The Aegis Solution Read Free Page A

asked, "Short for Mathilda?"
    Grinning back, dimples tucking themselves deeply into her freckled cheeks, she replied, "Yeah! Not
too many people get that. That's cool."
    He released her hand, and she reluctantly lowered it back to her side, as she said, "It's an
old-fashioned name. I happen to like old-fashioned."
    "I do, too. Matt is short for Matthias."
    She smiled, and they both fell into a brief silence until he began, "I walked over because it looked
as though you wanted to talk."
    Tillie dipped her chin closer to her chest and looked at him through her top eyelashes. The move
was too coquettish to be natural in his mind. He waited for her to speak.
    "I did. I mean, I do."
    Letting one side of his mouth curl up in a half smile, he remarked, "Here I am. But why me?"
    "You…I guess you remind me of my dad."
    It was Matt's turn to grin. "As I watched you approaching, I thought to myself that you were about
the same age as my daughter. How old are you?"
    "How old do you think?"
    "Sixteen, seventeen maybe."
    She jerked her head in a rapid shake, making even the shortened hair twirl back and forth. "I'm
almost twenty."
    "You don't look it."
    "I get that. All the time."
    He drew a deep breath, letting it out slowly, before asking, "What did you want to talk about?"
    The lightness on her face disappeared. She looked down at the edge of the walkway and motioned.
"Can we sit down?"
    "Sure." He dropped onto the curb next to her and waited.
    His patience was quickly rewarded as she began to speak. "It's not like I'm not sure about this
whole thing. I am. I really am. It's such a major thing, you know, and I saw you there and realized that
you reminded me of my father. I thought, I don't know, maybe we could just talk it through."
    "Okay."
    "Plus, I don't have my dad anymore."
    "What happened?"
    "He died when I was thirteen."
    "How?"
    "Heart attack. At the time…to a thirteen-year-old, he seemed so old. But, you know, I realize now
that he was really young for that kind of thing to happen."
    "I'm sorry."
    "Thanks. I think, no, I know that if he hadn't died young, I wouldn't be here today. I wouldn't be
in the mess I'm in today, that made me come here."
    Matt chose his words carefully, still thinking about the marshal's warning. "Want to tell me about
the mess? Is it really bad enough to warrant this?" With his last comment he gestured vaguely in the
direction of the interior of the complex next to them.
    She twisted around on the curb to face him. "I don't know if I want to talk about all of that."
    "Then what?"
    Tillie hesitated for a moment before blurting, "I want to know what you think of this place."
    Surprised, he rocked back on the curb and stared at the bright-blue desert sky, trying to gather his
thoughts. "I assume you aren't asking me about the construction but, if you are, I built a damn good
complex here."
    "You built this?" Tillie asked excitedly.
    "Well, I'm the general contractor. All of my crews built it."
    "Wow! I knew there was something about you. My dad was a contractor." Tillie's eyes sparkled
briefly with excitement.
    Matt suddenly felt uncomfortable. The Fed's words about a possible attachment came back to him
clearly. Trying to shift the subject, he said, "I guess you want to know what I think about this
place…about the concept."
    Her face still flushed with residual emotion, Tillie nodded.
    "I don't know," he admitted. "I've had almost two years to think about it. My wife and I have talked
about it a lot. But I still don't know."
    He paused, hoping she would speak, but she remained silent, waiting.
    "I understand why Walker did it. That's for sure. If I lost my daughter, I don't know how I'd react,
especially if I were the President. But when I start thinking beyond the day a person shows up at the
front door…when I focus on what it is that he or she is actually committing to…it just seems beyond
the pale."
    Tillie's eyebrows arched with curiosity. "Beyond the pale? I've read that phrase before, but