Page 53 of Saving Noah

“Of course, he can refuse it,” Connor answered. “But, again, I don’t know if that’s what is best for Noah. Moretti knows where he is and obviously has, or has had, easy access to him. The man is dangerous, Zach. I…I know what this will do to you if you aren’t able to protect Noah.” Connor swallowed and then added, “It wouldn’t be forever, Zach. Just until the threat is…removed. You and I could work on removing that threat while the FBI protected Noah.”

“Absolutely not,” Noah argued. “I’m not going to risk your lives…allow you to do something to ruin the rest of your lives for me. I won’t do it.” Noah looked resigned to his fate. “Forget it. Connor’s right. I need to go with them. I’ve only been thinking about myself and what I want. I hadn’t even stopped to consider Moretti could kill either of you.” Shyly, he glanced up at Wayne, who stood off to the side, holding the notes Moretti had left. “Or risk Wayne’s safety. Hi again, Wayne. My name isn’t really John Doe. It’s Noah.”

“Yeah, uh, I kinda picked up on that. And, like Zach and Connor, I’m not worried about Moretti. If he comes for Noah, he’ll have to get through the three of us first.”

Zach’s eyebrow arched straight up to the top of his head. Either he’d underestimated the casual friendship with Wayne or Connor was the best fuck on the planet. What kind of person just dropped everything and committed to protecting a man he didn’t even know? Zach narrowed his eyes. A man who couldn’t be trusted perhaps…

“Don’t go there, Zach,” Connor hissed. “Wayne’s with me. I trust him, so you trust him. Got it?”

That was how things would normally go with their friendship. In an instant, Zach realized things had changed. Yes, he trusted Connor, but he wouldn’t be willing to blindly trust his best friend’s new lover simply because Connor had found himself smitten. No, he couldn’t be that naïve or stupid, not with Noah’s safety involved. He shrugged at Connor, not really committing to anything but not arguing either.

Connor raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. “This is perfect. We’re already fighting with each other…not trusting each other. When have you ever questioned my opinion, Zach? Why now?”

“Because Noah’s safety is too important, Conn. I’m sorry. You’re going to just have to deal with that,” Zach snapped.

“Stop it,” Noah ordered. “We don’t have time for this. Moretti will be coming and he’ll be coming quickly. I’ve received two warnings in one day. I don’t think he’s messing around.” He kissed Zach’s lips. “I know you’re worried about me. I’m worried about you, Connor, and Wayne. Just let me go with the FBI, Zach. I’ll get in touch with you as soon as it’s safe.”

“It isn’t something I’m going to even consider, so don’t mention it again. If Connor and his boyfriend don’t want to get involved, I understand. You and I will handle this together.” Zach pulled Noah into a tight hug, needing to feel the smaller man’s heart beating…needing to know he was safe.

“I don’t think you realize what you’re up against, Zach. Moretti is a killer. He’s evil. He has no morals and even less of a heart. I don’t want you involved with that kind of shit because of me. This kind of madness should never have touched a life like yours. It isn’t fair I’ve brought this to your doorstep. I’m going into protective custody. I’ll find a way to get a message to you once Moretti has been stopped.”

“Forget it, kid,” Connor interrupted. “I only said those things to Zach because I felt like it was my duty as his friend. I never fucking once thought he would consider letting you go.” Connor winked in Noah’s direction. “I told you this morning, he’s kinda hot for your body. When he gets like this, there’s no changing his mind.”

Shaking his head, Noah answered, “You guys aren’t making any sense. I can’t keep up.”

“I knew what you were doing, asshole,” Zach grumbled. “You knew there would be no way I’d let Noah out of my sight. So, what’s our plan going to be? Do Noah and I go on the run or stay here and wait for Moretti to make a move?”

“Ifwego on the run, we’ll always be looking over our shoulders. I think we confront him head on. I have some contacts at the prison where he’s being held. I’ll get in touch with them and see who his visitors have been. He may still be pulling all the strings, but he must be restricted somewhat due to the fact he’s behind bars. I may even be able to talk to the right people and get his visitors restricted. Cut off his lifeline, so to speak. Unfortunately, the FBI could go a long way with getting that done, but I doubt they’ll be willing to help us when Noah refuses their protection.”

