Page 209 of Wild Mustang Security Firm

“I told him I wanted to get the last things done here while it’s still light.”

Noah nodded. What he really dreaded was Zara’s reaction when he told Mac he thought Zara should be back with them. She would be safer in Mesa, but she’d fight him tooth and nail. Hopefully, Avery was already en route to whisk Thom and Zara back to the States.

“Noah, I could use some help getting some of this set up. Either you or Zara, doesn’t matter.”

“I’ll take care of it. Zara, do you want to come with us or just stay up here?”

“Would you mind if I stayed up here?” she asked Noah.

“Not at all. I just didn’t want you to think you were being excluded.”

“I appreciate it. I think I’ll just hang out.”

Thom and Noah left and headed to the car Thom had driven to pick up the gear that was needed.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day…” Thom started.

“Watch it. That’s my woman, and I’m rather particular about the way anybody, including you, talks about her. You want to give me shit, feel free to do that in front of her, but you don’t say anything that would embarrass her. This isn’t easy on her. Hell, I’m not easy, period. So, I won’t have anybody contributing to that.”

Thom stopped, putting his hand on his friend’s arm.

“You’ve fallen for her,” he said incredulously. “I mean, I figured you were sleeping with her and… other things,” he stumbled. “But you’re planning a future with her.”

“I am,” Noah said definitively.

“Holy shit. The mighty have fallen. This is even better than I thought. You do know she is never, and I mean never, just going to fall in line.”

Noah laughed. “I’m aware. And when I tell Mac, I think she needs to go back with you and Avery… He is sending the plane, right?” Thom nodded. “She’s going to throw a major tantrum. My guess is we’ll need to buy new dishes.”

“Why?”

“Because my sweet, quiet girl, who likes to fuck and make my life easy—by the way, I did get one of those attributes right—has a major temper and has no problem giving it free rein. I suggest when it starts, you get behind a door somewhere and let her have it out with me.”

“We can’t really take her against her will…”

“Who says we can’t?”

“Um, everybody in law enforcement…”

“We’re not law enforcement. I need her safe, Thom. If you and Avery aren’t on board with taking her home despite her protests, I’ll fly home to Mesa, get Zara settled, then come back. We need to track Fariq and Reid closer to their home stomping grounds.”

“Fariq’s are outside of territorial waters.”

“Yes, but he likes warm, temperate waters, which puts him in this neck of the woods.”

Zara was so startled when Noah’s phone rang, she picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Zara,” came Fariq Abdal’s heavily accented voice. “I was so hoping to be able to talk to you.”

“So, you call Noah?”

“Yes. I thought I would have to go through your Mr. Taylor to speak to you. I would like to presume on an old friendship.”

“We aren’t friends, Fariq, and your flunky, Christian Reid, has put out a contract on me.”

“A most unfortunate turn of events. I figure I may well have overestimated Reid’s ability to handle things. You should know he is becoming a bit… unraveled.”

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