Hidden Threat

by Sherri Hayes

  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.

  The ring was readily available, and the task of narrowing down the list of suspects seemed impossible until Cali leaned in and asked if there was a way to get a list of people who had purchased the ring.

  It was obvious she was trying to flirt in order to get something she knew wasn’t supposed to be given. Mr. Baker had just sat there, unable to move for several minutes before blushing. At that moment, Cali moved forward, placed her hand on the jeweler’s arm very lightly, and said please. He should have been shocked, but he was putty in her hands. What had seemed to be a waste of almost two hours, turned out to be quite productive, and Cali made an admirer out of both Matthew and the jeweler.

  As they got into the car, Matthew briefly glanced at the li
st. There were three pages of customers who had bought that exact ring over the last five years. He’d have plenty of reading to do tonight, and that was a good thing.

  Within moments of getting back into the confines of the car, the easy working atmosphere of the last two hours disappeared as the same tension from earlier returned. Matthew wanted to change that, but he wasn’t sure what he should do.

  Well that wasn’t entirely true. He knew what he wanted to do, but that wasn’t an option.

  Matthew watched as her fingers tangled together in obvious nervousness. The urge to reach out to her and caress her hands with his was raising his body temperature despite his effort to suppress it. Cali shifted in her seat, and his eyes rose to her face. She was biting her lower lip again, another nervous habit he’d noticed about her.

  Cali took a deep breath before speaking, “Do you think that will help?” she asked, pointing to the list in the center console.

  “I don’t know,” he answered honestly. “It will take some time to go through, but maybe we’ll get lucky.”

  She just nodded and bit her lip again. Matthew noticed the time as he started the engine to the car. It was after seven and neither had eaten dinner. The desire to keep her close was warring with his sense of propriety, reminding him she was his boss.

  He pulled onto the street and gave up the fight. “Are you hungry? We could stop and get something before I drop you off at your car.” Matthew saw her eyes dart to him briefly before she turned back to the window.

  “No,” she said softly. “I’ll just get something at home.” He nodded, but he didn’t think she noticed.

  Ten minutes later, they turned into the parking garage located under the Stanton building. There were still a few cars around but not many. Most of the employees were already gone for the night, leaving mostly security and IT people to fill the spaces.

  Out of habit, Matthew parked his car in his usual spot. It was late, but he figured since he was here, it wouldn’t hurt to head up to his office for an hour or so and rehash the new information. He’d just stop in at the deli on the ground floor and pick up some dinner.

  After he turned off the engine, the two exited the vehicle. Matthew threw his jacket in the back seat and watched Cali as she picked up her things. They came face-to-face at the back of his car and paused. Matthew was the first to speak up,

  “Thank you for coming with me. I don’t know if I would have been able to do what you did.” He smirked. “Well, at least not with the same results.”

  A deep blush crossed Cali’s skin, and Matthew almost lost it. This woman was driving him crazy. He wanted to touch her, to crush her to his body, and kiss her to within an inch of her life. Instead of doing any of those things though, he took a step back toward the elevators. Clearing his throat, he waited until her eyes met his. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  The side of her mouth turned up in a slight smile, and she nodded.

  He watched her turn and walk to her car before he started for his office. Pressing the button, he waited. At night, the elevators sometimes took forever especially if they had to come down from one of the top floors.

  An engine started, and he smiled to himself thinking of Cali heading home. Just as the elevator dinged, the squealing of tires caught his attention, and he whirled around. A dark blue sedan he’d never seen before came flying up the exit ramp and caused his heart to pick up speed.

  Cali.

  Matthew didn’t pause for even a second before breaking into a full run. When he turned the corner, his heart nearly stopped. She was on the ground. From his angle, he could only see her legs, and they weren’t moving.

  He ran harder, crossing the short distance in seconds. She was beside her car, unconscious. There was a small trickle of blood on her forehead but no other visible signs of injury. Kneeling down beside her, he wrenched his cell phone from his belt and dialed 911.

  “Hello, what’s your emergency?”

  “My name is Matthew Andersen. I’m in the parking garage at Stanton Enterprises. We need an ambulance.” He paused. “She’s been hit by a car.” His voice trailed off, and the words felt dry on his tongue as the dispatcher proceeded to ask him questions. He answered but it was an automatic response.

  Throughout the conversation, his unsteady hands moved roughly over Cali’s body, checking for injuries. Matthew didn’t feel or see anything other than the small gash in her forehead, but that didn’t rule out internal injuries.

  Hearing the sirens in the distance, he disconnected the call. Bringing his face close to hers, he brushed his lips along her cheek. “You’ll be okay, Cali. You’ll be okay.” The next thing he knew, the paramedics were pushing him out of the way.

