Crossing the Line

by Maggie Cole

  My face heats up. I slap Noah’s hand. “You’re such a perv.”

  He licks his lips. “Where do you dance besides Club D?”

  “Anywhere there is music, but we mostly go to Club D.”

  “New York City doesn’t have a lake, so that’s something Chicago has over New York.”

  “See, I’m going to convert you to a Chicago lover!”

  Noah winks at me as the first course comes out.

  After the server leaves, I tilt my head.

  “What?”

  “Is this part of my twenty-four hours?”

  Noah shakes his head.

  “No?”

  “Nope.”

  “Why not?”

  “This is a date.”

  “Dates don’t count?”

  Noah chuckles. “I can’t have you trying to have a bad time on our date, can I?”

  I smirk at him.

  With a naughty grin, Noah adds, “Besides, I think I owe you dessert from last night.”

  I’m getting excited at the thought when a dark-haired man appears beside the table.

  “Noah, it’s about time you got back in here!”

  Noah stands up and slaps him on the back in an embrace. “Kip, how’ve you been?”

  “Great!”

  Noah points to me. “Kip, this is Piper. She’s a foodie and has been watching you.”

  Kip leans down and kisses me on the cheek. “Well, I hope I don’t disappoint you.”

  “It’s so great to meet you. Thanks for giving us a table tonight,” I gush.

  Kip waves me off. “No thanks needed. Noah and I go way back.” He turns to Noah. “How’s life in Chicago?”

  Noah glances at me and then smiles at Kip. “It’s good. No complaints. How are Katie and Marissa?”

  “They are doing great.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “We were thinking of taking Marissa to Chicago for a long weekend this summer. I’ll let you know if we do.”

  Noah’s face lights up. “Feel free to stay with me if you want. I have plenty of room and in a good location.”

  “Sounds good. I have to get back in the kitchen. Piper, keep this guy out of trouble.” Kip winks at me.

  “I’ll try my best.”

  Kip leaves, and our waiter brings us another glass of wine and a new dish.

  “He seems really nice,” I tell Noah.

  Noah points to my plate, which is a beautiful display of colors. “Great guy. Super talented, as you can experience tonight.”

  I take a bite, and a delicious assortment of flavors burst into my mouth. “Mmm.”

  Noah laughs. “Enjoying that?”

  “It’s amazing. I don’t know what it is, but I would order it again.”

  Right as Noah is about to talk, he’s cut off.

  “Noah.”

  We both gaze up at a tall man, wearing a suit. He’s around Bennett’s age and seems to be scowling at Noah.

  Noah’s face falls. “Kramer. What do you want?”

  “Oh, not much. Heard you were in town for a meeting.” His face is arrogant and unfriendly.

  The hairs on my neck stand up.

  “Glad to hear you’re keeping tabs on me.” Noah glares back.

  Kramer snorts. “I bet you’re glad.”

  “Is there a purpose to you interrupting my dinner?”

  “Now, now, Noah. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?”

  “Cut the shit out, Kramer.” Noah’s stare is icy and as cold as Kramer’s.

  What the heck is going on? Who is this guy?

  Kramer licks his lips and holds out his hand. “Kramer Sampson.”

  Kramer Sampson, the majority shareholder of Pekler Pharmaceuticals? My gut flips. This can’t be good.

  Not sure what to do, I reach out, but Noah grabs my hand. “Don’t touch her.”

  Kramer snorts. “Enjoy your time in New York, Noah. Don’t stay too long.” He turns and leaves our table.

  Noah’s face is angry, but it’s also laced with something else…is it fear? “Fuck,” he mumbles.

  I hold his hand. “How do you know him?”

  Noah closes his eyes. His leg bounces under the table.

  “Noah?”

  He opens his lids. “You remember how I had a breakdown because I didn’t close a deal?”

  “Yes.”

