Page 51 of Marrying a Spy

Chapter Seventeen

Noah watched as Sophia shut the door on him. His heart was breaking as he thought about the pain she felt. Because of him. He was such an idiot.

He scrubbed his face as he blew out the stress that was constricting his chest. Everything had gone wrong. All he knew was that he needed to protect Sophia. That was all.

Last night, right before James had tried to leave, he’d seen someone outside. Georgie was having him followed. Sure, James knew that Noah was a spy, but according to him, that wasn’t common knowledge among his associates. They suspected everyone that entered their circle, but James’s boss, Georgie, wasn’t as sure as of Noah’s employer as James had been.

If James had left, it would validate their suspicion that James, Noah, and Sophia were working together. Which meant their lives would be in danger. If Noah knew anything about Georgie it was that he wasn’t forgiving. He’d take care of anyone who endangered his operation. Including their family members.

So James had to stay, and Noah would have to marry Sophia.

James was still standing next to the stove when Noah entered the kitchen. He’d dumped his eggs onto a plate and was leaning against the counter as he ate. He raised his eyebrows when he saw Noah.

“She okay?” he asked.

Noah clenched his jaw as her hurt and betrayed expression played across his mind. “No,” he said as he walked over to the table and grabbed his coffee. He needed caffeine if he was going to survive the rest of this charade.

James grew quiet, and Noah glanced over at him. He looked thoughtful as he chewed. A silence fell over the room.

The one person they both swore that they would protect was now in danger—because of their decisions.

“What’s the plan, James?” Noah walked over to the coffee pot and refilled his mug. He blew on it a few times before taking a drink.

James shoveled the last bit of egg into his mouth before turning to rinse his plate in the sink. “You’ll marry Sophia,” he said.

A set of conflicting feelings rose up inside of him. He was both happy and worried at the same time. Not what a groom should be feeling days before he was to be married. “And then?” Marrying her wasn’t the hard part, keeping her safe was.

James sighed as he rested both hands on the sink’s edge and dropped his head. Noah knew James was stressed, but he couldn’t feel sorry for him. He was the one who’d allowed this to happen.

Noah walked over to the sink. “She needs to be kept safe,” he said, keeping his voice low so she couldn’t overhear. If he didn’t keep his emotions in check, he was sure he’d start yelling. Sophia couldn’t know anything had changed. For her safety, she needed to be in the dark.

James turned to glare at him. “You think I don’t know that? I’m not the idiot who brought her into this.”

Noah parted his lips but decided not to dignify that with a response. He wasn’t the criminal here. “Are you going to help me get that information?”

Last night, after Sophia stomped off to bed, Noah had explained to James what he needed. James had been vague, but apparently, Georgie kept a handwritten book in his safe where he had lists of his contacts. Only James was privy to this information, as he had just been picked to be Georgie’s right hand man.

It was the exact information that Noah’s boss, Scott, was looking for. Contacts. This was what Noah had sacrificed his heart and life for. So he could put these horrible people behind bars, where they wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone else, anymore.

James dropped his gaze. “It’s not that simple,” he said.

Noah pursed his lips as he shook his head. “You’ve done some terrible things, James. This is the one thing you can do to redeem yourself.” He leaned toward James. “Think about your wife. Your son. Don’t make their deaths be in vain.”

James whipped around, straightening until he was level with Noah. “Don’t mention them. You have no idea the pain I’ve been through. The guilt I carry.” His voice broke as the last few words left him lips. “I’d give anything to go back and keep them safe.”

Noah nodded. “I understand that. Together, we can keep Sophia safe. But there are bigger things at play. We need that book. This needs to stop.”

Noah was grateful that his voice came out stronger than he felt. He wished he knew with certainty that Sophia would be safe, but he knew that with his last breath he’d do what he could to protect her.

He couldn’t turn his back on his duty. He’d sworn an oath to the American people to keep them safe as well. If the big fish who employed Georgie weren’t caught, many more lives would be lost at their hands. It was hard to justify putting his personal life and feelings before the lives of that many people.

James swallowed as he studied Noah. “Fine. I’ll help you. But after the wedding, we’ll head to a safe house. You can tell Sophia it’s for the honeymoon. You will tell no one where you’re going. We’ll make sure she is safe before we leave. If this goes south, I don’t want anyone to know where she is.”

Relief flooded Noah’s mind. Good. A plan. He could handle that. “It won’t go south,” he said, mustering all the confidence he could.

James looked doubtful. But before they could speak about the subject further, Sophia entered the room. She walked across the kitchen and filled a mug of coffee, not sparing a glance for either of them.

Both James and Noah watched as she made her way around the kitchen. First to the fridge, where she grabbed the creamer, and then to the cupboard where she pulled out a breakfast bar. Noah tried not to stare, but he needed to know what she was thinking.

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