Page 69 of Noah

She covered the mouthpiece and turned to Noah. “Mid-morning?”

He rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Make sure they know that I’ll be coming.” His voice left no room for compromise.

“Noah will come with us,” she told Jennifer.

Jennifer paused typing. The silence was heavy, so heavy Adrienne felt it through the phone.

Adrienne blinked hard, hoping they wouldn’t prevent him from coming. She wanted him there for support.

Noah would support and respect her decisions. She didn’t doubt it. He made sure that she was first, in every way, she thought, hiding her smile on her shoulder as she adjusted the phone.

“I’ll arrange extra cover.” Jennifer tapped again. “Noah is more than capable of looking after himself however we take precautions with our people, so we’ll set up extra protection. Briar and Owen will be along shortly to escort you.”

“Thank you so much. Do you need the address?”

“No. We have it on our system. Can I help you with anything else?” Jennifer asked, and Adrienne heard a ping through the phone as Jennifer busily juggled several tasks.

“No that’s fine.”

“Have a good day,” Jennifer returned, then hung up.

Adrienne clicked her phone shut and glanced at Noah. “She’s sending Owen and Briar with us.”

“I’ll get ready,” Noah said and stood.

Noah tidied up, then before he headed to his bedroom he gripped her hair, bowed her back, and had her breathless in seconds. His mouth dominated hers, and his soft lips met hers, causing her mind to become muddled and all her thoughts to drift away.

Just as quickly, he pulled away and strode down the hall leaving her staring after him dazed and gobsmacked.

What had that been about?

She shook her head and grabbed everything she thought she might need, including a birth certificate which she found at the bottom of a box of documents that the Numbers had packed up for her.

After grabbing her bag, she slipped on sandals, walked outside, and sat on the porch. She wanted to soak in the heat and there was a bright spot where a bench had been placed to take advantage of the morning sun.

Her eyes closed and while the sun warmed her skin, she listened to Noah move around the home. A dark shadow then cold prickled her skin. Her eyes snapped open, and she saw Noah standing in front of her blocking out the sun.

“I can hear the Jeep. It will be here in a minute.”

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s go then.” He helped her up. His hand lingered on hers, his touch light but possessive.

The Jeep pulled up and a cheerful-looking Number that must be Briar along with a dour-looking human Owen who was frowning at the forest as if it had offended him.

Owen looked like he was on high alert as if he thought they would be ambushed at any minute.

Adrienne glanced at the trees and bit her lip. How safe were they? Did they expect trouble here, and what about on the outside? Was that why they needed security because wherever they went there would be risks associated with knowing Numbers.

Adrienne had naively thought she understood and had planned to go back to her normal life. Or what passes for a normal life?

She suddenly paused beside the Jeep.

Noah was about to go around the back of the Jeep to the other side, but he stopped dead when she did. He returned to her side, but her vision was tunnelling, her eyes fixed on the Jeep door as if it were an angry rattlesnake. She couldn’t touch, she couldn’t move.

“What’s wrong with her?” Briar asked.

Owen’s face appeared as he leaned over the front seat. “She’s having a panic attack.”

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