  Not even a minute after the paramedics took over, the first officer arrived on the scene. Matthew didn’t want to leave Cali’s side, but the man gave him no choice as he peppered him with questions. The officer seemed skeptical at first with Matthew’s description of events until he explained who he was and that the threats to the company were all documented in police records. Finally, the officer let Matthew go back to her.

  They were loading Cali into the ambulance just as an unmarked car pulled up and Martinez got out. Matthew was glad to see his friend, but his focus was on Cali and only Cali; she was still unconscious. The EMT’s hadn’t found any more than he had, but just like Matthew, they were worried about internal injuries.

  “Andersen?”

  He turned around, and Martinez stopped dead in his tracks at the look on Matthew’s face. It was bad, and as Martinez glanced over at the ambulance, Mathew’s eyes followed. Cali looked so helpless lying there on the gurney. As soon as the paramedics finished hooking her up to an IV, they would be ready to leave.

  Martinez’s voice brought Matthew back to reality once again. “She okay, man?”

  Matthew shook his head. “I don’t know. They need to run some tests.” Forcing himself to block Cali’s present circumstance out for just a minute, he took at step toward his friend. “Martinez, you’ve got to help me figure out who did this. I didn’t…I didn’t have time to look around. Can you…”

  Martinez laid a reassuring hand on Matthew’s shoulder. “I’ll do it personally, man. Don’t you worry.”

  Matthew nodded and made an effort to give his friend a smile of appreciation. He knew it was lame, but it was the best he could do under the current conditions.

  The sound of movement behind him, caused him to look over his shoulder, and he realized the doors to the ambulance were closing. Reaching out his hand, he grabbed hold of the solid metal to pull it back open and began to hoist himself inside. He closed the door behind him with a firm click. The EMT beside Cali looked up at him, startled. “Sir, you can’t—”

  Matthew ignored him and took a seat on the bench. Unless they were going to physically remove him, he wasn’t going anywhere.

  After a few seconds, the man seemed to relent, and they were on their way to the hospital.

  ***

  Although Matthew knew they were only fifteen minutes away at most, the drive seemed to take forever. With the sirens on, it should have been less. He held Cali’s hand the entire time, providing the only comfort he could.

  When the vehicle jerked to a stop, the doors flew opened and four people in scrubs and jackets began a flurry of motion. He released Cali’s hand as the gurney was pulled from the vehicle. The doctor was shooting out questions to the EMT in such a rapid-fire succession that Matthew couldn’t follow.

  He walked swiftly behind them until a firm hand pushed on his chest and told him to wait there. A set of double doors closed in his face as Cali’s pale form disappeared down the hall.

  It wasn’t until a volunteer came up and asked him to fill out some paperwork that he remembered he needed to call Alvin. Matthew didn’t think his heart could sink any lower than it had, but the thought of having to call Alvin Stanton and tell him his daughter had been hit by a car proved him wrong.

  Quickly filling in the blank spac
es on the sheet of paper in front of him, Matthew took the papers back to the desk and let the woman know he’d be just outside if he was needed. She gave him a pleasant smile and nodded. Matthew pulled his cell off his belt for the second time that night and made one of the hardest calls of his life.

  Chapter 23

  Three hours later, Cali was finally in her assigned room. She’d regained consciousness, and all the tests showed no sign of internal injury so far. Matthew had called Jason as soon as he’d hung up with Alvin. His brother was at the garage with Martinez, going over everything. He should be there too, Matthew thought, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Cali.

  When he walked into her room and saw her awake, he was ecstatic. His heart immediately told him she was okay. Cali smiled at him. It was an unguarded smile that only lasted for moments before it began to fade.

  He took a seat beside her bed and asked her how she was, told her he’d called her father, and that Jason was taking care of things at the office. She listened quietly, watching him.

  After they exchanged pleasantries, they sat in silence. Cali shifted, trying to get comfortable, and Matthew immediately reacted. Reaching out his hands to help, he brushed her arm, and she jumped. “Sorry,” he said as he retracted his hand.

  Cali knew she’d overreacted, but there was a war raging inside her. She wanted him to touch her, but part of her was afraid of getting hurt. He could hurt her if he wanted. Matthew Andersen already meant more to her than he should.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, “No, it’s okay. You just…startled me.” Her attempted smile was feeble.

  What he did next almost made her heart stop. Wrapping his hand around hers, he began running his thumb lightly across her knuckles. It was supposed to be a comforting gesture, she knew, but his fingers were sending sensations she’d never felt before up the length of her arm.