Page 55 of Saving Noah

Noah looked so hopeful Zach hated to sprinkle his doubt and distrust into the mix. He hated it, but he wasn’t going to lie or keep anything from his lover. No, Noah needed to understand how dangerous this situation was. “Well, it’s good you will still have their umbrella of protection, I suppose.” He took a deep breath and plunged ahead. “It doesn’t make any sense though, Noah. Why would they wait? If they truly believe Moretti to be a danger, then what the fuck are they waiting for? Your location has been compromised. I don’t know much about the FBI and how they operate, but I’m sure it’s not in their manual to just allow you to remain in a dangerous situation. Oh, and I wouldn’t think they would send a text to say that to you,” he finished with a growl of frustration.

Noah pondered his words for a few seconds and then said, “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It doesn’t make sense.” His blue eyes lifted to look at Zach. “So, we’re saying Cameron is definitely involved on some level, aren’t we? Do you think the FBI even knows Moretti has made contact?”

“To be honest, I doubt it, Noah. I doubt Cameron told them anything. Do you have another contact at the FBI? Is it just Cameron?”

“Fuck,” Noah said as he nibbled at his bottom lip. “There used to be another guy, but then eventually everything fell to Cameron. I’m sure I have his information somewhere.” His eyes drifted to his computer. “Let me grab my computer and see if I can find any notes with his contact information on it.”

When he started to stand, Zach tightened his grip. “We’ll do that in a few minutes. Just let me hold you right now. We’ll dig for information when the detective and his not-so-trusty-sidekick get back. Right now, I want to focus on how good you feel in my arms. I was so afraid something had happened to you, Noah. When Cameron called me, I nearly lost it.”

Nuzzling Zach’s neck, Noah said, “Sorry I made you scared. I was so pissed at Cameron, so afraid he was going to take me away before I got to see you again.” He chuckled softly. “I might have been mean to Cameron…really mean.”

“Good,” Zach answered. “I have a feeling before all this is over, I’m going to be really mean to Cameron, too.”

“Why are you being so hard on Wayne? I thought you liked him okay. I remember him being at the hospital when they brought me in after the panic attack. He seemed nice enough.”

Zach grinned down at Noah. “Are you politely telling me I’m acting like an asshole?”

“Zach, you are acting like a fucking asshole,” Noah answered with his own grin. “It isn’t hard to see how much Connor likes him. You like Connor. It kinda seems like a no-brainer to me. You need to be nicer to Wayne.”

“If it were only me involved, I’d be okay. I’m not going to risk your safety. I’ll trust Wayne when he earns my trust, not a moment before. Connor will get over it.”

“Are you sure about that? I think Connor really,reallylikes him.”

“I’m sure. It’s in the best friend code. I can act like an asshole, and he is contractually obligated to forgive me. He doesn’t have a choice.”

“You’re an idiot,” Noah said with a laugh. “I know you don’t want to hear this right now…or maybe ever, but I just wanted to remind you I’m falling in love with you. I don’t think you heard me a few minutes ago,” he teased, knowing good and well Zach had heard him but chose to ignore his words. “Is there a contract for that? Do I have to forgive you for all ass-hole-ish-ness you partake in?”

Zach’s stomach tumbled and his heart stumbled when Noah said the L word again. He fucking loved hearing him say it, but it terrified him at the same time. He couldn’t say it back, would probably never be capable of saying it back. Noah deserved better. He opened his mouth and tried to think of something clever to say, something to cover the fact he was incapable of love and all things involved in relationships. Nothing came out.

Nothing.

“I know you hate talk like that. I shouldn’t have made you uncomfortable,” Noah apologized with a sad smile. “I…I just feel like time may be running out and I need to tell you how I feel.”

“Oh, hell, Noah,” Zach whispered. “Please don’t say things like that. I may not be what you deserve, but I can’t lose you. Not now. Maybe not ever.” That sounded so fucking lame. Zach hated himself.

