“It’s not related, is it?”
“No, no. He won’t talk about it, but I’m assuming it has to do with something else he’s working on. We’ll be keeping an eye on him now.”
“Why?”
“Know you haven’t met Arty, but he’s… not like us. He’s what you think of when you think of a skinny gamer guy, maybe with some neurodivergence and a baffling lack of self-preservation.”
“Oh, okay. Poor guy. Hey, guys,” she said, giving Dixon and Coast a half smile. “Thanks for helping out.”
“Weird being back here,” Dixon said, glancing down in the general direction of our old trailer. “Did you see them?”
“No. Did you?”
“No. Did you want to?” I asked.
“Can’t imagine why I’d want that,” he said, shrugging.
“So what’s the next move?” I asked, looking at Coast, since he was the patched member of the club.
“Unless Noa has another lead on these guys right now, we’re kind of at the mercy of Arty tracking down the traffic cameras. Huck said you need some sleep. And Noa and her car need to get off the street right now.”
“I have a safe house,” Noa said. “It’s probably just as far from here as the clubhouse, but it’s mine.”
“Don’t think the distance matters as much now, if they’re on the run. And York and Velle are crashing at Arty’s place. Dixon and I will probably head over to see Zayn or hang at Teddy’s. Since you’re the only one getting shot at and chased, I think maybe your safe house is the best bet temporarily,” Coast said.
“I agree,” I said.
“Alright. Well, then I guess I’ll see you guys—”
“You’re not going alone,” I interrupted her.
“I can take care of myself.”
“Absolutely not.”
“I kind of agree with him on this one,” Dixon said.
“Agreeing with your brother? Shocker,” Noa said with an eye roll.
“Actually, babe, gotta agree too. You’re an asset in this. We need to make sure you’re safe.”
“Alright,” Noa said, shrugging. “But fair warning, it’s going to be roughing it.”
“It can’t be worse than hiding out in a dusty storage room.”
But it could.
It really could.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Noa
I made a nice living.
I had a comfortable apartment.
But I had ten-and-fifteen-year plans to work toward retirement. Because, lord knows, I wouldn’t be able to climb out of a police car window like that in my fifties or sixties.
