done it, Kylie. I know that now. I wish I had known it then.”
“You
can honestly stand there and tell me that you had no idea that what you were
doing was wrong on so many levels? I’m not even sure you are who you say you
are. Hell, maybe your name isn’t really Gage Matthews.”
“It’s
actually Jason.”
Kylie
jerked, her attention focused directly on his face. “You lied to me about your
name?”
“My
full name is Jason Gage Matthews. I go by Gage.”
“Is
your birthday June twenty fourth?” Kylie had no idea why she asked that, but
she knew she’d eventually catch him in another lie.
“Yes.
Born in nineteen eighty.”
Kylie
stared up at him, letting the memories of their conversations flood her. Based on
the stories he told, he was a police officer and had gone to the academy fresh
out of high school. His parents died when he was a teenager.
“How
did your parents die?” she questioned him and the instant the faint sadness
clouded his eyes, she regretted the question.
“They
died in a car crash,” he said, his voice low and full of pain. “I was fourteen
years old. They were coming back from one of my dad’s business trips in
Houston. He fell asleep behind the wheel.”
Kylie
felt like a complete and total jerk. That’s the same story he’d told her the
first time, and just like then, her heart broke for the little boy who lost his
parents so tragically.
“My
grandparents took me in, raised me until I graduated from high school. I went
to the police academy as soon as they’d let me in. I’ve been undercover for the
last few years, working on various task forces. Would you like me to give you a
phone number so you can verify that?” Gage grabbed the back of his neck with
both hands and turned away from her, pacing several feet away and then back.
Kylie
forced herself to keep her composure. She had every right to question him. He’d
obviously had ulterior motives when he showed up at her doorstep. She didn’t trust
him. She had no reason to.
“You
lied about who you were and why you were here, Gage.”
“Not
true.”
When
he took a step closer, she took one step back. Her butt hit the screen door,
and she realized she had nowhere to go. This wasn’t going to go well, she could
feel it. Even as angry as she was, the pained look in his eyes still managed to
steal an ounce of her resistance. “No?” It was the only word she could come up
with.
“No.
I hired you to renovate my house.”
“Is
that right? So you’re telling me that it was just a coincidence that we both
happen to know Travis Walker?” The cold chill of the tea against her skin
wasn’t doing a damn thing to lessen the sweltering heat of anger forming on her
insides. Heat infused her face as the anger bubbled hotter, threatening to
overflow and cause a scorching stain on the wood at her feet.
“How do you know Travis anyway? It’s obvious the two of you are friends. Or
were anyway,” she said, forcing the angry tears to stay locked up behind her
eyes. She could not afford for this man to see her cry. He wouldn’t understand
that they weren’t sad tears.
“We’re
not friends,” Gage answered quickly.
“Not
friends. So what? Family?”
“No,”
Gage said sadly, thrusting his hands through his hair as he turned away from
her. “I’ve known him most of my life.”
“But
you’re not friends? Jeezus, Gage, could you just answer the damn question?”
Kylie was hovering on the edge of murderous rage, the thoughts from that day
flooding back as Gage seemingly tried to explain in as few words as possible
how this had all come about.
“His
brother is one of my friends,” Gage answered, turning back toward her and
locking her in place with his dark brown eyes. “What about you, Kylie? What
happened between you and Travis?” he asked, resuming his place in front
of her so that she was once again trapped between his towering frame and the
screen door. His nearness caused Kylie to lose her train of
“You
can honestly stand there and tell me that you had no idea that what you were
doing was wrong on so many levels? I’m not even sure you are who you say you
are. Hell, maybe your name isn’t really Gage Matthews.”
“It’s
actually Jason.”
Kylie
jerked, her attention focused directly on his face. “You lied to me about your
name?”
“My
full name is Jason Gage Matthews. I go by Gage.”
“Is
your birthday June twenty fourth?” Kylie had no idea why she asked that, but
she knew she’d eventually catch him in another lie.
“Yes.
Born in nineteen eighty.”
Kylie
stared up at him, letting the memories of their conversations flood her. Based on
the stories he told, he was a police officer and had gone to the academy fresh
out of high school. His parents died when he was a teenager.
“How
did your parents die?” she questioned him and the instant the faint sadness
clouded his eyes, she regretted the question.
“They
died in a car crash,” he said, his voice low and full of pain. “I was fourteen
years old. They were coming back from one of my dad’s business trips in
Houston. He fell asleep behind the wheel.”
Kylie
felt like a complete and total jerk. That’s the same story he’d told her the
first time, and just like then, her heart broke for the little boy who lost his
parents so tragically.
“My
grandparents took me in, raised me until I graduated from high school. I went
to the police academy as soon as they’d let me in. I’ve been undercover for the
last few years, working on various task forces. Would you like me to give you a
phone number so you can verify that?” Gage grabbed the back of his neck with
both hands and turned away from her, pacing several feet away and then back.
Kylie
forced herself to keep her composure. She had every right to question him. He’d
obviously had ulterior motives when he showed up at her doorstep. She didn’t trust
him. She had no reason to.
“You
lied about who you were and why you were here, Gage.”
“Not
true.”
When
he took a step closer, she took one step back. Her butt hit the screen door,
and she realized she had nowhere to go. This wasn’t going to go well, she could
feel it. Even as angry as she was, the pained look in his eyes still managed to
steal an ounce of her resistance. “No?” It was the only word she could come up
with.
“No.
I hired you to renovate my house.”
“Is
that right? So you’re telling me that it was just a coincidence that we both
happen to know Travis Walker?” The cold chill of the tea against her skin
wasn’t doing a damn thing to lessen the sweltering heat of anger forming on her
insides. Heat infused her face as the anger bubbled hotter, threatening to
overflow and cause a scorching stain on the wood at her feet.
“How do you know Travis anyway? It’s obvious the two of you are friends. Or
were anyway,” she said, forcing the angry tears to stay locked up behind her
eyes. She could not afford for this man to see her cry. He wouldn’t understand
that they weren’t sad tears.
“We’re
not friends,” Gage answered quickly.
“Not
friends. So what? Family?”
“No,”
Gage said sadly, thrusting his hands through his hair as he turned away from
her. “I’ve known him most of my life.”
“But
you’re not friends? Jeezus, Gage, could you just answer the damn question?”
Kylie was hovering on the edge of murderous rage, the thoughts from that day
flooding back as Gage seemingly tried to explain in as few words as possible
how this had all come about.
“His
brother is one of my friends,” Gage answered, turning back toward her and
locking her in place with his dark brown eyes. “What about you, Kylie? What
happened between you and Travis?” he asked, resuming his place in front
of her so that she was once again trapped between his towering frame and the
screen door. His nearness caused Kylie to lose her train of
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