Hidden Threat (12 page)

Following his brother as he stalked up the stairs, he found him in the small spare bedroom Matthew had transformed into a gym. Jason watched his brother holding free weights as he did a series of bicep curls. Moving to stand directly in front of his brother, Jason made it impossible for Matthew to continue without using physical force to move him out of the way.

“Move, Jason,” Matthew said with an edge to his voice.

“Not going to happen, little brother.” Jason shook his head, never taking his eyes off Matthew. “You are going to tell me what’s going on with you.” 

Matthew nearly threw the weights down onto the rack before directing a heated stare at his brother, the likes of which Jason had never seen before from his brother. Matthew’s fists clenched and released, and his chest heaved with quick breaths. It was clear his brother wanted to hit him, but Jason didn’t care. If that’s what it took to get to the bottom of this, then so be it.

Suddenly Matthew seemed to break out of his anger-filled trance and stepped away, turning his back on his brother. “I don’t know,” he said in a voice that was much calmer than Jason thought possible, given the angered he’d seen only moments before.

Trying to keep his voice calm, Jason asked, “What do you mean you don’t know?” 

Matthew sighed, but kept his back turned, “There is this…connection with her or something.” He shook his head as if he were trying to clear it.

“So you’re attracted to her?” Jason asked and then shrugged. “That’s understandable, I guess. She is a nice looking woman. Not my type but still…” Matthew turned, and it was then Jason saw the true conflict in his eyes.

“Matthew, why don’t you just ask her out?”

Matthew shook his head and ran his hand over his shorn hair. “No. I can’t do that, Jason. She’s my boss, Alvin’s daughter. It just wouldn’t be right. We have to work together.”

Jason ran a frustrated hand over his own head. Of course, his brother would think he couldn’t date the boss’s daughter. Why did that not surprise him? And knowing Matthew, he’d stick to his guns even if it killed him. Sighing, he asked his brother, “So what are you going to do?”

Matthew walked to the window and stared out at the city surrounding them. “I have no idea. I’ve tried staying away from her, but that didn’t work. It would have become a professional problem anyway; part of my job includes seeing her. I don’t think I could get away with distancing myself for more than another week.”

“Okay.” Jason said, pausing to give it some thought. “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do here, but…you need to do something. Because what you’re doing now…the avoiding and…well, whatever that was supposed to be last night…it isn’t working.” 

Jason moved toward the door, and Matthew turned. “I’m going to spend tomorrow over at Lisa’s. I’ll be here if you need me, just call, but either way…,” Jason said with a sigh, “you need to figure this out.” With that parting comment, Jason left the room, leaving Matthew to stare at his retreating back.

Matthew stood for several minutes and listened to his brother leave. Jason had asked a valid question, but one for which Matthew had no answer. What was he going to do?

Walking back to the weights he’d thrown down, he once again began his curls.

Obviously, avoiding her wasn’t the answer. Even if she hadn’t shown up last night, he didn’t know if he could have carried through with his plan.

No. Staying away from Cali Stanton wasn’t the answer. He wasn’t sure what was though. Just being in the same room with her increased his heart rate and made him think of doing things he’d never done before, like laying her out on his desk.

That brought his mind back to his dream yesterday morning, and the reason he’d decided to go to the club last night.

Matthew caught his reflection in the mirror. He was drenched. Sweat dripped down his face and bare chest, moistening the fabric at the waistband of his jeans.

Wiping his brow, he set the weights back in place and returned to his room.

Quickly discarding his clothes, he went into his adjoining bathroom for a quick shower.

As the hot spray hit his body, he continued to mull things over. Cali Stanton was his boss, his boss’s daughter. The thing was, his body didn’t seem to care about that fact. He wasn’t willing to throw in the towel and give in to the demands of his flesh. A sarcastic chuckle escaped his lips. Here he was trying to talk himself out of crossing a professional barrier when he had no idea how Cali felt about him. Even if he was willing to throw his professionalism aside, who was to say she felt the same way. He couldn’t believe how self-centered his thoughts were; it only proved how unfocused he’d become.

