Noah's Nemesis Read online

  “No, but it seemed like something we could consider.”

  “I am supposed to be at the conference tonight,” she admitted slowly.

  “I know. That’s why I hadn’t brought it up,” he said, “but you also have to be here tomorrow morning, I thought.”

  “Not necessarily,” she said. “It’s just the end of the workshops, and there’ll be a couple speeches, but I’m not giving one.”

  “So, in theory, you could leave early?”

  “I could,” she said, nodding. “And you know what? That would be a nice idea. Get through tonight, and we could go to Levi’s tomorrow.”

  “Which is what we were planning anyway.”

  “Yes,” she said, then frowned. “We could, of course, go a little earlier and just leave tonight.”

  “That’s up to you.”

  “Given what happened last night, I’m leaning toward that, now that you brought it up,” she admitted.

  “Good,” he said. “I’ll follow through on whatever you want. You just tell me.”

  She grinned. “I do like a man willing to make things happen.”

  He laughed. “Particularly when it comes to your safety.”

  Her smile fell away at that, and she nodded. “I guess that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?”

  Chapter 11

  Dianne wasn’t sure why any time Noah brought up his operation, it made her feel sad.

  “Don’t even go there,” he warned.

  “Too late,” she said, with a wave of her hand. “I’m already there.”

  “Then get off of it.”

  “Not so easy to do,” she snapped back.

  “Well, that’s a good start,” he said. “Find that temper of yours and make things happen the way you want them to happen.”

  “It’s not quite that easy,” she said.

  “Sure, it is,” he said. “Just don’t get hung up on all the negatives here.”

  Knowing that he didn’t quite understand what her problem was, she just kept quiet. Finally she looked down at her watch and said, “Unfortunately it’s time to go.”

  “We can come back up later, if you want. If we’re staying here for the evening, we could even come back up and watch the city lights.”

  She nodded in delight. “Now that, I am definitely up for. It would be beautifully romantic.” He looked at her sharply, and she smiled up at him. “If you have any romance in your soul, that is.” He immediately started protesting. She laughed and said, “I’ll race you to the stairs.” And she beat him.

  She didn’t know if he let her win or not, but she did win, and that kept a smile on her face, as she headed into the workshop for the next session. The next few hours were crazy busy, and, by the time she was done, she looked up at him and said, “Wow, I could really use a trip back up to that roof.”

  “Let’s go,” he said immediately.

  She thought about it and said, “Let’s take up a coffee.”

  “Maybe you should just have water or something,” he said. “Seems like you’re running on coffee.”

  “I always run on coffee,” she said, with a shrug. “It’s not even the caffeine. It’s more that it’s my comfort drink.”

  “Sure,” he said doubtfully.

  She glared at him. “You’re not taking away my coffee.”

  He held up his hands in mock protest. “No, I’d never do that.” He added an eye roll.

  “Ha,” she said. “Now you’re just mocking me.”

  “No,” he said, “it’s probably too early for you to have a glass of wine up there, so coffee it is.”

  “Or a pot of tea,” she said, wondering.

  “Well, that would be something different for you.”

  “I really like my tea too. I just rarely order it when I’m out though.”

  “Why is that?” he asked, as they wandered back to the front reception area.

  “Mostly because it’s hard to get a good cup, when you’re out.” He burst out laughing at that. She stared at him and said, “It’s not that funny, you know.”

  His laughter stopped, and he looked at her in amazement. “Seriously?”

  “Absolutely,” she said, and then her smile twinkled up at him.

  “You’re joking,” he said, shaking his head, “and I fell for it.”

  “No, not so much joking,” she said, “but I do find that tea tastes different when I’m out.”

  “Just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s bad though,” he said.

  “No, it doesn’t mean it’s bad at all, but different is different.”

  He nodded at that. “So, what’ll it be?” There was almost a dare in his tone.

  As they walked toward the little coffee shop, she said, “Maybe we’ll try tea then.” Instead of a teapot, they ordered tea in a big takeout cup. She left the tea bag inside, but he brought up a little bag for the garbage. “Aren’t garbage cans up there?”

  “I’m sure there are some,” he said. “I doubt the hotel can afford to not have them everywhere.”

  “I get that,” she said. “Everybody is being more conscious of things like that these days.”

  “I’m sure they try to set a standard, but it’s very hard to follow through. If they put garbage cans out there in a public space, somebody has to remember to empty them. Because the minute they aren’t emptied, somebody will complain, write a nasty review about the cleanliness of the place.”

  “I didn’t even think of that,” she said, “but you’re right. People will be people.”

  “You’ve got to consider that too, if you are seriously considering buying a natural food franchise.”

  “It’s all about reviews and customer satisfaction,” she said, with a nod.

  “And do you want to be tied down to something like that?”

  “Well, I would hire staff of course,” she said. “I wouldn’t necessarily have to work it myself all the time.”

  “I guess it depends on how successful you expect it to be.”

  “Very successful of course,” she said, “otherwise I wouldn’t do it.”

