She gave him a tired smile. "That sounds good."
He led her out of the office, keeping her hand in his as they made their way down to the garage and into the car. He knew they were safe, but he still didn't want to let her go.
As Matt let her into his apartment, Haley felt like she was coming home. It was such a strange feeling, because she'd only spent two nights here before they'd had to go to the safehouse. But it wasn't really the apartment that made her feel safe and warm and protected; it was the man in front of her.
"Do you want something?" he asked. "Water, food? I can't remember when we last ate."
"I'm not hungry, and I drank a gallon of water in the breakroom to get rid of the smoke in my throat."
His gaze moved to the bandage on her head. While he had been interviewing the suspects, a medic had come into his office to clean her cuts and make sure she wasn't suffering any damage from smoke inhalation.
"If I hadn't gotten to you in time…" He shook his head, his lips tight. "I never would have forgiven myself. It was my fault you got kidnapped. I shouldn't have left you alone for even a second."
"You had no idea they could find a way into your security system."
"Which needs to be better," he said with annoyance. "You should have been safe there. Apparently, someone in the LA field office who had worked with Flynn had the security code, and Rebecca Markham was able to get it from him."
"Are those FBI agents really going to be held accountable?"
"They've already been suspended pending further investigation. Replacements are being sent to review all the employees in that office. Apparently, the regional director has a personal grudge against the Westbridge alumni network. He went to USC."
She gave a faint smile. "Thank God! Someone who didn't drink the Westbridge Kool-Aid." She walked over to the couch and sat down, with Matt sliding in next to her.
She slipped off the flip-flops that Julia had given her while they'd been waiting outside the data center, having realized she'd left her shoes in the warehouse. Fortunately, Julia had had the sandals in her car. Which reminded her…
"Have you heard anything about Julia's condition?"
"The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. They stitched her up and sent her home."
"Thank goodness. I'm glad Julia turned out to be the person I thought she was, and that she wasn't part of Landon's case being shut down or anything that happened to me now," she said, turning to Matt. "You did make me doubt her motives."
"I was wrong."
"You were right to be cautious, but I am glad you were wrong about her. In the end, she saved my life when she called you. I'm just glad you didn't come through the front door a few minutes earlier."
"I wish you hadn't had to go through that." He put a comforting hand on her leg. "We haven't talked about what happened there. And we don't have to do that now. But whenever you're ready, I'll listen."
She turned sideways on the couch so she could look into his eyes. "I told you what Drew said about drugging Landon so he and Henry could set him up with an underage girl and then blackmail him."
"Yes. But the drug didn't render Landon unconscious."
"No. But it was disorienting. He stumbled out of the room, the fraternity house, and down the hill. I guess he fell into the pond. I'm not sure if I'll ever really know if that's exactly what happened, or if Drew or Henry followed him and pushed him in. The bottom line is that Drew caused Landon's death when he put that drug in his drink, but I'm not sure we can prove it. Although, when I asked why the drug didn't show up in the toxicology report, Drew laughed at me and said reports can always be changed. So maybe there's a trail we can find leading to that bit of bribery. I really want Drew to pay for my brother's murder, not just everything else."
"I know. We'll try to make that happen. It's not as clear-cut as I wish it were."
She nodded. "I understand. Drew also said that Landon had planted false information in his notebooks, that he'd made it harder for them to use the algorithm. That's why it took so long for them to make it work. Landon slowed them down, so we had enough time to catch them."
"Your brother was very smart."
She nodded, thinking about everything that had happened, especially one pivotal moment. "I really wanted to shoot Drew today, and I've never shot anyone. But I wanted him to die. I know that's not good."
"It's a very human emotion. You loved your brother, and Drew took him away from you."
"But it would have been wrong. I heard Landon's voice in my head:'This is who they are, Haley. It's not who we are.' And I realized he was right. I didn't want to be the same as them. I wanted to be better."
"You are a hell of a lot better, Haley. They're scum. And when we're done with them, their lives are going to be worth nothing." He reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "You look exhausted. You should go to sleep. We can talk about everything tomorrow."
"Are we going to keep talking? Not just about the case or my brother… " She licked her lips. "But about other stuff. Or isthisover, too?"
