Expose (Billionaire Series) (15 page)

“We're doing what?”
She moved past startled and into shocked.

“We're taking the
day off of work.”

“We'll get behind.
We need to get those files read.”

Philip stopped the
car at a red light and looked over at Jennifer. “I don't care about the files.
In case I haven't been clear, you mean more to me than work.”

Jennifer stared at
him, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. He wasn't just saying the words
because he thought that's what he should say. He was actually following
through. He really meant them.

“So,” Jennifer
paused, “where are we going?” She could barely get the question out.

“My place.”

Philip was trying
to sound nonchalant, but Jennifer knew how much this meant. If what Eloisa had
said before was true, that he couldn't even be in the same room as other people
for very long, then he didn't let people into his house very often. That kind
of step, Jennifer thought, deserved reciprocation. She needed to come clean
about who Brad was.

“The guy back at
the apartment,” she began. “I don't know if you remember meeting him before at
the hotel, but he wasn't just some random guy from my past.”

“I didn't think he
was,” Philip said.

“You deserve to
know the whole truth about him.” She spoke quickly, but without glossing over
the details.

By the time they'd
entered the wealthy section of town, there were no more secrets left.

“Thank you for
telling me,” Philip said when Jennifer finished. “I know that must not have
been easy for you.”

“I just wanted to
be totally honest with you. I think that's the only way to have a strong
relationship.”

“I agree,” Philip
nodded.

I couldn’t read the expression in Mathis’ eyes as I looked
into his face. They were guarded, as if whatever emotions were swirling through
his mind underneath were hidden behind heavy clouds, like the sun on an
overcast day. It was impossible to read why he was here.

My own face was an open book for Mathis to read. Surprise,
confusion, hope and anxiety all flickered through my mind, and I was sure that
each one left its own mark on my face. I realized my mouth was still open and
closed it.

Suddenly, I became aware of myself and what a wreck I was. I
must have been quite a picture. I had changed from my summer dress into gym
shorts and an old T-shirt when I got home, and my hair was tied back in a messy
bun. I felt self-conscious and very aware of all my flaws and the inadequacy of
everything I owned.

It didn’t quite seem real that Mathis was here, right outside
my front door. He looked so out of place with his broad frame and slightly
rumpled but still very nice shirt. Most of my neighbors lived in sweatpants.
All I could do was stand there, door open, staring at him as if he might
disappear with a poof at any second.

“Can I come in?” Mathis asked, a hint of amusement in his
voice.

“Yes!” In a second, my manners came flooding back, and my
face colored as I realized what I had been doing. “I’m so sorry – come in! I’m
sorry it’s a mess, I didn’t have a lot of time to clean this week.”

“It’s cleaner than my place is before the housekeeper comes
to visit,” Mathis said with a smile. His eyes swept over my dog-eared sofa, my
little desk by the window and my many bookshelves, crammed full with old
favorites. I felt embarrassed by how small and insignificant it was compared to
his large, spacious place, but he seemed to approve of what he saw.

“It has ‘Amanda’ written all over it,” he said softly. “These
books, the pictures on the walls… I could pick it out from 1,000 or more
different places and know instantly it was yours.”

I didn’t have anything to say to this. Did he really know me
so well? Was my little apartment such a dead giveaway about me? I really hoped
my ratty old gym shorts didn’t say ‘Amanda’ all over them.

I was still in a daze about him being here, and I was burning
to ask him why he had come all this way. I hadn’t expected to see him again,
let alone tonight. It was just hard to get my brain around.

“Why are you here?” I asked eventually, cringing as the words
came out sounding rude and defensive.

“You left so quickly at the show,” he said. “I didn’t even
get a real chance to see if you were okay.”

“I’m fine,” I said. “I wasn’t the one who had a bullet aimed
at me.”

Mathis chuckled a little, and I stared. How could he be so
blasé about nearly being killed?

“The official story is a little different,” he said.

“I watched the news,” I said, “but I didn’t want to stick
around and talk to police and so on.”

“I don’t blame you,” Mathis said. “I only just got away
myself. I heard some interesting rumors though.”

“Rumors?” I squeaked.

“Yes – a lot of people were saying that a young woman knocked
the gun aside and diverted the bullet.”

I couldn’t help it – my face flooded with color, and I knew I
must be crimson from the tips of my toes all the way up to my forehead. I
wouldn’t be surprised if my hair had gone red too.

Mathis gave me a knowing look when I dared to meet his eyes.

“If it’s true, she was a brave woman, and I owe her my
thanks,” was all he said.

I stood silent for a moment, not knowing whether to admit it
or to deny the whole thing. In the end, I squeaked out, “Would you like some
tea?” and fled before he could answer.

I went into my little kitchen to make a pot of tea, giving
myself a few moments to calm down and return to my normal color before I went
in to join Mathis. I peeked through the open door, trying to get used to his
tall, athletic form stretched out on my little sofa.

I took a few deep breaths as I waited for the water to boil.
The fact that Mathis had come to visit me – could it really mean that what
Kathryn had said was true, or was he just here to make sure I kept my mouth
shut about the true nature of events? He must know that it was me who had
diverted the bullet. Was he here to thank me? Or did he want to chide me for
being reckless?

But whatever his motive, he had come here purely by choice –
that must mean something? Right? Quashing down my conflicting emotions, I set
my face into what I hoped was a calm, even expression as I poured the hot water
into my teapot and put it on a tray with two cups.

As I brought it into the living room, Mathis rose and helped
me with the tray, setting it down on the coffee table. I sat down next to him
gingerly. It felt odd to sit awkwardly next to him on my little sofa when I
knew what it felt like to be held in his arms, flesh against flesh. His
presence next to me made my nerves tingle, as if every one of them was reaching
for him. I could smell his bold, masculine scent.

