In His Sights Page 16

  Images of the night before flashed through Noah’s mind. One stuck in the forefront: Mason. Mason stepping up to Noah, and Noah swinging at him. “What did I do?”

  Noah stayed still, trying to breathe steady, to create the least amount of motion. His head throbbed. Unable to avoid movement any longer, he took a deep breath and rolled over, stretching his arm over to the night table to grab his watch. The pain had white lights flashing against his closed eyelids. He remained frozen for a moment.

  He opened one eye, hesitant as to what effect it’d have on the rest of his body. He opened his second eye and tried to focus on the clock—It was 10:00 A.M. His mind wrestled with the information to register what the numbers meant. Ten o’clock. The brightness blazing in the room ruled out 10:00 P.M. On the day we planned to leave before 06:00 A.M. Shit. On top of everything else, he’d overslept. He didn’t even remember falling asleep.

  He crawled out of bed, picked up his jeans from the chair and pulled them on, then slid into his T-shirt. He fought with the idea of sneaking out. They’d obviously missed leaving like they’d planned. Maybe they should forget the trip. Noah leaving would be best. He didn’t need to go hiking. Going away had sounded fun when Mason had first suggested the trip, before Noah had fucked everything up. Now they’d have to sit in a car for at least three hours with nothing to do but talk. The thought of talking about what’d happened the night before had nausea roiling in his stomach. He could always feign sleeping in the car. But then what? The hiking would give them plenty of time to catch up on the conversation they’d missed in the car.

  He needed to come up with what to tell Mason. Uh, I changed my mind—I don’t want to be alone with you. Yeah, that’d go over real well. Or not. But it’d still be better than them talking about last night.

  Noah wore everything he’d brought with him. He had nothing to pack. The clothes Mason had loaned him sat folded on the chair. Now Noah could get out in a second’s notice, either with or without saying goodbye. The choice depended on whether Mason was there when Noah came out of his room. Either way worked for Noah. If he stayed and said goodbye, he’d have to go with, “something came up.” He only hoped Mason wasn’t in the mood to find out exactly what something Noah meant.

  He opened the door and only hesitated for a second before he walked into the hall.

  A noise came from the kitchen. When he stepped in the room, he found Mason sitting at the table. “Hey, Mas. What’s going on? I thought the plan was to get an early start.” Let’s play stupid.

  “Forget it. After last night, I didn’t think you’d feel up to hiking today.” Mason frowned, his expression one of disappointment.

  “Bullshit. You should’ve woken me. I would’ve gotten ready.” Instead of apologizing, Noah went with shifting the blame.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean what happened with you. You getting up had nothing to do with us staying. It’s on me.”

  Mason’s reaction surprised Noah even more than his own had. Why’s Mason being so nice—letting me off the hook?

  “I realized last night I have too much work. I didn’t get what I needed to done. And I can’t just leave.” Mason’s gaze traveled from Noah to the newspaper.

  Noah understood exactly what Mason was doing, and why. Instead of feeling relief over Mason’s excuse, it had Noah more upset. “That’s bullshit.”

  “It’s not.” Mason shook his head, not making eye contact when he spoke. “I’ve got an important case I’m working on, and it needs my attention now. Not when we would’ve gotten back.”

  You’d been taken off your case. You don’t have any work to take care of. Noah bit his tongue, before the words slipped out of his mouth.

  Mason took a deep breath and peered at Noah. “Now how about we discuss what happened with you last night.”

  Noah’s back tensed, and his skin heated. He couldn’t do this—not now—maybe not ever. “No.”

  “No?”

  “No,” Noah confirmed.

  “Come on. We need to talk about what set you off last night. And don’t tell me the bartender suggesting you go home caused your anger.” Mason’s gruff voice said he wouldn’t take anything but the truth.

  “I said I don’t want to talk right now.” Noah said, his voice unwavering. “Think I’m going to call the airline and see about heading out today.”

  Mason stood up. “Running away again?”

  “Fuck you.”

