Chapter Two

THE BUS FINALLY MAKES it to Elizabeth City by 8 p.m. There were numerous refueling and leg-stretching pit stops along the way, but Norah rarely left the confines of her seat. She was too worried about anyone lurking in the shadows.

As she grabs her bag and walks down the narrow path to exit the bus the driver grabs her arm and tugs her close. Her hackles rise, and she tries to pull back, but the older man smiles at her and Norah feels a sense of ease.

“Sheila informed me of your situation. There is a charter tour bus that is going to pull in within the hour, and they are headed to Kitty Hawk North Carolina. You can get wherever you need to from there.”

“They have space for me?”

“My friend is the driver, and he’ll be happy to help get ya to where ya need to be. Just remember to stay tucked away. I noticed a car trailing behind us as we left Virginia but I haven’t seen them since we crossed state lines.”

“Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me,” Norah explains.

“I have a granddaughter that reminds me of you. A strong, brilliant woman that needs a little help. Give me just a second and I’ll wait with you. My next trip isn’t until the morning.”

“I truly appreciate all you and Sheila have done for me.”

Norah only has to wait a few minutes as Carl shuts down the bus and notes the mileage, gas, and oil levels on a form. They walk together toward the bus station, and Carl guides her through the waiting area to a room marked employees only.

“I don’t think I should be in here,” Norah questions as Carl heads toward the vending machine that seems to house a few frozen dinners. The machine squeaks as it withdrawals a few items from its confines and drops them into the catching area below.

Carl turns around to look at her, and he holds a disk in his hand. “Frozen pizza?”

Before she can answer her stomach growls loudly and she realizes that she hasn’t eaten since the evening before. “Yes, pizza sounds great.”

Forty-five minutes later Carl escorts Norah to the charter bus parked beside the station. She can’t help but swing her eyes back and forth from under the curtain of her hair taking in everyone standing about. She glances for anyone that stands out but is relieved when each person looks like a tried and true tourist, their floppy hats and Hawaiian shirts a dead giveaway.

“You take care of yourself, Miss Norah,” Carl says as he waves to her from the parking lot as she takes the final step onto the bus.

“I will. My friend is going to take good care of me.”

He nods, and Norah moves toward a seat in the middle of the bus on a row the driver told her had been empty during the trip.  She tucks her bag into a ball and curls her body up onto the seat to try to catch a bit of shut-eye.

The movement of the bus lulls Norah into a deep sleep, far enough that she is able to ignore the loud crowd surrounding her.

Norah awakens with a start when she has the panicked feeling of being watched. She tucks her legs closer to her body and slowly slides her bag to her chest.

“Momma, she’s pretty,” a little boy calls out from above Norah’s makeshift bed.

“Yes, she is, sweetie,” his mother replies.

“Why is she sleepin’? Isn’t she excited to go to the beach? I’m excited to see the dolphins and make a sandcastle,” the little boy chimes on, his excitement palpable in the space.

“Well, she’s probably had a long day and needs a nap so she can play when we all get there.”

“Naps are for babies,” he huffs and Norah imagines him puffing out his chest and crossing his arms in defiance.

“I do recall that you took a nap this morning.”

“That wasn’t a nap, Momma. That was just my superhero powers needing a chance to charge up.”

“Oh,” his mother replies and Norah can’t help the snicker that escapes blowing her cover of sleeping.

“You’re awake!” the little boy clamors as he peeks his head over the top of his seat in front of her.

“I am.”

“My name is Thomas and this is my Momma.”

“Hello, Thomas. My name is No… Noel,” she quickly adds in the hopes that her false name slip up doesn’t give her away, but the little boy just stares at her openly. His friendly curiousness a welcome change to the fear she’s been holding onto since she began this journey sixteen hours ago.

“You’re pretty.”

“Thank you. You’re very handsome.” Leaning forward Norah holds her hands up to her mouth as if to whisper a secret to the little boy, but loud enough for the people around to hear. “You look so strong. I bet you have superpowers, don’t you?”

“I do! Mom, she can see my superpowers just like you!”

His mother doesn’t speak just smiles warmly at her son and runs a hand down his back in a loving caress, something Norah doesn’t remember as a child. Being locked in cars and empty warehouses overnight for safety was the closest thing to a sense of love she got from her parents.

Thomas must have moved to stand on the armrest between the two seats because he leans farther over the seat beckoning Norah closer to whisper a secret of his own.

“I have a lot of superpowers. I can protect you from whatever is coming after you.”

Norah smiles up at the little boy far braver than she could ever hope to be.

“I wish you could, sweet Thomas. I wish that you could.”