  “But you still have to put in a certain amount of work.”

  “Yes,” she said, “but then, if I don’t, what else would I do? This is the work I do.” Together they walked upstairs, carrying their hot cups. “I’m still amazed at this place,” she said, as she stepped out onto the rooftop garden.

  “Imagine what it will be like in a few hours,” he murmured.

  She nodded, her smile wide. “Maybe we can come back after the evening session too. I want to take advantage of this beautiful place as many times as we can, before we leave this hotel.”

  “That’s fine,” he said, “but I won’t be leaving your side tonight, and you won’t be drinking anything that I’m not vetting.”

  “Good,” she said. “I was a little worried about that.”

  “Don’t be,” he said. “We can’t guarantee that all the food is safe and that somebody isn’t out there trying to tamper with it,” he said. “All I can do is guarantee that they won’t get to you.”

  “And you can’t even guarantee that,” she said, turning toward him. “You can’t keep taking all of this on yourself.”

  “I can and I will.” She rolled her eyes at him. He just smiled, and they sat down on a bench in the same place they were before.

  “So, nobody’s seen him since, huh?”

  “No,” he said, “the problem is, once he left here, he could have gone to another hotel. He could have gone to his vehicle. He could have gone home. He could have been any place where the cameras wouldn’t have picked him up.”

  “And, of course, he was disguised at one point for sure, so it didn’t really matter where he went.”

  “Exactly, but we’re now looking for that disguise, for his true face, and anything in between,” he murmured.

  She sighed. “It still feels like he’s out there, and he’s got the upper hand.”

  “He does. We’re on defense, and that’s a
lways a much harder position to defend,” he said. “Much better that we take the offensive position and know exactly where this guy is, so we can pick him up, but that just isn’t where we’re at right now.”

  “No,” she said.

  “Are you okay to stay here tonight?”

  “I think we should,” she said. “We’re safe at the moment. He’s likely to keep trying, but we’ve already paid for the room.”

  “The room expense is minor,” he said. “If you want to leave, we certainly can.”

  “No, I think I’d like to be here for this evening,” she said. “I’ll have that talk with somebody who’s here about a franchise.”

  “Good enough,” he said. “We have a couple hours yet anyway,” he said, “so why don’t we put down our tea and walk.”

  She laughed and said, “Good point.” Putting their cups down, he walked her over to the running path, and, because it was still empty, they quickly did four laps.

  When she sat back down again, she was slightly out of breath. “Wow, it’s not—I don’t know if it’s because I’m out of shape,” she said, “or because I was drugged, but that took more out of me than I like to admit.”

  “It doesn’t take long to get out of shape,” he said. “But it’s also pretty easy to pick it back up, particularly if you’re in good shape to begin with.”

  “Well, I don’t know how good a shape I am in after being here and seeing everybody again. Seeing everyone always inspires me, but, at the same time, it can be very depressing.”

  “That inspiration is what you should take from here,” he said. “It’s much easier to handle.”

  “It is, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you’re looking at the difference between where you want to be and where you are.”

  “And that’s why the whole process of change is so painful for so many people,” he murmured.

  “I often wondered if I should be doing classes.”

  “Taking them or giving them?”

  She burst out laughing at that. “Both,” she said. “It’s always a matter of looking at what you have to offer, then also looking at the things that you want to build up strength in.”

  “When you get settled,” he murmured, “all kinds of things can happen. But maybe you should give yourself a chance to get through this stressful period of your life first. Get moved, get the franchise, and let yourself get settled in for a few months, before you decide what you still might need to learn.”

  “Is it normal to feel so insecure when you’re contemplating something like this?”

  “Well, if it’s new and different, of course,” he murmured. “Think about it. It takes you out of your comfort zone, and anything that does that is stressful, which is the number one dream killer in the world. So you need to work at getting that stress level down.”

  “Yes, boss,” she said in a cheeky voice.

  He chuckled. “See? That’s what I like about you,” he said. “We can talk. I can say anything to you that I need to say, and you don’t take offense.”

  “I don’t have time for taking offense,” she said.

  “Neither do I.” And they stayed here for the next couple hours, until it was time for dinner. With another look at his watch, he said, “I’m sorry, but it’s time to go.”

  She nodded. “I knew it,” she said. “I was trying to hang out for a little bit longer.”

  “Do you need to change before we go?”

  She looked down at her outfit, shook her head, and said, “No, I’ll go to dinner like this. Then I’ll probably change it up for the evening.”

  “Good enough,” he said. He stood up and reached out a hand.

  She didn’t even think about it and placed her hand into his and let him lead her back down toward dinner.

  *

  Noah stayed close through dinner, and he stayed close through the evening speeches and then the entertainment afterward. It was now mostly a cocktails-and-mingling atmosphere. As the evening went on, he saw that her energy was wearing down. At just after nine, he walked up, slid an arm around her shoulders, and pulled her closer. “So, are you ready to head up?”

