In His Sights Page 26

  Noah expected to see a smile on Mason’s face. Mason had to be kidding.

  Noah’s body tensed. Mason was serious. He really thought he was going to work. “No way. You’re going home to rest. If you feel better, tomorrow you can take a ride, I’ll drive you. I only went along with you leaving the hospital, knowing you’d be okay at home. Not running around.”

  Mason’s eyebrows almost hit his hairline. “Are you kidding?”

  Noah’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “No. I’m not.”

  Mason watched Noah, and Noah could feel the heat of his stare. “I got shit I need to take care of, and it’s not going to wait until tomorrow.”

  “The only thing you need to focus on right now is getting yourself better. Fuck, Mason. You were just in an accident, you’ve got a head wound, and whether you want to admit it or not, it was a traumatic experience. Even your memory is trying to keep it at bay.”

  “I feel fine, Noah. And if I was that bad off, the hospital wouldn’t have let me leave.”

  “Are you kidding me?” Noah was ready to pull the car over and shake some sense into Mason. “Did you already forget that they wanted you to stay? It was you who wanted to get out. And I agreed only because I knew you’d have enough sense to stay at home, taking it easy.” The only thing keeping Noah’s foot on the pedal was the fact Mason was hurt. If he was feeling all right, Noah would have been all over him—in a not so good way.

  Mason raised his voice, “I have something I need to take care of.”

  “I’ll say it again. The only thing that needs taking care of today is you. We’ll see how you’re feeling tomorrow.” Mason wanted to go to his office, that much was obvious to Noah. And he wanted nothing more than to tell Mason he’d already gone. The information would relieve Mason’s tension. But the doctor said it would be best to let Mason fill in the gaps himself.

  Regardless, no matter how stressed Mason remained, Noah put his foot down. Mason wanted to leave the hospital, fine. Mason wanted to leave the house, not a fucking chance. And heading into work alone when he finally did go, yeah, that wasn’t happening.

  Noah hit the blinker to turn off the highway. They were almost in town. “The prescription for pain meds. You think you’re up to waiting while I run it into the pharmacy now, or you want me to drop you at home, and I’ll head back out?” Concern continued to flow through Noah.

  “Neither.”

  Noah braced for another fight.

  “I have some over-the-counter stuff at home. That should be fine. Although I should have taken one last hit of the good stuff before we left. Head’s starting to really bother me.”

  “Yeah. Why don’t you head out as soon as we get home?” Sarcasm and anger filled Noah’s words.

  “I got it, Noah. I’m going home to sleep.”

  Once home, Mason took his medicine and climbed into bed. “What, you’re not joining me?”

  “That’s an awesome offer. Need to call my boss, then I’ll be in.”

  Mason seemed calmer. “Okay. Give me a kiss before you leave.”

  Noah leaned down and kissed Mason. He tried to keep the kiss sweet, but Mason pulled Noah down on to the bed, holding him close as Mason’s tongue slipped all around inside Noah’s mouth. The moan Mason let out had Noah pulling back. He couldn’t tell if the sound was one of desire or one of pain, and he wasn’t taking a chance.

  “Did I hurt you?”

  “No. You want to fool around?” Mason took Noah’s hand and moved it down to his hard cock.

  Noah smiled. “Always. But right now, you need your rest.” Noah forced himself to move his hand away, then leaned down again, this time successfully giving Mason a quick peck before he pushed himself up off the bed.

  “I’ll be in, in a little while. Do you need anything before I go?”

  Mason rubbed his cock. “You know what I need.”

  “Yeah, sleep.” Noah winked, turned away from the bed, and headed out of the bedroom, relieved Mason’s mood had changed.

  Noah checked the kitchen to see if there was anything he could make for when Mason woke up. He spotted some chopped meat in the freezer and some beans in the pantry. Chili would make the perfect healing snack for Mason. He took the meat out to thaw and searched out the rest of the ingredients.

