Page 73 of The Fate of Us

She peeks her eyes up at me. “I didn’t think you moved on.”

“It’s been five fucking years. How many times do I need to remind you?”

She stands up and grips my hands before I can pull away. “Noah, you are the most loyal person I know. I love you and I know you love me too.” Her palm touches my chest. “This heart will never stop beating for me, Noah. I know you too well.”

I push her off me, rage boiling in my veins. “I may have loved you back then, Claire. But the love I had is gone.” She doesn’t deserve to know how long it took me to get over her. To stop feeling loyalty to her. Those feelings I once had are gone and I don’t even know if they were ever real to begin with or just her ghost haunting me.

“Noah.” I see a hint of malice flash across her eyes but it’s gone before I can search for it again. Her tone turns solemn. “Please, I have nowhere to go.”

“I told you to stay at a hotel.”

I stare at her as she wraps her arms around her middle. “I ran out of cash.”

I grip my hair with my fingers. “Unbelievable,” I mutter.

She tries to reach for me again but I pull back fast enough this time. “I wouldn’t be here if I had somewhere else to go.”

I don’t want to take pity on her but that look in her eyes is giving me a seed of doubt. Maybe she really is telling the truth. “I need to call my lawyer.”

I turn to head into the house and I feel her behind me. “You stay here,” I demand.

I slam the door behind me as Brutus jumps on me, welcoming me home. “Fuck,” I yell at no one causing Brutus to scoot away.

“Hey buddy.” I squat down. “I’m not mad at you.”

He slowly approaches me and licks my face and I know he accepts my truce. I walk to the back door and let him out. It’s only seven thirty in the morning but I could use a beer right now. Anything to keep my mind off that train wreck on my porch. I need to talk to Carson.

Me: Asshole I need you to call me. 911.

I let Brutus in and lock the door behind him. I don’t trust Claire. And with the psychotic way she acted last week I wouldn’t put it past her to find a way into my house.

I look at my phone and Carson hasn’t seen my message. It’s only been a few minutes but he is usually awake at five and to the office by seven or seven thirty.

Fuck it.

I crack open a beer and slam the entire thing. This whole situation is turning me into an alcoholic. I swore I wouldn’t have another drink after Mason’s party on Friday since I had the worst two-day hangover in the world but every day without hearing a peep from Anna and the pressure of this case, I find myself having a few drinks every night.

My phone rings and I answer it just as I pop open another beer.

“A little early to be drinking, brother.”

“Fuck off, Car. If you were present for the conversation I just had, you would be drinking too.”

I hear him shuffling papers around on his desk before he talks. “Alright lay it on me.”

“Claire is outside.”

“Shit, do I need to stage another escape?”

I snort at that. “Nah.”

“Then what’s going on?”

I head up the stairs to my room and sit on the edge of my bed. “She says she needs somewhere to stay. Says she has no money.”

“Maybe she should sell her Range Rover,” Carson says sarcastically.

“Not helping, man.”

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