  Mason pushed his chair in and strode over to the counter. “That’s your problem, isn’t it?”

  Noah’s hands fisted. He needed to get out of there before he said something he’d regret.

  “What’s the matter? You scared of the truth? That’s what set you off last night isn’t it? Thinking about us. Thinking about what would happen when you came back here?”

  Noah’s pulse raced and pounded in his ears. “Fuck you.”

  “I think you want to, and that’s your problem.” Mason’s voice remained calm.

  “My problem, huh? What about yours? Why don’t we talk about what set you off the other night. The night I found you about to fight at the airport?”

  Mason stood motionless. “That has nothing to do with what happened to you.”

  “Maybe it does. If we don’t talk about it, how will we know?” Noah could see he’d hit Mason where it hurt, but Noah couldn’t stop. Fuck Mason and his trying to get into Noah’s head.

  “Fine. You don’t want to talk about what happened. I don’t either. Why don’t you go and run away, again. I have things I need to do. Can’t waste any more time on you.” Mason turned around, and headed to his office.

  Adrenaline pumped through Noah, and if he didn’t expend it quickly, he’d implode. He went into the guestroom, grabbed the sneakers, then got the hell out of there. Not caring where he went, he walked out.

  * * * *

  Mason stayed locked in his office when the front door slammed. Noah had left. Good. The last thing Mason wanted to do right then was deal with Noah and his shit mood.

  Dammit. Mason had sworn he wouldn’t let their talk end in an argument, and what had he done? He chased Noah away. Right when the man needed him, he’d scared him out of his house. “Nice going, Mason.”

  He’d planned what he wanted to say. How he had wanted to open the conversation. Get Noah to trust him enough to open up.

  Mason had called off the trip. So what? Why had canceling the hike upset Noah? Noah had stepped into the kitchen ready for a war. Why? Mason had an idea. Noah probably dreaded their conversation as much as Mason had. And what did Mason do? He’d confirmed Noah’s fear by attacking him right from the get go.

  No, that wasn’t true. Mason had tried to take all the blame for canceling the trip. He’d given Noah an out, but instead of accepting the offering, Noah had called him on it. Noah had acted like an ass.

  Calling Mason a liar. Forget him, because yeah, Mason didn’t cancel the trip just because Noah had messed up last night. No, he’d canceled their going away because Mason shouldn’t have planned the outing in the first place. The time wasn’t right for a trip. He’d hoped to take a few days away and clear his head, but then reality set in. His mind would have stayed on the case, regardless of how far away he tried to get.

  The days were counting down before he headed back to work, with the Deputy Director’s drone’s all-seeing eye watching his every move. For him to get the higher-ups to listen, and accept his theory as fact, he’d need to get intel on how the new group had acquired their funds, and from whom. If he couldn’t prove their involvement, all the information he and his team had collected thus far would be out of Mason’s reach—he’d never again get a chance to look over the intel.

  So, forget Noah and his bullshit. He wasn’t the only one who had shit going on.

  The more Mason thought about Noah’s attitude, the angrier he got. No matter what Noah said, he wouldn’t have felt up to the trip today either. The alcohol he had in his system, and the blows his body had received, would’ve created
a problem with him spending the day hiking, and the night on the hard ground.

  Mason had made the right decision, dammit.

  Now he’d need to deal with the other problem…except he was having trouble taking his focus off of Noah. And now, instead of getting Noah to know that Mason had his back, would be there for him, Mason had called him out and had sent him packing.

  Should Mason run after Noah? Get him to come back so they could have a rational conversation? No. Noah probably wasn’t over their argument yet. Mason giving Noah time to cool off seemed the right route to take.

  Mason wanted to throw something, but fought the urge. Instead, he went and sat down at his computer. He got onto the Bureau’s secure server. He signed in, not giving a damn if one of the higher-ups noticed his activity. He might be checking on any one of a million other things. Yeah. Sure.

  He started as he always did. Searching for anything new he’d missed since he’d left.

