The next morning I woke up to a delicious scent in the air. A smile was etched on my face as I opened my eyes to see Noah holding a tray filled with freshly baked pancakes and juice. He was clad in the black joggers and polo he wore to my house yesterday and he looked more than handsome in it.
"Breakfast in bed." He sang in his ever beautiful voice, as he walked further into the room. He placed a chaste kiss on my cheeks and nose. I hummed in pleasure when his lips lingered longer on my nose sending a surge of desire to my core. He dropped the tray on the side of the bed and sat down.
I took a bite of the pancake and smiled, "mhm!This is delicious." I sighed, munching on the pancake.
He smiled back, but there was a deep crease on his forehead that told me he was worried about something. "What is it?" I asked, dropping the pancake back on the plate.
"Nothing." He replied almost immediately, causing me to believe that there was indeed a problem.
"Yesterday we both promised to have no more secrets between us and if after a day you are already hiding something from me then that means your promises yesterday meant nothing and this thing between us means nothing. I have grown past letting you keep secrets from me Noah." I said with a frown.
"Miraaaaaa. Really don't be like that its not important." He whined, trying to pacify me.
From the frown on my face he could tell that I was quite adamant on getting the information from him.
"Even if its not important tell me. We tell each other everything now remember? Please." I added the last part without thinking, I was desperate, desperate to know what he was thinking and what had him so worried.
He touched my hands holding it in his and I sighed in relief when he looked up at me. "OK. I will tell you. No more secrets."
I smiled and pressed unto his hands.
"When I first came to California I had enough money about half a million dollars which I used in setting up my house, paying for school and living a comfortable life."
"While stalking me." I added.
He smiled softly. "Yes. While stalking you. Anyway I hated having nothing to do and I wasn't really into the party life. I started getting tempted to you know, go back to who I used to be but..." He paused and sighed. "I started working at a coffee shop to get my mind off crimes. It was there I met Mr Mike Rush senior, that was in my first year. He took a liking to me out of nowhere. I really mean it when I say out of nowhere because I didn't really do anything spectacular, anything that would cause him to like me. I was surprised when he gave me his card and employed me in Rush shipping corporation."
"Was he gay?" I asked, cocking my brows.
"Not all all." Noah chuckled.
"So here is the gist, he was employing me as a private eye to watch over his son and since I was studying Civil engineering we covered up with it. Mike Junior is sleek so no one had been able to pick up on his trail even though his father suspected him of heinous crimes. I told Mr Rush in confidence about my past but in my defense I was drunk when I told him. I don't take alcohol so I don't really have the tolerance for it. But that day I allowed some friends drag me to the bar. It happened after my final first year exams I was so excited after coming out as the best in my set and the ten sets before me."
I rolled my eyes and threw a pillow at his head to which he laughed out loud. "Show off." I hissed, but I couldn't help the smile on my face. I was so proud of how far we both had come.
"He had called me to his house that night and I behaved like you. I impulsively went over without even considering the fact that I was drunk and capable of telling long lost secrets."
I threw another pillow at him almost throwing my pancake down in the process.
"Fuck you. I am no more impulsive!" I whined, crossing my hands on my chest.
Noah giggled. He looked so happy now his eyes practically radiated his peace and joy. He pinched my chin and smiled. "You are such a baby."
I pouted. "Go on." I urged him, gently taking his palm off my face and holding onto it with my hands.
"He accepted me even after knowing the truth." Noah continued. "I worked harder having been fueled by the knowledge that he supported me even after knowing that I was who I was and that's how I found out that Mike junior was working dirty; from bribery to blackmail, to murder."
"When Mr Rush got enough proof about this from me, he cut Mike off and put me in charge of his estate and companies leaving only Pristine corporation the second biggest shipping corp to his son. But Mike wanted it all back and he tried to kill Mr rush more times than I can count."
I gasped. "Are you sure about this. I mean Mike has anger issues but I have never seen him as a bad person and Mr Rush is missing. He has been for two months. Mike told me about him but he never told me about all this. He only said that the meeting yesterday was his way of bringing the company back on board."
Noah laughed. "I know Mike has him and is most probably using you to get to me."
I shook my head silently absorbing everything Noah had told me. I liked Mike, but I always sensed something off about him and placing him with Noah, I definitely would chose Noah over him. After all don't they say that the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know.
"I need to find him. He trusted me and accepted me when I was here all alone. I want to repay him." Noah said.
I smiled, understanding him.
"He reminds you of what it means to have a father right?"
"Yea." He smiled, caressing my thigh. My breath hitches in my throat as his hands started to move further and further up, getting so close to my core.
A soft moan escaped my lips.
Just then his phone rang and he picked it up.
"Hello Peter." Noah said into the phone. His eyes were still focussed on me even as he used his free hand to caress my knees. I swallowed hard loving the feel of his hand on my skin and the things it made me feel but I didn't want to act on it as it was clear to me that he was really worried about Mr Rush.
Or maybe I couldn't act on it.
There was a moment of silence between us where he listened attentively to the person on the other line.
"Are you sure about this?" He asked, standing up from the bed in a rush. I looked at him with my heart in my mouth wondering what could have gone wrong for him to look so shocked.
"Ok. I'm coming." He said, hanging up. Immediately he did he started pacing around the room.
I walked up to him took his hands in mine and stared into his eyes. He wiped the corner of my mouth and smiled. "You didn't age one bit Mira. You are still my baby." He teased, but his voice was so soft and even though he was annoying, there was so much love in his voice it made my heart skip. My lips stretched out into a wide smile.
