chapter five
Lucia still wasn’t talking to him.
Most days when he woke up, he wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. He’d always been a light sleeper, useful when you never know if you’ll wake with a gun to your head. But even once Rafe had taken him in, he’d always started each day as a blank slate. He wasn’t happy or sad, just resigned to do whatever was necessary to make sure he survived to see the next morning.
But that day he’d woken with a cloud of foreboding. It was a strange thing to feel so much when you weren’t used to giving a shit about anything. He hadn’t really understood how familiar he’d become with Lucia’s gentle intrusion in his life. Her soft glances and constant questions had started out as annoying and then became reassuring. Somehow he’d grown accustomed to someone caring about him.
But for the last week he’d had an abrupt return to what life was like before. No Lucia stopping by the office to bring him a home cooked meal. No calls to ask if he’d come by and fix something or kill a bug. No hugs that made him feel like a heart still beat somewhere within him. She was angry with him, and although she’d been mad at him before, this was different.
Maybe this is the new normal, he thought as he walked down a level to the office over two hours later than his usual time. He’d overslept for the first time in years and it only added to his cranky mood.
Noah’s first clue that it wasn’t going to be a typical day was seeing that Matthias was waiting for him in the common area.
“Yes, he just got here.” Matthias hung up then, looking exasperated. “Did you forget we had a new client intake this morning? I tried calling your phone.”
Damn. He never fucked up with clients. “Sorry, I overslept.”
By the twitch in his eyebrow it was clear Matthias wanted to call bullshit on that, but wisely he didn’t say anything. Noah walked past him and into the conference room.
“My apologies, we can start now. I’m Noah Blake and I hope the others have already introduced themselves.”
The men sitting around the table nodded and smiled. They all looked extremely young and more likely to be on their way to a frat party than a business meeting. He looked down at the new client form that Matthias placed in front of him. Their firm was listed as owning and operating a chain of fitness centers. Suddenly, the fact that they all had those awful orange spray tans and more muscles than your average desk jockey made sense. This should be a pretty easy intake all around. Which was a good thing, since he was exhausted and definitely not functioning at full tilt.
“So, tell me what brings you to Blake Security gentlemen.”
“Actually, we came by to deliver a message,” said one of the men sitting directly across from Noah. “Jason, hit the music!”
All three of the men stood suddenly and ripped their shirts open, revealing oiled-up chests and six-pack abs. Rock music blared from somewhere that Noah couldn’t identify.
What. The. Fuck.
Two seconds went by in complete, stunned silence before there was an explosion of movement and multiple weapons aimed in every direction. Next to him, Jonas had his Glock 9 pointing at the new client directly across from him, and Noah had his Sig Sauer aimed at the man across from him. Oskar had the guy who’d been sitting next to him in a headlock. The guy’s face was bright red and going nearly purple.
The man across from Noah held his hands up slowly. “Well, this isn’t the usual response to a birthday-gram.”
“Wait, what?” Noah asked through clenched teeth.
He held up the card in his hand and wiggled it. Noah indicated with his head for Matthias to go get it. Matthias took the card gingerly and opened it. Suddenly he snorted. He walked over to Noah and held out the neon green card.
“It’s just a birthday card.”
“I thought they said they had a message for us?”
“We do,” one of the guys interjected. “A message from Lucia. Can we put our hands down?”
“Yes.” Noah nodded at the others to let the men go.
As soon as all their weapons were sheathed, the men glanced at each other and then one by one they ripped off their slacks, the tearing sound of fabric startling Noah so much he almost drew his gun again.
“Happy Birthday, Noah!” They screeched in unison and then proceeded to sing. Every time they sang “Happy Birthday,” they shimmied and gyrated in unison until their extremely tiny banana hammocks were dangerously close to giving up the fight.
Oh. Fuck. No.
Just what he needed on top of a night of no sleep; a room full of dudes with their dicks hanging out.
He opened the card and immediately recognized Lucia’s handwriting. Just the sight of it brought a jolt of unexpected warmth to his heart. Until the three men approached, gyrating and rolling their abs as they finished the song, flinging their arms up at the end. In the silence that followed, the only sound was their breathing and Oskar’s muffled laughter behind him.
Jonas clapped and Matthias joined in.
“Thank you. This has definitely made things more interesting around here, and it’s not even my birthday,” Jonas boomed.
“Or mine,” Noah added under his breath, coughing when Jonas elbowed him in the gut.
“Yes, thank you.” He bit out the words, figuring if he played along they’d leave faster than if he explained the whole thing was a mistake. Okay, not a mistake — a prank.
“Oh I almost forgot!” One of the guys held up a small noisemaker. The others, once they saw his, pulled out similar ones. They all blew on them, releasing a chorus of loud honks and streams of glittery confetti that exploded in the air around them.
Noah blinked as confetti streamed all over him. He watched as the men waved happily and then grabbed their clothes before filing out. A piece of confetti tickled the edge of his nose and he sneezed suddenly. When he opened his eyes, Jonas stood next to him, his hand covering his mouth.
