“It sure smells good in here,” Mia said.
Noah’s stomach rumbled. “Uh, yeah, but I’m pretty hungry, so I’m not sure I’m a good gauge.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, your stomach announced it.”
He let out a sigh as his cheeks burned.
Their eyes locked, and hers held a mischievous glint. “If I could make you blush all the time, I would.”
“Two can play at that game.”
“Bring it. You’re cute when you blush. All flustered and red-faced.”
Noah narrowed his eyes, tempted to ask her about noses and doors, but thought better of it. “Two can play at that game.”
Just as their food arrived, his phone rang. Ryder, no doubt. He pulled it out, and sure enough, it was Ryder. “I need to catch this.”
“Sure, but don’t be surprised if one of your mushroom caps is missing when you get back.” She grinned.
“Go ahead. I don’t mind.”
He walked out of the restaurant and put the phone to his ear. “Hey, you’ve got terrible timing, man. I was just about to eat, and I’m starving.” No, that wasn’t true. He’d been starved before. This was just a little craving.
“Chatter started up fast and furious late last night, Mia being the main topic of conversation. She knows, Noah. She’s helping that scum ship people.”
Noah’s eyebrows knitted together. “How reliable is that information?”
“I heard it directly from Harrison.”
“Ryder, I don’t know. She told me about Harrison last night. She didn’t say him by name, but she said that he gave her the creeps and that he’d called to ask her out to dinner. Something’s off, man.”
“I’m just telling you what I heard.”
Noah swore under his breath. “And I’m telling you there’s no way. I’ll need more than a little chatter from Harrison as proof.”
Ryder grumbled. “What does he have to gain by talking about her working for him if she isn’t?”
“That’s a good question, but she’s not involved.” He paused. “She’s…she wouldn’t be involved.”
“Seems you might have gotten a little too close.”
He shook his head. “No, Pam said to stick with her, and I have. I’ve spent time with her. I’ll need something more than a conversation to believe it.”
“Oh, man, don’t tell me you’ve got a thing for her.”
He was quiet a little too long.
“You do. Noah, you can’t. If she’s working—”
“I’m not having this conversation with you. I don’t get involved. You know that.”
“You sure she doesn’t know who you are? I mean, if she does, she could just be working the womanly wiles.”
Noah took another glance through the tinted window at Mia happily sipping on her tea. When she noticed him, she gave a little wave and a smile. Could she be any cuter? “I don’t think so. There’s nothing to give me any indication that she might know who I am.”
“Well, keep it that way until we know for sure.”
Keep lying to Mia? “Does Pam want me to continue staying close, or does she want me to trail her?” He hoped for the latter. Spending more time with her would only make things worse.
“She says to stay close.”
His stomach twisted. “Okay. Did you know she’s leaving for Fort Lauderdale soon?”
Ryder hummed like he was pulling something up on his computer. “I’ve got reservations at a hotel in Fort Lauderdale for the day after tomorrow, but it says she’s having a late check-in…like midnight. Why would she be leaving at night?”
“Said she likes the idea of less traffic and driving with the stars overhead.”
“Or it’s easier to slip out of town in the dead of night than in broad daylight. Maybe she knows about Harrison’s penchant for killing people who work for him. He’s been able to stay out of prison this long because of his policy on no loose ends.”
Or maybe she was being truthful. “Maybe.”
“All right. Keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll talk to you later.”
Ryder ended the call, and Noah stuffed the phone in his pocket. Keep doing what you’re doing. He wasn’t sure he should follow that order. If he did, he couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t kiss her.
Noah turned his back to Mia and closed his eyes. He needed to clear his head. She was an assignment. He was a professional with a job to do. Lives depended on him, and if Mia was the key to bringing down a man who preyed on women and children, then he needed to keep his head clear and his focus sharp.
Chapter 8
T hey’d finished their meal at the pub and walked the few blocks to a home that had been turned into a public museum and gardens. When Noah suggested the place, he had no idea he’d enjoy it as much as Mia seemed to be. There was no doubt her cheeks had to be hurting with the amount of smiling she was doing. As they moved from one exhibit to the next, they would discuss each piece of art. The history was interesting. The home itself was grand, and with it being right on the water, the views were exactly as described, incredible.
“So, do you have any brothers or sisters?” Instead of Google, he figured he’d use the old-fashioned approach to gaining information: he’d ask.
“No, it’s just me.”
“But you were really close to your grandma?”
She nodded. “Yeah, my parents worked and traveled a lot when I was little. My dad is a mediator. Mostly handling business takeovers and that sort of thing. My mom is a lobbyist in D.C.”
Not what he was expecting, but interesting nonetheless. “But you live in Texas?”
“Only because that’s where my grandma lived. I maybe saw my parents once a week growing up. I see them even less now.”
“That had to be hard.”
“I had my grandma. She’s the one who took care of me. It wasn’t all that hard because it was all I knew.” She stopped in the middle of the pathway. “How about you?”
The sunlight reflecting in her eyes made them look like endless pools of molten honey. If he stared long enough, he was sure he could swim in them.
