Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Danica gasped, her hand going to her mouth. “A picture of Noah?”
Next to her, Noah barely even reacted. As if these were only mildly interesting developments. But her stomach was churning, acid rising up into her chest.
“West Oaks PD didn’t officially tell us about the photo,” Max said. “It was Officer Collins, Devon’s friend, speaking confidentially. I understand Chase has been helping us out with this?”
Noah cleared his throat. “Yeah, Chase said he’d look into the chain of custody on the museum surveillance video. But…I don’t think the photo is such a surprise. A lot of people think I’m Danica’s boyfriend. Eagle tattoo would’ve wanted me out of the way.”
Danica shook her head. “You’re acting like it’s not a big deal. It is.”
Noah shrugged. “Um, this probably isn’t the best time to bring this up. But Danica, I didn’t have a chance to tell you last night. Tanner said our computer experts finished examining your laptop. It was clean. Which means…”
She pushed back from the table, nausea overwhelming her. “It wasn’t some outside hacker who figured out my schedule. It really was someone close to me.”
And that same person could’ve instructed the kidnappers to go after Noah, too.
Someone in her family.
Only Soren could possibly hate Noah that much. But he wasn’t even in California.
“You can see why I’d rather you both stay put until we know more,” Max said.
“But Danica, you might want to call your father. He’s got a lawyer after us, threatening to sue if we don’t reveal your location.
I have no plans to comply. But if you could calm him down, our phones here might be a little quieter. ”
“Yeah,” she said, her throat thick. “I’ll try.”
Though she wasn’t sure how she’d manage to speak to her father without screaming.
Max said goodbye, and Noah set the phone aside.
Danica hugged herself, closing her eyes. Stay calm. Don’t freak out. Don’t fall apart.
When she opened her eyes again, Noah was watching her with tender concern. He held out his arms. “Come here. It’ll be okay.”
“I don’t want you to comfort me.” If he did, she was sure she’d cry. “It was bad enough these people tried to kidnap me. But they could’ve been planning to kill you. That asshole didn’t have a picture of Rosie, even though she was supposed to be my bodyguard. They wanted to go after you.”
“I’m used to it. A lot of people have tried to kill me, and it hasn’t worked yet.”
“Don’t turn this into a joke, Noah.”
“You’re grumpy at me? Isn’t that blaming the victim? A little bit?”
He tried his most charming grin, the one that showed off his dimple. Usually, it worked on her. But she wasn’t in the mood. “Stop trying to be cute.”
Danica came over to grab the phone and then stormed over to the cabin’s exterior door. She unlocked it and went outside.
The cabin stood in a clearing surrounded by lush trees, and mountains stretched in the distance.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d gone away to a peaceful, beautiful place like this on vacation.
Maybe the Catskills in New York with some of her girlfriends.
But usually, her work schedule didn’t allow for it.
If only this were just a vacation.
She looked down at the phone in her hand. Better to get this over with.
Danica called her father’s cell. He’d had the same number for many years, so she had it memorized.
“This is William.” Her father’s voice sounded frayed and exhausted.
“Dad, it’s Danica.”
“Finally. My god. Where are you?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why on earth not? You need to come home.”
Danica walked further from the house. “I can’t come home. I’m in a safe place. With Noah.”
“So his employer told me. You hired him as your bodyguard? Hired Bennett Security?”
“It’s a good thing I did. Noah saved my life. He was nearly killed protecting me.”
“Then I’m grateful to him. But you lied to me, Danica. Defied me outright.”
“Like you’ve never lied to me, Dad.”
“What are you talking about?”
She rubbed the skin between her eyes. “I’m talking about your relationship with Tori. I’m talking about those blackmail messages I got, about some secret of yours. You’re keeping things from me, and it’s insulting that you keep on insisting that I’m imagining it.”
There was silence on the line. “There’s no reason we have to deal with those issues now.”
“But why not? I’m tired of people telling me that I don’t see the things I see. You and Blake wouldn’t listen to me about the man I saw at the museum, and the exact same person came after me last night. I want my family to listen, and I want you to be honest with me.”
Her father sighed. “I can explain certain things. But only when you come home. Noah Vandermeer has nothing to do with any of this, and you endanger more than you know by inviting someone like him into our circle.”
