Page 54 of Saving Noah

Zach beamed. “Look at you making jokes during our four-alarm fire. That’s my strong man,” Zach praised. “I’m so fucking proud of you, babe. You were absolutely giving Cameron hell when I walked in. You have no idea how much I enjoyed that bit of entertainment.”

“You have no idea how much I enjoyed entertaining you. I think I’ve had that shit built up inside me for a long time. He’s always been such an ass, and when I started screaming at him, I couldn’t stop. Didn’t want to stop.” Noah’s grin stretched across his face. “On top of that, I didn’t have a panic attack. Yes, I passed out cold and hit my panic button before falling, but it wasn’t a panic attack. Some people might argue with me, but I call that an improvement. Passing out is so much easier than enduring a panic attack,” he declared playfully.

“Okay, you two buttercups,” Connor interrupted. “If you can quit flirting with each other long enough, let’s turn our focus back to Moretti and his threats.” After winking at Noah, he added, “And just for the record, I call it a victory, too. I’m amazed and impressed at how calm you are right now, Noah. You’re a total badass in my book.”

“Mine too,” both Wayne and Zach chirped in. Zach frowned in Wayne’s direction but didn’t say anything.

“So, after you found the note in your locker, what happened next? Did you talk to anybody? Anybody try talking to you?”

“No, I started panicking, but mostly because I was unsure of how I needed to handle the situation. At first I wanted to call Zach, but then I was afraid I might be luring him into something dangerous. Then I thought about calling Cameron, but decided against that because he would report it to the FBI and I didn’t like what that would lead to. I was busy trying to come up with a solution, so I didn’t pay a lot of attention to what was going on around me as I made my way back to my apartment.” He frowned. “Actually, I was starting to fall back to my old fears and how I dealt with them. I counted my steps and hugged the wall.” He looked at Zach and said, “Maybe not a badass after all.”

“Nuh-uh, babe. You’re a total badass. Trust me on this.”

“On the elevator, I felt somebody watching me. Like creepy watching. I guess that’s because of all the security cameras though, right? They are everywhere.”

When Zach started to say something, Connor shook his head and said, “Don’t worry. It’s my next stop. There should be footage for me to review, although I doubt there would be anything available for the locker room since you guys get naked in there. Whoever came into Noah’s apartment should be on tape, though.”

“Unless there’s anotherglitch,” Zach snarled.

“Yeah, I have a bad feeling about that. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if Moretti didn’t have somebody in place on the security staff. That’s the way he works,” Connor said with disgust.

“Do you trust the man you’ve been working with in the security department?” Wayne asked.

“He wouldn’t be my man if I didn’t trust him. Yeah, I feel good, but that doesn’t mean I don’t double-check and verify.” Connor’s eyes bore into Wayne’s until the other man blushed and nodded.

“Hey, when I stepped off the elevator, Denala was going crazy. She was on the other side of the door, barking and snarling something fierce. She knew somebody had been out there…somebody who didn’t belong.”

“Hmmm, that rules Cameron out. She knows him and hasn’t ever acted aggressive when he’s come to your apartment before,” Connor said.

“It doesn’t make him innocent, though,” Zach hissed. “That bastard is involved somehow. Nobody can bethatlazy. Not only did he not offer you any true support, he assisted in over-medicating you.” He shook his head in disgust and then added, “I think I’m going to get Denala and the puppies. If she recognized stranger danger earlier, I want her with you all the fucking time. She might not be the best police dog out there, but she damned well knew something was wrong today.”

Before Zach could make any attempts to stand, Connor said, “Wayne and I will get the dogs. You stay with Noah. We’ll be back in a few. Keep brainstorming. Noah, try to remember everything, whether you think it’s important or not.”

Zach nodded his gratitude that Connor stepped up so he wouldn’t have to leave Noah’s side, not even for a few minutes. He was sick. Terrified. Furious. Losing control was his biggest fear. After his father’s arrest, he swore he would never allow himself to be in a situation where he wasn’t in complete control. All of a sudden, he felt like he had absolutely no control over the most important thing in his life.

“Why the frown?” Noah asked softly. “Are you afraid?”

Zach squinted and frowned. “I’m afraid for you, Noah. That’s all. Moretti doesn’t scare me. He isn’t the first bad person in my life and I doubt he’ll be the last. I’m just so fucking pissed off he’s managed to find you…to get close to you.” He grabbed Noah by the back of the neck and held him possessively. “I won’t let him take you from me. You’remine.” That was the closest Zach could ever get to telling Noah how he felt about him. The baggage from his past weighed him down like the heaviest of anchors.

“I’m afraid for you, Zach. I’m afraid Moretti will hurt you to punish me. Do you have any idea how much I wish I’d never laid eyes on that man or any member of his family? I felt sorry for Dante, thought he was such a soft soul to have such an evil father, but you know what? I don’t even give a fuck about Dante. He used me. He wanted his father in jail and he used me to get him there. Over the years, I’ve tried to feel sorry for him, to tell myself I did the right thing by testifying, but in the end, I’m tired of trying to defend him. In my opinion, Dante belongs in the same shit category where his father lives. If…if they hurt you…”

“They aren’t going to hurt me. I need you to stop worrying about that. It isn’t going to happen. If Moretti realizes he can use your…your feelings for me to get to you, he won’t hesitate to do it. Always remember, Noah, he can’t hurt me. I can take care of myself.”

Noah snorted. “Right. You’re a doctor, Zach. You aren’t a criminal like Moretti.” He swore and shook his head in disgust. “I need to let the FBI hide me away. I’m so scared you or Connor will be hurt.”

“Connor is a police detective and has been trained to take care of himself.” Zach hesitated for a second and then continued, “And I know how to take care of myself as well. I’ve been on the receiving end of training. Don’t worry. When this is over, Moretti is going to wish he’d never tangled with Noah St. Claire. We are going to fuck him up for trying to intimidate you.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, Zach, but I’m so in love with you. I wanted you from the first moment my eyes saw you. When you were an arrogant ass and treated me like shit, I still wanted you. Now that I’ve learned more about you, I’m totally in love. I know you aren’t looking for a commitment…might never be looking for a commitment, but you’re it for me. It’s fairytale bullshit, but I’ve been in love with you from the get-go.”

Zach felt entirely too uncomfortable with Noah’s words…with the look in Noah’s beautiful eyes. He needed a quick diversion, anything to pull the conversation away from love. Noah was still an innocent child. He didn’t understand love was nothing more than make-believe. As he struggled to come up with the perfect diversion, Noah’s cell chirped. He snatched it up before Noah could reach it. If there was something bad there, he didn’t want Noah to see it.

He frowned as he read Cameron’s text message. Surely he was misreading? He quickly sent a text to Connor, letting him know what Cameron said. He had a feeling Connor would have the same worries he did.

“What does it say? Is it another message from Moretti? Don’t try protecting me, Zach. I’ve got to knoweverything.”

Shaking his head, Zach answered, “Cameron says that the FBI has determined to not do anything at this time. To wait and see what Moretti’s next move is going to be.”

“That’s good, right? I’ve still got their protection, but they aren’t going to try and take me away?”

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