Chapter Ten
NOAH
TWO HOURS PREVIOUSLY
After a long day at work, I’m looking forward to relaxing at home with my dad and Belinda. I don’t even care that he keeps his old British TV shows on all night because it’s paradise compared to when I was locked in a cell.
Though I had time outside and in the lounge since I wasn’t deemed a high-risk inmate, it wasn’t much, and I could never truly relax. Not until the day I left.
“How’s the gym remodel goin’?” Dad asks as I sit with a beer.
“Really good. If it wasn’t for the delay in delivering the equipment, he’d be able to open earlier than expected.”
“I can’t wait to see what he does with it,” Belinda chimes in.
“It’s gonna be pretty awesome. Besides the boxing ring, we’re gonna build a juice bar and serve protein smoothies and healthy drinks. Then a nice studio for classes and a stretching area with punching bags.”
“And y’all are gonna get it finished in a few months?” Dad asks.
“Definitely. We’re working hard, and if we need to pull some weekend shifts, I will. Smith is quite experienced, so that keeps us on task.”
“That’s Tyler’s other guy, right?”
“Yeah, he—”
Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering rings through the air, then a loud thud echoes, and I duck as I wait for whatever is happening to stop. Belinda shouts, and I hear my dad asking her if she’s okay.
Standing, I look at what went flying through the large bay window.
“Holy fuck, is that a—”
I study the pipe as the clock counts down, and it beeps loudly.
“Get out. Now!” I pull my dad’s arm, and he holds onto Belinda as I rush us out the front door.
Expecting to hear an explosion, I run across the street and keep them behind me as we stand on the sidewalk.
Nothing happens.
What the fuck?
Then I spot my truck that I parked on the street. The word MURDERER is spray-painted across the side.
Goddammit.
“Oh my gosh…” Belinda sees it too.
“I’m calling the sheriff,” Dad says.
I reach for my phone. “Good idea. I’m gonna call Tyler and Gemma.”
The bomb might’ve been defective, or there could be a delayed response, but I’m not taking any chances.
My heart races, and I’m short of breath, but it takes me a minute for this to sink in. Did someone just try to bomb our house? That would’ve killed us.
Soon, Sheriff Todd arrives, and he’s calling in backup from the next town over, along with the bomb squad.
Red and blue lights illuminate the street, and the entire neighborhood watches from the sidewalk.
While the bomb squad takes care of things, the sheriff asks if I have any idea who might be doing this.
I honestly don’t know, but I tell him of two people who have a vendetta against me. Gabe’s parents.
Then I tell him about the one guy who slammed into me and called me a murderer, but I have no clue who he is. I can’t give him much of a description either since he wore a hoodie covering his head.
One of the bomb squad members comes over. “It’s defective. It was set to go off as soon as it flew through your window, but whoever did this didn’t do a very good job at building it.”
“Thank God,” Gemma mutters.
“Will you be staying here for the night? After traumatic things like this happen, sometimes it’s safer and helps with peace of mind to leave after everything’s properly secured,” he suggests.
“Not sure yet. We’ll figure it out,” Dad says. He glances at Belinda, who’s on the phone and is clearly shaken up. “Thanks for everything.”
Sheriff Todd writes a report and tells us he’ll file it in the morning so Dad can get insurance to cover the expenses. Once again, I feel fucking terrible.
“I’m so sorry,” I tell him and Belinda. “I’m so relieved you two are okay.”
“It’s not your fault,” Belinda says, ending her call.
“Not at all,” Dad adds, but I know it is.
“Are y’all gonna go somewhere?” Gemma asks.
“Well, I just talked to my sister and let her know what happened. She has a spare room, but there’s only a full-sized bed.” Belinda frowns.
“Take it,” I demand. “I’ll figure something out.
Plus, it’s probably best I stay close and watch the house tonight.
But tomorrow I’ll need to find somewhere else to go for a while.
Perhaps if this asshole thinks I moved out, it’ll keep you both safe.
I can move my truck so it’s not in front of the house. ”
“You have nowhere to go,” Tyler says.
“And you can’t afford a hotel.” Gemma gives me a sad look. “Though I wouldn’t want you in the next town anyway. That’s too far.”
I shrug, trying to calm myself. My body is still in shock. “It might be my only option.”
“Let me see what I can do…just give me a minute,” Gemma says, pulling out her phone and walking off.
“You’re sure about this?” Dad asks.
“Absolutely. You and Belinda go pack and stay at her sister’s. I’ll be fine here,” I reassure. “I just need someone to help me drop off my truck somewhere in the event it’s being tracked.”
“I’ll work on removing the spray paint.” Dad pats my back. “It’ll look good as new in no time.”
I manage to smile. “Thanks.”
“We can keep it in the back parking lot of the deli. There are security cameras too.”
“That’s a great idea,” Dad agrees.
