartment on Saturday. I think it had something to do with Sabrina Lin's murder."

"You heard about that?"

"Hell, yeah, and I can't believe she's dead."

"You sent her to me. Why?"

"Because she needed to get help from someone in law enforcement she could trust. And the only person I knew was you."

"Why did she need help?"

"She was looking at a corporate fraud case and thought it tied into a murder at Westbridge University. She was killed the day after she went there to talk to Professor Harrington. She thought he had information she needed."

"What information?"

"It's a long story. I told her to stay away from Westbridge, that it was too dangerous. She needed to get your help before she did anything else. Obviously, that didn't happen."

"We need to talk, Anthony. You need to tell me everything, so I can help."

"I want to meet, but I don't have a good feeling.

I spent a lot of time reinventing myself, getting a place to live under a new name, starting over in a new job as someone else, but I made a mistake.

I gave Sabrina my real name so that she could give it to you, and now, dammit, someone is after me?—"

Silence followed his abbreviated sentence. "Anthony? Are you there? Talk to me," Matt said.

"I think someone is here. I'll be in touch," Anthony said in a hushed tone. And then the call disconnected.

Matt swore as he set down the phone.

"Do you think he's okay?" she asked with concern. "He sounded scared."

"I don't know. I hope so."

"He said Sabrina went to Westbridge to talk to Professor Harrington. We need to talk to Harrington, too." She was surprised when Matt didn't instantly agree. "You don't think that's a good idea?"

"I don't like that we just got a clue dropped into our laps. It could be a trap."

"But Anthony is the whistleblower you worked with, the one who recommended you to Sabrina. Would he try to entrap you?"

"I don't think so, but I can't completely discount the possibility."

"We were going to talk to the professor anyway. We need to find out what he knows about the grade-changing scheme, and now we can ask him what he said to Sabrina."

Matt's lips tightened. "I can't keep taking you into dangerous situations, Haley. I need to get you into a safehouse with guards at the door."

She saw the determination in his eyes, but she couldn’t let him lock her away. "I'm not going to hide. You just said you admired the way I fight for my brother. Let me fight."

"I don't want anything to happen to you. In case you haven't noticed, I'm starting to like you quite a bit."

"I feel the same way, and I also feel the safest when I'm with you. I can't trust anyone else. Please, don't leave me behind, Matt."

He drew in a deep breath and let it out. "I'll think about it. As for what happened before Anthony called?—"

"Let's not talk about that," she interrupted. "It was great. Can we leave it at that?"

"Can we?" he queried, giving her a searching look.

"Yes. Let's just have dinner and put everything else aside." She could see Matt putting up his professional walls, and she didn't think a conversation about the way they'd just kissed each other would be helpful. "Is the chili ready?"

"It is," he said, a conflicted gleam in his eyes. "I still feel like we should talk, Haley."

"We've done enough talking," she said decisively. "Let's eat. We'll figure out tomorrow…tomorrow."