  “Kramer Sampson hijacked it. He found out I was trying to buy the company, and he bought it a day before I was supposed to close on it.”

  I put my hand over Noah’s. “I’m sorry.”

  He is about to say something but stops.

  “What?”

  “Either I have a leak on my team, or one of the companies is talking to him. He said a meeting, so it sounds like he only knows about one of the companies.”

  “If you had a leak, don’t you think he would know about all of them?”

  Noah shrugs. “I don’t know. He might have only said a company to throw me off.”

  “Don’t worry. We’ll figure it out.”

  “The fact he even knows what you look like makes me want to kill him.”

  “It’ll be okay,” I assure him.

  Noah shifts in his seat and taps his fingers on the table.

  “What aren’t you telling me?”

  “He knew what I was doing and strung the deal along so he could learn more about how I work, the ways I strategize, and what I have to offer my sellers. Along the way, I had numerous threats. He even had someone beat me up and make it appear like a mugging. He doesn’t want any new players in the pharmaceutical space unless he is a part of it.”

  “What!” My eyes widen and stomach drops.

  “I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t want you involved for your safety. Kramer Sampson isn’t going to sit back and not try to figure out what I’m doing. He’ll be out for blood, Piper.”

  “What are we going to do then?”

  Noah rubs his face. “I don’t know.”

  22

  Noah

  My insides are shaking, and anger is surging through my bones. Kramer Sampson knowing anything about my deals is bad enough, but he saw Piper. I don’t like that, and now I’m worried even more about her being involved in this.

  Damn, Bennett, for making me bring her on this trip.

  Several minutes of silence go by. Kramer is sitting across the room, sending me cocky but threatening glances time and again.

  Piper holds my hand again. “Noah, let’s get out of here.”

  I jerk my head at Piper. “We haven’t had dinner.” The last thing I want to do is let this ruin our date.

  She squeezes my hand. “It’s okay. Let’s get out of here and away from him.”

  “But I wanted to take you out for a nice dinner.”

  She smiles. “You have.”

  The server comes to our table and sets down another glass of wine.

  Piper turns to the server. “Can you put the rest of our food in to-go boxes? Something has come up, and we need to leave.”

  The server nods. “Sure.”

  “You don’t have—”

  Piper cuts me off. “Yes. Please box it up.”

  The waiter leaves. “This isn’t necessary.”

  “You can’t stay here while he’s here. Let’s just go.”

  I sigh. “Can we ever have a meal together?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Thai. Pizza. Thai. Now La Tease. I’m not winning any points in the dinner-date category.”

  “Well, those weren’t dates, so they don’t count. And you didn’t do anything wrong, he did. I’ve had a nice time so far. We will take it to go. It’ll be fine.”

  The waiter comes back. “Kip asked me to bring you two back to the kitchen if you have a minute?”

  Piper raises her eyebrows at me in question, and I shrug. “Okay.”

  We stand up, I put my arm around Piper’s waist, and the waiter leads us into the kitchen.

  Kip is directing the staff. He give
s me a concerned glance. “Everything okay? Ben said you needed to have things boxed up?”

  Piper bites her lip. I wrack my brain with what to tell Kip without seeming like a whiny baby or giving anything about our situation away. “All good. I just need to get away from someone, and I don’t want them around Piper.”

  Kip scans my eyes. “You need me to kick someone out?”

  I laugh. “No. That isn’t necessary.”

  Kip points over to a table that has a bench seat and two chairs. “Then go sit there and finish up your dinner.”

  “Hey, it’s not a big deal. We can take our meals to go. I don’t want to put more on you.”

  He points again. “Sit your ass down and finish your meal. It’s not nearly as good boxed up.”

  Piper is smiling. I turn back to Kip. “Okay. Thanks.”

  Piper and I sit on the booth seat next to each other.

  “I think our date just got upgraded!” she gushes and kisses me quickly on the lips.

  I push the hair off her face.

  “What?”