Five minutes later, Gemma returns with the biggest grin. “All sorted out. You’re gonna stay at Katie’s new house.”
My heart jumps into my throat, and I’m sure I heard her wrong.
“Wait, what?”
“Yep, it took some sweet-talkin’, but she can’t say no to me so…” She shrugs, clearly proud of herself. “Pack a bag because you’re going first thing tomorrow morning. But tonight, you can sleep on our couch.”
“Okay, I’ll be over after I board up that window,” I say, hardly believing any of this.
Once again, I feel like a burden to everyone who has to adjust their lives for me. I’m determined to figure out who this coward is and put him through hell. It’s one thing to come at me because of what I’ve done, but you leave my family the fuck alone.
My blood boils at how they’re harassing others to get to me.
I wonder if they hope I’ll lose my support system since they’re being targeted by association.
This person highly underestimates the people I’ve surrounded myself with because nothing will change how protective they are of me.
Tyler, for one, is someone I trust with my life.
Though we’ve gotten to know each other when he accompanied my sister during their short monthly visits, seeing him nearly every day for the past month has cemented our friendship.
“You sleep okay?” Gemma asks when I make my way to the kitchen.
I stretch my arms over my head and crack my back. “You need a new couch. Preferably a longer one.”
She snorts. “Whenever we move, we will. Just for you, brother.”
Tyler strolls in after his shower and cups Gemma’s face before kissing her. She clings to him, and it lasts for a solid thirty seconds.
I clear my throat loudly. “Can we keep it G-rated, please? I don’t need a visual on how you knocked up my sister.”
Gemma glares, and Tyler laughs. “Sorry, man.”
“If you need a tutorial, there are plenty of websites I can show you,” Gemma taunts.
“Nah, just send him to PornHub. Plenty of…educational videos there.” Tyler chuckles as he brews a pot of coffee.
“Yeah, watching that while at Katie’s house is really gonna make things less awkward,” I say, groaning. “Are you certain she’s okay with this?”
“No, but oh well…” Gemma smirks. “Just stay out of her way, and she won’t even know you’re there.”
“Sounds easy enough. She’s dodged and ignored me every time we’ve run into each other, so it shouldn’t be an issue.” I sigh, walking around the counter for a mug since the coffee’s ready.
“Or use the opportunity to help her. She’ll never admit it, but she doesn’t really know what she’s doing,” Gemma says, grinning. “She watches videos and reads up on it, but it slows her down.”
“She won’t speak to me, so I doubt she’ll let me near her tools.”
“Wait…is that a euphemism for something?” Gemma waggles her brows.
“Hormones,” Tyler mouths with wide eyes, signaling for me not to challenge her.
I suck in a breath. “I’m gonna take a shower and get ready to go…”
“We’re leaving in thirty minutes,” Gemma announces as I walk down the short hallway to the bathroom.
Once I’m under the stream of hot water, it doesn’t take long before visions of Katie surface.
I’ve thought about her every single day of my life, so today’s not any different.
My cock gets hard as I picture her heart-shaped face and ruby lips.
I always adored her spitfire attitude. It’s why I fell for her in the first place.
Before Gabe showed up, we used to have movie nights every weekend.
We’d sit on my bed, share a large bowl of popcorn mixed with M&Ms, then fall asleep together.
I almost had the courage to kiss her one night, but then something in the movie had her bursting out with laughter, and Coke spewed out of her mouth.
It sprayed all over my chest, and she couldn’t stop giggling.
Of course, I laughed with her, but as soon as I took off my shirt to wipe off the mess, I saw the way her eyes stared at my chest. Katie licked her lips and quickly averted her gaze when she realized I’d caught her.
That was when I should’ve made my move, but I fucking chickened out. The self-conscious part of me took over, so instead of kissing her, I created more space between us.
Didn’t stop my fantasies every time I took a shower.
“You ready?” Gemma asks as I stroll into the kitchen with my duffel bag and air mattress.
“Ready as I’ll ever be, I guess.”
“Eh, don’t worry,” Tyler says. “What’s the worst that can happen? She poisons you and feeds you to the gators?” He chuckles, patting me on the back.
“Just promise me you’ll at least look for my body…” I groan.
To be on the safe side, we walk through the backyards to Katie’s. It’s just down the block, so it’s not far. The asshole harassing me might be watching my dad’s place, so it’s best if they don’t see where I go.
“If you need anything, just call, okay? I don’t want you out of work for long, so I promise you we’ll find whoever it is,” Tyler reassures me.
“Yes, and let me know if you need me to bring you anything to eat. Katie’s a good cook and all, but she doesn’t have a fridge yet, so I think your choices will be limited,” Gemma tells me.
“I’m sure I’ll manage.”
Gemma walks with me, and soon, we’re at Katie’s back door. I knock and nervously wait.