Yet he recalled the electricity in her eyes when their faces had been only inches apart in his office. A part of him wanted to believe she was going through the same struggle he was. It would be so easy to toss aside what was right just to be with her. At this point, Matthew was honest enough with himself to admit he would take the opportunity if it presented itself. He didn’t want anyone else but Cali.

***

Cali spent the rest of the day trying to find a distraction. Last night was a disaster, and no matter how much she tried to push the images away, they kept replaying in her mind. She decided to clean the house, not that it needed it. Jessie took care of everything, and it was always in top shape. The four or so hours it would take to do a general cleaning of the house should provide a decent distraction, she thought.

Jessie was very organized and had everything she needed in a bucket just off the pantry. Finding some gloves, Cali carried the supplies to the kitchen and started in. At first, the distraction worked, but as she became accustomed to the routine in each room, her mind began to wonder.

By the time she reached her bedroom, she was on the verge of tears. For whatever reason, she was attracted to Matthew. Seeing him last night with another woman had caused an ache in her entire body. With the memory so fresh in Cali’s mind, the ache did not decrease as her mind recalled every detail.

There were times when Cali was almost sure Matthew was attracted to her, at least on some level. Sitting down on her bed, she wiped the trailing tears from her cheeks. She had to be honest and admit that, aside from what her dad had said about Matthew, she didn’t know much about him. Alvin Stanton trusted Matthew Andersen with his own, his daughter, and his company’s safety. It was a high endorsement of his ability to do his job, but it didn’t tell her anything about the man.

Too tired to fight it any longer, she let her mind wander. Did Matthew go to clubs often to pick up woman? Did he date a lot?

Cali realized with this question, she didn’t even know if he had a girlfriend. For all she knew, the woman he’d been dancing with was the love of his life. She moaned because the thought of that hurt more than she wanted it to.

And what if he wasn’t seeing anyone? Could they? Should they? If so, would he just want a fling or… Cali couldn’t finish that thought. She didn’t even know where she would be after her father returned.

Africa was always an option but so was staying where she was. Africa and its people held a special place in her heart, but being home again with her father close by was comforting in a way she’d missed over the past two years. Even if whatever it was that was going on between her and Matthew Andersen amounted to nothing more than physical attraction, she had something to stay for.

The phone beside her bed began to ring, pulling her from her thoughts. Taking a deep breath to try to calm the flood of emotions, she reached for the receiver.

“Hello?”

“So what is my girl up to today?” Alvin Stanton’s voice came through, warming that ache in her heart just a little.

“Not much. Just a few things around the house.”

“Do you have any plans for the weekend?”

“Not really.” What a sad commentary on her life.

The excitement in Alvin’s voice came across the line, “Do you think you might want to come up to the house and keep your old man company?” 

A small smile played on her face; the first true one she’d had all day. “Sure Dad. Let me get a few things wrapped up here, and I’ll be up in a few hours.” 

With a final pause, her voice lowered, and she allowed all the emotions she was feeling to come through. “I can’t wait to see you. I love you.” 

***

When Jason left Matthew’s, he drove straight to the gym, needing to work off some aggression after talking with his brother. This thing with Cali Stanton and his brother was frustrating, and the problem was, there wasn’t anything he could do about it. Apparently, Matthew was the man with the plan who didn’t have a clue either.

After spending two hours working on almost every machine the gym had to offer, Jason showered and drove in the direction of his apartment. He’d hoped to see Lisa today, but didn’t feel he’d be such good company. Instead, he left a message on her cell saying he’d call her later, turned around, and drove to the office.

He didn’t normally make an appearance on Saturdays, but he wasn’t up to being around people, and he needed a distraction. Figuring the security tape was as good of a distraction as any, he retrieved it from Matthew’s wall safe and retreated to his office.

Settling in his chair, he hit play and began to watch the mystery woman. She was tall, maybe five eight, with dark hair from what he could see. Her figure was thin without any overly visible curves in the outfit she wore. All those things did not add up too much though. He needed something that would tell him her identity.

Continuing to watch the five minutes of footage, he became frustrated. What were they missing? Jason knew from years of experience that there was always a clue to the mystery.

