Page 95 of After the Chase

I quickly dial Tyler when Noah leaves.

"Hey," he says, his voice warm. "How's Los Angeles?"

"Good. But, I have news, we are coming back today."

“Really? That’s great news!”

“I thought you would be happy.”

“Of course. So what happened, you get bored of the sunshine?”

“Noah just needs the change and Marcus had some things he would like Noah’s help with.”

“Ahh no need to explain, I get what you’re saying. Things are a little tense here at the moment, so it will be nice to have you back."

"How's Ivan?"

"He’s great, but he will be very happy to hear Noah will be back."

“I can’t wait to see the reunion,” I joke, as I don’t think Noah has thought about that. “Anyway, I’ll call you when we land.”

“Safe travels, love you.”

“You too.”

After we hang up, I sit staring at my phone. It will be nice to be back with Ty as he understands my life, to have that confidant and one person Noah feels secure with me being around.

Noah appears in the doorway. "You call him?”

“I did and he is very excited."

"Are you ready to go?"

“Absolutely.”

We're thirty thousand feet above the country, flying east toward New York and I'm sitting across from Noah with my laptop open, working on the final chapters of my book. But I'm not really focused on the manuscript. I'm focused on what's waiting for us.

New York. The Blackrose Saints. The Kozlovs.

"What are you thinking about?" Noah asks.

I close the laptop. "What's waiting for us, wondering what comes next. This life is never predictable."

“That’s the best part.”

“It will be good to have new inspirations.”

The pilot's voice comes over the intercom. "We'll be landing in thirty minutes."

Noah's grip on my hand tightens. "Ready, baby?"

"Ready."

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

NOAH

The city smells different than Los Angeles. Concrete and exhaust and something metallic underneath, blood, maybe, or just the accumulated turbulence of eight million people pressed together. Manhattan's streets pulse with aggression barely contained beneath civility's thin veneer. I can feel it thrumming through the sidewalk as Chase and I get into a waiting cab after our meal and head over to Starlight’s.