  She looked up at him gratefully. “Honestly,” she said in a low tone, “I was ready to leave half an hour ago.”

  “Too bad you didn’t say something then.” She walked over and said goodbye to several people, who were still there, since she wouldn’t see them again. He looked over at her as they walked out. “So, how did your meeting about the franchise go?” He’d stayed nearby during that meeting but had deliberately blocked out the conversation.

  “I think it went well,” she said. “We’re ready to set the lawyers to work on it again.”

  “Good enough,” he said.

  “Not that it’s really an issue for you,” she said. “Hopefully all this will be well and truly dealt with before then.”

  “It might be an issue if I decide to take you—invite you—on a date, when this is all settled.”

  She looked up at him. “And you know what? I just might say yes.”

  “You think?” he said. “I’d hate to go in that direction if you’re aren’t sure.”

  She reached up and patted his cheek. “I’m pretty certain it’s a safe bet.”

  “Well, maybe not though,” he said. He led her through to the elevators and up.

  “It hasn’t felt the same tonight,” she said, with a big yawn.

  “No, it hasn’t,” he said. “I’m still trying to figure out what’s going on.”

  “But you’re expecting something?”

  “Definitely. I’m not exactly sure what or how, but it still feels like trouble’s brewing.”

  “It does feel like that, but it didn’t seem that way at the reception tonight.” And he agreed with her. “On the other hand,” she said, “that could just mean that way more is going on that I’m not prepared for.”

  “Maybe,” he said. “But we’ll see where it goes.”

  “Right,” she murmured. Back at the room, she stepped in and walked to her bed and kicked off her heels.

  “So now what?” he said. “Are you ready to sleep?”

  “Hell no,” she said, “I want to go upstairs to the rooftop deck with a glass of wine, so we can sit and enjoy the lights.”

  He laughed at that. “Ah, right back to being romantic.”

  “Hey, you’re the one who just mentioned a date.”

  “I did, indeed,” he said, “but this is hardly a date.”

  “No way, you’re not getting off so easy on that,” she said. “That’s a cop-out.”

  “Not a cop-out,” he protested.

  “Well, let’s just say it doesn’t qualify as a true date.”

  “I just said that,” he said in exasperation.

  “And I was just agreeing with you,” she said, batting her lashes at him.

  He shook his head. “You’ll make me crazy.”

  “That’s okay,” she said. “I’m already crazy being around you.” With the kibitzing still ongoing, he led the two of them back upstairs to the rooftop deck. As soon as he opened the door, he could tell he’d made a mistake.

  But she was already pushing her way behind him, chattering away. And then she stopped and gasped.

  “Oh, my God, what happened here?”

  Chapter 12

  Dianne stared in shock at the flowers that had been decapitated all across the beautiful rooftop deck.

  “Well,” Noah said in a quiet voice, pulling her back up against the door, as he assessed their surroundings, “I’ll say we had a visitor.”

  “This could have been a kid though, right?”

  “It could have been,” he said, with a quick nod. “I’m not sure why they would do it though.”

  “Because they’re kids,” she said succinctly. “You turn your gaze away for a moment, and, next thing you know, they’ve decapitated the flowers.”

  “Maybe,” he said, but he didn’t sound convinced.

  She looked up at him. “Do yo
u really think this is something Maxwell would do? It’s very unfocused and not directed at me.”

  “Unless he was listening in and heard us say that we were coming back here.”

  She frowned at that. “I really don’t want to think that he was listening in.”

  “No, but we can’t toss out that possibility.”

  “Maybe not,” she said. “Can we go into the garden, do you think?”

  “I’m not sure we should.” He stood at the door, weighing the odds.

  “Well, if someone just had a temper tantrum with the flowers,” she said, “I would still love to sit and look at the lights.”

  “Let me call security first,” he said.

  She sighed. “Fine,” she said, “you do you.”

  He studied her, as he made the call. “The manager is on his way up,” he said, when he ended the call.

  “Good.” But he was already on the phone again. “Now who are you calling?”

  “Levi, to see if he has anything on camera.”

  “Oh, right,” she said. “That’s a good idea.”

  But when Levi checked, he said, “The cameras are down.”

  “Well, I’ll take that as a yes then.”

  Just then the manager stepped out onto the deck and gasped in horror. “Oh my,” he said, “after all the effort we went to. We really wanted to make this perfect.”

  “Exactly,” she said. “I still want to go see the gardens, but Noah is not very thrilled.”

  The manager shook his head, as he walked forward.

  She could almost hear tears in his voice and realized this was a personal project of his. “I’m so sorry,” she called out.

  He stopped and looked back at her. “Did you have anything to do with this?”

  She immediately shook her head. “No, of course not. I love this space.”

  He just nodded and kept looking. He walked all the way around the perimeter, then came back. “It’s all of them,” he said, his tone heavy. “Every one of the flowers.”

  “Why, though?” she asked. He just shrugged and looked very sad. She wanted to apologize again, but, since he had already misconstrued her words, she didn’t think it was the smartest thing to do.