by M. Malone
Noah cursed. He could hear the muffled laughter coming through the line which told him Matthias wasn’t alone in the office. Great. This was what he got for hiring a bunch of anti-social loners just like himself. They didn’t have anywhere else to be on a Friday night either.
There was no way Jonas was ever going to let him live this one down.
“Whatever. I’ll be in the office in a few.”
He hung up and shoved his phone back in his pocket. Once he reached the parking garage, he looked up to Lucia’s window. He watched as her shadow moved around the apartment before the light in the front went dark. Over the years, he’d been so many things to her as she grew up. Surrogate big brother. Protector. A shoulder to cry on.
But he’d never felt like he was on the outside looking in to her life.
He’d spent years knowing this time was coming. That there would be a day when she’d meet someone, a man without screwed-up ethics and a boatload of secrets. Someone who could love her the way she deserved and give her the things she needed. All the things he couldn’t do. Noah had thought he was ready for when that day approached, but he’d had no idea how fast the years would go by.
I have to grow up sometime, she’d said, with no idea what those words meant to him.
Yeah, he thought, but not yet. He couldn’t bear to lose her yet.
Lucia stood in the middle of her living room for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. She rubbed her temples. Maybe if she pretended it hadn’t happened this would all go away. But the evidence was all around her: her jacket on the floor and her lucky shoes by the door, the ones she only wore when she had a date.
Her lucky stilettos hadn’t been so lucky tonight.
She groaned before stooping to pick up the shoes. Things had definitely not gone the way she’d expected. Poor Brent. All he’d done was have the misfortune of asking her out. How was he to know she had a crazy, over-protective pseudo-stalker who’d show up and cock-block him before he even got to second base?
She winced, imagining what he must think of her now. She hadn’t even wanted to go on the date at first so she couldn’t consider it too much of a loss, but damn, it was still embarrassing. Well, at least she didn’t have to figure out a way to let him down easy.
Noah had taken care of that for her, she thought bitterly.
She cleaned up the living room and cut out all the lights before heading back to her room. Her face flamed at the sight of the large purple dildo on the bed. It was still running, the lights on the base blinking furiously as it moved around on the comforter. Lucia picked it up, and after mashing a few random buttons, she finally managed to turn it off.
Just looking at it made her angry all over again.
The anger had nowhere to go and because it made her want to scream, she picked up her phone and hit the second speed dial. The fact that Noah had programmed himself in on the first speed dial annoyed her all over again.
JJ answered on the first ring. “Why are you calling me? You’re supposed to be on a date.”
Lucia sighed. “I was on a date. He’s gone now.”
“Already? Please tell me you got laid at least?”
“I was close. Then Noah showed up.”
JJ was silent for a moment. Then she exploded in laughter. “You have got to be fucking kidding me? Noah showed up in the middle of your date? Wait, go back and tell me everything.”
Lucia settled herself on top of her comforter as she relayed the story. By the time she got to Noah showing up in her room and the dildo hitting Brent, JJ was laughing so hard she sounded like she was wheezing. As much as Lucia wanted to stay mad, she couldn’t after retelling the story. It truly was the most ridiculous thing ever.
“So, he got nailed in the face, no pun intended.” There was a pause as JJ tried to rein in her laughter. “Then he just ran out?”
Lucia felt a sudden burst of shame on Brent’s behalf. He really had just ditched her without looking back. Although considering how menacing Noah could appear at times, she couldn’t really blame him. That was a battle he couldn’t possibly win.
“What else could he do? Noah was in my room, on my bed, like a jealous ex-boyfriend. You know how he gets.”
“Yes, I do. And so do you. Which makes me wonder why you don’t just bone the guy already and put us all out of our virtual blue balls.”
Her friend’s words brought a rush of conflicting emotions. The usual denial mixed with an uncharacteristic blast of heat at the thought of getting naked with Noah. She wasn’t sure when her thoughts about him began to change. One day he’d been good old Noah, the surrogate big brother who annoyed her one minute and delighted her the next.
Then one day she’d looked at him and everything was different. He was suddenly the smartest, most handsome, most masculine presence she’d ever been exposed to, and everything inside of her had taken notice all at once. It had made her feel both awakened and exposed to discover that she could feel these things for someone who had been a part of her life for so long.
“It’s not like that between us. You know that.”
JJ made a rude sound. “So you keep saying, but I have eyes. And that man is insanely sexy. There is no way you can be exposed to that kind of grade-A testosterone all the time and not feel anything. I don’t believe it.”
“Well, believe it. He’s like another brother.”
“I guess.”
JJ didn’t sound convinced, which only increased Lucia’s agitation. Noah had never looked at her as anything other than the annoying young girl that he had to look out for. She was an obligation, a tie to a former life that he’d probably rather forget. As soon as she had the thought, she was ashamed. Noah had idolized her brother Rafe, and she didn’t really think he wanted to forget about him. It would just be nice not to feel like an old debt that he was paying off.
“He only does this because he feels like it’s what Rafe would do if he were here. But this time he’s gone too far. He can’t just break into my apartment whenever he wants.”
