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Placing her gently in the passenger seat of his truck, he grabbed out his white coat from the back seat to cover her up a bit. She was really blue now, and he cursed.“Why do you have to test being brave like this?” He muttered under her breath before closing the door and getting in himself. He turned on the heater as soon as he started the car, then he started to drive them both home.As he drove through the silent streets with the car’s heater humming softly in the background, he glanced at her, curled up in the passenger seat, wrapped in a blanket. Despite the warmth filling the car, he couldn’t shake off the image of her, vulnerable and exposed in that water, waiting for midnight so that she could walk home in her underwear without being seen.How reckless was that?Why in the world would she want to walk home when she was in that state, and most importantly, half naked. She might think that no one would see her, but someone might. What did she think would go throw through their m
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After the messed up night at the lake and Noah came to her rescue one more time, Grace decided she had to avoid him, be out of his way, and stay as out of his sight as much as possible, and so far, everything had been just fine.“Thank goodness for that.” She whispered to herself.It wasn’t easy, but she had been able to do it for a whole week. She knew it might not be a big deal for others, but for her, it was. She had been making sure to work around his schedule, leaving her room only when he was gone to work, or leaving very early to open the shop, and coming either very early or late, depending on whichever worked for his schedule.Walking alone was becoming a normal thing for her and she only had to look over her shoulder just a few times.“You better learn to stop doing that.” She thought mentally, sighing as she thought about what it would be like not having to look over her shoulder ever again.What had happened with Noah might not be something others would be embarrassed of,
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After Grace was done with dinner, she placed everything on the kitchen table, and as she walked out and reached the door, the front door opened, and Noah walked into the house, his eyes connecting with hers immediately.“Hey, you’re back early.” He said, and Grace just nodded, then she remembered Diana was at the backyard sipping the orange juice Grace had squeezed for her while waiting for Noah.“Huh, your girlfriend is here, she’s waiting for you at the backyard.” She said, trying not to make a face as she said that.Grace wasn’t sure what to think about the woman, but it was none of her business.Noah’s expression shifted to confusion. “My girlfriend? What are you talking about?”Grace hesitated before responding, “She said her name was Diana.” Was that what she called her name? She wasn’t sure, but the look on Noah’s face told her she got it right.“Yes, Diana, she’s waiting for you at the backyard.” She repeated.Instantly, Noah’s mood darkened. Diana, the woman who had broken hi
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Charlotte paused as her hand picked up the apple from the fridge and she turned to look back at Grace over her shoulder. She had stopped by to pick up the food Grace told her to come pick up, and was now telling her what happened.“Is that a joke?” She asked her, turning completely now to face her. “What do you mean Noah’s girlfriend was here?” She asked.“I said his ex girlfriend was here, because according to what I heard them both talking about, I could tell it had ended.” Grace said.She hadn’t mean to tell Charlotte anything, but she had asked her why she had made that much food in the first place and before even thinking about it, she had let it slipped out.“So Diana was really in this house?” She asked and Grace nodded.“Yes, that was what she called her name.” Grace walked away from where she was standing to walk to the sink to wash her hands.She didn’t want to talk about that or what she had heard Noah and her talked about. The woman was just really so angry that she had ev
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When he stepped into Charlotte’s shop that afternoon, he saw Grace back turned to him and she didn’t jump at the chime of the bell, neither did she turn to look at who it was that had entered the shop.That was good, she was making progress.As he walked to the counter, Charlotte looked at him from the door of the back office slash kitchen and shook her head at him. That was her way of telling him that she hadn’t been able to get Grace to talk.He sighed as she walked to the counter as well, and slipped into the stool that was in front of the counter at the corner. “Hi, Charlotte,” he greeted and watched Grace’s shoulder froze for a couple of second before she turned to face him.“Hello, Grace.” He said.“Hello!” She greeted without saying anything more after that.She was still avoiding him at home, but now he knew it wasn’t just because of the lake situation anymore, or the fact that he had seen her scars. Now, it was because of something Diana had said to her, and that worried him.