“Okay, let’s take the heavy out of the air. Maybe you’ll like this statement of fact better than my L words. I knew I had a new neighbor, but I hadn’t caught a glimpse of anything other than your ass for the first few days. Don’t get me wrong. The ass wasreallynice. It left me wanting to see more, but no matter how quick I tried to move, I couldn’t get to the door before you were already past. So, the first time I actually saw you,all of you, was in the gym. You had on black shorts, and a red muscle shirt hugged all those hot muscles of yours like a second skin. You had these badass tattoos on virtually every inch of visible skin. You were the hottest damned sight I’d seen in my entire life.” He laughed and swiped his tongue against Zach’s earlobe. “It was also the first time my dick had gotten hard all by itself since I’d started taking so much medication. Right fucking there in front of everybody, my dick decided to wake up and say hello.” His lips pressed against Zach’s warm mouth. “You did that for me and you’ve done it every time since then.”

Normally those would be the words Zach longed to hear, physical attraction and nothing more. Hearing Noah say them was sexier than fuck, but they didn’t have nearly the same impact on his body the L word did.

“You were wearing green shorts and a black tank top. All those lean muscles, your slender build, pouty lips, and sexy eyes had the exact same impact on my body. I remember thinking you were going to be trouble. The kind of trouble I wanted to dive straight into.”

“I thought you hated me,” Noah whispered. “I was used to people thinking I was weird and trying to ignore me and I’d learned to not really give a fuck. When I realized you didn’t like me, it messed me up. I got pissed at myself for caring, lectured myself good for it, but I couldn’t stop how I felt.”

“I’m so fucking thankful you didn’t give up on me, Noah. I treated you like shit, but you kept giving me another chance. Thank you for seeing something in me worth fighting for.” Zach cleared his throat and added, “Don’t give up on me for the other, okay? I’m trying. My past…it’s just…it’s bad.” Zach was so sick of hearing himself make the same excuse over and over again. How could he expect Noah to not give up on him when he’d already given up on himself? He fucking hated the man he’d become.

The sound of Denala barking right outside the door and then the locking mechanism clicking saved Zach from saying something else he would probably eventually hate himself for. He turned to see Wayne enter the apartment, carrying the basket of puppies. Denala burst into the room and made a beeline for Noah. Before Zach could waste his breath and tell his dog not to jump on the sofa, the oversized German shepherd’s body plastered against Noah in her version of a doggie hug. Connor came in last, carrying some sort of strange-looking plant and looking like something bad had happened. He looked at Zach and said, “You know what Cameron sent you was bullshit, right?”

“Already figured that one out, but don’t know what our countermove should be.” He nodded at what Connor carried. “What’s that and why do you have it?” Zach asked, afraid of the answer. Noah’s body tensed and then his lover let out a frustrated hiss.

“It’s a spider plant.” To Connor, Noah said, “Is there a note?”

“Yeah, there’s a note. I haven’t opened it yet. One of the girls behind the desk just brought it up, said it had been delivered a few moments ago. They asked that she bring it up to Noah.”

Connor slid his hand into his latex glove again, pulled the card out and held it up to Noah. “Do you want me to open it?”

Noah shrugged. He looked defeated. “Sure. I think we both know what it’s going to say…or at least what it’s going to imply. Open it up. Let’s see what he’s got to say.”

“Five. Six. You committed a sin you can’t fix.”

Zach listened to Connor read the latest threat Moretti had sent Noah. He’d sworn he would never turn out to be like his father, but if Donovan Moretti were in front of him right now, he’d kill him without the slightest hesitation. The bastard was toying with Noah, trying to scare him, like a cat playing with a helpless mouse.

“The threats are coming fast,” Connor said. “I think this is good, at least to a point. We are getting an idea of his timeframe. For some reason, he’s rushed. For a man who’s supposed to be a brilliant crime boss, he’s not being very smart.” Connor shook his head. “I need to call my friend at the prison. See what’s happening there.” Without another word, he walked down the hall, leaving Zach and Noah to stare at the plant. Wayne followed on his heels.

“What’s the significance of the spider plant? Or is there a significance?”

“I’m afraid of spiders,” Noah answered in a dull voice. “Terrified of them, actually. I told Dante once. I guess he must have passed it on to his father or one of Donovan’s thugs overheard me telling Dante. Who knows? Who cares? The plant is a threat and the note is a threat.” He frowned. “Connor’s right, though. This seems sloppy and rushed for Moretti.”

“Yeah, well, his fucking death is going to be sloppy and rushed, too. I’m going to kill him for doing this to you, making you worry like this. Hell, I’m going to kill him for my own entertainment. Bottom line is the fucker is going to die.”

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