She couldn’t take anymore. “I didn’t tell you Noah was my bodyguard, but I was honest when I told you I want him in my life. I care about him. We’re seeing each other.”
Even this wasn’t totally true. She didn’t know what she and Noah were. And technically, they hadn’t been together at all the last time she’d spoken to her father.
But her feelings for Noah hadn’t changed. She was starting to realize that she’d felt the same way about him for a long time. Maybe even before he’d come back into her life.
She still didn’t see how things could work out between them. But she didn’t want her father to be the reason.
“You’re being very foolish,” her father said.
“Maybe so. But—”
“You swear you’re safe?”
“Completely.”
“Then we’ll deal with the rest later. When you come home. But no sooner.”
Danica heard the cabin door open. She was sitting on a rock, facing into the trees, surrounded by soft grass and wildflowers. The peacefulness of the surroundings had calmed down her anger at her father. But there was still so much that was wrong.
Now that the museum gala was over, her schedule had been wiped clean. Her flight back to New York was supposed to have left that morning. It would’ve already landed at JFK by now, and she’d be in a car home.
Now, she didn’t even know if the museum renovation would go forward. After last night’s disaster, would the donors pull their contributions? Would the rest of the museum’s board of directors revolt against her?
Would the damage spread to the foundation’s other projects as well?
The media was probably in a frenzy over what had happened. They’d probably say she’d drawn too much attention to herself. Invited the attacks.
Maybe the foundation would be better off without her.
Danica hid her face in her hands.
Noah’s footsteps approached. She looked up. He’d stopped beside her, hands in his shorts pockets.
“I emailed Gramps and Ginger. Told them to go stay in one of Ginger’s condos for a while.”
Because someone could go to the Vandermeer house looking for Noah and end up finding them. Ugh. This was so awful.
“Will they agree? Even Ginger?”
“She won’t like it. But Gramps will convince her.” Noah sat down in the grass in front of her. “You spoke to your dad?”
“My father admitted he’s keeping secrets from me. But he said he won’t tell me until I come home.”
“That’s progress, at least.”
She shrugged. “I guess. I’ve been thinking about how Tori sent me that message last night, saying she needed to talk to me. About a sensitive matter.”
“You think it was about your father?”
“Yes.”
“It could’ve been about Blake.”
“That’s true. I guess there might be plenty of secrets to go around.” She laughed without any humor.
“There’s something else I should tell you, too,” Noah said. “I asked Tanner to look into the blackmail threats you received about your father. Even though you’d told me not to.”
She didn’t know what to say. She just looked at him.
“I’m sorry that I went against your wishes. I shouldn’t have. But I do think Bennett Security’s researchers should investigate.”
Danica nodded slowly. She pulled a piece of grass and rolled it between her fingers. “Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yes. Okay. I don’t want to be mad at you.”
“You sure? I suspect you like being mad at me.”
“You might like when I’m mad at you.”
“Maybe when you play mad. Not when it’s real.”
Wetness sprang into her eyes, a lump balling at her throat, and this time, she just couldn’t hold it back.
At first, she and Noah had been pretending to be lovers, or dating, or whatever it was they’d been doing.
But she wanted it to be real. All of it.
She wanted Noah so badly that she felt the physical weight of all that wanting, and it was crushing her.
Even last night, she’d pretended that sex with Noah could be enough. But it would never be enough.
Noah reached out and smudged a tear away with his thumb. “Dani. Talk to me.”
“I’m scared about everything that’s happening. I’m scared all the time.” Her voice was breaking.
“I know. I wish I could take that away.”
“But you can’t.”
“Would you come here and let me hold you?”
She shook her head obstinately.
“Dani, come here.” Noah gathered her up and pulled her into his lap.
She rested the side of her head against his chest and gripped his shirt in her fist. “I just couldn’t take it if anything happened to you, especially if it was because of me.”
“Hate to break it to you, babe, but that’s what it means to be a bodyguard. I risk my life for you.”
“Then you’re fired.”
He laughed. “No matter what I am to you, I’d still risk my life to protect you. Any day. That’s what you mean to me.”
“Don’t be my bodyguard. Just be…mine.” She lifted her face and found him looking down at her.
Their lips met, the kiss slow and tentative. Noah brushed her hair from her cheek.
“What about your family?” he asked.
The Foster-Grants… Their reputation. Their legacy.
None of it meant anything. Not compared to what Danica felt for him.