As I poured tea with a mercifully steady hand, Mathis didn’t
press me for more information, but simply explained to me everything that
happened after I left.

“I talked to Walter Rossi and his security right away to make
sure that they didn’t close the gates and hold everybody in – that would have
created panic and the gunman might have been able to slip out in the middle of
it.

“I knew the man they were likely to send – it’d be the same
guy they always send to do dirty work, so I gave them the description,
pretending I had seen him in the crowd. The security men surrounding Rossi
immediately communicated his description to every single member of staff and
police in the area.” Mathis ran his hand through his hair before continuing.

“Fortunately, it wasn’t even needed. A couple of guards had
spotted a man with a gun running from the scene, and they brought him down
immediately and called the police. That was the point at which the security let
you through and Walt Rossi was allowed to get up from the position where he was
being shielded in case of another attack.”

“How do you know all this?” I asked. I was amazed by what a
comprehensive picture he had of the entire event unfolding.

“I’m a pretty close friend to Walter Rossi, and I talked to
the police about my involvement,” he said. “I admitted that I might have been
the target, telling them about the threats towards me in the recent weeks. They
acted immediately, using the information I gave them to question the gunman
about who hired him – they dropped the name of the crime group leader on my
information, and they managed to make him spill everything he knew. It was the
final key to bringing the crime boss down. Looking through his financials and
his apartment turned up a lot of really serious evidence, so he’ll be charged
with enough to keep him locked up for a long time.”

“So everything really is sorted out?” I asked. I could barely
believe it.

“It looks like it,” Mathis admitted.

“So how come all of this wasn’t made public?” I asked. “Won’t
it come out that the attempt was against you and not Walter Rossi? Won’t that
damage your reputation?”

“No,” Mathis smiled. “I told the police about the threats,
but they thought it was more likely that it was the politician being targeted.
They said even if it wasn’t, the public didn’t need to know. There’s no point
in any sensation rising up about me, but it’ll do miracles for Walt Rossi’s
election campaign.”

“Is that really how things work?” I was a little shocked and
skeptical.

“That’s politics for you,” Mathis chuckled. “The truth is
between you and me.”

“But won’t it come out in the trial?” I asked.

“I told the police about threats made to my loved ones,”
Mathis said. “I said that it might put them at risk to know that I was the one
who was essentially responsible for putting the crime group in the hands of the
police. They agreed to keep my name out of things and they won’t mention me in
their reports. Think of it as a sort of personal witness protection act without
all the trouble.”

“Is that even possible?” I asked.

“Walt Rossi has a lot of sway in high places, and I’m quite
influential if I must be,” Mathis said, his mouth quirking into a small grin.

“So you’re safe,” I clarified.

“As are you,” he assured me. “I wanted to tell you that
myself. I know how much you worry.”

“R-Right… Thank you,” I said, wondering if that was all he’d
come for. But he sat looking at me intently, and I began to think maybe there
was something else.

“Is Kathryn okay?” I asked to break the silence, which was
beginning to make me feel self-conscious.

“She’s fine,” Mathis said. He placed his hand gently on my
shoulder. “I never had a chance to thank you properly for the care you took of
her. She can be a bit of a handful sometimes.”

“It’s not a problem,” I said, blushing.

“I knew I could count on you.” He smiled and shuffled on the
couch to be closer to me.

“I just sat with her,” I protested.

“You did more than anyone else would have done,” he nodded,
and then reached into his back pocket. “Here.”

He handed me the scarf I had given Kathryn to clean herself
up with. “I’m sorry I didn’t wash it for you, but I thought I’d bring it back,
or I might be tempted to keep it forever.” He chuckled.

I laughed a little too, to ease myself out of my nervousness.
Was he trying to be funny to make me feel better? The comment reminded me of
what Kathryn had told me about Mathis. Shyly, I tried to voice my question to
him.

“Kathryn said – that you talked about me,” I said hesitantly.

“That’s no surprise,” Mathis sighed, but he didn’t sound
angry. “She has a woman’s instinct for things.”

“Is it true?” I asked. I guessed he knew what I was talking
about.

“You know it is,” Mathis said simply. “I don’t see a reason
to hide it from you anymore – of course I love you, Amanda.” Both of his hands
were on my shoulders now and his intense eyes stared into mine. I could hear my
heart beating faster. “I love you more than I’ve loved anything in my whole
life. The thought of something happening to you has haunted me constantly for
the last few weeks.”

I was stunned, but my heart felt noticeably lighter. I hadn’t
expected the confession at this moment. Mathis had told me he loved me. It was
too much to believe.

“Does that mean… Can we see each other?” I asked, grimacing
at how stupid it sounded. I had lost all ability to use words.

“I promised your uncle I wouldn’t get involved with you,” he
said. “I’ve known that you were the one for me right from the moment I met you.
Your beautiful innocent eyes looking at me like I was worth something,” he
said. “Nothing in the world could have kept me away from you – except Andy.
Your uncle was a father to me. He gave me everything. I couldn’t go against his
wishes, and it would be wrong now that he’s dead to disregard them.” He brushed
my hair back behind my ear with his hand. “You mean more to me than anything in
the world, Amanda. But I can never be close to you in the way I want to. Being
with you like this…is like a miracle.”

He grabbed my hand, and I felt my heart explode in my chest,
beating frantically.

“But Mathis… I love you.” The words felt natural on my
tongue, as if I was supposed to say them every day for the rest of my life.
“Surely that means something.”

“I know you won’t be satisfied with this, but…I don’t deserve
you,” he said almost matter-of-factly. He took his hand away as suddenly as he
had given it, leaving mine sitting limply on my lap. “I’m not a good enough guy
for you, and your uncle knew it.”