Page 39 of Shattered Truth (Off The Grid: FBI #15)

Chapter Twenty-One

It was after four on Monday afternoon by the time they left the Westbridge campus, and Haley's nerves were tighter than they'd ever been.

Every car behind them seemed like a possible threat.

Every turn could hold some unexpected new horror.

She twisted her fingers, not sure where they should go next.

They had learned a lot from Justin Harrington but had almost lost their lives in the process.

After Harrington had been taken to the hospital, they'd talked to the local police as well as the campus police. Two of Matt's team members, Jason Colter and a woman named Andi Hart, had shown up at the house, and Matt had given them the update on everything that had transpired.

The intensity of the attack had definitely ratcheted up the danger of the investigation, and before they'd left the university grounds, Jason had given Matt the address and directions to a safehouse, where they were headed now.

She wasn't sure why Matt's apartment was no longer safe, but she hadn't had the energy to ask questions. She felt overwhelmed and numb.

Her phone buzzed, and she saw a text from Julia, asking her what the hell was going on.

She'd just heard about the shooting at Professor Harrington's house.

Julia wanted to know if she was there, if she was okay, and if she had learned anything new.

She couldn't begin to answer that question in a text, and since Matt didn't want her to talk to Julia anyway, she just said she was okay, and she'd be in touch.

As she sent that text, she realized she had another one from her editor at the Sentinel , checking in on her, wondering if she knew when she'd be back to work. She texted her back as well, saying that she needed at least the rest of the week to figure things out.

"Who are you talking to?" Matt asked.

"Julia. She heard about the shooting, wanted to know if I was there, if I was okay. I told her I'd fill her in later. I can't get into it now."

He frowned, his gaze narrowing. "How did she hear about that?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was on the news. Or maybe she has access to a police scanner. Does it matter?" She paused. "I'm not going to tell her anything, but I couldn't just blow her off."

"I understand. Was that the only text you got?"

"My editor checked in. She knows I'm looking into my brother's death. I told her I'll need a few more days off."

"Good. Now that you've done that, I want you to turn off your phone. Power it all the way off."

"Why? What if someone tries to call me?"

"They can still text you. We'll be able to retrieve your messages at the safehouse, but I don't want anyone tracking your phone."

"What about your phone?"

"I shut it down before we left Westbridge and have forwarded my calls to a secure landline at the safehouse. I meant to tell you to turn it off earlier, but I forgot." He shook his head, irritated with himself over that mistake.

"Well, you've had a lot to deal with," she said as she powered down her phone and put it back in her bag. "Do you want to talk about what we learned?"

"If you want to talk, I'll listen. I'm also happy to be quiet. Your choice."

She stared down at her hands, which she'd scrubbed a half-dozen times but were still tinged with pink from Harrington's blood.

"I've had the blood of two people on my hands in two days.

And all I can think is that at some point I'm going to be the one bleeding out on the floor.

" She gave him an anxious look. "I feel overwhelmed, Matt. "

"I know. I'm going to do everything I can to protect you."

"The attacks are getting worse and worse. I wonder if we'll be safe anywhere."

"This will be a safe space for us," he assured her. "Trust me."

"You're the only one I can trust," she said, meeting his gaze. "Don't let me down."

"I won't."

Twenty minutes later, Matt pulled into the parking garage of a two-story townhouse that appeared to be part of a duplex.

It had taken two codes to get into the garage and then the house, but once inside, she was pleasantly surprised by how modern, up-to-date, and nicely decorated the house was. "This is better than I expected."

"It apparently used to be the home of the head of my task force. He turned it into a safehouse after he got married."

She followed Matt through the kitchen and into the living room/dining room area. There was an office and bath downstairs, and two bedrooms upstairs.

"You can have this room," he said as they entered the primary bedroom, which had a king bed and en suite bathroom.

"That's very generous."

"You've had a rough day."

"They all seem to be rough. I'm just glad we made it through. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?"

"Hopefully answers."

"I'm having a hard time believing that anymore. Answers always seem to be just out of reach," she said, sinking onto the edge of the bed.

He sat down next to her. "We're going to figure this out, Haley.

I know it doesn't seem that way, but we know a lot more now than we did yesterday.

We have a better idea about what Landon was trying to do.

We know what Sabrina was looking into and how she got my name, and we know that Harrington had nothing to do with Landon's death. That he was also a pawn."

"But we don't know who killed my brother and what they're up to now," she said in frustration.

"And today, when the front door shattered, and that man walked in with that enormous gun, I really thought we were going to die.

I've never been so scared in my life. I keep hearing the sound of the gun going off.

I don't know how we escaped, but I do know it's because of you. "

"I just did my job."

"You did it very well, and I'm grateful. But I don't want you to feel responsible for me."

"I am responsible for you," he said firmly. "You're under my protection."

"It's your job to catch the criminals, not to protect me."

