Pushing You Away - Noah & Katie (Ex-Con Duet 3)

Taking the iPad with me, I close his door, then make my way to the bathroom to wash my face.

As soon as I’m getting into bed, my phone rings, and I see it's Gemma.

“Hey, it’s kinda late. Everything okay?”

“Katie! Oh my gosh. No! I need your help.”

Her frantic voice has me sitting up and my heart racing. “What is it?”

“Noah needs a place to stay for a few days. Can he stay at your new place?”

“What? I don’t understand. Why can’t he stay at your dad’s?”

She blows out a frustrated breath. “Someone threw a pipe bomb through the living room window and spray-painted MURDERER on his truck.”

“Holy shit,” I exclaim in disbelief. “Are y’all okay?”

“Luckily, it didn’t go off. Must’ve been defective or maybe just another warning, but after the brick incident, it’s looking more like someone is trying to intentionally hurt him.”

Gemma told me about the window a couple of days ago, which I’m still shocked someone would do that.

“We’re worried about his safety, Katie. Plus, my dad’s and Belinda’s. Not to mention, the cottage is right behind them, so it puts us all at risk. He needs to go where no one knows where he is.”

“Why can’t he stay at a hotel in another town until things die down?”

“Because we still want him close by, and honestly, he can’t afford it. Sheriff Todd is here filing a report and gathering evidence, but I’m terrified whoever keeps doing this will come after him again. They know what he drives, so Dad’s planning to move Noah’s truck somewhere else.”

“Gemma.” I sigh. “You’re putting me in a tough spot.”

“Look, I know you two have your issues right now, and I get it. But you don’t need to do anything besides let him inside. It'll only be for a few days until we figure something else out.”

“I’m supposed to be working on the house this weekend.”

“He’ll stay out of the way, I promise.”

I snort, knowing damn well that’s a lie.

“There’s nowhere for him to sleep. I don’t have any furniture yet.”

“We have an air mattress, and you have electricity and water, so he’ll be fine.”

I squeeze my eyes closed and blow out a breath. “Fine, but only a few days, Gemma. Of course, I don’t want anything to happen to either of you.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you! We’ll come over tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll be there by ten.”

“Perfect. He’ll have his things packed and ready. Though the cameras on my cottage don’t show the front of the house, we’re going to check anyway in case we can see something. It’s most likely the same person who vandalized the gym, so hopefully, if they don’t see his truck, they’ll stay away from the house.”

“Where’re ya gonna keep it?”

“Not sure. Dad hasn’t decided yet.”

“What does the sheriff think?”

“He believes it’s someone with a vengeance. Though, whoever it was did a half-ass job building the bomb. If they intended for it to go off, they could be charged with intentional homicide. Photos were taken, and they gathered evidence.”

“I hope they find whoever’s responsible for this soon because it’s total bullshit,” I say honestly. “Please stay safe, okay?”

“I will. Thank you again.”

“You know I’d do anything for you…even when I really don’t want to.” I groan, thinking of the things I can pack for him.

She chuckles. “I know.”

After we hang up, I grab a couple of duffel bags and put extra blankets and pillows in them. I don’t know what he’s going to need, so I grab everything I can think of—towels, soaps, snacks. Though I hate to admit it, I still have a soft spot for Noah and don’t want anything bad to happen to him. It’d devastate Gemma and Jerry, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t be sad too.

Once I have the bags ready for tomorrow, I check my phone and see a message from Everleigh.

Everleigh: Oh my God, did you hear what happened??

Katie: Yes, it’s horrible. I can’t believe someone’s trying so hard to hurt him.

Everleigh: You mean KILL him! That bomb could’ve exploded and destroyed the entire house for all we know.

That thought sends a chill down my spine.

Katie: They better find out who it is soon. I can imagine Tyler’s ready to swoop up Gemma and take her away.

Tyler’s always been an amazing partner to Gemma, but he's been super protective ever since she got pregnant. He’s already a take-no-shit kinda guy, but if he thinks his wife or family are in danger, he won’t think twice about getting revenge.

Everleigh: Oh, he’s pissed. I called him after Gemma texted me, and he was nearly screaming in my ear. I told him to calm the fuck down so he wouldn’t stress her out.

Katie: Yeah, she sounded pretty upset on the phone, which is how she sweet-talked me into letting Noah stay at the new house for a few nights.