Page 48 of Noel
It feels sentient.
Like the storm is watching.Waiting.
My phone is already in pieces on the dresser.
Noel dismantled it without fanfare, like it offended him just by existing.
“This place is locked down, but I’m not taking any chances.We’ll head into HQ—get you under full protection until I have a tech team here to sweep the perimeter and pull video.”
He tosses me one of his robes—soft, oversized flannel—and I catch it with frozen fingers.
“I-I’ll take a shower,” I manage, my voice barely more than a whisper.
“Ten minutes, max,” he says, but then his tone softens.
He crosses the room again and pulls me into his chest.His arms wrap tight around me, anchoring me in place.
I don’t realize I’m trembling until I feel how steady he is.
Strong.Steady.Unshaken.
His heartbeat thuds beneath my ear.
“It’s going to be okay, Tinsel.I swear it.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
Because what else can I say?
I want to ask how he’ll find this lunatic.
I want to demand why someone is doing this to me.
I want to scream, cry, rage at the sky and demand to know what the hell I ever did to deserve being hunted like prey.
But instead, I stay quiet.
Because voicing those fears might make them real.
And right now, the only thing holding the panic at bay is the strength in Noel Kane’s arms.
The storm howls louder outside as I slip into the bathroom.The hot water will help.Maybe.
But as I close the door, I glance back one last time.
Noel’s already in motion—speaking into his comms, eyes razor-focused, checking his weapon, giving orders like the ex-soldier he is.
Calm.Deadly.Determined.
The illusion of safety is gone.
The quiet, the sweetness, the stolen night of firelight and kisses—all torn away by one blinking message.
But even through the fear, only one thought burns clear in my mind.
If he can find me here?
Then nowhere is safe.
