by A. M. Myers
I shake my head. “There isn’t a whole lot Noah wouldn’t do but I can confidently say he wouldn’t do this. What would be the point? He wants to win me back, not scare me to death.”
“But he wouldn’t know that it would scare you, would he?”
“That’s true,” I concede. “But you didn’t see his face when I asked him about it. He genuinely had no idea what I was talking about.”
“And it’s not Mason?”
“No. He was with me when I found it and he assumed it was from Noah and got pissed.”
Dr. Hebert walks out of his office, interrupting our conversation, and we both flash him a smile. “I’m off for the evening, ladies. Make sure you lock up and set the alarm before you go.”
“We will, Sir,” I tell him and he shakes his head, chuckling as he waves and disappears down the hallway to the back door. As soon as he’s out of earshot, Hannah turns back to me.
“There’s something happening between you and Noah, isn’t there?” The shit eating grin on her face makes me want to object just on principle.
“No. He and I can’t be together anymore and this just proves why.”
She nods, turning back to the computer but she starts chewing her bottom lip as she types and I can practically see the wheels of her mind turning. Without warning, she stops and whips her head to me.
“Go with me on this for a second…”
I nod, wary of whatever train of thought put the triumphant look on her face.
“Say, he has already found you, right?”
I nod again, my stomach doing a little flip.
“And if that’s the case, it means you’re already in danger so what’s stopping you from following your heart and working things out with Noah?”
Narrowing my eyes, I lean back in my chair and cross my arms over my chest. “And what makes you so sure that my heart wants Noah?”
“We’ll just call it a hunch,” she says, rolling her eyes as she turns back to the computer and presses a few buttons. “There. I’m ready to go.”
I stand up as she turns off the computer and gathers her things and when she’s ready, we head down the hallway to the back room. As she sets the alarm, I wait by the back door and when the beeping starts, we run outside and close the door behind us, making sure it’s locked up tight.
“You ever feel like you’re in a spy movie or something when we do that?” she asks with a laugh and I join her.
“Kady?” a voice calls and I turn toward the parking lot where a large man is waiting by Hannah’s car. He looks vaguely familiar and I tilt my head to the side, studying him, trying to place where I know him from.
“Can we help you?” Hannah asks, her hand tightening on my arm. He smiles and it hits me like a ton of bricks, recognition flooding my mind as I take a step back. Chills blanket my skin and as he takes a step toward us, I take one back. Hannah’s gaze flicks from me to the man in front of us before she reaches into her bag and pulls out a pistol I didn’t know she had. She points it at him. “Who are you and what do you want?”
He holds his hands up in surrender, that same creepy smile on his face. “I’m a friend of Oliver’s. He wanted me to send his love and let Kady know that he’s looking forward to seeing her again real soon.”
I struggle to breathe as tears sting my eyes and my grip on Hannah’s arm tightens. She glances over at me before turning back to the man in front of us with a steely glare.
“Leave. Now.”
He nods, his hands still in the air as he backs away from us. There’s something so chilling about the look in his eyes but I can’t say it surprises me. You’d have to be half dead to work for the man he works for. We watch him drive away before Hannah tucks the gun back into her purse and turns to me, gripping both of my arms.
“Are you okay?”
I shake my head. “I haven’t been okay for six years, Han.”
“Let’s get you home,” she whispers, tucking me under her arm like she can somehow protect me as we walk to her car and I love her even more for it.
Trouble is, she can’t protect me.
No one can now.
Chapter Nine
Noah
“Who in the fuck is this guy?” I whisper into the empty cab of my truck, watching as a guy looks in Hannah’s car and turns toward the back entrance of the animal clinic. He’s fucking huge, six-two at least, and there’s just something about him that sends off warning bells in my head. Grabbing my phone off the seat next to me, I snap a picture of him just as Kady and Hannah burst through the door laughing and I can’t help but smile. Fuck, I love that look on her face. It’s a moment of pure, unfiltered glee and I get the feeling that those are rare for her these days but back before I was locked up, it was one of my favorite damn things.
I roll down the window as the guy calls Kady’s name. She whips around and scowls, studying him. That little “V” she gets in between her eyebrows when she’s concentrating really hard catches my attention and I shake my head, my smile widening. This is the kind of shit I missed the most all these years I’ve been locked up. Sure, I missed the sex, too, and I’m so goddamn horny right now that I’m not sure how I haven’t lost my damn mind but it’s the little things that make up my Kady that made me regret getting locked up every night I laid in that cell.
“Can we help you?” Hannah asks. He smiles, taking a step toward them and Kady gasps as she takes a step back. My heart jumps into my throat and I grip the steering wheel as Hannah pulls a gun out of her purse and aims it at the man. The man throws his hands up in the air but there’s a smile on his face - the kind of smile that tells me all I need to know about him in an instant - and all I want to do is run across the parking lot and tackle him. Somehow, I remain seated. Based on my last interaction with Kady, I know she wouldn’t appreciate me stepping in or the fact that I’m still watching her.
What else can I do, though?
