Page 108 of Shattering Nash

Rogue scoffed, taking a drag from his cigarette. “Can we really call what she does working? Half the time I see her she’s fucking around or on break.”

Charley flattened her lips, resisting the urge to smile.Sounds like Keely.

“Let’s stay focused, Rogue,” Oz said then turned to Noelle. “Continue.”

“They were talking about their concern that Zeke was harassing her.”

Charley nodded. Noelle wasn’t wrong. Charley recalled the conversation and it was exactly what happened. But there was one particular detail no one should’ve known, especially overhearing her conversation with Keely. Charley straightened in her chair and looked over at Noelle.

“How did you know it was Zeke?”

Noelle shifted her gaze. “That’s what you told Keely.”

Uh, no.Charley was shaking her head before Noelle finished. That was a lie. Charley never used Zeke’s name with Keely as a way of protecting her. The last thing she wanted was to get her friend involved. Charley specifically and purposely never told her his name.

“I never said his name.”

“Yes, you did.” Noelle doubled down with so much confidence, she was very convincing.But she’s lying.

Charley shook her head. “No, I didn’t. I was careful not to say his name, because I didn’t want Keely to get involved.”

But Noelle knew. The room was drowned in silence, and she glanced up at Nash, who was scowling at Noelle. The only people who would know about her connection to Zeke was her brother, the officers, and anyone who had seen them together.

Her stomach dropped, and she slowly looked up, meeting Noelle’s stare.It was you.

“The night I dropped off my car.” Charley angled her head, pointing at Noelle. “You were outside the Bowery, right? By the edge of the entrance to the lot. That was you.”

Noelle had no reaction, but she noticed her body stiffen slightly.

“What night?” Nash asked.

Charley kept her eyes on Noelle. “I was walking to the apartment after dropping my car off. Elle called me because she was looking for something at the store and couldn’t find it. I told her I’d come in, and as I hung up with her, Zeke came outof nowhere. He was threatening me to tell him where his stuff was, and when I told him I didn’t know, he pushed me against the fence and grabbed me by the throat.”And you watched.“I managed to get away and run to the apartment. He didn’t come on the property.”

“Yeah, he fucking knows better. You don’t step on Inez’s property unless you’ve been invited or you live there, otherwise you run the risk of a bullet to your fucking head.” Rogue snorted, then gestured to Noelle. “But what the fuck does that have to do with her?”

“There was a woman standing at the edge of the club. She watched it all go down. And I thought it was strange that she wasn’t even calling for help.” She swallowed the lump in her throat. “To help me.”

She could feel all the eyes in the room on her but kept her gaze on Noelle.

“You saw him attack me?” Charley paused, staring back at Noelle and whispered, “And you just watched?”

Charley wouldn’t expect a stranger to put themselves in danger for her. But at the very least, Noelle could’ve called for help.

“Is that true?” Oz asked.

Noelle sighed and grabbed her hips, shaking her head.

“Before you consider lying, I’d like to remind you that we have cameras everywhere, Noelle.” Trey cocked his brow. “I can make one call to Jared and have the footage sent over in less than five minutes.”

Noelle dropped her gaze to the floor, as if contemplating her next move. There was a long stretch of silence.

“I saw the incident between her and Zeke.”

“The attack.” Nash growled, taking a step forward. “Not the incident, the fucking attack on her. You are hired security, and you stood by and watched her fight off Zeke?”

“I’m nothersecurity, I’m Dahlia’s.” Noelle’s venomous tone struck even Charley, sending her back into her chair.

The tension in the room was thick. Even Rogue, who hadn’t seemed invested in this discussion, turned in his seat, scowling at Noelle. In fact, as Charley looked around, all the men including Caine, Ridge, and Cyrus, were aiming glares at her.

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