Page 89 of After the Chase

“One of many.”

"And the sequel?"

"I'm starting it this week, blending it with our time in New York." I pause. "Disguised as fiction, of course."

"Of course." His hand covers mine on the table. "You're successful because you are using your talent, baby. It’s a great use of your knowledge.”

"I learned from the best subject."

His fingers tighten slightly. "How long is the book?"

"I’m not sure yet, I won’t know until I’m part way through, but I want it finished in the next three months."

We finish our coffee and continue walking through Los Feliz, where Noah notes the residential streets and their patterns. Then through Hollywood, where he notes the tourist crowds and the places where anonymity would be easy.

I make mental notes as I watch him work, with how he moves through the streets like a predator learning new hunting grounds. By the time we return to the apartment, the sun is setting, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.

Inside, Noah locks the door behind us, then turns to face me.

"You were perfect today. Watching me work, understanding what I am."

"I always understand what you are."

“Then you know what’s about to happen.”

Heat floods through me. "Hell, yes."

He leads me to the bedroom, and I follow willingly, because this is what we are, a blend of opposites, two worlds meshing into one, where the dark starts to spread into the light.

It's terrible and beautiful, the perfect love story.

Just like us.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

NOAH

One Month Later

We have now moved into our own property here, not far from the apartment we rented in the Hollywood Hills. It didn’t take long to find it, and fortunately it was a quick process. It was the right decision to decide to live between here and New York.

New York had become suffocating, and Los Angeles provides the escape I wanted. The house is isolated and highly secure. No one from New York knows our location, and I plan that we keep it that way, because I don’t want any last minute visits from those guys, and it’s the kind of thing they would do.

This place is just for Chase and me.

Tonight, we're walking through a quiet residential neighborhood in East Lake. It's 9:47pm and the streets are empty, the houses dark. Chase is beside me, his hand occasionally brushing against mine.

"It's peaceful here. Different from New York," he says quietly.

"That's why we're here."

He glances at me. "Do you miss it? The chaos?"

"Not at the moment, but I’m sure I will at some point. For now, this is the place I need.”

"Me too."

We turn a corner, and that's when I hear it, a woman's scream, sharp and terrified, cutting through the quiet night.