Page 59 of Marrying a Spy

Chapter Twenty

Noah sat in the passenger seat of the blue Nissan that James had hot-wired. He tapped his fingers on the armrest as they waited for Sophia to exit the club. His heart was pounding and his stomach hurt. He hated what he was doing to Sophia, but did he have a choice?

The part that upset him more than anything was that he’d known this was how it would end. And yet he’d allowed himself to fall for her again. To let her get close to him. He’d been so sure when he took the assignment that he would be able to keep his feelings at bay. But that had been a huge joke.

Now, he was sitting in a stolen car with her dad, trying to run from the henchmen that seemed to be multiplying by the moment. He should have known.

He sighed as he kept his gaze trained on the back door, willing it to open.

James sat in the driver’s seat. He seemed a bit calmer than Noah felt. And Noah hated him for it.

“You okay?” James asked.

Noah glared at him. “No. I’m not. I swear, if anything happens to her—”

“She’s my daughter. Nothing is going to happen to her.”

Noah eyed him and then nodded. He’d very rapidly learned that despite his preconceived ideas, James wasn’t a liar. Sure, he was a criminal, but he was truthful—which Noah appreciated. James was a genuine person, and Noah believed his story. He’d gotten wrapped up with the wrong people, and he couldn’t get out.

A phone’s ring cut through the silence. Noah glanced over at James, who reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. From James’s fallen expression, Noah knew who was calling—Georgie.

“Hello?” James asked after he swiped the phone on.

Noah could only barely make out the gravely voice of the person on the other end. “Yes. I’m in Rockport,” James replied. “My daughter is getting married.”

Noah winced. Just hearing that made his heart hurt. Bringing Sophia into this mess had been the biggest mistake. Telling her that he loved her and asking her to marry him had been the second biggest. When this was over, he wouldn’t blame Sophia if she left and never looked back. He’d messed up so badly, he didn’t deserve her forgiveness.

“Tonight? Why?” James’s voice drew Noah’s attention. James was studying the steering wheel as he listened.

A figure outside the window caused Noah to jump. Sophia pulled open one of the back doors. Noah grabbed her arm and pressed his finger to his lips.

Sophia’s face paled as she glanced over at James and then nodded to Noah. As soon as she was in the car with the door shut, James peeled off.

“Okay. I’ll be back after the wedding. We are having the engagement party tonight.” James grew silent for a moment. “Yep. I will.”

When he pulled the phone from his ear, he turned it off, rolled the window down, and threw the phone out. Noah watched but didn’t ask him anything. He didn’t have to. To keep Sophia safe, all ties had to be severed. At least until he’d completed the mission.

No one spoke as they drove out of town. Darkness surrounded them as they navigated the back roads to the safe house that Scott had told him to go to.

It was a three-hour drive outside of Rockport. Sophia didn’t say anything. She didn’t ask where they were going or how long she’d have to be there. He wasn’t sure how to take her silence. Was she upset? Had she suspected something like this might happen?

Why wasn’t she reacting?

Two hours into the drive, Sophia leaned forward. “Can I use the bathroom?”

James glanced up at her from the rearview mirror. “Can it wait?”

Noah peered back to her and saw her shake her head.

“No.”

“We should be okay,” Noah said. He shot Sophia a small smile, but her expression just hardened as she folded her arms over her chest. Ouch. Okay, he deserved that. They obviously couldn’t continue down the path they’d been on yesterday.

But even though he’d prepared himself for her reaction, it hurt. Bad.

Five minutes later, James pulled off the road. A small, two-pump gas station sat just off the freeway. Some of the neon lighting didn’t work, causing the sign to say “Die” instead of “Diesel.”

As soon as James came to a stop, Sophia opened the door. James moved to get out, but Noah held up his hand. He wanted to talk to Sophia alone.

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