Текст книги "Beautiful Storm"

Автор книги: Megan Isaacs

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 21 страниц)

A WAVE OF nausea plagues my stomach with each step away from her, them, as if fighting the force of gravity. My mouth dries out, making swallowing down the bitterness scorching my throat almost impossible. My eyes burn, yet my insides crystallise and disintegrate, the pain crucifying me. Lizzie’s gut-wrenching sobs enforce the depth of my betrayal, echoing around my ears like a stuck record.

Why the hell did I tell her?

Out of habit, I want a drink; the need to forget overwhelms me. If I could just take it all back… But I can’t. And at this point, I don’t want to. I did the right thing. I’ll have to suck it up and deal with the aftermath like a fucking man. And the ways I used to lose myself won’t help my situation. Not now.

Nothing will.

With shaking hands, I remove my phone from my back jeans pocket and make a call to the one person who gets me and never judges me. I scroll through my last dialled numbers and press Bear’s name.

“Noah?”

“Mate, I need a favour,” I blurt out, my desperation obvious in the rushed words.

There’s a sharp intake of breath before he answers. “Anything. You know that.”

“Get Layla over to my house… Now.” Emotion chokes every word to the point of incoherency, as cold reality seeps into my bones. I don’t want Lizzie to think I abandoned her. I just need to go away for a little while. Give her time to consider taking me back.

“What the fu—Oh. Yeah… Sure.” His confusion quickly clears. “You told her the truth about you, didn’t you?”

A strangled growl emits from my throat that’s supposed to be a ‘yes.’

“Shit. Okay, I’ll ring her now. Don’t do anything stupid, mate.”

“What could I possibly do that’s more fucking stupid than destroying the only thing I’ve ever fucking wanted?” I spit down the phone at him. Anger at my own stupidity surges through me, enhancing the emotional overload in my system. The line goes dead and I consider smashing the phone into the ground. To watch it shatter into smithereens like my heart. But now it’s my only access to Lizzie and the only people I trust to look after her while I’m gone. The fucking phone is all I have.

I stuff it into my backpack, and force my helmet on. My head throbs as my mind races. Numb legs walk the bike backwards onto the road. I glance back at the house looking for something, someone, anything that will tell me not to go, but there’s nothing for me to find. She’s hardly going to come running out, begging me to stay. Revving the throttle, I race away, crushing myself a little bit more.

Tired and drained after thrashing the Ducati around for an hour or so, I pull up outside of Macy’s. I shouldn’t be here, but I want no company but my own misery. Here I can achieve that. As I kick the stand and turn off the ignition, my neck prickles, sending a shudder through my body. Before taking off my helmet, I scan every corner of the area repeatedly, but nothing seems out of place. Appeased, I remove my headgear and stride into the bar.

Some bird I’ve never seen before is serving behind the bar. Her eyes widen as she notices me at the bar, a look I’m all too familiar with. Not in the fucking mood to play nice, I don’t return the award-winning smile that crosses her face.

“Pint of Stella,” I order, my tone cold enough to freeze oil. Her smile falters, making me feel like a prize bastard, but I couldn’t give a fuck either. She hands me my pint and I hand her a fiver. Not bothering to wait for the change, I find a seat in the far corner, away from anybody who might talk to me. I don’t want to talk. The only thing I want I’ll never find here.

The amber liquid sits in front of me, taunting me like a dare. I spin the glass in my fingers over and over again, watching as it flows in circles and the froth dies. My mind runs riot with all the things that never should’ve been said. I stop the spinning and stare at my pint, waiting for the movement of the beer to stop. My grasp tightens on the cool glass when I stand up. Without giving it much thought, I launch the pint across the room and watch as it smashes against the wooden bar front.

The room goes quiet for a few moments as everyone turns to look, before the natural hum slowly restores. All I can do is release a derisive laugh as the image, so much like my heart disintegrating, replays in my mind.

“Noah.” I look up to find the burly bar owner, complete with gold teeth and tats, standing in front of me.

My chest heaves as I fall back into my seat, rubbing my hands over my face. “Malc.”

“Are you going to cause me trouble?”

“Nah, man. Send me the bill, and can I have another pint?”

He eyes me before sitting down and shouts to the new girl for two pints. I fight hard not to tell him to piss off. The last thing I want to do is pretend to be okay. She brings the drinks over, spilling them as she puts them down. She won’t last long here. Nervousness and a bar full of drunken wankers don’t mix.

“One drink and you’re on your way,” he states, leaning in. “But do anything like that again and you’re fucking barred.”