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They both stared at each other, but Grace wanted to look away, no she wanted to walk away, but she didn’t want him thinking she was hiding something.Maybe she was, and she just wanted it to stay that way.“Is something wrong, Grace?” Noah asked, eyeing her carefully. “You haven’t said one word since we came back.” He said.Lifting her shoulder in a shrug, she said. “You told me we needed to talk, so I was waiting for you to do the talking.”Noah nodded, but he knew she was just being evasive. “Do you mind if we go sit down?” He asked and she nodded. They both walked to the living room and took their seat on separate couches, but then, Noah stood up and walked to the couch she was sitting down at.As soon as he did that, she looked at him for a meeting, then without saying a word, she pushed her head down, her hair suddenly covering her face.Noah reached out a large hand to brush her hair off her face to hold it behind her ear, and then he used his hand to raise her chin up so that s
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She was having one of those nightmares again, and it woke Noah up from his sleep as well. Noah stirred in his sleep, the sound of distant whimpers slowly pulling him out of his sleep.At first, he didn’t understand what was happening because he was all groggy and disoriented, then he sat up in his bed, his mind registering the source of the sound.It was coming from Grace’s room.It was Grace.The whimpers grew louder, turning into muffled sobs that echoed through the silent house. Concerned, Noah threw off his covers, wore his slippers, and walked out of his room to pad softly across the hallway towards her room.He would have thought that there was someone in her room making her sound like that, but he had witnessed her having a nightmare before, so he knew that was what it was.In his opinion, he still think that she needed to see a therapist, because she would not be able to break free from whatever it was that was hunting her in her sleep if she didn’t, and that wouldn’t be good
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Grace hesitated for a moment before nodding. “I just felt so lost and alone in that place, and I was so scared when I started to run, like I was struggling against nature. I couldn’t find my way back home, and everything was dark,” she explained, her voice still shaky, and Noah listened attentively.Of course, he couldn’t say he understood how she was feeling after that kind of dream, but all he could do was offer her some reassurance and comfort. He needed to help her find relief in the face of all of these, and let her know he was right here for her.He offered a reassuring smile. “You’re never alone, Grace. I’m here, and so is everyone else, including Charlotte, my brother, my parents. We’ll always help you find your way back no matter where it is.” He said.There was no such things as helping her without her willing to be helped though, which was why he needed that talk. Sighing, he pulled her into a side hug one last time, before pulling back from her.Grace managed a small smile
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Talking about using herself as bait when she realized Jack had came to town.“What do you mean?” Charlotte asked with a frown on her face as she looked at Grace panting.Grace put one hand on her chest and the other was pointed outside the door of the shop. “He’s here, Charlotte. My ex husband is here.” She said, swallowing at the same time, talking.She had gone out to take the trash when she saw him down the road on the main street seeing as she had decided to take the front.She was scared, or maybe she was more than scared. She wanted to go hide somewhere, anywhere at all, wherever it was that he wouldn’t find her.“What? Are you sure?” Charlotte asked, the distress showing right there on her face. She was sure that she was going to have a heart attack if care wasn’t taken because of how hard her heart was thumping against her rib cage. Nodding as she looked from Charlotte to the door, she said. “Yes. I’m sure he’s the one I saw.” She said.“Okay, you know what?” Charlotte asked w
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Charleston, West VirginiaFBI BuildingWhen Agent Conner walked into the observation room the afternoon of that Saturday, he didn’t think he would see their boss, the deputy director, Mr. Jimmy, and a junior agent, Agent Smith in there.He was wearing a dark blue suit with a white and black striped shirt inside it, and he stood there in front of the one way mirror with his arms folded across his chest.“Sir,” he greeted him with a nod.“Agent Conner.” Mr. Jimmy nodded at him and then he greeted Smith then he sighed, before turning back to look through the one way mirror, where Agent Ezekiel sat and on the opposite side of the chair, was Jack Northland and Mr. Darien, his lawyer.The bastard had lawyered up the moment Zeke had mentioned warehouse to him. “What has the bastard said?” Conner asked looking at his junior colleague, but Agent Smith just shook his head. He hadn’t said anything, Conner thought. If the shake of his boss’s head was any indication.Conner furrowed his brow, pond
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The small, secluded corner of the charity event became the stage for a confronting Jack, and it was as if Grace couldn’t think of anything than what they had planned, as she stared at Jack’s face. He looked as if he could have shot her if they were alone, but thankfully, they weren’t. Zeke’s penetrating gaze fixed on Jack, looking at him with reproach, something to mirror the exact way Grace felt.“You’ve been walking a tightrope, Jack,” Zeke said, his voice carrying a weighty seriousness. “But the act ends now.”There was nothing Grace could do but let Zeke take the lead, but at the moment, she seemed to have lost her voice and things seemed to be like a dream. She couldn’t believe in a million years she would be able to do a thing like this, confronting Jack, a man who had made her suffer all those years ago, like this.Jack’s facade flickered briefly, a moment of uncertainty crossing his face before he regained composure. “I’m not following,” he retorted, striving to mask his grow