  Done, he headed into the living room and took out his phone. He really wanted to talk to his boss. Noah dialed the number. The call went again to voicemail, this time so quick as if the phone was off. That surprised Noah, as it was the middle of the day. “What do I do now?” Only thing he could do was not worry.

  Or. He stood up off the couch and headed into the guest bedroom. He took his computer from the dresser and walked to the kitchen table. He’d send another email, asking his boss to call him as soon as possible.

  Noah turned on his computer and tried to access his email. There was a problem with the internet connection. His machine said there was none. Dammit. He went back into Mason’s bedroom to ask him where the router was. He’d try to reset it to get the internet back up.

  Mason lay in the bed, his eyes closed and his breathing even. Noah wouldn’t wake him. Besides, Noah was a sharp guy; he should be able to find the router on his own. His checked the kitchen first, as that’s where he had his at home. Of course, there weren’t many more choices in his place. He couldn’t find it so he went into the living room, then crept quietly into Mason’s bedroom. Nothing. That left only one other place Noah could think to check—Mason’s office.

  Noah opened the door and walked in. He lifted his gaze from the floor and stopped short. “Holy shit.”

  He peered around the room, taking in everything he saw. “Holy shit.” It looked like a room out of the local FBI Headquarters. There were pictures all over the walls. Names. Dates. A lot Noah recognized. He spun around, trying to figure out what he was seeing. Then he realized—this was the case Mason wasn’t supposed to be working on anymore. Again, taking in everything in front of him, Noah might have had to agree: maybe Mason was a little obsessed. To have all this stuff at home was not what Noah would call normal. Yeah, maybe bring home a file or two, but this was so much more.

  Noah’s gaze caught on one of the pictures. It was someone Noah recognized. He knew where and when he’d seen him, that was something Noah would never forget, but he had no clue who he was. Noah looked closer. There was something about the picture that was bothering him. There was an x across the man’s face and a date, more than likely matching that of his death. Except for one problem. Noah knew the guy wasn’t dead. At least not on the date it implied he was. Noah never forgot someone he’d held in his sight. And this guy had been in his cross hairs, and very much alive, at least five months after the posted date. The guy wasn’t a target for Noah, that’s why he’d lived past that day, but from what Noah saw here in Mason’s office, he was definitely one of Mason’s.

  Focused on all the data in front of him, Noah hadn’t heard the footsteps padding up behind him until it was too late.

  “What the hell are you doing in here?” Mason’s voice was deadly calm.

  Noah swung around, his thoughts still on everything around him and not his reason for coming into the room in the first place. “I…What is this, Mas?”

  “Are you kidding me? Get the hell out of here.” Mason pushed Noah out of the room. Not prepared for it, Noah lost his balance and fell back against the hall wall.

  “Mason, this—”

  “Who the fuck told you to go in my office? Huh?” Mason’s face was red and his hands fisted.

  Noah wouldn’t be surprised if Mason hit him. Noah readied himself for it.

  “You messed up your life, now you want to fuck up mine? What the hell were you doing in there?”

  “I—”

  “I don’t care what your lame ass excuse is. That shit in there has nothing to do with you. You shouldn’t have seen it. But I guess you don’t care. Fucked up your own career, now you’re looking to do the same to mine.”

  “Mason, I d
idn’t—” Everything was flashing through Noah’s brain too fast. What the fuck was going on? Why was Mason so out of control? Did he really think Noah wanted to hurt him?

  “Get out of my house. Now. Before I do something I’ll regret.”

  He had to calm Mason down. This wasn’t good for him. Not after just getting out of the hospital. But Noah could see there was no getting through to him. Not right then. The best thing he could do was leave. Give Mason some space.

  Mason pulsed in rage, and Noah needed to get out of there. He turned and headed for the front door, not stopping until he was halfway up the block.

  Chapter 29

  Mason watched Noah leave, then slammed his fist into the wall. A throbbing pain radiated through his hand and up his arm. “Fuuuuck.” Mason stood doubled over, gasping for air. The pounding in his ears grew louder as his body shook, and his pulse raced. He’d come so close to hitting Noah. And he still wanted to. He closed his eyes and tried to calm his breathing. What the hell just happened? What the hell had Noah been doing in his office?

