Hidden Threat (13 page)

Jason took another drink of his beer and leaned back on the counter. “Yeah. That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

Lisa was quite for a long time, staring off into space. She didn’t know Matthew that well, but from what she did know, this didn’t sound like him. Why would he do that?

Her eyes met Jason’s again and the question in them was clear. “Don’t judge Matthew. He was…experimenting,” Jason said with a disgusted laugh. He didn’t want Lisa to judge his brother, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t; and in his opinion, his brother’s choice of experimentation was just plain stupid.

Jason’s words caught her off guard. “What do you mean he was experimenting?” 

Setting his beer down on the counter behind him, he leaned back, crossed his arms, and began to explain, “Matthew is a very controlled person. He has a set routine for everything, and when that doesn’t work out, he has a contingency plan.” 

He looked to make sure she was still with him. She nodded, so he continued. “Keep in mind I’m speculating here a bit but…Well, I think Cali threw a wrench in the works so to speak.” A brief smile appeared. “I don’t think Matthew has ever been this attracted to anyone before, and well…he didn’t know what to do, so he began experimenting.”

“So the first thing he does is go try to get another woman to jump into bed with him?”

The loathing in her voice made Jason feel the needed to defend his brother. “No,” he stated firmly. “That was not the first thing he decided to try.” Lisa crossed her arms and leaned back against the wall clearly waiting.

Jason brought both hands up and rubbed them roughly across his face. “First,” he paused before he continued, “he tried to act like everything was normal; ignore it. That obviously didn’t work so then he tried to ignore her.” He fixed her with a pointed look. “That would be the reason I showed up for the security briefing instead of Matthew.”

Realization dawned. “Oh,” she said, looking a little sheepish.

Jason sighed, “Well, that didn’t work either. Friday night was his next…experiment.”

Lisa’s back stiffened as she remembered Cali’s face when she’d found her at the bar. “Does he have any idea what he did to Cali?” 

Jason shook his head. “No, I don’t think he does. I’m not sure he wants to know.”

“How could he not want to know? I mean she obviously feels something too.” Lisa turned and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. “This is so stupid. Why would they let their work situation stand in the way of something that obviously means so much to both of them?”

Jason laughed. “You really don’t know Matthew, do you?”

It was a rhetorical question, but she answered it anyway. “No,” she said, “but you do.”

He saw something behind her eyes he wasn’t sure he liked. “Yes I do.” Jason watched her closely. “What are you thinking?”

“I think,” she said, “we have some planning to do.”

Cali was very glad she’d spent the rest of her weekend with her father; he’d provided a much-needed distraction for her. They didn’t do anything exciting, just talked. Cali shared stories from her time overseas, and Alvin Stanton, in turn, gave her the extended version of how he came to be water skiing with Henry.

Managing to not think about Matthew Andersen for a period of twenty-four hours was quite an accomplishment, and something she’d desperately needed. Given the length of Cali’s commute the next morning, she stayed at her father’s house longer than she should have. Instead of leaving Sunday, she chose to get up early Monday morning and drive back. Cali knew she’d be an emotional mess again if she had to spend any extended time alone.

Arriving at the office just after eight, she found Lisa sitting in her usual spot behind her desk. “Good morning, Cali.”

She put on her best smile and replied, “Good morning.” Cali walked straight to her door and opened it. She paused at the door feeling she needed to say something but didn’t know what. 

Before she could formulate words, Lisa spoke, “Everything should be on your desk,” she hesitated, then added, “Just let me know if you need anything else.” 

The last part was spoken a bit quieter, and Cali knew her meaning. Lisa was trying to be her friend, and she appreciated it. But seeing as how she didn’t know what to do about her situation with Matthew, there really wasn’t anything to say. It was that thought that stopped her in her tracks. Today was Monday; the same day that held the weekly security briefing.

Cali managed to get herself to her chair and open the notes Lisa had left on her desk. Sure enough right there in bold black letters just as the week before, were the words
“Security Briefing.”
Closing the folder, she concentrated on keeping her breathing slow and even. It wasn’t working. All the progress she’d made over the last two days to forget about Friday night and Matthew came flooding back with full force, almost taunting her for keeping them at bay.