It took him two hours of watching and re-watching to find it. It was her hands.

Not only her gestures but also a ring he could just barely make out on her right hand.

Going back through the tape several more times, he found the best view of the ring and locked the frame. Moving to his computer, he downloaded the footage and saved the image. Transferring the single frame to a flash drive, he sat back and smiled for the first time that day. “I will figure out who you are.”

Sunday

A knock on the door let Jason know Lisa had arrived. He’d called her Saturday night and asked if she’d like to come over for dinner at his place. It felt a bit strange not going over to Matthew’s; they hadn’t missed spending a Sunday together since he’d moved back to Chicago five years ago.

Lisa stood in the door with a look of happiness and a hint of concern. He was sure he had the same look on his face as well. She stepped inside and wrapped her arms around his neck, placing a hard kiss on his lips.

“Hi,” she whispered.

He returned the kiss with just as much force. “Hi.” Stepping back, he moved out of the way and shut the door. “The food’s almost done.”

“Good, I’m starving,” she said, following him into the kitchen. The smell of tomatoes, garlic, and basil filled the air as he lifted a lid. “It smells delicious.” 

He answered with a smile as he stirred the sauce. “I’m not a chef by any means, but I make a mean spaghetti.” Setting the spoon back on its rest, he dumped a box of pasta into a large pot of boiling water.

Lisa leaned back against the counter, content to watch him. She knew he was troubled about what had happened at the club; she was too. He hadn’t said much last night over the phone except that he’d gone over to Matthew’s the next morning. The impression she got was that he didn’t get any more information from Matthew than she did from Cali.

Jason glanced at her occasionally while finishing up over the stove, sending her small smiles each time. He was glad she was there with him. Maybe seeing her yesterday would have been a good thing, but their relationship was still new, and he hadn’t wanted to risk his temper around her.

She helped him bring everything to the small kitchen table. The apartment was nice but fairly small. He lived alone and didn’t need much in the way of extras; that’s the way he liked it.

They made small talk while they ate, neither mentioning the elephant in the room.

Working side by side, they did the dishes and put everything away. Jason had made enough food to feed a family of eight. He wouldn’t have to worry about what to take for lunch until Wednesday at least.

Moving to the living room, they picked out a movie and sat down on the couch. As the feature began, they were together physically but mentally apart.

About thirty minutes into the movie, Lisa broke the silence. “I talked to Cali yesterday.”

Jason’s eyes met hers. He sighed. “And?”

She gave a small sigh of her own in relief that he was willing to discuss this with her, “She says there’s nothing going on.” Lisa shifted her body, creating a few inches of space. “I don’t believe her.”

Jason didn’t like the space she put between them, but he understood. “I don’t believe it either,” he said.

She waited, but he didn’t add anything else. “So what did Matthew say? You did talk to him, right?”

Jason ran a frustrated hand over his face and hair, bringing it down to cup the back of his neck. “He pretty much said the same thing.” He paused. “But he admitted that he’s attracted to her.”

Lisa’s head fell to the side, resting on the back of the couch. “So what was he doing at the club then if…you know…he’s attracted to Cali? I mean why not just ask her out?”

Jason gave her a rueful smile. “I asked him the same question. He says he can’t date his boss. When I pointed out she’d only be his boss for the next few months, he added he couldn’t date his boss’s daughter, either.” Letting his own head fall back and his eyes close, “Friday night…well I think…knowing Matthew, he was trying to find a way to distract himself.”

Lisa’s head snapped up. “Distract himself?” her voice rose, causing Jason’s eyes to open again and focus on her. “What do you mean distract himself!” 

Jason sighed and got up off the couch. He needed something to drink; this conversation did not appear to be heading in a good direction.

She followed him and watched as he pulled a beer out of the fridge and took a long pull. “Jason, what do you mean?” When he just looked at her instead of answering, everything fell in place. “You mean—” She couldn’t fathom what was going through her brain, but she had to know, “You mean he went to that club to try and…,” she just couldn’t say it, “because he couldn’t act on what he was feeling for Cali?”