Page 152 of Chasing Infinity

A blush forms on my cheeks, and I smile at him. We gather our coats, gloves, and hats and then go downstairs.

I take my place on Noah’s left side as soon as we hit the sidewalk. He looks down at me, a soft smile playing on his lips as I gaze back up at him. He reaches for my hand and I thread my fingers through his, giving his good hand a little squeeze.

We walk down the block together. The town is a little quiet today; only a few people are out and about running errands. They wave to us when they pass, and I smile at them.

“So—” I start after we’ve been walking for a bit. Noah looks down at me questioningly.

“Yes?”

“I was wondering if we could talk,” I say hesitantly.

Noah chuckles, his hot breath swirling around in the air in front of him, making him look like a dragon. “That doesn’t sound good. Are you breaking up with me?”

I shove him with my shoulder. “No. I was wondering if we could talk about what you told me at the hospital.”

He bobs his head and looks straightforward. “Yeah, I was wondering when you’d bring it up again.”

“I was waiting for you to start feeling better,” I explain. “But I do have a lot of questions.

“As I assume you would,” he says lightly. “By all means, Parks. Ask away.”

I think for a moment. Of course, now that I have the opportunity to ask him anything I want, I can’t think of anything to ask. Finally, I settle on a simple icebreaker, “Your dad was responsible for the fire?”

“Yes.”

“Why wasn’t that reported in the investigation? If he did it, why isn’t he paying for it?”

Noah exhales. “Because my father is incredibly good at what he does. He has a network of people who do all the dirty work for him, so he can, theoretically, keep his hands clean.”

I shake my head, not understanding. “Then how do you know he’s the one who did it?”

Noah is quiet and then says, “Because I know my father. And I confronted him about it right after it happened, and he all but confirmed it.”

I press my lips together, my heart rate picking up and causing my chest to ache. “The night of the fire? You’ve known since then?”

I can’t help but feel a little betrayed. My parents weren’t the only ones trapped in that fire. If Noah has known all this time, he’s let me walk around in the same town with the man who tried to kill me.

As if sensing the direction of my thoughts, he squeezes my hand, pulling me back into the present. “Listen to me. My father is a dangerous man. He has resources that you and I can’t even begin to understand. So yes, I confronted him about it. And in response, he threatened me, and he threatenedyou.”

“What does that mean?” I ask, already confused by the politics of whatever transpired when we were eighteen.

Noah breathes deeply through his nose. “That’s why I left. When I confronted him about the fire and told him that I would tell everyone, he threatened you and said the only way I could keep you safe was to forget everything and leave.”

I shake my head, my eyebrows pulling in tight.

Noah continues, “I was eighteen, Parks. I loved you, and you had just been through a horrible, horrible tragedy at the hands of my father. I felt trapped, so I did the only thing I thought was best. I listened to him and left.”

“Was there proof?” I ask him. “If you had stayed, could you have gotten him arrested?”

Noah shakes his head. “No. There’s no proof other than his actions when I asked him about it.”

“I’m trying to follow along, Noah, but you’re losing me. How have you been investigating your father when there isn’t any proof?”

“Because sometimes thereareloose ends that he forgets about or doesn’t consider a threat. And I’ve tracked every one of them down—disgruntled employees, business partners gone wrong, a mistress he did wrong—you name it.”

“So all this time, you’ve been chasing him, waiting for him to slip up?”

Noah nods now. “Pretty much. There have been different levels to the investigation. I’ve gone deep undercover a time or two to get information on how his organization is running.”

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