Noah was only a few thrusts behind her, groaning low into her neck as he came hard within her, holding her close as they both rode out their climaxes.
Afterward, they lay there in the quiet room, entangled in each other’s arms and staring at the ceiling as twilight settled outside. Serena couldn’t help tracing the outline of his tattoo again, remembering the dream of her avenging angel that had sustained her during her captivity. She feared now that it might have been just that. A dream. A fantasy. In real life, getting Noah to open up to her was proving harder than she’d ever imagined—and what she needed from her angel was not just protection but commitment, as well. Commitment Noah didn’t seem to be able to give. He’d shelter her under his wing until she was safe…and then he’d be off to avenge someone else.
He seemed satisfied now just to lie there beside her, holding her and stroking her back, but what about later, after they left the bedroom? Would he shut her out again? Maybe that was the way of it. After all, avenging angels didn’t really have softer sides, did they? Maybe Noah’s tattoo was a symbol of the real him, a persona that he didn’t leave behind at the end of the day.
“Hey,” she said, propping herself up on one elbow to meet his gaze. “I understand about you not wanting me to be a part of your day job.” At his sceptical look, she smiled. “Really, I do. You’re an avenging angel and I can’t be a part of that and that’s okay. I’ll back off on the investigation. Let you do what you do best. I’m so thankful for your help.”
Blinking at her a moment, Noah pulled her down for another kiss before tucking her head under his chin and holding her hand over his heart. “I’m the one who’s thankful. Thankful you’ve decided to let me handle this while you and Gracie stay out of danger.” He sighed. “And I’m sorry you got caught up in all this. My life isn’t easy. Probably why I’ve been alone so long. Maybe why I belong alone.”
“No.” She pressed her palm to his chest. “Not alone. Not anymore. I’ll stay out of your work, but if you think I’m going anywhere on the personal front without a fight, you got another think coming.”
“Serena…” he started, but she put a finger over his lips.
“No. Enough talk for now.” She snuggled down against him again. “Let’s rest while we can. Gracie will be up pretty soon and then we’ll need to eat. Close your eyes and just lie here with me for a bit.”
Noah took a deep breath and stroked her hair, his breath eventually evening out into the patterns of sleep. Serena stayed awake a little longer, just enjoying his warmth and comfort before finally closing her eyes to rest.
19
“Ready on signal,” Noah whispered into his earpiece early the next morning. He was stationed in the hallway outside the hotel room of their target, hidden in an alcove leading to a service closet where several law enforcement officers were waiting to deploy. At the other end of the corridor, Levon was waiting as well, for Clint to give them the go-ahead.
So far, there’d been no sign that the man currently holed up in the room had any idea they were there, but Noah’s gut told him to be wary. He’d been through similar situations too many times where everything seemed to be going to plan only to have it all go to shit in the blink of an eye. They’d even taken the precaution of emptying all the rooms on the floor adjacent to this one, just in case things went south, but he’d still feel better once all this was over and done and the guy was in custody.
He took a deep breath and leaned out into the hall to make sure everyone was ready, then pointed a finger toward the door to get things rolling.
“Going in,” he said into his earpiece, then moved into position in front of the room. “On three, two, one…”
His boot slammed into the hotel door, crashing it open to reveal Spencer waiting for them in front of the windows, a semi-automatic pointed directly at the center of Noah’s chest. Good thing he’d worn his Kevlar vest. He rushed inside, his laser sight pointed directly between the man’s eyes. “Lower your weapon and hands in the air!”
“Fuck you!” Spencer yelled, his weapon still aimed at Noah. “You got nothing on me.”
“Like hell we don’t,” Levon said, crowding in behind Noah as his men sidled past into the hotel room and down the hall, trapping the suspect inside. “The police in St. Dourdane are very interested in getting you back. You’re going down, asshole. One way or another.”
Noah inhaled deeply, shaking images of Serena and Gracie from his mind. He needed to stay focused on the present to keep them safe, to take care of this once and for all. And much as he’d like to take this guy down now, once and for all, they needed him alive so they could question him about who was running this show at the top.
“Put down your weapon,” he yelled again and took a step closer to the guy. “You can’t escape. We’ve got the place surrounded. Give it up.”
“I ain’t giving nothing up.” The guy’s gaze darted behind Noah to Levon, then the hallway where the rest of the team stood. His hands shook slightly on his gun, but he kept it raised. “There’s nothing to tell.”
“Oh, I think there is.” Levon said, moving forward alongside Noah. “If you cooperate, we might be able to work out a deal.”
The thought of this piece of shit getting a break gutted Noah. But if it meant catching the real person paying all these thugs to attack Serena, he’d deal with it. “Who hired you?”
“Don’t know.” The guy shook his head, taking a step back toward the windows. “It was all done over text. I never got a name. Just instructions and a down payment, wired into my bank account. Get the other half when I bring in proof that I’ve taken out the bitch.”
Noah’s finger twitched on the trigger of Glock. “Give me your phone.”
“Like hell,” the guy said, inching back even more. It was a fifty-foot drop out there. Unless the guy had hidden wings, he’d meet an early end by jumping. Noah wasn’t opposed to seeing him reach room temperature sooner rather than later, but he’d be damned if the guy did so without telling him what he needed to know first. Still, if they could take him down in the room, it would be a lot easier for everyone. “You think I’m stupid? I ain’t giving you shit.”
Levon glanced over at him and they exchanged a silent look. They’d trained together enough to have a secret code of eye movements and gestures they communicated by at this point. Based on the flat stare and the slight tilt of his head, Noah knew that Levon was going to rush the guy. Noah would run point, dodging to the other side and disarming him before he hit the floor.
To keep him distracted, Noah gave the guy one last chance. “Put down the gun and give me your phone and we can do this nicely. Final warning.”
“Take your warning and shove it up—” the guy started, but before he could finish, Levon attacked. The next few seconds happened in a blur. Levon crashed into the guy and knocked him sideways, while Noah rushed him from the opposite direction. Spencer managed to clock Levon hard in the jaw, mainly out of pure luck, and scrambled up onto the window ledge to smash the glass. He’d gotten one leg outside when Levon rallied and latched onto his ankle. Noah grabbed the other leg and together they pulled him back inside, even as he was cursing and screaming about his constitutional rights.
Finally, Noah got the guy pinned to the floor, belly down, and twisted one of his arms behind his back while he knelt atop the guy’s legs to keep him from kicking again. Levon frisked him and found his phone, pulling it out and prying the back off to get to the SIM card inside.
“Got it!” Levon said, scrambling to his feet to take the thing out to Clint in the hallway, who’d brought a reader along just in case this situation arose.