  “Thanks for getting me out of there and being nice. I like this side of you,” I tease.

  She punches me lightly in the shoulder. “Hey, I’m always nice.”

  “Minus your glares.”

  She laughs. “You deserved all of them.”

  “Is that what you think?”

  “My story, sticking to it,” she replies.

  I lean into her, brushing my lips softly against hers then crushing them harder into mine. It doesn’t take long for me to be lost once again in Piper. I’m interrupted when Ben sets another course on the table.

  Piper blushes, and my pants stir. I’ve forgotten all about Kramer and anything else but her. She’s sexy and beautiful, and the thought she’s actually mine sends a little spark of happiness throughout me.

  The rest of the night is spent eating, drinking, laughing, and kissing. After we say our goodbyes to Kip and get into our car, I’m not thinking about anything but Piper. I pull her onto my lap, and we are lip-locked again when my driver Lou rolls the window down.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Noah, but I think someone is following us.”

  Piper’s hazel orbs widen in alarm, and I turn around to look out the rear window.

  “Which car?”

  “Directly behind us. They’ve been there since the restaurant and were parked behind me all night as well.”

  My gut is flipping; the hairs on my neck stand up.

  “Maybe it’s just a coincidence?” Piper suggests, but her voice tells me she doesn’t really believe that.

  It’s dark, so I don’t know what the driver looks like, other than the outline seems like a man.

  “Let me take a detour and see if he follows us?”

  “Okay.”

  I push Piper off my lap. “Put your seat belt on,” I tell her.

  “Why?”

  “Just do it.” I don’t know if this guy is planning to do something, and I don’t know what else to do to protect her right now.

  Piper puts on her belt and nervously glances at me.

  We turn the corner. “Still there,” Lou reports.

  “Shit.” I blow out a big breath. Think Noah.

  “Noah, should I call the police?” Lou asks.

  I debate. “Just pull up to the next hotel. Let’s watch what he does.”

  Piper twists her fingers in her lap.

  I put my hand on her leg. “Don’t worry. There’s a valet and people. Someone would be an idiot to try anything in a crowd.”

  She nods, but her lashes flutter fast and she continues to fidget.

  Lou pulls to the front of the hotel, and the valet opens the door. The car pulls off to the side, in view of the front of the hotel.

  “Let me out first, Piper. Lou, drive off when we get inside, and see if he follows you. Call me and let me know.”

  “Okay, Noah.”

  I climb over Piper and onto the pavement and instruct the valet, “Can you stand right next to the car and move behind my girlfriend when she steps out?”

  He crosses his arms. “Is there a reason for this?”

  “Can you just humor me?”

  “Okay,” he agrees reluctantly.

  He steps against the car, I reach in to help Piper, and as soon as she steps out, I pull her to me, spin her so my back is to the car, and she’s between the hotel and me. “Just walk into the hotel and I’ll stay behind you.”

  She stays in front of my body, and we move inside. The tinted windows in the lobby prevent those outside from seeing in. I peer out and the car is still sitting where it parked. Lou is in the valet circle, waiting for traffic to clear so he can turn onto the street.

  I pull Piper into me and realize she’s trembling. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, just a little shaken up.”

  “Let’s go have a drink and wait for Lou’s call.” I lead her to the bar, and we choose a table. She sits next to me, and I put my arm around her.

  “Noah, do you think it’s Kramer?”

  “Yes.”

  She takes a deep breath.

  “This is why I didn’t want you in New York. I’m going to kill Bennett for insisting you come.” I snarl.

  “He didn’t know.”

  “He didn’t listen to me.”

  My phone rings. “What’s happening, Lou?”

  “I think there’s another car on me now.”

  “Seriously?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is the first one following you, too?”

  “I have a feeling it’s still parked on the curb, waiting for you.”

  “Seriously? Shit. Let me go check it out.”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  She shakes her head. “No way! I’m going where you go, Noah.”