My goal of being left alone is fucked. I glare at the fucker before nodding. Malc’s a top bloke and deserves some form of respect, even if I begrudge giving it to him.

“I’ve watched you submerge yourself in alcohol and pussy for years. Has it worked?”

He tilts his head as he waits for my answer. The problem with people who run bars is they know far too fucking much. The thought crosses my mind to just either ignore him or walk out. But Malc’s a man of few words, and I know whatever he has to say won’t take long. Plus, I’m lucky he hasn’t thrown me out.

I shake my head, “No, it’s not.”

“Through all the drowning I’ve watched you do, I’ve never seen you destroy anything in my bar, except yourself.” He takes a deep swig of his pint then places it back down on the table.

“So?” My patience is wearing thin with this conversation, fast.

“Something’s changed.” The silence extends as I wait for him to get to the fucking point. “Maybe you’re growing up.” He slaps my shoulder, grabs his pint, and walks off.

My eyes fixate on the glass in front of me. Against my previous judgement, I push my drink away. The thought of taking the first sip into darkness taunts me, begging me to succumb and lose myself in the bottom of the glass. But getting wasted isn’t going to do a fucking thing to help. My mouth dries out and I swallow sawdust.

Fuck.

I release a huff of frustration, and run my hands over my head for what feel like the four millionth time since Lizzie returned. My temples pound, my eyes burn. What the hell am I meant to do now? I have to find a place to stay. Give her the space she needs while still not letting my shop go under. For now, the best course of action would be to go to the workshop. At least there I can bury my head in an engine, or paperwork, and shut the world out. It’s either that or revert to the old me and drink myself stupid and end up doing God knows what.

Not happening.

I push to my feet, sling the backpack over my shoulder, and walk with purpose out to the car park. When I near the bike, my name’s shouted and I turn to the voice, already knowing it’s Bear. He’s probably been tracking me. His forehead furrows, and the lines deepen further as he takes in my appearance.

“I’m not talking about it here.” I throw my leg over the seat as he gets closer.

“Okay.” He lengthens the word. “Where are you going?”

“To the workshop. You coming?”

He dips his head in short acknowledgement and steps forward, his hand grasping my shoulder. “Are you okay, mate?”

I glance at his curled fingers and look him in the eye. He winces at my expression as I shake my head. Without saying anything else, I shove my helmet on, start the engine, and leave at full throttle.

The door to the workshop smashes against the wall as I burst through it. Spud’s working under some knackered, old Mustang and bangs his head when he jumps at the noise.

“Bloody hell, Noah. What the fuck are you thinking?” He swings around to glare at me, rubbing the back of his head.

Without answering his question, I stride past him into my office and slam the door. The glass rattles in its surround. The deep voices of my two friends drift in. Bear obviously put his foot down to arrive this soon after me. Pulling the backpack from my shoulders, I retrieve my phone and throw the bag into the corner. It clatters against something, but I ignore it. Walking around my desk, I flop into the chair and fling the phone down.

How stupid to think Lizzie would accept my old lifestyle. What an even stupider idea to tell her, knowing it would destroy everything we finally had. The need for some control of my life fights with the fact that I shouldn’t even be thinking about a way to gain it back. I want her, but I’m not forcing her to be with me.

Bear appears at the door and walks straight in. Before any words come out of my mouth, he’s shaking his head.

“I know that look, and the answer’s ‘no.’”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say.” I’m irritated by his assumption I would do something stupid; that’s the old me. He doesn’t understand my urgency now.

“Don’t I? Well, in that case, tell me you weren’t going to ask me for a job.” His voice rises with anger.

Furious, I stare him down. “Give me some fucking credit,” I snarl back. “I just need to get away for a few days so I don’t show up at her door and beg her to take me back. You know how to go off the grid better than anyone. Find me someplace to go.”

“You want to leave with your tail in between your legs. What about the shop? So that’s it? You lose the girl, give up, roll over, and die?” He slams his hands on my desk, glaring at me.

“I’m not staying away forever. She’s my fucking life.” I stand up, mirroring his stance.

“Lizzie’s just an easy fuck. Like all the other pussies you’ve stuck your cock in. They’re all the same. Warm, wet, and welcoming, but expendable.” He’s goading me, the arsehole.

My body vibrates on the inside. She’s mine, and no one talks shit about something that belongs to me.

My jaw begins to tic and he takes a few steps backwards. I vault over the desk and shoulder-barge the fucker against the wall. One hand grasps his neck and the other undercuts him to the stomach. The air is knocked out of him and ‘oomph’ escapes his lips.

