Chapter 6
NOAH
My first instinct was to text Skye, but it was the middle of the night, and I knew for a fact that he slept like the dead and left his phone on silent. I definitely couldn’t call Jared or Kelly at this time, and my brother would only pile on with the I told you sos.
So after getting dressed and staring at my phone for way too long, I texted the only person who could maybe help me figure out what the hell had just happened.
By the time my video intercom buzzed, though, I’d second--guessed myself on sharing exactly what’d happened with Ace. But still, I pressed the unlock button and paced my small entryway waiting for the knock on my door.
The sound echoed through my apartment, and I jerked the door open so fast I nearly caught Torin’s raised fist with my face as he knocked.
“Hey, Tor,” I greeted him with a nervous smile.
He gave me a puzzled look, then stepped inside and swept me up in a hug, being cautious not to hurt my ribs. “Hey, Short Stack.”
Crap. Maybe I should have called Miles for some tough love after all, because Torin hadn’t even shut the door and I was already crying. I blamed it on the lingering drugs in my system from the hospital because I wasn’t usually such a crybaby.
This was Torin though, so he just smoothly kicked the front door shut and swept me up in his arms to carry me over to the sofa, not making a fuss over my waterworks.
He sat down with me in his lap and stroked his fingers through my hair like he had all the time in the world, and it granted me a level of calm I so desperately needed after Ace’s visit.
“Sorry,” I mumbled with a sniff as my anxiety finally started to ease. “I didn’t intend to cry all over you.”
“Don’t apologize to me, Short Stack. I’m just basking in the fact that you texted me instead of anyone else.” Torin grinned wide, making me snort a watery laugh.
I sighed, drying my face with the hem of my T--shirt. “Yeah, well, you know my deep, dark secrets, and Skye is a lost cause after he falls asleep.”
Torin gave a small groan of pain, pressing a hand to his heart.
“So I’m second--best to Sunshine--Skye? Harsh, babe, but I get it.
Skye is kinda great in these situations.
But I take it that means you didn’t fess up to Minnie?
” His teasing expression slipped, and the glance he shot me from beneath lowered lashes sparked something warm inside.
I bit the edge of my lip, sliding out of his lap and standing up. “Do you want something to drink? Um, water or…actually, that’s probably all I have. It’s been a while since I was here, and I need—-”
“Noah.” He cut me off, grabbing my hand and tugging me back down to the sofa beside him. “Relax, I’m not judging. Just curious for entirely self--serving reasons.”
I sagged back into the soft couch and blew out a long breath. “I’m scared to tell him,” I admitted in a mumble of embarrassment. “I’m scared he’ll hate me.”
Torin gave a thoughtful hum, shaking his head. “I think you’re wrong. But we all need our flaws, I guess. Tell me what happened with Ace, though. Did he hurt you?”
My brows shot up, and I jerked my gaze to Torin’s with alarm. “Was that a possibility?”
He frowned, his eyes lowering to my neck as he reached out to gently touch one of the red marks left by Ace’s hand on my throat. “You tell me.”
I wet my lips, thinking about how angry Ace had been and the flash of panic that’d hit me when he first grabbed me like that.
“Um, jury’s still out on that one, I guess.
” But the way he’d reacted when he saw my bruises gave me some level of comfort that he wouldn’t actually hurt me.
He’d been disgusted, and a hopeful part of me wanted to believe he was equally disgusted in himself for how he’d acted.
“So…?” Torin prompted, shifting on the sofa to face me, his knee hooked up so we were close but not touching. “What happened?”
I winced, ranking my fingers through my hair as I collected my thoughts. “Uh, well…he stole Minnie’s car, for starters, and because I’d given Min my parking remote and spare keys, he let himself in while I was in the shower.”
Torin’s expression shifted into a deep scowl. “Excuse me? He did what?”
I gave a shaking laugh despite the gravity of the situation. “Oh, yeah. Real dramatic, was waiting in the dark and nearly gave me a heart attack when I turned the light on.”
“That’s not okay,” he said in a shocked voice. “What the hell was he thinking?”
I shrugged. “Uh, I guess he was thinking that he’d been sitting with my secret for ten days and stewing in his anger over my betrayal or…
something like that. Anyway, long story short, I’m pretty sure I’m off the team.
Ace is going to get a rude awakening when he takes this information to Leight, but ultimately it was part of their contract that Ace has final say over the team, so what he says goes. ”
“Wait, wait, wait, why would this mean you’re off the team? No one else knows. Ace hasn’t spoken about it at home and—-”
“Huh?” I cut him off, blinking my confusion. “But Xavier and Z must know by now, right? The three of them are a no--secrets kinda crew, and the shit he said earlier implied they knew.” Which in itself said I was being a fucking idiot for avoiding this chat with Minho.
