Page 110 of Forever Relentless

“I read your stats profile. Everyone knows where you come from, Noah.”

The smile was gone, and he looked pissed off again. “I doubt it.”

I’d touched something he was sensitive about again. I didn’t know what. What was that look? “What just happened?”

“Nothing, tell me about Hadley.”

I wanted to keep asking questions, but I opted not to. Not like me, but I could be patient. “She’s trying to find out what angle the picture of her and Dustin was taken from.”

He grunted but said nothing. When I didn’t elaborate, he nudged me. “And what were you doing?”

I nearly made up some nonsense, but he had a cut over his eye, his coach had benched him, and he’d fought like someone possessed. I wanted to give him something else to think about.

“I got a text from Diana who had an . . . argument, I think, with her boyfriend.”

He squinted. “I thought Hembry was her guy?”

I snorted. “Yeah. So did she.”

“Tell me.”

So I recounted this morning, and the more I told him, the darker his glower became.

“Disposable?” he asked when I finished.

“Yeah.”

“Like get rid of, or like, get rid of?”

We’d arrived in Halston and were stopped at traffic lights.

“I don’t think he was threatening her life.” I knew I was mocking him, but Jesus, he went dark fast.

“I no longer know what to think about any of them.” He moved the car forward when the lights changed to green, and pretty soon we were pulling up outside a garage.

I recognized my car instantly.

“Bluey!”

“You named the car Bluey?”

“No one’s asking your opinion.” I got out of the car and went inside, looking for someone to help me. I knew he followed me, but he didn’t say anything.

“Hi.” I walked up to a guy in overalls with a grease smear across his forehead. “My car got towed here this morning — dead battery.”

“Oh, yeah. You have the car key?”

I handed it over, and he told me he’d be back in a minute.

I rocked back on my heels and felt the closeness of the linebacker behind me. I stepped forward. His hand caught my hip, pulling me back.

“You’re fine here.”

Was I, though?

I didn’t argue, and I also didn’t move away. The heat coming off his body was delicious. When the mechanic came back and told me to drive my car into the space at the end of the workshop, I felt like sighing in disappointment when I had to put distance between Noah and me.

The engine turned over, and I gave a cry of delight. I followed the instructions and parked where I’d been told. I got out of the car to see Noah and the guy talking.