“Shut. Your. Fucking. Mouth,” I grind out, between clenched teeth. Our faces almost touch we are so close.

He struggles with each breath. “I wonder what it would feel like to get my dick buried—”

My grip tightens on his throat and he can’t finish his sentence. I press down on his pressure points and push the heel of my hand into his trachea. The pressure builds in his head and his face reddens. It takes me a few seconds to realise what he’s doing. He’s driving me to the edge on purpose, trying to fucking break me. His green eyes mock me.

Bastard.

I loosen my fingers, place both palms on his chest, and shove him away from me. He stumbles, then crouches down and sucks in a few deep breaths. “And you want to leave?” His hand rubs his throat then he shakes his head. “Not a good plan. You can’t be any further than ten feet away from her, it would kill you. You may be fighting fit, but she’s your weakness, mate.”

The adrenaline falters in my system, but the urge to kill my best friend holds strong. I move over to my desk and lean against it, folding my arms across my heaving chest. “Yeah, she is.” He’s just proved it. I can’t be away from her. Goaded about Lizzie, I lose my shit. If Kai was ever used against me, fuck knows how bad shit would get.

Bear straightens and leans against the opposite wall. “How long did it take to realise I didn’t give you any resistance?”

I hang my head, run both my hands over my hair, and grasp onto my nape. “Too long.”

“You fuckers finished now?” Spud barges into my office with a stupid grin on his face.

Bear eyes me before turning to him. “Yeah, Spud. We’re good.”

“Someone care to tell me what’s going on? I’ve seen you both go at it before, but that was different.” His eyes dart between us.

“He wanted to take off,” Bear states, glaring at me.

Spud’s eyes widen and the grin turns into a scowl when he turns in my direction. “Why?”

“I told her,” I state like a blunt force trauma.

There’s a sharp intake of breath and a slight pause before he replies, “The truth?”

“Yeah. The fucking whole fucked-up truth.”

“I’m guessing it didn’t go down well?”

“You think?” I answer sarcastically.

“Shit, man. Cait doesn’t even know what you two got up to. Why in the hell did you think it would be a good idea to tell Lizzie?”

“We have a son.” Anger builds in me when I state the obvious. Spud already knew about Kai, but said nothing about him. “She needed to know. I needed to be honest with her. If that life ever came back to bite me…” The words trail off as I am unwilling to finish my train of thought.

“So, the plan went well then?”

“Don’t fucking start with me, Spud.”

“Noah, calm the hell down,” Bear interjects.

The pressure in my head’s at breaking point. “Calm fucking down? I’ll tell you what, you have your fucking world shredded in front of your eyes. See how fucking calm you are. Arsehole.”

Bear’s phone ringing silences me as I fight for control of my sanity. Glancing at the screen, something flashes in his eyes before he answers.

“Hiya, babe… What? Slow down.” His gaze flicks towards me and drops to the floor. After drawing in a long, deep breath, he turns his back on Spud and me. “How long?”

I glance at Spud who’s not looking at me, hands dug deep in his pockets. When I turn my gaze back to Bear, the bottom drops out of my stomach. I take in every single change in his body language. He places a palm on the wall and drops his head. Every muscle in his body is taut.

“Yeah, okay. Try not to panic.” All his words are measured and relaxed, yet his body betrays him. “Go to your house, take Kai with you… No. Go. Now.” He ends the call. His hand slides down the wall, his stance shaky while dropping his shoulders before turning slowly in my direction. Every movement mirrors mine before I delivered the fatal blow to my relationship. Something’s very fucking wrong.

No words are spoken as he waits for me to take in everything about his expression. I want him to say something, anything. Seconds pass and he still remains quiet.

He finally breaks the silence. “Lizzie hasn’t come home, yet.”

She’s left?

My gaze lands on the cricket bat lodged behind the backpack. All self-restraint is gone. Grabbing for the handle, I yank it out, and barrel past both Bear and Spud and into the workshop. Blood thunders through my ears.

She left me.

I turn in one rapid movement and swing the bat full force into the glass panel. It cascades in tiny blocks to the floor, scattering like a million ice cubes at my feet. Bear grabs Spud’s shoulder as he moves towards the door. I glare back at them, daring them to get in my way.

She couldn’t get past what I was.