  Another car bombing. Late last night. Mason pulled up all the information the Bureau had, then went through the various news outlets. Sometimes they had a source willing to leak information, and at times, their informants proved more valuable than who the Bureau worked with. Sure enough, going through one of the more obscure news sources, Mason came across information regarding the explosive materials used. The list read as an almost duplicate of what the terrorist had used in one of the other bombings Mason knew the new terrorist group had implemented.

  He continued to read.

  Another news article told how Mamba had stepped forward, making a statement denying their involvement. “I wonder how the Bureau’s handling their announcement—who are they attributing the bombing to?” Noah spent another hour looking for the answer. Regardless of Mamba’s statement, the Bureau’s official statement said Mamba had instigated the explosion. Why would they deny their involvement? Mamba had always used fear and intimidation as part of their tactics. If they’d caused the destruction, they’d proudly say they had. It didn’t make sense. “And who signed off on this at the Bureau?”

  Mason wanted to call some of the guys from his team, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t sure what they’d heard or what orders they’d received. If they’d gotten the same treatment he had. For now, Mason was on his own.

  A noise came from somewhere in the house. Mason needed to apologize for setting things off earlier. He opened his door and stepped into the hall. The noise stopped. “Noah?” Another thought popped in his head and had him moving quickly to the guest room. His stomach muscles tightened as he pushed the door. Once in the room, he let out the breath he’d been holding. Noah’s boots lay on the ground. He hadn’t left.

  His reaction to the thought Noah had taken off again shocked Mason. It made him realize how much he’d come to care for Noah in such a short time. He’d finally admit to himself he had feelings for Noah, and those feelings started just when he’d forced Noah out of his house. “Well, what now?” This time I have his number, but I’m still not going to call him. Let him stay out a while—let him cool off.

  Mason padded into the kitchen. Ready for another cup of coffee, he turned the pot back on. While the coffee brewed, he took out the milk and picked a box of cereal from the cabinet. His stomach dropped. He’d driven Noah out of the house before he’d had a chance to have some coffee or a bite to eat. Dammit. Mason hoped Noah would be back soon. Well, half of him did. His other half remained nervous, not yet ready to face him.

  Mason brought his food and coffee over to the table and sat down to eat. When the front door creaked open, he didn’t move. He felt Noah’s gaze on him before the other man even spoke. Mason didn’t say a word. Anything he said right then might scare Noah away, and that was the last thing he wanted to do.

  When Noah finally said, “Hi,” Mason’s heart skipped a beat, and he let out a breath.

  “Hey.” Mason’s gaze stayed on the bowl of food in front of him. Noah’s sneakers squeaked as he came forward.

  Again, Mason found himself holding his breath. “Are you hungry?”

  “Yeah. I can eat. Thanks.”

  “There’s cereal. Or if you want, I can make you eggs.”

  “Cereal’s great.” Noah grabbed a bowl. “And some coffee, maybe.”

  “I’ll get you a cup.” Mason stood up and went to the cabinet. “There’s other cereal in the pantry.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mason hated how they both sounded so stiff. He couldn’t believe their trip to the shooting range only happened the day before. It seemed like more than a lifetime had passed.

  Mason placed Noah’s coffee next to his bowl. As he did so, he debated whether he should take the seat next to him or leave the room, giving Noah some more space. We’re both adults. Mason pulled out the chair next to Noah and sat down.

  “I’m sorry about earlier.” The words came out of Mason’s mouth sounding jumbled. But their relative meaning was understandable.

  “Me, too. I shouldn’t have left. We should have talked.”

  “It’s okay. I think we both needed a little time.”

  “Yeah. I guess.” As almost an afterthought, Noah asked, “Do you still need more time?”

  “No. I’m good. Thanks. How about you?”

  “Nope. I’m fine.” Noah played with the last of his cereal floating in his bowl.

  “You ready to talk?” Mason asked.

  “I’d rather shower first. After I eat. If that’s all right with you.”