The charter bus arrives in Kitty Hawk and the groups file out and head directly into the hotel. Norah grabs her bag and patiently waits for everyone to exit. As she steps down onto the pavement, Thomas scurries over with a small rolling suitcase and his mother in tow carrying a much larger bag.

“Are you staying with us?” Thomas asks, hope filling his eyes.

Norah had hoped to find a hotel to stay at for the night, but as she gazes down the street and notices all of the no vacancy signs her hope dwindles.

“Hey,” Thomas’ mother begins. “You look like you’ve had a rough day and I have an extra bed in our room. You’re welcome to stay with us tonight.”

The thoughtfulness of the single mother brings tears to Norah’s eyes; it’s the first sense of relief she’s felt all day. And as much as she doesn’t want to rope the child and his mother into her mess, she can’t say no to a soft bed and a shower.

“Yes, please. Thank you so much. I’ll be out of your hair first thing in the morning.”

“No rush, Noel. I’m Jennifer by the way, and you already know my superhero, Thomas.”

The group goes up to the room and Norah sets her bag on the bed not designated by Jennifer and Thomas.

“Please help yourself to a shower. I’m going to get little man settled in bed.”

Norah moves into the small space and turns on the hot water before stripping from her clothes. Under the spray she lets the realization of her day settle and the tears well in her eyes. Her product is gone. A device she’s spent the last three years perfecting. Her friend and colleague is missing; no doubt captured at the same time as the device. And now she’s running for her life because if the people that stole the property figure out how to turn it on it will only take a matter of minutes for them to locate her. And she’s the only one able to run the program that will allow the device to work.

After a few minutes of feeling sorry for herself, Norah shuts off the water and wraps a towel around her body and one around her hair like a turban. She looks down at her grimy clothes and dreads having to put the items back on. A knock on the bathroom door sounds and she hears Jennifer’s voice filter through.

“I left you a pair of leggings and a long T-shirt. I figured you wouldn’t want to put your own clothes back on and I see you don’t have anything else with you.”

Norah’s throat tightens and her need to cry again at the gesture practically chokes her. “Thank you so much. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“Take all the time you need. I left the clothes right outside the door.”

Norah cracks open the door to find a pair of black leggings and an oversized gray T-shirt folded up on the floor. She quickly dresses herself and towel dries her thick hair before putting it in a braid.

She exits to the bathroom and sees Thomas passed out on the bed holding a small stuffed bear wearing a superhero cape. Jennifer sits beside him with a book in her hand.

“Thank you for this. For everything. I’m kind of overwhelmed with the kindness everyone has shown me today.”

“You’re welcome, Norah,” Jennifer smiles as she pulls her attention away from the book and looks over to Norah’s horrified gaze. “I looked through your wallet while you were in the shower. I wasn’t being nosy intentionally but I needed to make sure you weren’t a serial killer or anything.”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lie. I just –“

“Don’t worry about it. You didn’t want to cause us trouble. I get it. Your secret is safe with me. Smart to turn your phone off by the way. They’re very easy to trace.”

Norah takes a deep breath and then sits on the edge of the bed with her stomach churning in fear, regret, and anticipation.

“You should get some rest,” Jennifer insists and Norah feels an overpowering weight fall on her chest as her lids grow heavy.

“Yeah, sleep sounds good. I’ll be out of your hair in the morning.”

With a tug of the duvet she pulls back the overly bleached bed set and climbs in, but just as she lies down, she feels a poke at her back. Reaching around she grabs the offending item and holds in her palm a plastic ring with a rock formation on top.

“That’s one of Thomas’ superhero rings. His favorite actually. He says it helps him charge his powers. He wants you to have it so he can protect you whenever you need him.”

“You have the best little boy on this planet.”

Jennifer smiles at Norah and then gazes down at her little boy, stroking her hand across his delicate cheek causing his lips to pucker.

“I really do.”

 

 

AS THE SUN BARELY peeks in the horizon, Norah is making her escape out of the hotel room. She penned a heartfelt letter to Jennifer and Thomas praying that whatever mess she is now caught up in doesn’t touch them.

Using the business office in the hotel, Norah looks up a local Laundromat and the phone number for a cab service. Luckily the Laundromat is within walking distance so after paying the hotel bill for the night because Norah didn’t feel right not putting anything toward Jennifer’s kindness, she walks outside and follows the directions guest services provided.

While her few items run in the washer Norah powers on her phone to check to see if Jameson has replied to her message but all she finds is a few spam emails.

“Shit,” she murmurs out loud, lucky that she is in the space alone.

She isn’t quite sure where Jameson is staying and as she dials his number her anxiety grows.