“Don’t even say it,” he growled.
“I wasn’t going to say anything.” Jonas held his hands up in surrender.
Wordlessly, Noah walked over to the garbage can and brushed as much of the confetti off as possible. Glitter stuck to his shirt and hands, and he’d probably be washing it out until next week.
Jonas helped him gather the confetti streamers and stuffed them into the garbage can next to the conference table. Then he laughed suddenly. “I can’t believe she got you a stripper-gram.”
Noah had never been so pissed and simultaneously amused. How was it possible that he wanted to spank her and kiss her all at once? Actually he knew exactly how that was. The funniest part was that she’d no doubt thought the strippers would embarrass him in some way. Maybe she thought this would even the score between them, her embarrassment countered by his. It only showed how little she actually knew of him. You could only be embarrassed if you had any shame left.
He’d lost what little shame he had back on the streets.
“That girl has balls, that’s for sure.” Jonas handed over the folder he’d been carrying under his arm. “At least she’s not pretending you don’t exist anymore.”
“I’m starting to think I’d prefer being invisible.” Noah pretended he didn’t see the look of pity Jonas threw his way. He definitely wasn’t going there today.
Matthias stuck his head around the door. “Is it bloody safe to come in?”
Jonas snorted. “Scared of a few shlongs in thongs?”
Matthias’s only response was the middle finger he waved in Jonas’s direction. However, Noah noticed that he didn’t say anything until Jonas left. It was rare for them to keep secrets from each other; after all, their safety often hinged on the entire group being fully apprised of every possible future scenario. Which meant something was up.
“What’s wrong?”
Matthias shrugged. Then he glanced over his shoulder at the open door. “It’s Lucia,” he said in a low voice.
Fear lanced through Noah. “What do you mean? What’s wrong with her?”
“Nothing. She’s fine. Fuck, I probably shouldn’t even be telling you this.”
Noah took a deep breath and struggled to keep his temper under control. Raging at one of his best friends wouldn’t help the situation. “If something’s going on with Lucia then you need to tell me. I know you…care about her, too.”
It was as close as they’d ever come to acknowledging their shared fate of loving a woman that neither of them had a chance with.
Matthias flushed. “I do. Care, I mean. And that’s why I originally agreed to help her.”
“Help her with what?”
Matthias pulled out his phone. A few thumb taps later he held it out so Noah could see the image on the screen. His blood went cold when he recognized the house.
“Where did you get that?”
His voice didn’t even sound like his own, and he cleared his throat trying to get his composure back. But it was impossible to be unaffected when the past came back to haunt you. His time with ORUS wasn’t something that he could ever forget, but he’d tried too damn hard to keep it in the past where it belonged.
Now it was rising like a specter to remind him that he’d never be free.
“Lucia asked me to help her do some research. She sent me a deed to a house and asked for info on finding the owners. All she had to go on was the name of the corporation on the deed.”
“Lucia asked you about that house?”
Noah closed his eyes. This was so much worse than he’d thought. It wasn’t just the past coming back to haunt him, it was the past reaching forward with icy fingers trying to snatch the only person he’d been able to save that day.
Matthias was watching him closely. “It’s weird, too, because the name on the deed didn’t actually match the corporation name. It’s a fake. But I had the address so I could do some digging of my own. Then suddenly she said never mind. That she didn’t need to know anymore.”
“That’s not like her.”
“No, it’s not. It’s also not like her to ask me not to tell you about it. Which probably means she’s doing something she shouldn’t be.”
Noah grunted. “She’s mad at me right now.”
“I figured that. But it’s Lucia. She’s always mad at you.”
He shook his head. “Not like this.”
Noah sighed. There really wasn’t anything he could say to explain. He wasn’t entirely sure what was different about this time. All he knew was Lucia was gone even while she was still there, and he’d never felt more empty.
When Noah didn’t say anything, Matthias knocked on the edge of the table. “Mad or not, she’s family.”
Noah raised his head, the truth in Matthias’s words ringing through his head. That day, that horrible day, had almost stolen everything from him, but he’d managed to keep the vow he’d sworn while bathed in blood. To pledge his life to Lucia and Nonna DeMarco. To protect Rafe’s family.
To protect his family.
“Tell the others I’m taking the day off. I have to take care of something.”
He was smiling.
Lucia closed her eyes, soaking up the late summer rays and reveling in a rare afternoon spent with her ultra-serious big brother. Rafe was always lecturing her on how she needed to get better grades and work hard so she could take care of Nonna. He was always so serious but not today. For once, he was smiling and everything was wonderful.
A shot rang out.
Lucia flinched and then the scene shifted. Suddenly, she was in their car and Rafe was trying to leave her. Where was he going?
“Stay here. No matter what, okay?”
He always looked so fierce and serious. Lucia nodded, sure he was just being his usual overprotective self.
“Okay, fine. But really, where am I going to go?”
“I’m serious, Lulu.”
He leaned over her and popped open the glove compartment. Lucia gasped at the sight of the gun and then went still when he picked up her hand and pressed the gun into her palm.
