32. Reghan
32
REGHAN
Noah stayed close to Barrett as we walked through the house, not focused on anything but the floor beneath his feet. Barrett took it all in. His eyes roamed every inch of the grand home. It really was something to see. I was still amazed Sylvan lived here alone. He didn’t mind it, preferring the peace and quiet.
Sylvan set Noah up in a bedroom close to the stairs. There were clothes already in the drawers. “We have all sizes here,” Sylvan said. “There’s food in the kitchen but if we don’t have what you want, let me know and I’ll run out.”
Noah stepped into the room and looked around. There was a queen-sized bed, two nightstands, and a matching armoire, all done in a deep cherrywood. The room didn’t have paintings or any other decorations. It wasn’t meant for someone to live in, though they could. It was for people to stay if they had no choice, if they needed to hide.
“Reghan, I have the room next door ready for you and Barrett.”
“Thanks, Sylvan.”
He smiled. “Anytime. I’ll go downstairs to prepare soup and sandwiches. Does anyone have allergies?”
Noah and Barrett shook their heads. Sylvan already knew about those who worked for Jordan.
“Okay, if you need anything, Reghan knows the house, or you can ask me.” With that, he left the room.
“Is he okay?” Barrett asked, thumbing over his shoulder where Sylvan rushed away.
“He has anxiety. Having people here can make it worse. He’s used to being alone.”
“I can’t believe he lives here by himself. This place is huge for one person.”
“A story for another day.” I didn’t want to divulge a lot in front of Noah. It was enough that he was here. I was still surprised Jordan offered this place up. He must have seen something in Noah and trusted he’d keep it quiet.
Jordan didn’t hesitate when making decisions. He relied on his gut and then went with it. Bringing Noah here was a calculated risk. Jordan also wanted to find the person responsible for taking him. However, taking him to Jordan’s building—where his family was—would have meant Noah would be locked in an apartment like Lane was when we first met him. Noah wouldn’t do well in that environment. This would be easier for him to adjust to.
The other main reason was Jordan didn’t want Barrett in his building, not while he still worked for the East Dremest PD. I thought of this as a trial of sorts, maybe Jordan did too. Having Barrett here, seeing the home, and meeting Sylvan, was a big risk. For all of Jordan’s talk about not fully trusting Barrett, he was getting better, or Barrett wouldn’t have been here.
Taking a seat on the bed, Noah lifted the edge of the comforter and worried it between his fingers. “He can’t find me here?”
“No,” I told him. “Very few know about this place. Whoever you’re afraid of won’t think to look here. And if by some chance they do, I’ll handle them.”
“Me too,” Barrett said. “Reghan’s not the only one who can be intimidating.” The thought of Barrett being in a dangerous situation didn’t sit well with me. Although, he was in that every day, wasn’t he? Maybe not directly, but anything could happen at any moment. “We’ll step out so you can get changed.”
Frightened brown eyes lifted to look at us. “Thank you for what you’re doing. I didn’t make it easy by not wanting to go to the hospital or the police station. It’s… I can’t. He’ll know. He always knows.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell us who he is?”
“Not yet.” He was going to wait until he felt truly safe. “I know there are others, but he won’t hesitate to kill me. I got away once. He won’t let it happen again.”
Barrett nodded, but I didn’t miss the anger in his eyes. He wasn’t only thinking about Noah. It meant Marshall wouldn’t escape a second time either if he was caught.
I took Barrett’s hand in mine and gently pulled him toward the door. He gripped the doorknob to close it behind us.
Instead of going to the room we’d sleep in, I walked Barrett down the hall so Noah wouldn’t hear us talking. I gripped the back of Barrett’s neck and brought our foreheads together. “Marshall’s fine. He’s in a secure building. This asshole would have to go through many people to get to him. My apartment is on the floor beneath Jordan’s. That’s a lot of distance from the lobby.”
Barrett nodded and put his hands on my hips. “I hate this. I hate not seeing him or having him with me, but you’re right. He’s better off there.”
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Without releasing Barrett, I reached down to withdraw it and looked at the screen. “Lawson. Says he can’t find Noah anywhere. His identity has been wiped from every system. The first name might not be real, which isn’t surprising, but I have a feeling it is.” I tapped out a quick thank you and put the phone back in my pocket. “Jordan has men out there looking for this asshole, but I need you to gain Noah’s trust so he’ll speak to you. It sucks and I hate pushing him, but there are lives on the line.”
“I know. After we eat, maybe you and Sylvan can leave us alone, and I’ll try to get him to talk. I get it. He’s been through hell and obviously fears for his life. Whoever this is can make his life much worse. I can’t help but think it’s a politician or someone along that line.”
