Bob was gone. Perhaps inside the house, hunting Noel?
Noel swore under his breath, knowing he needed to take care of this before Addy—God forbid—walked into the mess. He had a date to get ready for, and no amount of deadbodies would change that.
Which meant getting rid of unwanted house guests, dead or alive.
He listened cautiously, heard nothing, and let himself into a secret entrance next to his home, hidden by an overlarge shrub. He punched in a silent code, which allowed entry into his basement, where his shooting range, cache of weapons, and backup servers were stored.
After double-checkinghis clip, he flicked on the security cameras and looked for what didn’t belong.
Ah, there. The enemy lingered in the baby’s room.
That violation bothered him more than anything else that these men had done. It was one thing to go after him. Another to attack Addy, for which they’d pay dearly. But to taint such innocence, to go through the baby’s room, that evil walking into a placethat didn’t belong…
Noel turned cold again, focused. He put a tiny metal ball in his pocket and moved on silent feet up the stairs, his gun at the ready. He entered his bedroom through a secret panel behind a bookcase. But he didn’t want more blood in the house. So he stashed his sidearm close, in a nearby hidey-hole, and continued out into the hall toward the baby’s room. Movement insideceased.
Noel made his move. He rolled the small ball in the opposite direction down the hall.
Bob limped out of the room and aimed at the sound. In a flash, Noel had him in a headlock.
He could have choked him out, left him for Hammer or Deacon to handle. But Bob rasped, “Do whatever you want. That kid and that bitch will be ours soon enough. And they’ll know pain—”
Noel didn’t want to hear any more. He broke the fucker’s neck and dropped him, then collected the man’s gun. After picking up the other weapon from outside, he took a deep breath and let it out. Then he texted Deacon in code and explained the situation.
He didn’t have long to wait. His cell phone rang immediately.
“Yes?” Noel asked.
“The fuck you say,” Deacon swore. “You wantme to planttwoof them? Right now?”
“A garden is only as good as its fertilizer, Deacon. I can’t risk my tomatoes. You know how much work I’ve put into my planting for today.”
“Hammer can do it. I’m babysitting.” Deacon disconnected.
Minutes later, Hammer appeared at the backdoor, a tarp in hand. “You rang?”
Addy swallowed around a dry throat.She couldn’t say why she was so nervous, except tonight seemed like a turning point in her relationship with Noel. She pulled into his driveway and parked. He’d told her that they’d have the house to themselves while Deacon and Solene babysat.
She turned off the ignition and pulled down the visor mirror, studying herreflection. Despite the mess at work with a leak in the bathroom that had almost spilled through to her room, the janitorial staff had managed to clean it up while she and the principal discussed a few disciplinary actions with students she’d been meaning to talk about for some time. With parent-teacher conferences coming soon, she’d been glad to get that matter straightened out.
But ithad burned that she’d had to postpone her time with Noel even more.
She stepped out of her car and knew she looked good. The long, navy-blue skirt made her look taller, and the white silk blouse caressed her slender torso and emphasized the gentle roundness of her breasts. Plus, the shirt set off the deep black of her hair. She’d gone all-out on eyeliner and lipstick too, her hair poker-straightand brushed to within an inch of its life.
She could to do this. Do Noel.
Addy grinned. It felt important that she make the moves tonight. To accept Noel sexually and emotionally, and to get him to commit to her. Granted, their courtship had been whirlwind supersonic, but she knew him. Her vulnerable assassin had been on tenterhooks with her since the shooting. Had he been blaséor cocky, she might have been too scared to be with him again.
But he’d gone right back to being Noel. A bit of a take-charge kind of guy, but so gentle with the baby, with her.
She couldn’t stop thinking about all their night might have been. Had she ever felt so taken care of before? So well-pleasured?
She walked up the steps to his porch and noted a stain. He’d hate that.She’d mention it later, once she determined his mood. Addy rang the bell and waited.
He answered quick enough, wearing khaki pants and a denim button-down shirt and socks. His bright smile welcomed her, as did the tug to pull her into his arms.
“Ah, I was waiting for this.” The slow, sweet kiss had her heart racing. “Come on in, Addy. You’re in for a treat.”
She toed off herheels and joined him in the kitchen. The dining table looked fabulous, all decked out with pretty dinnerware, flowers, and candles. “Okay, I’m impressed.”