I swing the bat again into each glass panel, making my way up the wall. Each time the splintering and shattering feeds my anger, but releases the pressure inside. I’m fucking exhausted. My chest heaves as I pull my arms back to swing into the last panel, but something snaps in my mind. Bear told Layla to take Kai to her house.

She would never leave Kai.

The bat slips from my fingers and clatters to the floor. My fists clench and unclench at my sides and I try to steady my breaths by inhaling deep and long.

Bear comes over and places a hand on my shoulder. “Mate, you need to look at these.” He hands over my phone.

Two new messages display on the front screen, both from Lizzie.

Swiping my finger across the screen, I open the first one, sent two hours ago.

Lizzie: I’d forgive you for almost anything. I love you too much to lose you again. Can we talk?

My heart splutters but I don’t have time to rejoice. The words of the second text glare at me.

Lizzie: Come for me. I’m home.

Blazing rage burns in me. It was sent ten minutes ago. Layla’s call came through about fifteen minutes ago.

Lizzie’s not at home.

The prickles on my neck from earlier begin to make sense. Someone was watching me, and if that’s the case, it can only mean one thing.

WE LEAVE SPUD to clear up the catastrophic mess at the workshop and arrive at Layla’s within twenty minutes. A million scenarios play in my mind, but until we talk to her the facts are unknown. The knowledge doesn’t stop brutal images from running like a sick and twisted horror movie through my thoughts.

With a slam of the car door, I race into the house with Bear on my heels.

“What happened?”

“You.” Layla’s face is streaked with black makeup, her eyes puffy, and Kai sits on her knee.

I ignore her as small relief floods through my body at the sight of my son. Luckily he’s oblivious to the turmoil which surrounds him, the small grin on his face lighting up this dark world. Within a few steps he’s in my arms and clamped against my chest as if he were a baby. I breathe him in, taking every drop of strength his little body gives me, and my muscles relax a small amount. His tiny hands push against my chest and wide eyes light up as he leans back. “Da-dad.”

“Yes, buddy, it’s me.”

“Is Mu-mum wiv ‘ou?”

My breathing stutters. I have no idea where Lizzie is and it kills me I can’t give my son an answer. I shake my head at him, unable to find any words. He struggles against me. “What’s the matter, buddy? What would you like?”

“Watch telly.”

With him in my arms, we enter the lounge and I place him on the sofa. I’m grateful the TV is already on a kids’ programme, not knowing how to find it otherwise. “This channel okay for you, little man?”

No answer comes as he fixates on the bright, weird-looking creatures dancing on the screen. I give him a kiss on the head and stalk back to the kitchen.

Bear’s crouched down next to Layla, talking in a hushed tone. Her expression is one of fear, but her gaze is soft and helpless. I know how she feels. When it falls on me, it hardens. I lose any sense of delicacy with the woman whose vulnerable side has disappeared.

“I’ll ask this one more fucking time, Layla. What happened?”

“And I told you. You happened.”

If I were in spitting distance, I’m sure it would have followed the words, but her voice has lost the fight it had a few minutes ago. Unable to restrain myself, I stride closer. Bear unfolds himself to full height and presses his hand against my chest. “Noah, back off. I’ve got your answers.”

My gaze delves into his, digging for the truth. He better not be fucking with me. He raises his eyebrows, knowing full well what I’m doing, but never breaks my stare. “Happy?”

“Far from it,” I grind out, but I pull back from his hand, showing the trust I’m giving him.

“Sit down.” He gestures towards the seats around the table.

I glare at him for a few seconds before scraping a chair across the floor as I pull it out and sit down. Far from calm, I lean back, rest an elbow on the table, and splay my legs. The action is a contradiction to the blood thundering through every vein in my body, the tension strung in each muscle.

Bear rubs his hands on the front of his jeans and walks the length of the kitchen, leaning back against the units. “When Layla arrived at your house, Lizzie was a mess.” His words claw at my chest. “She calmed her down as much as possible, but Lizzie wanted to be alone, needed space to think. She told Layla she was going for a walk—”

“I shouldn’t have let her go.” Layla’s choked sobs interrupt Bear. I bite my tongue, hard, to stop hateful words from spewing out of me. She should never have let her go any-fucking-where. A coppery, metallic taste floods my mouth and I swallow deep, willing myself to remain seated.

This is all on me.

I can’t blame Layla or Bear. Fuck, I can’t blame Lizzie for leaving the bloody house. Shifting my body, I lean forward and drop my head into my hands. Me. No one but me is to blame.

