For some reason, that makes me want to laugh. I guess it’s his change in tone, like he thinks Louis will be the answer to the whole problem. For the sake of sanity, I let myself believe him. He holds my gaze, and his expression is so sympathetic I’m almost undone again. He uses his thumb to brush away my tears, and something happens.
I see how much he cares. Ifeelit. He wants to show me, but he is a quiet, reserved man, and he isn’t sure how. He’s doing all he can just by holding me this way. There’s an old expression about someone’s heart being carried on their sleeve, and in this moment, I see it on Matthew’s face. Then I wonder if it’s on mine as well, because suddenly, I sense myself falling.This is how it feels, I realize. It’s not just in the movies, it’s real. And it’s happening to me. I don’t know if Matthew is completely aware of what’s going on, but I lean toward him in that perfect moment, and he kisses me.
We both pull away at the same time, and I can see he’s as surprised as I am by what we just did.
“Do you like Thai food?” he asks.
I laugh, weak all over again. His mind must be going a mile a minute, the way he can change direction so quickly.
“I’ll order for the three of us, and we’ll solve everything today.”
I sniff. “Everything?”
His head tilts slightly, his cheeks pink. “As much as we can.”
Louis had said he would be in the office within the hour. I am keen to meet the man and work on next steps, but it turns out the time passes too quickly. I have just discovered Matthew, and I want more time alone with him. I know he wants the same with me.
“Bridget.” He’s still on his knees.
“Stand up, Matthew. That’s got to be uncomfortable.”
He does, but he does not move away. When he touches my waist, my arms go around his neck, and I kiss him again. This time, he responds with much more than surprise.
He takes a breath. “Bridget, I hope you don’t—”
“No, I don’t mind,” I whisper, letting this new sensation surge through me. I feel the scruff of his beard, the strength in his shoulders… “Don’t stop.”
Eventually, we come back to ourselves, and the silence of his office feels suddenly awkward.
“I’m sorry,” we say at the same time, even though I’m not.
The uncomfortable pause is thankfully broken by a confident rap on the door, and Matthew jumps over to greet his friend.
Louis is a fortyish, slender man with long arms and dwindling blond hair. His demeanour is of a very serious man who gets pleasure from the work he does, rather than anything else. He’s been to see Matthew before, I realize, because he strides into the private office as if he owns the place. He walks directly to me, puts two hot bags of Thai food on the table, and extends his hand.
“Nice to meet you. Louis Lewis.”
I control myself, but really? Louis Lewis?
“Uh, thank you for coming. I’m Bridget Kelly.”
He nods to me, then to Matthew. “Lunch first.”
The food coming out of the paper bags smells incredible. I sit back while they set out noodles and rice and whatever else they ordered, then Matthew pulls two plates from the cabinet behind his desk. He sees the problem andflips one of the container lids over. That’s his plate, he has decided. Three sets of chopsticks have been packed in the bags.
Louis is quite serious when it comes to doling out the food. He scowls at me without a word, holding a spoon and waiting for a nod. When he gets one, my plate fills with lunch. I want to thank them both, but Louis has no time for that. He and Matthew are eating intently, not paying attention to anything but the food, so I do the same. It’s not until Louis is done that he pulls out a notebook and pen, and he places his phone near me on the desk.
“Now then,” he says, pressing theRECORDbutton. “What are we dealing with?”
“Organized crime,” Matthew tells him.
I blink. That sounds so much bigger than what I was thinking. “What?”
“That’s what I’m betting. Shoddy construction deals, falsified documents, who knows what else. Bridget will tell you how it all started. I’ll show you the evidence.”
Louis listens to my story, thinking things over, taking notes. Between bites of his second serving of pad thai, he fills his phone with photos of everything Matthew shows him. His questions are machine-gun fire, one after another.
“Who else has seen the falsified paperwork? Have you noticed any other suspicious people or behaviour besides those workers? Tell me more about the Montey crates. Did you get your hands on more than one? The subbasement is intriguing. You said earlier that when you were there, you got past a locked door, then when you opened it, you described a long, narrow storage room with its own door at the other end.”