She’s my goddamn world and being away from her is torture.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Hannah asks, the gun still leveled at his chest. He takes another step closer and says something that I can’t quite make out but the effect it has on Kady is immediate. The color drains from her face as she grabs Hannah’s arm and takes a step back, tears filling her eyes. What the ever-loving fuck? My hand is on the door handle when Hannah turns back to him, her eyes fierce. She says something, making me wish I could hear their conversation even more, and the man slowly starts backing away from them. My gaze flicks back up to my girl and I’ve never seen her look more afraid in her entire life.
What the fuck is going on here?
As the man retreats to his car, I grab my phone off the seat and dial Streak’s number. My gaze follows the man as he reaches his car, a large black SUV, and I memorize his plate.
“Streak’s Empire of Knowledge. How can we inform you today?”
I let out a reluctant laugh. “Dude, I need you to run a plate for me.”
“Give it to me,” he instructs and I read off the plate number as the guy pulls away and races past me, all too eager to get out of here. The line is quiet as he works and I watch Hannah guide a practically comatose Kady over to her car and tuck her into the passenger seat.
“Huh.”
I arch a brow. “Huh? What does that mean?”
“It means I know who that car belongs to but I can’t tell you who’s driving it.”
“Can you try not to be so damn cryptic?” I ask, sighing as I rub my hand over my face. Hannah climbs behind the wheel and turns to Kady to talk to her but she barely even acknowledges her.
“Okay, grouchy. The car is registered to a car rental company a couple towns over but they don’t have it rented to anybody at the moment.”
I scowl as Hannah pulls away from the curb and contemplate following her. I can’t stand that look on Kady’s face right now but I’m not sure if I’d help or hurt the situation. “So whoever owns the company is driving the car?”
“Or a friend or a friend
of a friend. I don’t know. It’ll take me a little time to dig into this.”
“Have you found out anything else?”
“About Kady? No. But I did want to talk to you about something else.”
I nod. “Okay?”
“Tell me about the night you got arrested.”
“Why the hell do you want to know about that?” I ask, drumming my fingers against the steering wheel, every cell in my body screaming at me to make sure my girl is okay.
“Because I’ve been looking into how you might exact your revenge on Biche.”
Gritting my teeth, I grab the wheel and put the truck in drive. I can’t tell this story, think about that asshole, while I’m sitting still or I’ll lose my damn mind.
“What do you want to know?”
“Just tell me the story how you remember it.”
I nod, pointing my truck toward Kady’s house as I think back to that night seven years ago. “I was at home with Kady and after I dropped her off at the diner for her shift, I drove across town to meet one of my regular customers, Lee. When I got there, he told me that he had a friend who was looking to party that night and wanted a little something to help him with that. I agreed but as we were on our way there, I just had this nagging feeling that something was wrong so I ditched half my stash in a safe place. I figured if this guy turned out to be legit and wanted more party favors, I’d come back and pick it up then. Anyway, when we got there, the guy turned out to be a cop and as soon as I sold to him, he busted me.”
“And how did Biche come into the story?”
“When the prosecutor offered me a deal, she told me she had witness statements from Lee and one Mr. Ford, aka Biche. He went to the police and told them he’d seen me selling drugs and when they canvased the area, they found Lee. They threatened Lee with jail time and he flipped on me.”
“And what did you have to give the prosector in return for your deal?”
I shake my head. “I didn’t give them anything. Blaze did. He came to see me after I got locked up and he was feeling all kinds of guilty, saying the club had lost its way. He’s the one who gave up our supplier and it’s also why he got shot.”
“Shit,” he whispers, shaking his head. “I never knew that.”
“Yep,” I reply. “Any of that help you?”
“I don’t know. Let me dig into a few things and I’ll let you know what I find.”
I nod. “Sounds good. Talk to you later.”
“Actually, one more question.”
“Shoot.”
“What the hell did Biche gain by getting you locked up?”
Sighing, I press down on the gas a little harder, anything to release some of this anger I still carry around with me everyday. “You know who Biche’s old man is?”
“No.”
“Xavier Ford.”
He lets out a low whistle. “You mean the same Xavier Ford that was our supplier?”
“Yep. Turns out, he didn’t think Biche had what it took to manage the family business so he made him work the streets to prove himself. It drove Biche crazy and when you add in the fact that I always out sold him, it’s not really a surprise that he did whatever it took to get rid of me.”
“And then Xavier shot Blaze?”
I nod. “Exactly.”
“Whatever happened to Xavier?”
“I have no clue but I always wondered if taking him out of the picture was Blaze’s last act of vigilante justice.”
“Dude,” he murmurs. “My mind is spinning now. You’ve given me so much to look into. Gotta go.”
He hangs up on me before I can say anything else and I chuckle as I pull up in front of Kady’s house and put the truck in park. Hannah’s car is in the driveway along with Kady’s truck and I cross my arms over my chest as I lean back in my seat.
Shit.
I wish I could see in the windows.
I hate not knowing how she is.