“Mate?” Bear’s worried voice breaks my self-pity, and I lift my gaze to his. I’m fucking helpless and looking to my best friend for the answers, but I know there are none. “We’ll find her. Do you still have surveillance running on your house?”

I nod at him, still unable to speak. At this point, if words leave my lips it will breach a dam that needs to hold strong.

“Well, that’s where we’ll start then.”

I get to my feet and head to the door but stop at Layla’s side. Placing a hand on her shoulder, I squeeze it and she releases another sob. “Kai?” I force my son’s name out, and know she’ll understand what I’m asking.

“You don’t need to ask.”

I tap her shoulder and walk out the door.

In the background, Bear’s voice filters through. “Danny, you got my location? Yeah? Good. Get a team of three here, now.” There’s silence as he listens, then replies in a harsh tone. “No, you stupid bastard,”—he takes a deep breath—“Noah’s son.”

And there’s the kicker. I’ve put two people in danger, because I love them. I wrench open the car door and hunch myself into the passenger seat. My world may be breaking, but I need to get my shit together and fast.

“What the fuck have I ever done to deserve this?” The thought makes its way past my lips.

Bear’s just entered the car and raises his eyebrows, giving me the ‘seriously? You’re asking that shit?’ face. “It may have nothing to do with you, mate. But, we can’t take the chance with Kai, can we?”

I shake my head. No chances, not even the smallest one can be taken with him. “How can it be anything else? The only danger in her life I know of is dead.”

“She may just have walked further than she intended. For all we know she could be back at your place and wondering where the hell Kai is.”

“So how do you explain the fucking text? And why have you put at three-man team on my son?” I’m pushing for answers I already know.

His grip tightens on the steering wheel and his jaw flexes as he starts the car. “Because, we both know the shit you’ve done in your life. Just because most of it was done under the umbrella of our fucking country doesn’t mean you haven’t made enemies. If anyone found out who you were, you’d be a target.” He rubs a hand over his forehead, a clear sign of stress in Bear, and he doesn’t give many away. “The last op you did, the one I sent you on. You let them see you.”

My last op? Nickoli Aqulia. He was a sick bastard. Human trafficking, child prostitution, drug trafficking, you name it, he did it. That scum took great pleasure in sampling his business, all of it. How a man becomes so depraved, I have no idea, and I’m glad I killed the sick fuck. His father, Alberto, tortured me himself, not a task he took lightly. Waterboarded, beaten, starved, bound, but the one thing that scars me, haunts me, was mild in comparison. If he holds Lizzie captive… A shudder runs through my body and the silence between us extends.

“We’ll sort it out, mate, okay? Wherever she is, we’ll find her.” Bear’s measured voice breaks the silence.

At this point, I’m not sure if he’s reassuring me or himself. We pull into my driveway a few minutes later. Pulling Bear’s keys for my house from his glove box, I bolt from the car to the front door.

As I push open the door to my home, I stop in my tracks. Glaring at me from the floor is something I never thought I would see again, never wanted to see again.

“What’s wrong, mate?” Bear queries from behind me, as I bend down to pick up the innocuous grey business card.

My heart rate picks up, and my breaths become ragged as I stare at the logo. It’s a pair of hands making shadow pictures. The shadow is of a dog imaged as a real one. The words ‘Crisis Prevention’ are engraved into the front. I turn the card over and I want to fall to my knees. I don’t turn to look at him, I can’t. I know he still deals with the old crew. The bastard still works special ops.

“How long?” I spit the question at Bear, like I don’t know who he is. This small card has me questioning the loyalty of my own brother. He may not be my brother by blood, but he’s my brother in blood, which in our world amounts to the same fucking thing. We don’t keep secrets from each other. Why the hell would he not tell me I was being watched? My skin prickles with awareness as Bear approaches me, and looks over my shoulder. His sharp intake of breath lets me know he’s seen the card, and read the words.

“Since we left, mate. What did you think would happen? You thought we could just leave and walk away? I couldn’t prove it but I had my suspicions. You know just as well as I do how they work. Of course they’d know where you were,” he growls, his tone exasperated. I turn sharply, which makes him take a step back.

“Was it you?” The chill in my voice startles him as I pin him with a hard glare. We’ve stood side by side through everything, he’s always had my back.

Now I’m asking him if he would betray me.

He drops his head before looking me square in the eye. “You think I’d do that to you?”

“I don’t know what to fucking think.” I’m losing my grasp on reality at an alarming rate. “You sure as shit haven’t told me they knew where we were.” They have Lizzie, my angel, in their hands, and my sanity is tearing at the seams.