  Mason wiped at the sweat on his forehead. He needed to calm the hell down. Get himself back in control. “Noah. What the hell?” All the reasons sifting through his brain for Noah having been in the office were bad. Why had he gone in that room? What had Noah been searching for? Did he have something to do with my suspension? Was he sent here to check on me? None of the reasons made sense, but right then and there, Mason didn’t need them to. A cloud of rage still held Mason’s brain hostage.

  He walked back into his office and checked around slowly, trying to detect if Noah had touched anything. Everything seemed in order. Regardless, Mason’s anger hadn’t dissipated. The room stood filled with top secret material, and Noah just seeing it was enough for Mason to be fired.

  Mason fell into his desk chair. Leaning back, he stared into the faces on his wall that had stared back at him for too long. By now, they were imprinted on his brain. Not only their faces, but their names, their origins, and most of the horrible things they’d done. And yet, he couldn’t do a damn thing about it. Because he wasn’t smart enough to figure out what he was missing. He needed to go to his office at the Bureau and get hold of his files.

  He headed toward the front door. Doing something constructive would help calm him down. He stared at the table, the empty bowl on top. Neither the keys for the car nor the bike rested there. He walked into the kitchen, figuring Noah must have set them on the counter. Nope. The space was empty. Dammit.

  Mason gave another thought to where Noah put them. Maybe he’d put them on the dresser in his room when he’d come back. But would Mason intrude on Noah’s space by stepping in there and searching? Hadn’t Noah just done that to Mason? Fuck that. What Mason planned wasn’t even close to what Noah had done.

  Still upset, and not caring how it played out, Mason walked into the guest room and quickly peered at the dresser, then the night table. They both stood empty. He walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Great. Stuck, he couldn’t go anywhere. He’d be forced to wait until whenever Noah came back. If he came back. Mason’s stomach plummeted. That was a dumb thought. Of course he’d come back, his computer was still there.

  Now Mason just had to sit around with his thumb up his ass and wait. That realization did nothing good for Mason’s mood.

  He headed back into the kitchen, needing a drink. He opened the refrigerator and stared at his choices. Juice seemed the least offensive. After pouring himself a cup, he moved to put the bottle back in the refrigerator. The chopped meat on the top shelf caught his eye. He didn’t remember taking the meat out of the freezer, but then again, he didn’t remember much. He glanced at the meat and its state. Still frozen for the most part, meant it hadn’t thawed for long, which meant someone just recently had taken it out of the freezer. Noah had probably moved the meat while Mason slept.

  Shit. The man had taken meat out to make something to eat. Mason closed his eyes, trying to match the man who would spend his time taking care of Mason with the man who Mason had caught sneaking around his office. Mason shook his head in disgust. He wasn’t sure if the feeling was aimed at Noah or himself. What was happening? Why had Mason freaked out so hard when he’d first found Noah in his office? Yeah, everything in there was classified, but did Mason really think Noah would tell someone, someone like Mason’s supervisor, that Mason had the papers? Absolutely not. Not unless Mason blatantly said, “I need you to tell someone about what you saw.”

  A sharp pain shot through Mason’s head, behind his eye on the wounded side, and caused a flash of nausea. He needed to sit down. He left his cup on the counter and headed into the living room. More stress on top of what he’d already dealt with wouldn’t help his situation.

  He left off the lights, not wanting to put up with their glare. He flopped down on the couch, put his head back against the cushion, and let his legs stretch out in front of him. He needed to calm the hell down, before he caused himself more damage. He took a deep breath and held the air in for the count of five, then did it again. His eyes drifted closed as his rapid pulse slowed.

