Free What He Seeks (What He Wants, Book Twenty) (An Alpha Billionaire Romance) by Hannah Ford Page A

obviously,” Noah said, hanging up the phone. He rolled his eyes. “They’ll attempt to trace the call.”
    “Ha,” Clementine said sarcastically from the other side of the table.
    Her voice startled me. I’d almost forgotten she was there, that we’d been in the middle of a meeting about the Lilah Parks case.
    “You don’t think they’ll be able to?” I asked.
    “No,” she said. “The professor’s too smart for that.” She didn’t elaborate, evidently deciding that whatever knowledge she had about what the professor might have done to keep himself from getting the call traced was above my level of intelligence. Instead, she turned back to Noah. “What can I do?”
    “Take Lilah back to the hotel,” he said.
    He was rushing over to me, sitting down in the chair next to mine, turning me to him.
    My hands were shaking, and he picked them up and brought them to his lips, kissed them softly.
    “Okay,” Clementine said. “And then what?”
    “Then nothing,” Noah said. “Just make sure you keep an eye on her while I deal with this.” He was talking to Clementine, but he was distracted, his eyes on me, the concern on his face evident.
    “But there’s – ” she started.
    “Thank you,” Noah said sharply, his tone conveying her dismissal.
    She sighed and then I heard her gathering her things and the click of the door as she shut it behind her.
    “Noah,” I said once she was gone, and my voice sounded tinny and far away. It was like I was having some kind of delayed reaction, almost like I’d been numb before and now my feelings were waking up, they were coming alive, and I could feel the dread multiplying inside of me, threatening to take over.
    “It’s okay,” he said, “It’s okay.” He was pulling me to him, holding me, pressing me against his strong chest.
    My heart was beating fast, my stomach turning. I gripped his body, my hands curling around his back.
    “Shh, baby,” he murmured as he stroked my hair. “It’s okay, baby, I’m not going to let anyone hurt you.”
    Images flash banged through my mind as I remembered that night at Force, the feel of the professor’s hands on my body, the grittiness of the air, the dullness in Mikayla’s eyes, the way Noah had looked when he’d been on the ground, stabbed, so much blood on the ground around him.
    I took in a shaking breath and held onto him as he rocked me.
    “Baby,” he murmured into my hair. “Baby, it’s okay, I’m going to keep you safe.”
    After a few moments, he pulled back and looked at me. “Come on,” he said. “Let’s get you home.”
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    W hen we got back to our apartment, my mother was sitting at the dining room table. There was a magazine spread out in front of her, and she’d helped herself to a glass of white wine and some of the cheese she and Noah had shared the night before.
    “Noah!” she said brightly when she saw him. “It’s wonderful to see you!” She got up and came over to greet him. She was all dressed up in a black sweater dress that clung to her body and chunky black boots with a kitten heel. A long silver chain necklace was looped around her neck, and her makeup was perfectly applied.
    Noah smiled as she kissed him on both cheeks, but I could tell he was distracted.
    “Why are you all dressed up?” I asked as Docket came running over to me, his tail wagging. I gave him a scratch under the chin.
    “I’m meeting a friend for lunch in Midtown,” my mom said. “Some place downtown.” She smoothed her dress down over her hips.
    “What friend?” I frowned. She’d never mentioned anything about having a friend in the city.
    “An old friend from school,” she said, and I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but I thought I saw her cheeks color slightly. I remembered the way she’d been on the phone late last night, talking in hushed tones, and I wondered again who she’d been talking to.
    What are you up to? I thought, watching her carefully. But the blush on her cheeks was