“Well, it sounds like it’s time for a little payback.”
JJ was known for her creative and diabolical thinking so if she had a plan, Lucia was all in. It would be nice to feel like she had the upper hand with Noah for once. Maybe even give him a little taste of what it was like to have someone butting into your life at the most inopportune moment.
“What do you mean by payback?”
JJ chuckled in a way that told Lucia she already had an idea. “I have just the thing.”
Immediately, Lucia had second thoughts. Did she really want to start a war with Noah? Not that she ever thought for even a moment that he would hurt her, but JJ had a tendency to be a little…inappropriate. Following her advice for payback would be like adding gasoline to a fire that was already dangerously close to raging out of control.
Then she got a mental image of Noah holding that stupid dildo and waving it around. She wrinkled her nose. No, he’d brought this all on himself.
“What do you have in mind?”
JJ chuckled. “Do you have anything against public nudity?”
Later that night, Lucia was snuggled under the covers when she finally remembered the envelope. It was hard to believe, but in all the hustle and excitement of having a date and then the showdown with Noah, she’d completely forgotten about it.
Throwing the comforter back, she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and stood. Her handbag was still out front where she’d left it on the couch. She walked slowly, navigating the apartment in the dark. Her fingers fumbled over the lamp on the side table until she was able to turn the switch, and the room filled with light. Her bag was still right where she’d left it. It was kind of amusing that it was still in the same spot after the wild events of the evening.
The thought brought back everything that had happened with Noah. What the hell was wrong with him lately? He’d always been over the top, but this was somehow different. She ignored the nagging sense that it was differe
nt because she was different. The same things that wouldn’t have bothered her in the past were suddenly excruciating in light of the annoying, completely inappropriate feelings she’d been having whenever he was around.
Just let it go already, Lucia.
She slung her handbag over her arm and then turned the light off before retracing her steps back to her room. The envelope had gotten slightly smashed under her wallet and keys so she gently smoothed it with her fingers before taking it back to bed with her. Under the covers, she hesitated before pulling up the flap. Now that the moment was here, part of her wondered if it wasn’t better to leave the past in the past.
When she’d first started searching for more details about her brother’s murder, she’d still been completely mired in grief. Her mind had been focused solely on getting answers and filling in the gaps that her own memory refused to fill. Now that so much time had passed, she’d finally settled in to a life of her own and things were good. Did she really want to know what had happened that day? What if she couldn’t handle it? It wasn’t as if knowing who was responsible would bring her brother back.
But it would give her some closure, wouldn’t it? At least she’d know why. Even if it wouldn’t bring Rafe back, it would mean something to her to know the people responsible for her brother’s death had been brought to justice. She wasn’t as much of an idiot as her brother and Noah had assumed. She was aware that he hadn’t always lived his life on the straight and narrow. But no matter what he’d done, he didn’t deserve to die the way he had. No one deserved that.
Wiping away the tears that had spilled over on her cheek, Lucia lifted the flap of the envelope and pulled out the piece of paper inside. It was a copy of a deed of sale.
HoloCorp, Inc.
Her heartbeat stuttered for a moment and then hammered against her ribcage. It was just a name, but it was more than she’d ever had before. And this time she had exactly what she needed to follow the breadcrumbs.
More like exactly who she needed, she thought as she grabbed her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts list. When she found the name she was looking for, she tapped the screen before she could change her mind.
“Lucia? Is everything okay?”
She smiled. Matthias always sounded worried when she spoke to him, something she found endearing. It was interesting that the same words from Noah made her feel smothered, but they just seemed sweet when coming from Matthias. Then again, he was a gentle sort of guy, always more worried about what she needed than himself.
The fact that he had a bit of a crush on her was part of it, too. And in all honesty, he was a much better choice for her. He was cute. It was kind of ridiculous actually. Like Noah put “No Uglies” on the job description. And Matthias was sweet. No way would he ever invade her privacy. Then why not Matthias? The answer was simple. He wasn’t Noah. He was missing that raw sexual edge.
“I’m fine. How are you?” The sounds in the background got abruptly louder and Lucia giggled when she heard what sounded like sighs and feminine moans. “Are you guys watching porn over there?”
There was a beat of silence. “No! Uh, that was just Jonas being an asshole.” After a brief pause, all the sounds receded. “Sorry about that. Uh, what’s up?”
“I need a favor.”
“Of course. Anything for you.”
“Um, a favor you can’t tell Noah about.”
He was quiet, and Lucia felt even worse. She was asking him to choose her over his friend and boss. It normally wasn’t something she’d ever do. His crush on her was an open secret amongst their group, and she had always made an effort to be considerate of his feelings. Lucia wasn’t the kind of girl who considered a man’s feelings a weapon to use against him. But in this particular case, it was a risk she’d have to take in light of what she was asking him to do.
“I normally would never ask you to do that but…I wasn’t sure who else to call.”
Matthias sighed. “You can always call me. You know that. What do you need?”
“To track down the owners of a corporation. All I have is a deed to a property purchased in the corporation’s name. That’s probably not enough, but it’s all I’ve got.”