Sighing, I think over everything I’ve learned so far and all the missing pieces still out there to find. For the most part, none of it makes any sense but I’m not going to stop until I find answers. Something has my girl terrified and that’s not something I can let stand.
* * * *
Sighing, I shift in my seat and groan as I glance up at the cabin. The sun is sinking behind the trees surrounding Kady’s property and there’s a chill in the air as darkness descends. I roll the window of the truck up and turn back to my phone. I’ve been wasting time, playing some stupid game called Candy Crush that Streak downloaded on my phone, for the past few hours, and I think I’m about ready to call it a night. Hannah is still inside and as much as I’d kill to be a fly on the wall, listening to their conversation and getting an explanation on who the hell that guy was today, my back is killing me.
I lose my game and toss the phone across the seat. It’s a good distraction when I’m sitting outside the cabin like some kind of stalker, I suppose, but most of the time when I try to play it, I just end up getting pissed and throwing my phone. And since Kady doesn’t have any neighbors to call the cops, looking like a creepy stalker is really low on my list of worries.
The phone rings on the seat next to me and I glance over, scowling at the unfamiliar number before I grab it and press it to my ear.
“Hello?”
“If you’re going to just sit out there like a psycho, you might as well come in.”
I arch a brow, grinning as I look up at the cabin. “Kady?”
“Yes,” she sighs, her annoyance making me laugh. “Unless, of course, you’re parked outside some other poor girl’s house like a stalker.”
“Nope. You know you’re the only woman for me, baby,” I reply and I can practically hear her roll her eyes. I bite my lip to hold back my laughter.
Shit.
I love riling her up.
“For fuck’s sake,” she mutters. “Have it your way.” Before I can respond, she hangs up on me. I pull the phone away from my ear and stare at the screen for a second before grinning and turning the truck off. The temperature has dropped ten degrees, at least, since the sun went down and I shove my hands in my pockets, wishing I’d brought a hoodie as I make my way up the driveway. When I reach the porch, the front door opens and Hannah studies me intently.
“Hey, Han.”
She nods, her glare boring into me. “Noah.”
“Jesus,” I whisper, shaking my head. “You know she breaks my balls enough all by herself. You don’t need to join her.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” she asks, flashing me a smile that reminds me of the time Kady almost cut off my balls for going to the strip club and I shake my head again.
“Two peas in a psychotic pod,” I mutter as I step inside and Kady walks into the room.
“What was that?”
I shake my head. “Nothing.”
“I’m gonna take off, Kady,” Hannah says. “You good?”
My gaze flicks back and forth between Kady and Hannah as they have an entire conversation without saying a damn thing. It’s infuriating. Finally, Kady nods.
“I’m good.”
“Call me if you need me again. I don’t care what time it is.”
Kady walks past me and wraps her arms around Hannah while whispering something to her. Hannah’s gaze softens and she pulls back to look at Kady as she nods. She turns to the door and just when I think I’m home free, she turns back to me with a glare.
“Don’t you dare hurt my best friend again, Noah LeBlanc.”
“I’d rather die,” I admit and she studies me for a second before nodding and walking out the door. I stare at it for a moment before turning to Kady.
“How exactly did I hurt you before?”
She laughs. “How didn’t you hurt me, Noah?”
I scowl as she walks back into the kitchen and after a second, I follow her, determined to get answers. Kady always has been and always will be my entire goddamn world and what I said to Hannah was true - I’d rather slit my own throat than h
urt her.
“I’m serious, Kady. How did I hurt you?”
“Really? You don’t know?”
I shake my head and plant my hands on the counter as she leans against the sink and sighs. “Back before you got locked up, how often did I ask you to get out of the club?”
“All the time,” I answer, not sure where she’s going with this. “But I was doing that for you, for us. To set us up for the future.”
“I didn’t need all that, Noah. I just needed you but you wouldn’t listen to me. You were so convinced that you knew better than me and you had so little respect for me that you wouldn’t even try to see it my way.”
I stumble back, studying her as her words sink in. I shake my head. “No. I was just trying to give you everything you deserved. I wanted to give you the world, baby.”
“All I wanted was you, Noah… and a family. I didn’t need the money and I would have been happy even if we lived in a shack. The club and the money - it was all for you so you could feel like a big man.”
“That’s bullshit,” I growl, stalking across the kitchen and pinning her against the counter. “Everything I did was for you.”
She shakes her head with a sigh. “I don’t have the energy to fight with you today. Let’s just agree to disagree. It’s not like it matters much now.”
What the hell is going on here?
Where is her fire and attitude?
Where is the fight that I love so much?
Where is my Kady?
“What happened to you, baby?” I ask, searching her eyes and she turns away from me as she tries to push me off her with her hips. I put my hands on the counter on either side of her, locking her in place. “Tell me.”
“It doesn’t fucking matter, Noah. You can’t change it.”
I knew it.
“Who was that man today at the clinic?”
She scoffs. “I should have known you were there, too.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Bucking her hips again in an attempt to push me off, she turns away from me. “You’re not going to get one so give it up.”
“Never.”