  It had to have been the accident that had him so worked up. The idea there were things he couldn’t remember bothered him more than he’d realized. He needed to get a grip. Not take everything out on Noah. Noah, who probably had a simple reason for his presence in the room. A reason Mason hadn’t let him explain. Mason’s anger that had taken over had been more intense than any he’d dealt with in a very long time. Even the case hadn’t caused Mason to rage out as he had at Noah. With the case, he may have burned up on the inside, but he hadn’t let those feelings be known—he’d kept them hidden. Until he’d flipped out on Noah.

  Mason lifted his hand to check his watch. He had to find out how long Noah had been gone. But instead of putting the watch on when he’d left the hospital, he’d kept the thing in the bag with all his other stuff. And now he couldn’t remember what he’d done with that bag.

  Mason’s pulse coursed too fast again, and the pounding in his ears returned. He closed his eyes and counted as he took deep breath after deep breath. He settled back further in the couch, letting the quiet of the room surround him. Maybe he’d fall asleep.

  An image flashed through Mason’s mind—another car coming straight at him—before it hit Mason’s truck everything went black. Mason used the palm of his hands to rub his eyes. The image came back. This time he spotted something, but he wasn’t sure what. Something about the vehicle was familiar. He leaned forward and opened his eyes. He couldn’t figure it out. He again slammed his eyes shut and tried to conjure up the image. He needed a better look at the other car.

  The doctor had told him the memories might come back piece meal or all at once. Or maybe even not at all. Now they started coming, and Mason wanted to find out what else he had locked away.

  He kept his eyes closed and moved himself back against the cushions. Maybe he should just relax. Let his brain focus on only the one thing. Seconds passed. He tried to stop his legs from bouncing by moving forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. He focused his thoughts on how that dreadful day had started. He and Noah talking about meeting up. Noah missing his run, and thinking about taking it while Mason went to work. That thought quickly drifted to the reason Noah had missed his run that morning. Even with everything going on, Mason couldn’t stop the smile from creeping on his face.

  * * * *

  Noah opened the door, not sure what to expect. The house sat silent. He’d left for two hours, just walking around the neighborhood. He didn’t want to leave, but after the way he’d set Mason off, he didn’t have a choice. With all Mason had gone through, getting so worked up would be hazardous to his health. Noah planned to head in, grab his stuff, and get out of Mason’s hair as fast as he could. He’d tell Mason about recognizing the guy in the picture, then he’d leave before upsetting Mason again.

  Mason was definitely still there unless he, like Noah, had taken off on foot, because
Noah had the keys for both the bike and the loaner car. He hadn’t planned to take them with him, but he’d put them in his pocket earlier. It was probably best Mason didn’t have access to storm out and maybe head to work.

  Noah walked toward the guest room, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. He didn’t want to wake Mason in case he slept, and he didn’t want to cause another altercation. With Mason just being released from the hospital, the thought of leaving him alone had Noah’s gut souring, but with the way Mason had reacted, Noah thought it better to leave.

  “Noah, is that you? Can you come here for a second?”

  Noah stopped outside the living room.

  Mason sounded calm. Almost too calm. Noah strode into the room and found Mason sitting on the couch. As soon as he noticed Noah, he stood up. “I need your help.”

  “Sure. Whatever you need.”

  “My memory’s coming back, but only bits and pieces.” Mason put his hand on Noah’s shoulder. “Can you help me put it together?”

  Some of the weight on Noah’s chest lifted. “Yeah. Absolutely. What do you have so far?”

  “A car coming at me. I think someone ran me off the road.”

  “Yeah. That makes sense. When I first found you, that’s what you said. Another car came right at you, and you had to swerve out of the way before they hit you. But I thought you might be confused, as there were no skid marks or any other trace of another vehicle.”

  Mason seemed to take a second to absorb that information. “You found me? How?”

  “On my way to meet you at the range. I turned down the road and spotted the yellow of your truck through the bushes.”

  “Why were you meeting me so early? Thought we decided you’d wait until I finished at work.”

  Noah hesitated. Did he want to tell Mason more than he remembered? As Mason’s expression turned agitated, Noah decided telling him was better than getting him worked up again. “You were done.”

  Mason’s face scrunched up. He obviously tried to process that bit of information.