“Take this. If something happens…you drive out of here as fast as you can.”
“Rafe, I can’t drive yet.”
“I’ve taught you enough. Just drive, Lu. As fast as you can.”
A shot rang out.
“Rafe!”
She reached out for him but he was already falling. There was so much blood; it was on her hands, in her hair. Then she raised the gun in her hand and fired. And Rafe’s body dissolved in her arms.
“I love you. Come back,” she sobbed, trying desperately to hold on to his body but it flowed through her fingers like water.
A shot rang out.
Lucia bolted upright on the couch and then squeaked at the sound of a fist hitting the front door. It was hard to separate what was real from the dream, but as the knocking continued, she figured someone really wanted to talk to her.
“Okay, I’m coming.” She pushed her hair out of her face irritably. She was still wearing her yoga clothes and hadn’t showered. The damn dreams…It was getting harder and harder to sleep at night knowing what she’d see when she closed her eyes. So she’d been staying up later, reading, cleaning and just subsisting off of caffeine and adrenaline. It was finally catching up to her.
She leaned forward to check the peephole before opening the door. Noah stepped through as soon as the door opened, brushing past her and then closing and bolting the door behind him.
“Come on in. Make yourself at home,” she grumbled.
“You don’t get to be mad at me today. Not when I’m going to be washing glitter out of my ass crack for the next month after that little birthday production you ordered up for me.”
The thought of Mr. Tough Guy finding glitter in unmentionable places made her feel a little better.
“Just a little payback. I hope you guys enjoyed the show, though.”
Noah chuckled. “I don’t know about that, but I was impressed at your creativity. It was just the right combination of cheerful and maddening.”
“You taught me well.”
Noah settled on the edge of the couch and leveled that stare at her. The one that always made her feel like she’d just been called to the principal’s office.
“I did, which is why I want to know what the hell you’re up to. Matthias told me about what you asked him to research.”
Lucia’s heart sank. “Bunch of tattletales you’ve got working for you.”
He shrugged. “I think he wouldn’t have told me except he says you called it off. Knowing how stubborn you are, he figured you wouldn’t do that without good reason.”
She kept her eyes on the floor.
“Lucia. If something happened, you need to tell me. Right now.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Okay, but you have to promise not to freak.”
“I think I can keep my head.”
She walked back to her room and pulled the letter out of her night table drawer. It was still in the original envelope. When she got back to the living room, Noah was pacing in front of the window. Nothing was out of place, but she could tell he was on edge. Wordlessly, she handed him the envelope. He opened it and pulled out the sheet of paper. Instantly, it felt like the temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees.
Lucia had a feeling she was going to pay dearly for not showing this to him right away.
“When did this arrive?” he asked softly, his voice perfectly calm.
“Last week.”
His only response was a soft grunt. “Last week. Of course it’s been a week. Of course you’ve been walking around for a week with minimal protection and no regard for your own safety. Of course!”
He shouted the last two words and Lucia jumped. Then she backed up as he advanced on her, backing her against the wall, leaning over her until all that surrounded her was him. Instantly, her heartbeat accelerated and her stomach dropped. Noah would never hurt her, she had no doubt about that, but she’d never seen him quite like this. Wild. Untamed. Undone.
Captivating.
“You don’t know how vital you are, do you? Not just to your friends and your family but to me. If something ever happened to you, Lucia…”
He dipped his head, his lips brushing against her hair. In that moment, everything inside her went liquid and she let out a soft sigh, suddenly aware that she’d been holding her breath the whole time. His scent was all around her and she wanted to rub up against him.
“Nothing is going to happen to me.”
“You’re damn right it’s not. I won’t let it. From now on, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”
Ah, the man was infuriating. Lucia shoved him, annoyed that she could be so easily distracted by him when he was busy trying to take over her life. Again.
“I don’t need a shadow. This is my problem and I’ve got it handled. You aren’t my father, and I’m not a little girl who needs a babysitter.”
He let out a low growl, the sound so insanely sexy that it brought a blush to her cheeks.
“Believe me, I know you aren’t a little girl.”
He tipped his head and their faces were so close...so close, that she could feel the warm whisper of his breath on her skin. Then suddenly he pulled her up on her toes and his mouth covered hers. His tongue slid into her mouth and over hers, making lust pierce through her.
She melted against him, her limbs turning to jelly. He kissed her until she couldn’t think or move or even breathe. Her hands slid into his hair of their own volition, twining through the thick strands to hold him against her. He was her only anchor in a storm of sensation, and she hung on for dear life. By the time she had to break away to take a needed gasp of air, he allowed her to slide slowly down until she was standing on her own two feet again.
“I have to go, but I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Why are you coming back?” Lucia barely recognized her own voice. That lazy, husky sound couldn’t be coming from her, could it?
Noah tipped up her chin until she met his eyes. “Because as of right now, you have a roommate. I’m moving in. I hope you don’t snore, princess.”
He left her standing against the wall in her living room trying to figure out how she’d lost complete control of the situation.