“My mom and dad…” His chest tightened. “My mom is amazing. Funny, full of life, and a total troublemaker…in a good way.” He thought back to watching his brother Zach and Zach’s then-girlfriend, now wife, Harley, in the backyard and chuckled. “She caught my brother kissing his girlfriend and called us all over to spy on them. He was mortified when he found out.”
“You have siblings?”
He startled and held in a curse. Normally, he kept his family out of any conversations with targets or assignments, especially when he was sent to spy on them. But he couldn’t recover from that, and as long as he didn’t use names, it would be okay. “I do. I have two brothers and two sisters.”
She smiled. “I bet it’s nice to be a part of a big family.”
“Yeah, I love it.”
“What about your dad?” she asked.
He crossed his arms over his chest and cast his gaze to the ground. “He died of brain cancer. He was my best friend,” he said barely above a whisper. He’d never forget the camping trip his dad took him on. He’d never told anyone what happened. Zach had assumed he was angry, but he couldn’t have been further from the truth.
Well, he was angry, but not at his dad. At the thing taking his dad from him. The camping trip had been his dad’s way of saying goodbye because the tumor was getting worse. Even Noah had noticed things prior to and during the trip that didn’t seem in character with his dad. When the truth finally came out the last night, Noah was devasted and heartbroken.
His dad made him promise to not let what was happening change him. That was the weekend Noah told his father his plans to leave the family business to the rest of his siblings and go into the military. His dad was supportive but not thrilled, and later once the tumor grew, it was as if the conversation had never happened. His dad would hardly speak to him after that.
A soft hand wrapped around his. “That’s why
you understood about losing my grandma.”
Noah nodded. “Yeah. It’s been long enough that you’d think I’d be over it.” There was more than the loss of his dad. He rubbed the spot over his heart where Isaiah’s name was written. He wasn’t sure he’d ever get over either of them.
“I don’t know that I’ll ever get over my grandma dying. She was the only mom I knew.”
“Not exactly light conversation, huh?”
Mia smiled. “Actually, I don’t mind it.”
“You don’t mind me being completely depressing?” he asked as he lowered his arms and held on to her hand.
“I don’t mind getting to know you better.”
“It’s not long before you leave.”
She shrugged. “Yeah, tomorrow night, but it’s a small world, ya know?”
He laughed. “Is Disney on your to-do list?”
“Oh yeah. Can’t come this close and not go.” Her phone rang in the little wristlet she wore, and she pulled it out. With the way her eyebrows knitted together, whoever was calling was not someone she expected. “Uh, let me get this, okay?”
“You bet.”
Noah stuffed his hands in his pockets as he watched her walk to a section of the garden that was empty and put the phone to her ear. He should be trying to listen in, but just as he started to make his move, she turned and made eye contact, rooting him in place.
What he wouldn’t give to be standing closer. Was it possible she was on the phone with Harrison? What if they were discussing something Noah needed to bring the man down? Why had he let himself get so close to her? He should have told Ryder he thought it was a better idea to trail her. At least that way, he could have played spy instead of whatever role he was currently in. Falling for the cute brunette with ties to a man like Harrison.
* * *
“Mr. Harrison? Is something wrong?” Mia asked as she stopped under the shade of a tree and watched Noah in the distance.
Something about Mr. Harrison just put her off. His voice gave her heebie-jeebies, and he’d just called the night before. Why would he be calling again? She’d told him she didn’t have any room in her schedule. Noah’s large frame was filling up the whole thing.
Oh, he’d been so cute that morning. All blushing and embarrassed. Wanting to leave so he could shower somewhere else. She wasn’t letting him do that. All she’d done was give him a place to rest his head that wasn’t his car or a gross hotel. What was a little shower going to hurt?
“No, I was…well, I was wondering if I could ask you for dinner again,” he said. “I know you said you didn’t have time for it, but I thought maybe we could discuss expanding your program to my other warehouses.”
Her gaze roamed from the top of Noah’s head to the tennis shoes he wore. There was no way she was giving any of her valuable time with him to Mr. Sleazy. Noah’s voice had broken when he’d talked about his dad, and his lips had turned down like he’d remembered something else as equally sad as losing his parent. He had rubbed the tattoo of the name over his heart. For a second, she was so intrigued by it that she’d considered canceling all her plans just so she could stay and find out what his story could be.
How could she get out of Harrison’s second request? “I would, but like I said, my boyfriend surprised me. I’ve made plans with him. I’d love to discuss it with you at a later date.”
“And I understand that, but I’d like to get this squared away while you’re in Miami. I have several other warehouses, and having the ability to monitor them no matter where I am would put my mind at ease. I’d pay you well, and you could drive up the coast while getting paid for it.”
“I assumed you’d want to see how it worked before having me install it on the rest of your systems.” Then it hit her. She’d never told him about her plan to drive up the coast. Or she didn’t think so. Had she? Maybe she did and didn’t remember.
“Based on what I’m seeing, I’m confident enough in it to discuss the expansion of your program. Already, I’ve seen a reduction in attempted data breaches. That’s why I’d like to take you to dinner. So we can discuss it. Sooner would be better.”