“It’s no problem. Send me what you have and I’ll see what I can do.”
Suddenly, she heard Jonas’s voice in the background. “Why are you hiding out in here? Are you sexting?”
“No, I’m not sexting. It’s Lucia.”
“Why are you sexting with Lucia? I’m telling…”
“No one is sexting,” Matthias shouted, sounding exasperated.
“Hi, Lucia!” Jonas yelled.
Matthias groaned. “Dude, stop yelling in my ear.”
“I’m just trying to say hi.”
“She heard you. I’m pretty sure everyone in the building heard you.”
Lucia covered her mouth to keep from laughing. All the guys on Noah’s team were like family at this point. Family that fought and bickered constantly, but would walk through fire to protect their own.
“Tell him I said hello.”
“She says hello. Now go away.” Matthias relayed the message in a grumpy voice.
“Okay. Well, I know you guys are busy so I’ll go now. Thanks for your help, Matthias. And remember, don’t tell–”
“Yeah, yeah. Don’t tell Noah. Got it.”
Right before she hung up, she heard Jonas’s voice again. “Don’t tell Noah? Good luck with that. He’s for sure going to find out about your sexting.”
As Lucia turned out the light, she could only hope they wouldn’t need luck.
chapter four
Noah checked his phone to see if there were any messages from Lucia. Nothing. It had been a few days since he'd seen her and she was still pissed off at him. Whatever. It was for her safety.
Are you sure about that?
Noah shoved away the thought and dragged his attention back to his workout. Angrily he pushed the button to increase his speed on the treadmill. Outside the window, he watched the throng of passersby and tourists on the streets down below in Midtown as police attempted to direct traffic.
Man, did he love this city.
As a thief on the streets below, he’d never thought he'd end up here now. It was a long way from where he’d started to here. And he didn't take any of it for granted.
Bouncing around from foster home to foster home, he got to see a lot of the city. Unfortunately, he spent most of that time picking the best marks. And nowhere was better for marks than Midtown. Times Square.
But now…now instead of looking at them as targets, he saw them as the people he protected. Sometimes. Other times he was the bad guy.
But that's not who you are anymore. That's not what you do.
Back then, when he’d saved Ian’s life, he hadn't considered where that one action would lead. The dark and twisty path it would take him on. That path had exploited his best skills and nurtured his darkest ones. Despite that, he considered himself lucky. He’d helped people. Saved them. But saving those lives came at a cost.
And when the cost got too high, he’d gotten out.
Noah pushed himself on the treadmill, running until his lungs burned and his eyes watered. Until his heart thundered against his ribs, begging for mercy. When he finally hit the stop button and the treadmill slowed, he dragged in deep breaths, completely unaware that he wasn't alone.
Then he turned and startled when he saw Jonas leaning against the glass doors of the gym.
"You're going pretty hard there," the other man commented as he pushed off the doors and walked closer.
"Jesus Christ, Jonas. You’re a silent motherfucker, you know that? I may consider putting a bell on you."
Jonas just shrugged his big shoulders. "You're welcome to try."
Noah grabbed a towel and wiped his face. "You want to tell me why you're standing there staring at me like you got a crush? Or do you want me to guess?"
Jonas chuckled and shook his head. And he still didn't say anythi
ng. Jonas knew him better than anyone. He was his oldest friend.
"What's up, Jonas? You’re creeping me out."
"Well, I was sort of hoping you could tell me. You’ve been out of it the last week. Lucia still not returning your calls?"
Noah knew a loaded question when he heard it. For years, Jonas had pestered him about Lucia. Jonas was the only one who knew how Noah felt about her.
"No, I haven't heard from her. She’ll settle down. See it my way eventually."
"You sure about that? Either date her yourself, or cut her loose to do what she wants to do."
Noah shook his head. "You know I can't do that. I’m supposed to be looking out for her. So if she can’t choose wisely, then I'm going to make a nuisance of myself until she learns."
Jonas rolled his eyes. "How’s that plan working out for you?"
Like shit. But there was no way Noah was telling his friend that. "It's working fine. Get the team ready. I’ll need five for a shower."
After his shower, he joined his assembled team in the conference room. Matthias, with his two laptops and earpiece in his ear. Jonas at the other head of the table lounging back in the chair, his feet kicked up, gleaming loafers on display.
Oskar sat in front of his laptop looking irritated. But then, that was Oskar. The German rarely smiled. That was probably a good thing given the number of female clients who openly stared at him in interest. If he started smiling back at them, it might be pandemonium.
Ryan and Dylan rounded out the group. They were the newest additions. So far they'd proven themselves on assignments, but he was still testing them out.
"Okay guys." He shook out his hair, wiping away the last remnants of water. "So we had a few new clients come in. And a few repeat requests. Alana Brooks, the singer, is coming back to town and has an open spot for bodyguard duty. Ryan, you worked with her before. You willing to do it again?"
"Yeah, that's fine. Though if she insists on going to a mall again, I'm getting back up. Those teenyboppers are scary people.”
Everyone laughed. Even Oskar.