“You honestly thought they didn’t know? Bollocks, Noah. You’re brighter than that. I didn’t take you for a naive pussy. And for the record, mate, if I’d wanted to hurt you all I needed to do was say I’d shagged her, not kidnap her.” My fists tighten at my sides, but Bear shakes his head, appeasing me. “I assumed you knew because they always fucking know. They would have known where you were from the moment you walked away, you know that. They could have seen you with her and if that’s the case they would know what she means to you.”

So fucking naive. So bloody blind. So fucking stupid.

The tattoo on my abs itches and I want to scratch the fucking thing off. The brand I can never get rid of, the curse that made me what I am, I used to wear with pride. Now? It just marks me as Satan in disguise, and I repulse even myself.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” I panic, needing to release the agony building inside me. She’s in their hands and it’s my fault. If I can’t function, I won’t be able to get her out. The words from the card taunt me and I pray they don’t mean what I think they do.

The message is inconspicuous, it could mean anything. Except the kennel is where we trained and I’ve only ever lost one thing that’s meant something. Lizzie.

“Why? You still work for them. Why would they take her?” I storm through the house, searching room to room, hoping this is all some big wind-up and Lizzie is hiding somewhere.

“Fuck, mate. I do what I have to because I know I can’t just walk away. They won’t let me. I keep a toe in—I’m not in bloody bed with them,” Bear shouts from behind me.

I race up the stairs and search my bedroom. I stop in my tracks as her scent invades my senses; my chest heaves with emotion I’m barely holding in. Folded on the bed is the T-shirt she wore earlier. Thoughts of her soft skin under my fingers flood my brain. I’ve always known she would be my downfall, but still I could never resist her. I shake the thoughts, check the other rooms, and jog back downstairs. Bear waits in the kitchen.

“So, what’s the plan?” he questions, as I enter the room.

“There is no plan.” I run my hands over my face and take a deep breath. “They want me at the kennel, so I’ll go.”

“You think I’m letting—”

“You don’t get a fucking choice. If they thought they could trust you when it came to me, you’d be a part of this. They have Lizzie, and I will do whatever it takes to get her out of their hands.”

“Yeah, I know. But—”

“There are no buts, mate. For some fucking reason they want me. If it means getting her out of there, I will do anything, and I mean anything to enable that. You get me?” A certain calm washes over me as the words spill out.

A small smirk plays on Bear’s lips. “It’s good to have you back. I thought you’d gone AWOL for good. Just a shame it’s these circumstances that revived you.”

“Yeah, well, as they say, ‘love can break you, but it can also make you.’ And if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll be the man she fucking deserves.”

“What about Kai?”

“Are your lads on him?”

He nods. “Yeah, I called Danny again while you were upstairs. Everyone’s where they should be.”

“Good.” I suck in a breath and turn away from him. “Listen, mate… Take care of him, and Lizzie, if I get her out.” I’m asking my friend to be my boy’s dad, in place of me. Asking him to take care of the two most precious things I’ve ever had in my life. “Can I trust you with that?” I return my gaze to him.

“It’s not going to happen,” Bear states as he shuffles his feet.

“I’ll tell you now, so you are under no illusions. If I have to lie to get her out, if I have to work for them to get her out, or if I have to die to get her out, I will.” I walk over to him. “I have no fucking clue what they want with me that’s bad enough to take Lizzie. They could have just phoned me. They know where I live, I’m sure they have my fucking number. So, do I have to beg, or can I trust you with my world?”

“Although you begging me for anything sounds appealing, I think I’ll just go with a yes.” He lets out a short burst of laughter, but then his face sobers. “Do you think you can pull this off, mate? I mean if Lizzie wasn’t involved I wouldn’t doubt you for a second, but…”

“They’ve taken her because they know she means something to me, right? I’ll just have to make them see things differently.” Thoughts of what convincing them might entail make my voice grow gruff.

“Yeah? How are you going to do that? I know you have a certain skill set but, fuck, Noah, when she’s involved?” He huffs. “What I’m asking is, can you turn it off?”

I scan his face and see something deeper in his question. The uncertainty in his eyes isn’t just for me, it’s for him as well. What a time to find out my best friend has fallen in love. “No, you can’t.” A sad smile crosses my face. “But you can try to hide it.” Cold creeps into my body at the thought and starts to crystallise the blood coursing through my veins. “I need to go.”

I lift my car keys off the hook over the table in the hallway and turn to Bear. “I’m taking the Mustang, and I’ve got another favour to ask.”