Page 72 of The Stalker Snafu

He looked to the side, staring hard at the wall. “Yes, but he shouldn’t be. Kincaid didn’t do whatever they’re accusing him of. I’m sure we’ll get it cleared up soon.”

I struggled to find words. What sort of power did this guy think he had over the freaking FBI that he could play this off as a simple misunderstanding? “How? I don’t see what we can possibly do until Noah answers his phone.”

He shook his head. “I have an idea, but I can’t say anything more.”

Lovely.

I was so tired of secrets.

“Will the FBI question me?” I frowned. “Wait. Shouldn’t we be calling the cops right now? We can just clear things up with them ourselves if Noah didn’t do it.”

The guys exchanged glances before Julian answered. “That’s not a good idea. And it depends on how much the Bureau knows about you. You might not even be on their radar.”

“Which isn’t impossible, considering you weren’t on ours,” Rafe added sourly, looking me up and down and not seeming impressed by what he saw. “What was Kincaid even thinking?”

“That’s enough,” Julian warned evenly. “You can be angry after you’ve given him a chance to explain.”

Rafe scoffed, his gaze sharpening. “Explain why he lied to us? Why he kept a random girl secret? There’s no explanation for that unless it’s pure bullshit. It’s more likely she’s lying.”

I leaned back in my chair and let my bag fall to the floor. Rafe didn’t believe me, and any further attempts to convince him would be a wasted effort.

“Take a walk if you need to,” Julian told Rafe. He came over to where I was seated and crouched in front of me. Deep blue eyes held mine from behind his glasses. “I know this isn’t ideal, and we’re strangers to you, but would you please consider staying here until we can get things cleared up with Kincaid? It’ll probably take a few days, but it’ll help ensure we don’t cause a bigger mess if the cartel or FBI knows about you.”

My eyes widened, and alarm raced through my veins. “Are you saying I’d be hiding from the FBI, too? Like a fugitive?”

He fought back a smile as Adrian chuckled, but Julian shook his head. “Not a fugitive. Just someone who’s watching out for her boyfriend. What do you say?”

I shifted in my seat, looking around the living room I’d come to think of as a home. But everything felt different now that I knew it wasn’t Noah’s. “You really think it’s necessary?”

“I do.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, unable to get over the turn of events. “This is all very strange.”

He cocked his head to the side, blue eyes thoughtful. “It doesn’t have to be.”

“You live alone, right?” I asked. “And it’s just for a few days?”

Julian nodded, shifting his weight. “Hopefully. It’ll be less if we can get this cleared up sooner.”

I chewed on my lip, actually considering it. It was Thanksgiving break, and it wasn’t like I had plans at the dorms. I’d planned to stay at the duplex with Noah all break anyway. At least if I was here, I could avoid any potential embarrassing—or deadly—encounters with a cartel, plus be close for any news Julian received.

But I had to be sure of one thing as I peeked back at Julian. “And Rafe doesn’t make a habit of visiting, right?”

A grin spread across Julian’s face, the skin around his eyes crinkling, and Adrian’s laughter drowned out Rafe’s colorful response.

“We have a strict policy that only allows Rafe visits on the third Saturday of every month,” Julian answered with a straight face, barely dodging the cushion Rafe torpedoed at the back of his head.

I laughed along with Adrian this time, though I still wasn’t completely sold.

“I need to think about it, but I’ll stay here tonight. Just in case,” I said. It was a fair compromise. After all, it wasn’t every day a girl heard a cartel might be searching for her. I chewed on my lip, still not believing that. There was a lot to think about.

Julian looked like he wanted to argue, but a knock on the door cut him off.

The knob turned, and my world flipped upside down as Oliver-freaking-Bishop strolled inside like he owned the place.

CHAPTER 28

A Shock