"Its a family something. We don't age where I come from." I giggled.
He shrugged a bit, "Yea. I remember how young your mum looked." As he said this a bit of sadness was expressed in his countenance. I pressed his hand and smiled knowing why he was sad.
"You miss her?"
"She was good to me." He simply replied.
"She is good to everyone. You will meet her soon enough though. So what about the call who is Peter?" I asked finally delving into the conversation since he was now a bit calmer thanks to me.
"Peter is Andrea's boyfriend who has been helping me track down Mr Rush. He said he has found the warehouse where Mike keeps him. I am going to check it out now."
"You trust him?" I asked, my brows raised wanted to make sure that he knew what he was doing.
"I might not be white Lion but he was me. I don't trust him but I will always be two steps ahead." He boasted. I clicked my tongue and shook my head, but a smile escaped my lips.
"You had better come back to me. That's all that matters." I whispered as I leaned in to give him a kiss, which he deepened.
~~~~~~~
It had been one hour since Noah had left to his house to freshen up and I remained on the bed reading a novel.
I was so lazy and I just wanted to rest both physically and emotionally.
As if fate was with me it was a Sunday which meant that I could avoid going to without drawing any unnecessarily suspicion to myself.
I had switched of my phone immediately Noah left to avoid getting a call from Mike and having to pretend that I was still into him.
I was about to turn to the next page of the book I was reading when I heard something crash downstairs.
I jumped up and reached down for my gun on the bottom shelve of my side table. Luckily I was able to grab it before my door was kicked open.
My room was arranged in such a way that you could not hide in it. By the left side of my room was a mini parlor and a bar. The door of my room was just opposite my bed and my wardrobe was filled to the brim with clothes and shoes.
Once a person entered my room the first thing that they would see was my king sized bed covered in grey everything.
I tried to run into the bathroom, but I was too slow.
Right there in front of me was Mike who was pointing a gun at my house Keeper, Joan. She was bleeding on her head.
I gasped staring at her then at Mike.
Joan was in her early forties with short dark hair and blue eyes. She was about 5'3 and thick in the right places. Her eyes were already quite big but they looked even bigger when she was afraid like now.
Her skin was so pale and her cheeks were tucked in as she stared at me. I lifted my gun and pointed it at Mike even though the person who had my attention was Joan, I wanted to make sure that she was OK. It was a Sunday she was not supposed to be here, I couldn't even make out why she was.
"Let her go Mike. What the hell do you think you are doing?" I said, through clenched teeth.
"Taking what's mine. You think I don't know that Noah spent the night here? So much for being a Virgin Mira. I am utterly disappointed." He spat, gripping Joan harder on her arm. Joan winced causing me to shudder.
"Just let her go Mike she has nothing to do with any of this." I said, trying to reason with him even though what I wanted to do was to ask how the hell he knew that Noah was here if he hadn't been stalking me.
"Oh She has. Drop your gun now!"
I scoffed, "What makes you think that I will do that? So that you can kill the both of us. You are clearly insane!"
I secretly, started moving closer to the emergency line on the side table. In my attempt to run I had forgotten the alarm which was just a few feet away. It was funny how my first instinct now was to save myself instead of calling for those who can.
"Don't even think of trying to do anything stupid Mira, or she dies. Drop your gun now!" He yelled, startling me so bad my heart skipped and started again with so much force the gun almost slipped out of sweaty palms.
It was decided within me then and there that I could never get used to the violence and blood. "Now Mira you don't want to lose your faithful house keeper over this!" He sounded much calmer now as if he already knew that he had won.
I exhaled, throwing the gun to the bed. "So now what?" I asked, staring at him as my hands touched my hip simultaneously. I tried to put up a brave front but I was shivering internally.
My subconscious mind already went back to hoping that Noah would come for me. I didn't want to be dependent on him but violence, blood, they were things I knew that deep inside I didn't want to involve myself in.
Mike threw a syringe on the bed. "Inject that. It won't hurt." He looked enraged, he was clenching his jaw and gripping Joan very tight. His blue eyes were a darker color and his hair was scattered over his head. He was a mess and to top it all it was the first time I was seeing him in plain jeans and shirt.
"There is no way I am going to put that into my system when I don't know what its for. Not happening." My voice was firm even though my legs were shaking and my heart racing.
He was not himself and I didn't want him to hurt me or Joan, then again I was determined not to make it so easy for him to get me.
I tried to breathe in deeply but it seemed as if my lungs were incapable of taking in anymore air. Joan looked like she was going to pass out from the injury on her head. I felt guilty for pulling her into my mess.
She had a son and a daughter, a family waiting for her at home. I didn't want them to have to lose their mother because of me.
"It's a sleeping dose, you can't know where we are going. And besides I am not asking you, I am telling. Do it now!" He screamed.
I bit my lips hard as I bent down to pick the syringe hoping like before it would stop me from shaking so much. It didn't, even as I picked up the syringe it slipped of my hand.
"Do you think I am joking with you?!" He said, his voice loud and deadly. Joan screamed and I looked up to see that he had pressed the gun deeper into the side of her forehead.
I tried again to pick up the syringe, this time exhaling and inhaling deeply.
I gently pressed the needle into my arms and winced as I felt the drug go into my system. "Happy now?" I asked already starting to feel drowsy.
"Not yet but soon I will be." He smiled. My eyes were starting to shut involuntary and the last thing I saw was him pushing Joan onto the bed and rushing to me. He stopped me from falling to the ground.