“Jameson, it’s Norah. I’m in trouble and I need your help. I’m in Kitty Hawk right now. Where are you? I can’t use my phone, but I’ll check it later for messages. Please, Jay,” she cries into the voicemail.

Powering off the phone she places it in the seat beside her and bends forward, hang her head between her legs.

I don’t know where Jameson is staying, but I do know where the wedding is tomorrow. The wedding I was invited to but had to decline because of our meeting in DC.

Crashing a wedding is the last thing Norah wants to do, but at this point, she has very few options left.

Her morning is spent sifting through tourist brochures in the Laundromat as she watches the washer and dryer spin her items and eating an egg and sausage biscuit from the fast food restaurant across the street.

As her laundry finished she asks the attendant where she may pick up a formal dress for tomorrow because if she’s going to crash, she’s at least going to look nice doing it. The attendant steps into the back and comes through a side door with a large rack of dresses and suits.

“We do alterations, and you’d be surprised how many people never come to pick up their things. You’re a size six, right?”

“How’d you guess?” Norah asks as she looks down at her frumpy attire.

“I’ve been doing this for a long time. Here I have three dresses that may fit you. You’re welcome to step into the back room and try them on if you’d like. There is a changing room.”

“Thank you so much,” Norah whispers as she takes the offered dresses and moves through the opening with the attendant behind her.

She lucks out that the first dress she tries on fits perfectly, the navy chiffon dress hugging her small curves. Now she can only pray that she’s not kicked out of the reception before she can get a hold of Jameson.

Norah knows that many of his siblings are famous and that security will be tight but she has to try. Hell, there is no try, or she’s going to find herself kidnapped and the country in grave danger.

Using the attendant’s phone, she dials the cab company and a motel on the small island of Manteo and sighs with relief when both have availability for her.

 

 

NORAH WAKES TO A pounding in the room next to her, the kind of pounding not made by a hammer and nail but by someone getting hammered into the bed and the headboard knocking against the wall. She takes a peek at the alarm clock on the nightstand and is surprised to find the time just before noon. With everything that’s going on she is surprised that she slept as hard as she has.

The pounding is joined by a few pleasure fueled cries and Norah chuckles.

“At least someone is having a good day,” Norah says into the empty room.

The motel, though small and old, is well stocked and clean – the only requirements for Norah. The owner mentioned that they had recently refurbished the place and it shows. The bathroom was sparkling when she arrived and Norah helped herself to a soak in the tub. Baths were not something Norah indulged in frequently, she usually was too busy to barely snag a shower, but as her muscles called out, she finally relented and soaked for about an hour.

Remembering that the wedding is going to start around two in the afternoon Norah decides to get ready and make herself as presentable as possible. She scrounges through her bag and comes up with a tube of tinted Chapstick, and she realizes that as far as make-up goes, she’ll have to settle on that. Not that she knew how to apply make-up. Her parents were never around and her mother passed away when Norah was thirteen.

Thinking about her family always sours Norah’s mood. After spending many weekends with Jameson and his family, she understood how a genuine, loving family dynamic should work. She definitely got the short end of the stick growing up.

Curiously she wonders if all of Jameson’s family will be attending the wedding. Though they’ve been friends since they enrolled at the University of Virginia at eighteen and have stayed in touch while Norah worked toward her Ph.D. she has never actually met all of Jameson’s siblings; specifically his twin brother Ryker. Of course, she knows who he is and what he looks like. Heck, she even had one of his posters hanging in her dorm room at college. She’ll admit to having a crush on him like many other girls across the world. But she knew what great lengths his family went through to protect Ryker, and she never wanted to overstep those boundaries.

But five years is a long time to crush on your best friend’s brother that you’ve never met.

Looking up into the bathroom mirror Norah takes a few pieces of hair and pins them away from her face, letting her natural waves fall freely down her back. Taking the dress from the hanger, she steps into the soft material and pulls it up her body. The one shoulder design draws attention to her collarbone and slim shoulders and makes her breasts look more substantial than they truly are.

“Well, if I wasn’t afraid someone might kill me then I’d say I look pretty damn good,” she whispers.

Norah waits an hour before tugging on the strappy sandals she found at the small outlet mall in Kitty Hawk yesterday when the cab arrives out front. She stumbles a few times on the way to the car, the driver probably thinking that she’s already indulged for the day, but in reality, heels and Norah did not mix – ever.

Norah never visited the beach on any family vacations so when the taxicab arrives outside the pavilion where the reception is taking place she takes a moment to immerse herself in the view of the ocean. She isn’t sure when she’ll have another time to take in the endless blue seeping into the sky, or if she’ll ever get the chance, not if Jameson can’t help her.