Torin shook his head firmly. “They don’t know.
Nor do Minnie or Aug, in case that was a concern.
Literally only me and Skye, and Ace hasn’t said a fucking word about it.
Not to me, anyway. I know he tried to talk to Skye, but they got in an argument, and they’ve barely spent more than thirty seconds alone together for nearly a week. ”
My jaw fell open, and I tried to match that information with the confusing statements Ace had made about this somehow involving Xavier and Z. If he believed that to be true, why wouldn’t he have told them about it? Why keep it a secret?
“Why?” I asked aloud.
Tor shrugged. “No clue. I sort of wondered if maybe he was second--guessing what he thought he heard that night, and without us confirming anything, maybe he was giving you the benefit of doubt? Your attacker was certifiable, so it was totally possible that he lied, right? And he passed out before Skye spilled all your personal info to the paramedics.”
“That makes no sense,” I murmured, my nose wrinkled. “He was super angry and accusing me of doing this as some sort of revenge plot. Something involving him and Z. So I just assumed he’d talked to him.”
“Why would this have anything to do with him or Z? Did you guys have history before the team?” Torin seemed equally confused, because I had explained the motives behind my secret--girl trope that first day I’d woken up and realized he knew.
I’d told him all about the initial mix--up and the safety concerns of putting a girl in a house full of thirst--trapping single men.
Weirdly, no one had ever been concerned about my safety within the house, only that the Acolytes would wage a hate campaign against me.
I thought back to the whole scenario that brought me here, then sighed and shook my head.
“I think Ace and I met once, when we were younger. Like when I was eleven or twelve. He and Xavier went to school with my brother, and I know they have some bad blood from some drama at boarding school. But that had nothing to do with me, and I had never met Z before joining the team.”
Torin tipped his head to the side, thinking. “Are you sure? Not at any ClikByte creator parties or anything? You all live in the same city. Surely there would be some crossover events?”
“No, I hardly ever attended events as Norah because I was underage and my boyfriend was a controlling prick”—-not that I wanted to get into that with Torin—-“then after I shifted to NoFear, I couldn’t exactly show up in a helmet and flight suit, could I?
Besides, I had no real interest in that scene at all.
The one and only time I got decently drunk, I nearly died. ”
“Yeah, good point,” he agreed thoughtfully. “He didn’t explain why he thought that?”
I bit my lip, swallowing hard around the lump of panic and regret at the memory of Ace’s mouth on mine and his hand buried between my thighs. “No…” I whispered. “He didn’t explain, and then we exchanged some heated words and I threw him out.”
A wobbly smile touched Torin’s lips. “Physically tossed him out on his ass? I’d believe it. You’re strong.”
I rolled my eyes, amused despite myself. “I asked very forcefully that he leave, and he obliged. Although he still has my keys so I’ll need to get them back.”
Torin pulled his phone out of his pocket and tapped out a lightning--fast message, sending it before I could ask what he was doing. “Min will get them back,” he assured me. “But we need to work out what you do about Ace.”
“What’s the point? He made his feelings clear, and I won’t stay where I’m not wanted.
So long as Ace is the one to fire me from the team, my contract with Olympus is fulfilled.
” I drew a deep, shaking breath as I thought it over.
“Once he makes it official with management, then I can come clean to the guys and we can…you know…” I trailed off, suddenly anxious and fluttery inside as I dodged eye contact.
“I don’t know, Short Stack,” he replied with a teasing grin. “We can what?”
Despite his bold declaration at the hospital and that very intentional kiss, we hadn’t done anything else. He’d respected the fact I was recovering from yet another near--death incident and all the trauma associated, so although he was very clearly flirting, he wasn’t pushing me for anything more.
It was making me crazy.
I worried my lip between my teeth for a moment, searching for the words. “We can…stay friends,” I finally said. “Assuming the guys don’t react like Ace just did.”
Torin gave a thoughtful hum, looking at my ceiling for a moment. “I want to tell you they wouldn’t, but I also never expected this from Ace. I thought I knew him better than this.” He reached out and stroked my neck again.
“So did I,” I whispered with genuine sadness tightening my chest. “I guess I should have listened to my brother all along. He tried to warn me so many times, and I didn’t see it.
Until now.” So then why the hell, when I rubbed my hand over those tender spots of my neck, was I kind of turned on about the whole thing?
Oh yeah, because despite scaring me, he’d also just made me come for the first time in months.
Torin tugged my hand away from my neck and pulled me into a huge hug, his strong hand stroking down my spine in a way that made me melt against his chest. Officially my new happy place—-snuggled up in Torin’s arms.