Tears threatened to fall once again as she remembered him on the dance floor.

How was she going to face him today? It would be too much to hope Jason would show up two weeks in a row.

It took her a while to shake off the emotions the knowledge of seeing Matthew again was causing, but she did. Forcing herself to concentrate on work, she managed to get through her e-mail, as well as the small stack of urgent paperwork Lisa had laid on her desk this morning. 

At ten, she’d taken a break and used the small bathroom attached to her office to wash her face and reapply her makeup. The last thing she wanted was for Lisa to come in and find clear evidence of her distress.

Cali ate lunch alone, and although the tears she’d felt earlier stayed hidden, an increasing anxiety took its place and was gaining ground the closer it came to three-thirty. Lisa peeked in at three-fifteen and asked if she needed anything before the meeting. Knowing that her friend was just trying to check up on her, she smiled and said, “No. Thanks.”

At three-thirty on the dot, the intercom buzzed. It was Lisa letting her know her appointment had arrived. She braced herself as best she could as the door opened.

Cali watched him walk into her office and realized she wasn’t prepared, at all. Her heart pounded in her chest, and her palms were slick with sweat. Then he looked up.

Her breath caught in her throat from the intensity of his stare. His blue eyes held her brown ones almost daring her to look away. Their depths held emotion, but with what emotion she couldn’t be sure.

Before she could explore it further though, he broke the trance, “Would you like to do this here or at the conference table?”

It took her a second to regain her thought processes. She looked down and saw the folder in his hand and contemplated his question. Her desk allowed her to keep physical space between them, but obviously, he had something to show her.

They could spread things out on the conference table. Telling herself to grow a backbone, she brought her eyes back up to meet his, “I think the conference table would be better.”

Nodding in agreement, he followed her through an adjoining door and took a seat beside her at the table.

***

Matthew’s emotions were anything but stable. He thought he was ready to see her again. He wasn’t. Her eyes pulled him in, and he hadn’t wanted to break the connection when they’d met his, but he knew he must.

Now he was sitting only inches from her. He could feel the heat coming off her body. She appeared to be nervous, but maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part. He wasn’t exactly at his best when she was around.

Forcing himself to focus, he pulled out the still frames from the video. He’d met with Jason this morning, and they’d discussed the new information his brother managed to find over the weekend. Cali picked up the photo of the ring and looked it over closely. “I don’t think I’ve seen it before.” She paused. “Have you?” 

Matthew relaxed a bit as they began to talk about the picture. “I don’t know. It looks familiar to me, but I can’t say I’m in the habit of noticing women’s jewelry.” 

He gave her a full smile. Her quick intake of breath made him instinctively place a hand on her shoulder to see if she was alright.

Cali flinched at his touch, and he quickly pulled his hand back. He watched as her muscles began to relax again and her breathing came back to normal. 

She gave him a small smile, “I’m fine.” 

Taking a deep breath, she picked the photo back up and kept her focus on the picture and away from Matthew, “So what now? I mean what do we do next?”

He sat back in his chair, wanting to give her some space. Still without having a clue how to deal with what he was feeling, it was clear his nearness bothered her.

“Jason and I are doing some surveillance ourselves, and a contact at the police department got me the name of a jeweler in town that might be able to give us some helpful information about the ring itself. I’m going to swing by there this evening.”

She nodded but sat quietly for a few minutes just staring at the picture. Suddenly she raised her head, facing him. “I want to come with you.” 

He sat up. “What do you mean you want to come with me? Come with me where?”

Cali stiffened her spine and laid the picture down in front of her. “To see the jeweler—I want to come along.” Seeing he was about to protest, she quickly added, “The person with this ring could be the link to whoever is terrorizing my father’s company. I want to be there.”