She’d caught those attempts too. They’d appeared to be coming from law enforcement. She’d essentially shut out the FBI, which meant it was up to her to find anything she could and get it to the proper authorities. How could she get out of dinner without making him angry? Or making him suspicious of her? What could she say? “I’m sorry. I really do have plans with my boyfriend.”
What would Noah say when he found out she’d claimed him as her boyfriend? Did she have to tell him? And she thought running into a door and Urkel-snorting was bad. Her face heated with the very idea of confessing she’d called him her boyfriend.
“Well, then could we plan for tomorrow? Maybe in the morning?”
Mia considered it a moment. Maybe it would be a good idea to meet with him. That way, he wouldn’t immediately suspect her if, and it was a big if, they realized their hard drive was copied. If she’d had time to decrypt it while she was there, she would have already done it, but she was nearly done installing her software when she got lost and saw those women on the dock. “Uh, sure. How about eight? There’s a bi…” She stopped short. That was Noah’s place. No way was she letting this creep taint it. “There’s a coffee shop not far from the hotel.”
“Oh, uh, Java something, right?”
“Yes, that’s the one. Have you been there before?”
“No, but I’ve been meaning to. This is great. Not only do I get to try a new coffee shop, but I get to hammer out how to better protect my business.”
She chuckled. “That sounds like a plan.”
“Ms. Milan, until then.”
“Until then. Bye.” She ended the call and pressed her phone against her forehead while she gathered her thoughts. A meeting with a man she was sure was trafficking women and children. If she’d known prior, she’d have flatly refused to do business with him.
And he’d been referred by Galen White, another man who ran his business out of a warehouse. He hadn’t seemed as shady as Mr. Harrison. Her lips parted. Was he a slave trader too? Didn’t bad guys hang out in bad-guy groups? The thought made her sick.
“Is everything okay?”
She gasped and dropped her hand to her side as her eyes flew open.
“I scared you again. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she said as she tried to catch her breath and slow her pounding heart. “And, yes, everything’s fine. It was my client wanting to discuss a few things.”
He nodded. “Ah. Okay.”
“Thank you for not prying. I mean, I know I told you I don’t care for him, but I can’t really discuss beyond that.”
“No, I get it. More than you know,” he said as he held her gaze.
With the way his ice-blue eyes were holding hers, there was no doubt in her mind that he understood. As an Army Ranger, he probably had a treasure chest full of things he couldn’t talk about. “I believe you.”
“Did you want to explore more of the museum or did you want to do something else?”
She shielded her eyes with her hand as she looked up. The sun was as straight up as it could be. They’d really been at the museum that long? How was it that time flew so fast when she was with him? “How about we do like we did this morning? Just wander until we get hungry and then find somewhere fun to eat?”
“As long as I’m wandering with you, it sounds perfect.”
Mia caught her bottom lip with her teeth as she smiled. “You’re so charming.”
His bright blue eyes sparkled, and he winked. “It’s only because I’ve been given the proper motivation.”
Whew. Her pounding heart threw itself into fourth gear and blood rushed in her ears. This man was pushing every button she had. It made her more than a little determined to keep her meeting with Harrison short so she could spend as much time with him as possible.
Noah was special, and she was desperate to learn all she could ab
out him.
Chapter 9
T he more time Noah spent with Mia, the more he was convinced she had no idea who Harrison was or what he did. Someone with her kind of spirit didn’t work for human traffickers. She was light and free and sweet. No one with a smile like hers could do that. And the more he thought about that increased chatter from Harrison, the more he suspected something wasn’t adding up.
They’d finished their tour of the museum and strolled through the market. And like something out of a movie, she’d tried on hats and forced them on him. Then she got a henna tattoo of a heart on her wrist. She tried to convince him to do it, but he wasn’t the henna-wearing type. Not even her adorable pout could persuade him.
“You should have gotten a tattoo. It’s not like it’s permanent.” Mia ran her fingers over the new ink as they walked.
Noah shook his head. “No, I’m good.”
“I did notice that you have a tattoo over your heart. Do you have any more?”
“No, that’s the only one I plan on having.”
She shot him a glance. “Oh.”
“It’s…I didn’t get it for show. It was to honor a fallen friend.” He’d leave out the part about his entire company having one. A piece of himself that he worked to bury as far down as possible.
“My great-uncle had one like that. He didn’t show it off either. It was more for him than anyone else.”
He nodded. “I know I won’t ever forget him, but I wanted something I had to see every day when I look in the mirror. Something that reminded me of who I am and why I do what I do.” And why choices matter. One the reasons he was struggling with his current assignment. He knew the right choice, and yet, he was having a difficult time making it. He couldn’t have feelings for Mia, but he did, and it was wrong.
“I see. Maybe one day you can tell me the whole story.”
“Maybe.” Again, Not likely. Even if his gut was right and Mia wasn’t working for Harrison, once she found out who Noah was, that he’d lied to her for days, she’d have nothing to do with him. Plus, if she did end up testifying against Harrison, she’d most likely be put into witness protection. Noah wouldn’t so much as know her name after that.
The Ranger's Chance: A Clean Army Ranger Romance Book One Page 6
