Page 9 of Marrying a Spy

Noah cocked his head to the side. “You can’t get out of it? It’s not like you don’t know the owner.”

Sophia took a deep breath to still her frustration. She would hear Noah out and then kick him from her life forever. “Fine.”

She stood and made her way into the kitchen, not pausing to make sure that Noah was following her. It wasn’t like he didn’t know the way. He’d been here a million times before.

When she got to the back door, she pushed it open and stepped outside. The cool evening air rushed around her. After crossing the parking lot, she stopped under the all-too-familiar tree.

The one they’d shared their first kiss under.

She already regretted coming out here. But it was too late now—Noah’s footsteps crunched as he followed her across the gravel lot. She just hoped that he didn’t remember every detail about their relationship.

“Why are you here?” she asked again.

His gaze ran over the trunk of the tree, and when she saw his lips tip up into a half smile, she groaned.

“Wow. Soph,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

“That’s not why I brought you out here.” Crap. He did remember.

“So you’re saying your subconscious led you here?”

Heat permeated her cheeks, making her incredibly grateful that it was dark enough to mask her reaction.

“It’s the only place that doesn’t get blasted with music. Out here I can actually hear what you have to say.” She leaned back on the trunk, exhausted. It had been an emotionally charged day, and she needed some support, even if it came from a tree.

He was watching her, and when she met his gaze, he moved to study the ground.

Frustrated with how weird he was acting, Sophia waved her hand and said, “Talk.”

That didn’t seem to hurry him along any. He squinted up toward the sky for a moment. “I need your help.”

She knew it. He was running from the law. Of course. All her mother’s prophecies had come true. “With what?”

He scrubbed his face. “What do you know about your dad?”

Her stomach dropped at the mention of her good-for-nothing, loser father. “He’s a jerk and out of my life for good.”

Noah pinched his lips together as if he were trying to form his thoughts. Finally, he relaxed and continued. “He’s not a good guy, Soph. In fact, he’s in business with some really bad people.”

She scoffed. “How do you know?” Was that really what he’d come out here to talk to her about? He’d needed to break their ten-year streak of silence to ask her about her father?

“I just do. You need to trust me. The man that employs him has his hands in some pretty terrible pots.”

Now this was getting strange. She had nothing to do with her dad, let alone whoever he worked for. “What do you want, Noah? Did you come here to tell me my father is a loser? I already know that. I knew that when he walked out on us.”

She tried to hide the pain that rushed through her. It hurt so much to even talk about this. Her mom hadn’t held back about how snaky her father had been. And hearing this from Noah just hurt that much more. Sure, she hated the guy, but no one ever told her what he’d done to earn the lovely names her mother had called him. She felt so powerless when it came to him and it bothered her.

When Noah didn’t respond, she leaned toward him. “So? What do you want with him?”

“I—I need to contact him.”

So Noah was here for her dad’s number? “Well, good luck. The last time I saw him was at my mom and Benny’s funeral.” Her voice trailed off as her heart squeezed. She hated talking about them. The memory of what had happened left her so broken. So hurt.

Noah was quiet for a moment. Sophia glanced up to see him studying her again. She could see that he wanted to say something. Maybe reach out and comfort her. She straightened, pulling herself farther away from him. His touch was the last thing she wanted.

Not because it would feel terrible. Having his warm arms around her would comfort her in so many ways. And oh, how she craved that comfort. But she couldn’t open that door. It was closed, locked, and nailed shut.

“I really doubt that he will come running just because I called.” Which was only half true. There had been a moment at the funeral when she saw something in his gaze. A caring, worried expression had passed over his face as she’d approached him. But it left the moment she told him to leave. He didn’t stay long. In no time, he was gone and she was alone.

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