She rubs the skin behind her ear as she thinks about all of the danger coming their way if Dr. Lewis is forced to talk and her software is hacked. Though the latter isn’t probable, it is still possible. Whoever took him simply needs her and her thumb drive. Dr. Lewis’ server isn’t even a necessity. She’s in the midst of one of the happiest days of a couple’s life and all she can think about is how it may be her last.

Norah steps away from the scenic overlook and moves toward the doors of the pavilion where two armed security guards menacingly stand with their arms across their chest.

“Hello, gentlemen, may I get through?” she asks, and the one with the pierced eyebrow looks down at her from the top of his sunglasses.

“No.”

“No? But I was invited.”

“We’ve already accounted for all the RSVPs. You’re not allowed inside.”

“Please. I wasn’t sure I could make it. Could you . . . could you just tell Jameson I’m here? Or Amy and Joseph?”

The man sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

“Look. We’ve had a trying day and it’s only three. Girls have been trying to sneak in all morning to get a glimpse of Ryker and Harlan, let alone the photographers hiding in the bushes.”

“But I promise you, they know me. The Connelly’s  will let me in,” Norah pleads.

“I don’t doubt you, sweetheart. I’m just under strict rules.”

Without any other options, Norah sags her shoulders and bends her head in defeat. As she glances at the man’s uniform she notices a badge on the breast pocket that says Scarlet Security.

Looking back up she asks, “You’re ex-military right?” and as their heads nod once she knows she’ll have some sort of protection if the thieves come after her.

“I think we’ve spoken before. I’m Norah, Jameson’s friend and I’m in a shitload of trouble, and I need his help.”

“Norah, as awesome as it is to finally meet you in person I still cannot let you inside.”

“God fucking dammit!” she shouts causing a few of the photographers to huddle back into their bushes. “I am telling you right now that if you don’t let me inside, then everything we know will be gone in a matter of days. Do you want that on your conscious?”

The men remove their glasses and stare wide-eyed at a chest-heaving Norah.

“What did you do?”

“The government requested a device and I made it. That’s all I’m allowed to say until I get a hold of Jameson.”

“What happens if we don’t let you inside?”

“Then I’m going to be kidnapped and a bunch of bad guys are going to have the most powerful weapon in the world.”

They look at each other as Norah bounces on her toes anxiously waiting to either get inside or get away. Finally, they move to the side and let her pass through the doors.

“Thank you,” she cries out as she scampers down the hallway heading for the pavilion located at the back of the building.

Crowds of people mingle at the entrance and Norah pushes them inside not even noticing the acoustic sounds of Exoneration playing in the background. No, her eyes lock on Jameson swaying to the music with a gorgeous blonde and her heart jumps into her throat.

She rushes forward and loses her balance causing her to collide into Jameson’s back who spins around ready to set straight whoever plowed into him. But as his gaze lands on her his demeanor changes and he grips her shoulders tightly.

“Norah? What are you doing here?”

Her lips suddenly feel dry and she licks them before she says, “I sent you a message and tried to call, but . . . Jameson, I’m in trouble.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“The worst kind.”

Without a word, he ushers her from the dance floor and Norah can feel the surprised gazes falling on her as she passes through toward the back door.

“Alright, now spill,” he demands as he settles them away from the crowd hanging around the beach.

She begins by telling him about how she woke up to a bad feeling and went to the lab to find Dr. Lewis gone and their project missing. His eyes grow in fear and anger with every word and Norah hates that she’s doing this to her best friend. He may be a computer nerd and science whiz, but Jameson is built like an MMA fighter, it’s too bad she’s never felt any attraction to him. Not like the way she feels for the man that steps up behind his brother and pins her with his gaze.

Norah can feel a blush rushing up to her cheeks, and she tilts her head downward and whispers, “Ryker.”

 

*

 

CHASING AFTER A WOMAN at his sister’s wedding isn’t what Ryker had expected to do today. But his heart leaped to attention the moment she slid into the room.

Outside he glances around until he sees Jameson’s broad back and assumes that he is hiding the woman in the shadows. Ryker looks into the room one last time and watches as Jameson’s date begins dancing with one of his cousins. His siblings are all grouped together, and his parents continue to spin along the dance floor like a pair of teenagers in love. That’s where he should be, with his family enjoying their time together but something about this woman pulls at him, awakens a part of him he didn’t know existed.

Just one quick fleeting look at her porcelain face and dark hair and Ryker was infatuated. He now understands how Harlan had been obsessed with his one-night stand with Cassidy a year ago; he had felt a higher presence take over – fate.

