Page 76 of Barrett

The man was smaller in both height and weight. His gaze bounced from person to person, not landing on one for long as his hands twisted in obvious nervousness in front of him.

“Hi, Reghan,” he said.

“It’s nice to see you again. I’d like to introduce you to our guests. This is Barrett North and Noah. And this is Sylvan Ellery. He lives in and manages the home.” That explained the E outside. It was a good coverup for Jordan. This could be Sylvan’s real home he owned.

“It's nice to meet you,” Sylvan said, offering me his trembling hand, which I shook gently.

Noah shrank back when it was offered to him. “Sorry,” he muttered.

Sylvan gave him a warm smile. “Don’t be. I’m a mess of anxiety. You never have to apologize to me. Let me show you to your rooms.”

32

REGHAN

Noah stayed close to Barrett as we walked through the house, not focused on anything but the floor beneath his feet. Barrett took it all in. His eyes roamed every inch of the grand home. It really was something to see. I was still amazed Sylvan lived here alone. He didn’t mind it, preferring the peace and quiet.

Sylvan set Noah up in a bedroom close to the stairs. There were clothes already in the drawers. “We have all sizes here,” Sylvan said. “There’s food in the kitchen but if we don’t have what you want, let me know and I’ll run out.”

Noah stepped into the room and looked around. There was a queen-sized bed, two nightstands, and a matching armoire, all done in a deep cherrywood. The room didn’t have paintings or any other decorations. It wasn’t meant for someone to live in, though they could. It was for people to stay if they had no choice, if they needed to hide.

“Reghan, I have the room next door ready for you and Barrett.”

“Thanks, Sylvan.”

He smiled. “Anytime. I’ll go downstairs to prepare soup and sandwiches. Does anyone have allergies?”

Noah and Barrett shook their heads. Sylvan already knew about those who worked for Jordan.

“Okay, if you need anything, Reghan knows the house, or you can ask me.” With that, he left the room.

“Is he okay?” Barrett asked, thumbing over his shoulder where Sylvan rushed away.

“He has anxiety. Having people here can make it worse. He’s used to being alone.”

“I can’t believe he lives here by himself. This place is huge for one person.”

“A story for another day.” I didn’t want to divulge a lot in front of Noah. It was enough that he was here. I was still surprised Jordan offered this place up. He must have seen something in Noah and trusted he’d keep it quiet.

Jordan didn’t hesitate when making decisions. He relied on his gut and then went with it. Bringing Noah here was a calculated risk. Jordan also wanted to find the person responsible for taking him. However, taking him to Jordan’s building—where his family was—would have meant Noah would be locked in an apartment like Lane was when we first met him. Noah wouldn’t do well in that environment. This would be easier for him to adjust to.

The other main reason was Jordan didn’t want Barrett in his building, not while he still worked for the East Dremest PD. I thought of this as a trial of sorts, maybe Jordan did too. Having Barrett here, seeing the home, and meeting Sylvan, was a big risk. For all of Jordan’s talk about not fully trusting Barrett, he was getting better, or Barrett wouldn’t have been here.

Taking a seat on the bed, Noah lifted the edge of the comforter and worried it between his fingers. “He can’t find me here?”

“No,” I told him. “Very few know about this place. Whoever you’re afraid of won’t think to look here. And if by some chance they do, I’ll handle them.”

“Me too,” Barrett said. “Reghan’s not the only one who can be intimidating.” The thought of Barrett being in a dangerous situation didn’t sit well with me. Although, he was in that every day, wasn’t he? Maybe not directly, but anything could happen at any moment. “We’ll step out so you can get changed.”

Frightened brown eyes lifted to look at us. “Thank you for what you’re doing. I didn’t make it easy by not wanting to go to the hospital or the police station. It’s… I can’t. He’ll know. He always knows.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to tell us who he is?”

“Not yet.” He was going to wait until he felt truly safe. “I know there are others, but he won’t hesitate to kill me. I got away once. He won’t let it happen again.”

Barrett nodded, but I didn’t miss the anger in his eyes. He wasn’t only thinking about Noah. It meant Marshall wouldn’t escape a second time either if he was caught.

I took Barrett’s hand in mine and gently pulled him toward the door. He gripped the doorknob to close it behind us.

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