  “All right.” I squeeze her hand. We get to the front of the hotel. I gaze out to the street. The car is still parked.

  I speak into the phone. “Lou, you’re right. He’s waiting for us.” My pulse is shooting up.

  “I’m definitely being followed.”

  “Lou, go back to the garage. You’re done for the night.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I’ll figure out the next steps.”

  “You want me to call the police?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Okay. I’ll await further instructions.”

  “Thanks.” I hang up and pull her through the hotel. We approach the business center, and someone is coming out. There is a keycard requirement, but I grab the door before it shuts and pull her into it with me.

  “Noah, what are we going to do?” Her lip is shaking.

  I pick up my phone and dial Phil Laurent. He is the president of Marko Enterprises and has invested in some companies with me. They own a security firm. I stroke Piper’s cheek.

  “Noah, how’ve you been?” Phil’s voice booms through the phone.

  “Phil, I’m in a jam and need help.”

  “What’s going on?” His voice lowers with concern.

  “I’m in New York, and Kramer Sampson has guys following my driver and us. I need security, pronto.”

  “Us?”

  “My girlfriend is in town with me.”

  Piper bites her lip, and a small smile forms on her face. I wink at her.

  “Where are you at?”

  “The Savonnah, in the business center.”

  “Okay, give me a few minutes, and I’ll text you over the names of the bodyguards I’m sending. Let me send cars, too, but let’s use the back alley of the hotel or something. I’ll have the bodyguards figure out what the best steps are.”

  “Thanks, Phil. I appreciate it.”

  “Yeah, no problem. Stay safe, man. Kramer Sampson is no one to mess with.”

  I let out a big breath. “I know, but, unfortunately, I’m not sure how to get around that for what I need to do.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can’t go into details, but he isn’t going to like it.”


  “Jesus, Noah. You have a death wish.”

  “Yep.”

  “Stay safe, and let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Will do. Thanks, Phil.” I hang up.

  Piper is waiting for me to talk.

  “Bodyguards are coming over. They are also sending cars with drivers, just not sure how we are going to get out of this building without them seeing us.”

  “This is freaking me out, Noah.” Piper tugs at her hair.

  Now’s the time to have the talk.

  I sit and pull her on my lap. “Remember when I said that there would come a time when you would need security, and I didn’t want you to argue about it?”

  “Yes.”

  “This is it.”

  “I won’t argue.”

  “Good.” I lean in and kiss her.

  “Noah, I think you should cancel the rest of the meetings.”

  “No. I’m not going to back down.”

  “Noah—”

  “Piper, I’m going to finish this out. This situation has to change. I don’t want more people dying because of greedy men like Kramer Sampson.”

  This is why I didn’t want her near this. I’m going to kill Bennett when I get back to Chicago.

  She blinks quickly. “Noah, I understand why you want to do this. I do. But it’s not worth your life.”

  A little bit of anger flies through me. “So, it’s worth other people’s lives?”

  “What? No. I didn’t—”

  “I have the power to change this. I’m not going to sit back while people are dying, Piper,” I hurl at her.

  She cups my face. “You’re trying to fight people with unlimited resources, in an industry known to have people magically disappear or be found dead from accidents or suicides. I don’t want you to be on that list.” Her eyes sear into mine, and while I know she’s saying this because it’s the truth and reality, I’ve always known this. I’m willing to risk my life because this has to change, once and for all.

  I stroke her hair. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be careful.”

  She blinks faster.

  I wrap my arms around her. “Don’t worry.”

  “That’s not possible, and you know it.”

  My phone vibrates, and there is a text message from Phil. I tell Piper, “Hans, one of the bodyguards, is going to be coming into the hotel at any minute.”

  She nods.

  Within seconds Hans knocks, shows me his security badge through the glass door, and I open the door. He leads us through the hotel into the alley. When we get outside, another guard has been keeping watch and declares it’s safe for us to go.