Matthew’s first instinct was to say no, but he held his tongue. He saw a hard look in her eyes, he’d recognize and the stiff set of her shoulders anywhere. Alvin. She was her father’s daughter. Unless he had a really good reason, he was going to have to agree to her accompanying him tonight. Picking the photograph up and placing it back in the file, he stood. “I’ll meet you outside your office at five, and we can go straight from here.”

She stood to face him, only a foot separating them. “I’ll be ready.” With that, he took the file and left her standing in the conference room. As soon as he was out the door, she sank back in the chair. What in the world had she just done?

***

At five after five, the elevator doors opened, and Matthew stepped out. He’d spent the last forty-five minutes berating himself for not finding a valid reason to say no to Cali Stanton and being thankful for the opportunity to spend some additional time with her.

She was standing at Lisa’s desk talking. She looked up briefly so she knew he was here. As he walked closer, he saw her eyes glance up several times. He’d have to be careful not to get too close to her tonight. She was obviously uncomfortable around him.

Lisa was the first to acknowledge him, “Hello again, Matthew,” she smiled. “Cali says you two will be spending the evening together.” 

Cali’s stood up straight and grabbed her purse and briefcase. “That isn’t exactly what I said.” Her assistant just smiled. 

Shaking her head, Cali turned to face Matthew and gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile, “Are you ready?” He stepped back and motioned that he would follow her. 

As they stepped onto the elevator, Lisa called out, “Have fun. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Her laugh resonated in the small compartment long after the doors closed.

***

Fifteen minutes later, Matthew and Cali pulled up to the small jewelry store. The ride had been filled with silence, and he couldn’t help but wonder what was going on in her mind. Her earlier recoil made it obvious she was having a negative reaction to him physically. So, why come with him tonight?

He was still puzzling over this as they walked into the store that boasted having the finest selection of new and antique jewelry in town. A small bell sounded, announcing their arrival, and Matthew saw a man in his fifties appear from a back room.

When the man saw Matthew and Cali, his eyes lit up, and a large smile covered his face. As they made their way to the counter, the gentleman’s smile grew wider, “Ah, good evening. And how can I help you this evening? A look at some engagement rings perhaps?”

Matthew both saw and heard Cali’s reaction beside him, but it didn’t completely register as it should have because he was having a reaction himself. Of course, the man thought they were a couple. He doubted many non-romantically involved men and women came into jewelry stores together, but that’s what they were, and he realized just how much he wished that wasn’t the case. For all his good intentions and planning, he was still drawn to the woman beside him.

Cali shifted next to him, making Matthew remember he still hadn’t responded to the man. “Uh, no.” Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to focus. “We’re looking for Mr. Baker.”

The man’s eyebrows rose in question, “I’m Mr. Baker. How can I help you?” He put on his professional smile and stuck out his hand. “Matthew Andersen. And this is Cali Stanton. Detective Martinez thought maybe you could be of some assistance to us.”

At hearing Martinez’s name, the man visibly relaxed again. “Ah, yes. He did call and say a friend of his was coming in with some questions.” Mr. Baker lifted a section of the counter, “Let’s go back to my office and take a look at what you’ve got, shall we?”

Matthew stepped to the side, allowing Cali to follow the jeweler first. As much as he wanted and needed to keep his mind on what they were doing, he couldn’t help wondering what her reaction meant. 

They took seats opposite an old wooden desk that had clearly seen better days. Matthew removed the picture from the folder and handed it to the jeweler who he hoped had some answers.

There was work to do, and his pondering about the beautiful woman at his side was going to have to wait.

Almost two hours later, they were shaking the jeweler’s hand and saying goodbye. Although they hadn’t been lucky enough for the ring to be one of a kind, Mr. Baker had been able to track it to a specific manufacturer and provide them with a much better picture. It was a beautiful piece really. Interlocking braids that made up the band of the ring with a small row of diamonds along the top.

They’d gotten even luckier when Mr. Baker retrieved the exact ring from one of the glass cases. Matthew hadn’t been at all sure how helpful the new information would be, considering the ease by which the jeweler had been able to produce it.