“We’ll get him. And, Bear?”
“Yeah?”
“I hate the circumstances, but I like knowing I don’t have to be away from you.”
“Same, baby.” He pressed forward to brush his lips over mine. “The end is in sight, right? After all this is done, we can be together.”
“Don’t let Jordan pressure you. Only you can make that decision, and you’re the one who has to be comfortable with it.” I understood why Jordan said what he did, but Barrett had enough on his shoulders. He didn’t need more.
“I already made it and don’t want to take it back. If I can have you, Mars, and the money I need to help him, I’m good. Everything else will fall into place.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. I don’t love my job, you know that. Sure, I love helping people, but the bullshit that comes with it makes the job that much harder. If I can do some good working for Jordan while making what I need, I’ll be fine. Plus, I’ll get to be with you every day if he hires me.”
A smile tugged at my lips. “That is a perk.”
“Are you going to move me into your apartment?”
“You want to share my bed, Bear? You want to make a home with me? A life by my side?”
“Fuck, I want that. I didn’t realize just how much until you said it like that. Are you sure it’s me you want there? You can have anyone.”
“You’re it, have been for a while. I just didn’t realize how deep you were under my skin until I got my first taste of you. There was no removing you from my soul after that. You’re mine.”
He groaned when I put my arm around his waist and brought our bodies flush together. “God, don’t get me hard. We can’t do anything about it.”
“Later?”
“Fuck, yeah. But quietly.” He was right. We had Noah next door to us, so we’d have to keep it down.
“I love you, Bear.”
His response was to kiss the hell out of me, to sweep his tongue into my mouth and devour me. I got so lost in him I forgot where I was. It was just us. No outside world, no bullshit, no motherfucker kidnapping people.
I was the first to lean away, although, it was brutal to do so. What I wouldn’t give to slam him against the wall and fuck deep into him. When he was finally in my apartment, I was going to have him on every surface in every room.
Barrett took a step back, his hands sliding from my body. “Okay, we have to get control over ourselves. I can’t be hard for my talk with Noah.” He shook out his arms and jogged in place.
“What are you doing?” I laughed.
“Trying to get the blood flowing to other parts of my body. It’s not working, and I feel like a jackass. Wait, maybe that part is helping.” He stopped and adjusted himself. “The problem is going away.”
“Good to know.”
The door to the room Noah was in opened and he stepped into the hallway, his head whipping from one side to the other until he spotted us down the hall and relaxed. He had on a pair of clean sweatpants and a long-sleeved white shirt. It was a little big on him but better than being too small. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” Barrett said, striding toward him. “We were just about to head downstairs.”
I joined them, following behind as they descended the stairs.
“This house is so big,” Noah murmured. “How do you not get lost in it?”
“You get used to it,” I said. “Usually when I’m here, I’m downstairs, but I know the layout well.” The place had video surveillance, a hell of a security system, more guns than we could ever need, as well as ammunition. And there were hidden rooms where we could stay or hide whoever needed it. I wasn’t going to tell Noah all of that. He was on a need-to-know basis.
The entry to the kitchen was arched, adding to the charm of the house. We entered and found Sylvan placing bowls of soup on the table.
“I hope you’re hungry,” he said. “If you don’t like what I’ve made, I can cook something else.”
“I’m sure it’s good, Syl,” I told him. Having to cook for us shouldn’t cause him anxiety.
“This kitchen is incredible,” Barrett said in awe. He ran his fingers over the light-beige stone of the countertops as his eyes went to the warm brown cabinets and the recessed lighting. The appliances were on the newer side, the stainless steel shining.
Jordan didn’t do anything half-assed and the house reflected it. Anything Sylvan wanted; Jordan gave him. Of course, Sylvan rarely asked for anything and if he needed to make a purchase, he did it with his own money. He thought Jordan had already done more than enough for him.
Barrett led Noah to the breakfast nook while I carried plates with sandwiches on them to the table. Sylvan was still nervous, but he was more relaxed than before.
“Raiden’s coming?” he asked.
I nodded. “Probably Vincent too.”
“Oh.”
Leaning close, I whispered, “All you have to do is ask and he’ll come out here.”
A blush quickly rose over his cheeks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure.”
Sylvan smiled as he set a plate on the table then left to get drinks.
“What’s that about?” Barrett asked.
“Ollie.”
Barrett’s gaze went from me to Sylvan and back. I put my finger to my lips, not wanting to embarrass Sylvan further.