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Grace’s heart pounded with nervous anticipation as the car pulled up in front of the grand entrance to the charity event. “Be still, my heart.” She whispered.If this was some other day when she wasn’t so tensed and nervous, she would have thrown her head back and laughed at the ridiculousness of her words to steady herself.No one said words like that anymore, talk less, to themselves. She clutched her purse to herself as Noah offered her his hand to pull her out of the back of the limo Zeke had arranged. According to him, they needed to arrive in style, so that people would know they were of importance, as that would aid their plans for the night.The swarm of reporters and flashing cameras waiting outside made her feel uneasy, but there was a faint sense of relief knowing that anything that transpired tonight would be caught on camera, dissuading Jack from trying anything untoward.As she held unto Noah’s hand, she felt as if she could conquer the whole world, his confidence radiat
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Being tensed doesn’t even began to explain how Grace was feeling as she sat in the hotel room in front of the mirror, her reflection staring back at her with anticipation and dread. They were back in San Diego, according to Zeke’s request that they attend Jack’s charity event he was hosting with some people.He said he suspected that this was how they had been able to keep under the radar for a long while, and he wanted them to show up there.So, being nervous and tensed was just an understatement. If anything, she was scared, and the way her heart was leaping hard in her throat, pumping hard against her rib cage, was indication enough.Her hands trembled as she attempted to apply a touch of makeup, but her nerves made the task difficult. Tonight was the night she would confront her ex-husband, Jack, face-to-face for the first time since she ran away from him.Zeke’s plan echoed in her mind, the fact that he had said they had to attend this charity event, hosted by Jack and his associ
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Back in West Valley Rocks, Grace and Noah became even more discreet about things than ever, but they were doing as Zeke had asked them to be. Things were a bit tough, between going to work, and making sure to close early, and driving back home to ensure no one from Diana came to threaten her again.Noah had insisted actually, but she didn’t want to have to be that scared anymore. Now, she was eased into closing early and getting back home early where it was save.Speaking of Diana, according to Noah, who wanted to meet with her and ask her about sending that man, she was nowhere to be found in town, so maybe she had skipped town, or at least, that was what Grace believed.Anyway, after work today, she had decided to make some pot roast she would be taking with her over to Noah’s parents, as they had invited a small number of people over to their house to celebrate the success of Zeke and his wife’s wedding, and honeymoon.Grace shook her head when she remembered Tammy calling her to i
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The dimly lit apartment seemed smaller than usual as Noah and Grace stood facing each other, the tension thick between them. Grace’s hands trembled slightly as she struggled to articulate her fears. “Noah, I can’t do this anymore. We were so close to being caught tonight. I can’t bear the thought of something happening to you.”Noah’s jaw clenched as he tried to maintain his resolve. “But Grace, we’re onto something. This isn’t just about us anymore. There’s something fishy going on in that warehouse, and I need to find out what it is.”“But at what cost, Noah?” Grace’s voice cracked, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “I can’t lose you. I won’t be able to live with myself if anything happens to you because of this.”He softened, realizing the depth of her distress. “I understand, Grace. I do. But if we stop now, we might never uncover the truth. I can’t just turn away.”They stood in silence for a moment, the weight of their opposing desires pulling at the fabric of their rela
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The warm fragrance of sandalwood and man filled her nostrils, making her want to thread her fingers into the heavy waves of his hair, so she could hold him there and simply breathe in.They had just finished packing and Noah and came to her room to find her, to talk, but somehow, they had ended up in each other’s arms, his tongue down her throat.Her heart stuttered as he released her hands to slide one of his under her hair to the nape of her neck. The first brush of his mouth against hers had sent her eyelids drifting down so she could savor the firm warmth of the lipsHe traced the line between her lips with the tip of his tongue, not invading, just stroking lightly, shifting his weight so his thigh pressed between hers, the thin material of her skirt pulling tight around her hips to accommodate him.Grace moaned as she parted her lips, he swept inside, his tongue teasing the moist flesh of her mouth as he stroked it around, then he moved his leg between her thigh a little bit.It
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Grace sighed, feeling a mix of relief and regret. “Noah, I… I’m sorry,” she said, her voice tinged with remorse. “I had no idea you felt that way. I was hurt and confused, thinking I had repulsed you in anyway. I mean, I’ve seen how attractive your ex girlfriend looks, so...”She trailed off to look away from him, getting embarrassed from talking this close to him. He put his hand under her chin to raise her face to his, a small smile playing on his mouth.Their eyes met, a silent understanding passing between them. The air seemed lighter, the tension that had loomed between them dissipating with the truth finally laid bare.“I realized what I should have done when I pulled back. I should have talked to you about it,” Noah admitted, a hint of remorse in his voice. “But when I heard that cry, all I wanted to do was beat myself up and just punish me for hurting you in whatever way.”Grace nodded in agreement. “Yeah, we both should have. But now that we’ve cleared that up…” She trailed o