"At this moment, it's both."

"It doesn't have to be. If you need to be at your office, then you should go. I'll be fine here on my own, right? No one knows where I am. My phone is off. I'm safe. And I don't want to hold you back."

"You're not doing that. I gave Jason and Andi all the information we had. They're at the office, along with other members of my team."

Despite his words, she could see the conflict in his gaze. He wanted to be in two places at the same time. "Are you sure, Matt? I really will be okay on my own."

"I'm sure."

A heavy silence followed, thick with everything they hadn’t said aloud… "Matt?" she asked, giving him a questioning look. "What are you thinking?"

"You don't want to know, Haley," he said roughly.

"Are you really worrying that much about leaving me alone?"

"Yes. Not just because you're in danger, but because I want…"

Her heart pounded against her chest as she suddenly realized what all that unspoken tension was really about. "I feel the same way," she murmured.

"I didn't tell you how I feel."

"Yes, you did. I can see it in your eyes. Hear it in your voice." She held his gaze to hers. "You want me. And I want you. So, don't leave me. Stay here. With me. For just a little while."

"It won't be a little while," he said.

"That's fine, too," she said, pressing her body against his, putting her hand to his face. "All I need right now is to be with you." As the words left her mouth, she realized how absolutely true they were. "I don't want to think anymore. I just want us to be together. Don't say no."

Her words unleashed the last of his restraint. He leaned forward, his mouth finding hers in a kiss that was desperate and hungry. She wrapped her arms around his neck as she took everything he had to give. And that only made her want him more.

They broke apart just long enough to pull off their clothes with shaking hands, their movements urgent and clumsy with need. He made a quick trip into the bathroom to get protection before coming back to her, before pressing her back against the mattress.

Skin met skin, she let out a gasp of pure pleasure as his kiss, his touch, drove everything else out of her mind. All she needed was him. All he needed was her. The rest of the world could wait.

They'd made love until the sun went down, the stars came out, and Haley's stomach rumbled. Matt smiled as they lay face-to-face, tangled in the sheets. "You're hungry."

"And embarrassed," she said. "My stomach is too loud."

He laughed at her sheepish smile. "I'm hungry, too. I'm sure there's food in the freezer downstairs. Why don't we go downstairs and check it out?"

"That sounds like a good idea, although I hate to leave this beautiful little bubble we've been in. This was…nice."

"Nice? That's the best you've got?" he scoffed.

"Okay, it was amazing. You were incredible."

"Now, you've gone too far. It was all you," he said, feeling more relaxed than he had in a very long time. He'd crossed a line that he shouldn't have crossed, but it had been more than worth it.

"It was us," she corrected, giving him a warm smile that made his gut clench. "I have to say I never thought I'd sleep with an FBI agent."

"Technically, you haven't slept with me," he teased.

"Good point. But I think we should share this room tonight. No point in messing up another one, right?"

"Absolutely right."

Relief ran through her eyes. "Good. I was afraid you were going to say this was a mistake."

"It probably was a mistake, but I feel too happy to care."

She laughed. "How could anything that felt that good be wrong?"

He grinned back at her. "I certainly can't answer that question. But what I can do is check out the freezer downstairs and see what I can heat up."

"I'll meet you in the kitchen."

After throwing on some clothes, he went downstairs and opened the freezer, finding quite a few options.

He turned on the oven to preheat, then pulled out a large pizza.

He was just putting it in the oven when Haley walked in, looking sweetly sexy, her face flushed, her eyes bright, her hair tangled from his fingers, sending all kinds of images through his head and feelings through his body.

It took all his willpower not to grab her and steal another kiss, maybe more.

"What did you find to eat?" she asked.

"Pizza. Just put it in."

"That sounds perfect."

"There are some snacks in the cupboard: chips, crackers, cookies."

"I'll just take a drink," she said, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. "Are you going to check in with your team?"

"Jason said he'd call me if there were any updates; otherwise, I'll touch base with him in the morning.

" He felt a little guilty that he'd spent the past few hours in bed with Haley instead of working, but they'd both needed time to regroup after the attack at Harrington's house, coming so soon after the attack on Brooke.

"I wonder how Brooke is doing," Haley said, as if reading his mind.

"When I spoke to Jason at Harrington's house, he said she was improving but still too weak to talk. He has kept the no-visitor rule in place. Hopefully, by tomorrow, she'll be able to speak to us."

"I'm glad she's going to be all right."

"Eventually. And Harrington will be fine, too. His wound was not as bad as Brooke's."

"They're both lucky. You didn't just save me, Matt; you saved them, too."

"Maybe they'll show their appreciation by talking," he said dryly. "Although I think Harrington told us everything he knew."

"Perhaps Brooke did, too."

"We still have your brother's drive. When Derek gets that open, we'll be able to fill in the rest of the blanks." He paused as the oven timer went off. "Let's table this discussion until after we eat."