“They can’t force him, though, right?” Zach asked again, needing to reassure himself they wouldn’t just come in and take him away.

“I doubt they would push it that hard. He’s already testified for them, so I’m not sure what would motivate them try and force him to do something he’s against.” Turning to Noah, he asked, “You aren’t scheduled to testify any more, are you?”

“No, I gave them all I had during the first trial, and it wasn’t much. I mean, they only got him for money laundering and a few other misdemeanors. It wasn’t like I had any information on the part of his life involving drugs, prostitution, human trafficking, and all the other disgusting business dealings he conducted.”

Zach’s eyes darkened at Noah’s words, but he pushed the thoughts from his mind. He had to stay focused on protecting Noah, not worrying about how closely his past resembled the life of the man determined to kill his lover. Drugs, prostitution, and human trafficking. Yeah, he’d been hip deep in all that shit with his father. Add selling illegal weapons to street gangs and murdering rival motorcycle gang members and his and Moretti’s lives could be mirror images of one another. Fuck it, but Noah was way too good for someone like him.

“Six years, right? He got six years and still has a little over two years left to go in his sentence. Why move now? It doesn’t add up? Why would he risk everything to go after Noah now?”

“Because he can,” Noah answered. “I was…acquaintances with his son for a while. The man is brutal. Dante was terrified of him. I don’t think his actions have to make sense to anybody except him.”

Wayne finally moved over to sit next to Connor, placing the notes on the coffee table in front of them. His eyes drifted up to Zach, but then quickly lowered again, no doubt seeing the blatant distrust. “This is the first note. The one Noah found in his locker in the gym.” Wayne pointed to one piece of paper. Everyone looked except for Noah.

One. Two. I’ve decided to come for you.

Zach’s heartbeat stumbled out of rhythm when he read the words. He could only imagine the fear that had clutched at Noah when he’d opened his locker to find that waiting on him inside. Hate for Moretti coursed through his veins, but so did pride for his lover. Noah had to have been terrified, but he’d still managed to make it back to his apartment. Zach squeezed him even tighter, only loosening his grip when he heard Noah squeak.

“This was in your locker?” he asked Noah.

“Yeah, hanging on the back wall. There wasn’t anybody in the locker room when I was in there, so it had to have been placed earlier. I was down there for almost four hours, so whoever did it had plenty of time to get in there, hang the note, and get back out. Did I recognize anybody? No, absolutely not. I did talk to that colorful guy from the seventh floor, Levi, while in the steam room. He was very friendly, asked about you, Zach. He said we should hang out sometime, get to be friends.” Noah hung his head. “I was really excited about the possibility of having a friend. Do you think he could be involved? He didn’t send out any icky vibes or anything.”

“I’ll call my contact from security to get Levi’s full name and then I’ll uncover every damned secret he’s got hidden in his life. If he’s involved, we’ll know about it within the next two days,” Connor vowed. “What else? Anything else happen that seemed different? Did you notice anybody new working out or just hanging out?” He paused and then added, “Any chance Cameron was around this morning, before or while you were working out?”

Noah shook his head. “Not that I saw, and I think I would have noticed. I…I don’t keep my head down as much as I used to. If Cameron had been anywhere near me, I would have seen him.” He frowned as he struggled to remember every detail from his gym visit. “I don’t remember anybody standing out. They were all the usual regulars. I didn’t feel threatened or like I was being watched. Nothing.”

“It’s okay, babe. We’ll figure this out,” Zach assured him. “The thing is, you need to be prepared to not be left alone until Moretti is taken care of. You need to promise me you’ll stay with either me or Connor. Always. No exceptions.”

Noah rolled his eyes and smiled. “You make that sound like a hardship, Zach. I love spending time with you guys…especially Connor,” he teased.

---