Ryker makes his way over to the shadows and watches as the woman wraps her arms around herself as she explains something to Jameson. His brother’s shoulders creep closer to his ears and Ryker can tell that he’s growing in anger.

 “What’s going on? Who is this?” Ryker asks Jameson defensively. He doesn’t like the way Jameson spins around and stands in front of the woman in a protective stance.

“This is Norah.”

“Norah? You’re friend Norah?”

No way could this be the brainy female Jameson drones on about. Ryker had imagined her to be short and stocky with glasses and braces – pretty much a quintessential nerd. Not that Ryker thinks there anything is wrong with that, he loves women of all shapes and sizes; she just isn’t what he was expecting to see when they were introduced.

“Yeah, I mean, haven’t y’all met before?”

Ryker watches as Norah’s cheeks darken in color and he decides that he underestimated her beauty. He saw her quickly and knew she had high cheekbones and dark almond-shaped eyes, but he hadn’t been able to see the flecks of navy blue in them that match her dress – only able to see it now as the sun shines in her gaze.

“No, we haven’t crossed paths until now. I’m Ryker,” he says holding out his hand praying to the Heavens that she puts her delicate one in his.

She doesn’t disappoint.

It takes her a moment to place her shaking palm against his, but the moment she does he feels warmth travel through his veins. She doesn’t remove her hand right away, just stares at him openly until Jameson coughs interrupting their moment. Ryker squeezes her hand gently then releases it and Norah tucks it back into her crossed arm.

“Nice to meet you,” she whispers, and Ryker is mesmerized by the plumpness of her lips as she speaks and he’s hypnotized as she bites down on the lower flesh.

“So, what’s going on?” Ryker asks and watches as her face pales once again and she looks to Jameson for guidance.

“Fuck, man. We have a major problem.”

“Well, you’re the smart one, you can figure it out.”

Norah’s eyes narrow and then scan him from head to toe, and he likes the way it feels to have her eyes on his body, the way she takes him in.

“So, what does that make you?” she purrs, and her eyes widen in surprise as if she didn’t expect to speak the words aloud.

“That makes me the sexy one,” he says with a wink though he doesn’t believe the words.

He’s always compared himself to Jameson, the good-looking twin as he was called in high school. Ryker didn’t mind it then, he had a big enough ego to compensate for it while Jameson never paid much attention, but as they got older he still always felt that he never compared to his brother.

And watching the way Norah reaches out and grips Jameson’s arm he wishes that just for once he could get the girl.

“Hey,” his brother says as he wraps his arm around Norah’s shoulders, gripping her tightly to him. “We need to get her someplace safe until we can figure this out. Someplace secure.”

Now is his chance. He can make his mark with her, protect her. Because he sure as hell doesn’t want his brother doing that job.

“We can take her back to Carson on my plane. It’s at the airport now. And maybe she can tell us more about what’s going on.”

“Thanks, man. At least, for now, Carson is the safest place for her. Let me tell the family that we’re leaving.”

Jameson walks off leaving Ryker and Norah together and he’s thankful for the chance to have her alone, but as he tries to make small talk he clams up like a teenage boy meeting his fantasy.

Thankfully Norah chimes in during the awkward silence. “So, it’s nice to finally meet you in person.”

“Same. Jameson talks about you all of the time.”

“Pshh,” she sounds in disbelief.

“No really, he does. But he never mentioned how beautiful you are.”

That blush he loves so much returns to her cheeks as she bites down on her plump lip again.

“Stop,” she whispers, and Ryker can’t help but feel the pull to move toward her, so he takes a step forward closing the gap between them.

He reaches out and tucks a stray piece of hair behind her ear and watches her body react to his touch as she stifles back a gasp as his thumb caresses her cheek.

“It’s the truth. You’re beautiful. It’s a shame Jameson has you all to himself.”

“We’re not like that. Jameson and I are just friends.”

Ryker hears a commotion on the deck and watches as Jameson exits with two security guards and Dylan, their brother-in- law, in tow.

“Hmm… you may want to tell him that,” Ryker explains as he steps back from Norah’s confused stare and watches Jameson storm toward them, his eyes narrowed in Ryker’s direction.

“Come on,” he commands. “We’re going to figure out exactly what we’re up against and then we’ll figure out what to do.”

“Jameson,” Norah utters grabbing Ryker’s anger-fueled brother’s gaze. “Thank you. You’re the only one I have to count on.”

Ryker is confused by her statement, but all is forgotten as he trails behind them and she peers over her shoulder to gaze back at him with a pleading look in her eyes. One that tells him not to leave her.

He has zero intentions of ever doing that.