  “Yeah.” Mason really wanted to talk, but doing it when Noah was uncomfortable and sweaty wouldn’t work.

  “Okay. What about when you’re done?”

  “Sounds good.” Noah poured another bowl of cereal. They both sat quietly and finished eating.

  Chapter 20

  Noah walked into the kitchen, freshly washed and dressed.

  “You sure you’re okay?” Mason asked.

  “Yeah, I told you I’m fine.” Noah’s voice was rough.

  “Was thinking. Why don’t we take a hike? Nothing like what we planned. There’s a trail about thirty minutes away. It’ll only take a couple of hours. You think you’re up for that?”

  “Yeah. Sounds great.”

  Mason was grateful they’d get out of the house. The rooms were stifling, no doubt an effect of their impending talk. Mason hoped by doing it on neutral territory, Noah might feel less cornered.

  Mason checked his backpack. He had the map, a compass, sunscreen, first aid kit, which he’d stored matches in, and a flashlight. He headed over to the pantry and grabbed some protein bars and water, handing Noah the same. They expected the weather to be beautiful, and since they’d be home at the end of the day, they didn’t require anything more.

  The music from the radio kept the ride from being uncomfortably silent. Mason tried to relax into the music as he played the steering wheel like a drum, and Noah’s leg bounced to the beat.

  When they pulled off the road and into the parking area, Mason lowered the radio. “This is a great place for when I need an escape, but don’t have a lot of time.”

  “Perfect.”

  Noah’s leg continued to shake even though the music had stopped. Noah seemed almost as anxious as Mason felt. Hopefully they’d hike some of their restlessness out.

  Both men hopped out of the truck and situated their backpacks. Mason breathed in the fresh air as he stared at the greenery surrounding them.

  Noah peered at Mason. “Which way to the trail?”

  “This way.” Mason headed across the dirt lot to a small path between the trees. Once they’d walked for about five minutes, the trail turned wide, big enough for trucks to pass.

  “This a logging road or something?” Noah asked.

  “Used to be. A lot of years back. Now the grounds belong to the city. No more logging or hunting. The city opened the mountain to hikers and campers about ten years ago.”

  They continued to hike side by side, both men taking in their surroundings.

  A couple miles into the hike, No
ah’s body seemed to relax.

  Mason broke the silence. “You ready to talk?”

  “I guess. What about?” Noah turned and glanced at Mason.

  Mason met his stare. “About last night.”

  “I said I’m sorry. Just drank too much.”

  “I don’t believe that.” Mason’s voice remained low and calm.

  “What the fuck?” Noah stopped.

  Mason stopped, too, and faced Noah, hating the fear he saw in Noah’s gaze. “Please. I want to do this without an argument.”

  “Fine.” Noah began to walk again at a quickened pace.

  Mason caught up next to him. “Really. I think it’s that important.”

  Noah focused on the ground. “Whatever.”

  Mason grabbed his arm, causing him to hold up. He waited until Noah’s gaze met his. “No. Not whatever. If you’re not ready to have this conversation, we can wait. Otherwise, I want to do it right. Without any snide remarks. With full listening and respect for the other person.”

  Noah shook his head. “Shit, you sound like my mother.”

  “I consider the comparison a compliment,” Mason returned.

  “Yeah. Well, don’t.” Noah retorted gruffly.

  Mason walked away from Noah. “We can do this later.”

  This time, Noah stopped Mason. He held on to Mason’s arm. “No, please. We can talk now.”

  “You sure, Noah?” Mason wasn’t convinced.

  Noah faced the ground and took a deep breath. “Yeah. I think so.”

  Mason’s heart hurt from the way Noah’s voice shook.

  “There’s a pond up ahead. Why don’t we head there for a snack?”

  “Sounds good.” Noah followed Mason.

  When they stepped through the trees, Noah’s eyes widened. “This is amazing.”

  “Yeah.” Mason glanced around at the view in front of them and smiled.

  Both men took in nature’s beauty for a minute. Then Mason turned around and found a log among the growth on the ground.