Page 22 of Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad World

“See, there you are, being an ass again.” Noah tapped a photo and launched into what they’d learned about the person in the picture.

For the first time since meeting the man, Noah felt like Abasi might grow on him. Hell, he might even prove to be an asset to the team. If he was even capable of being part of a team. And if he managed to get Rochelle to trust him.

Seemed there were a whole lot of ifs when it came to the Houston office.

Chapter Eight

Annabelle woke slowly, feeling as though her muscles had forgotten how to work properly. She blinked several times, and as her brain began to clear, a sign on the ceiling above her came into focus. Written in purple marker pen on a large sheet of paper, it read: Don’t panic. You’re on the second floor of your building. You’ve been sick.

What the…?

Gingerly, she maneuvered herself onto her elbows and looked around. She was on a mattress on the floor of one of the second-floor office storage rooms, and a man was sitting near her. He was asleep in an old armchair that’d been down in the shop the last time she saw it, his legs stretched out in front of him—his feet almost touching her makeshift bed. He was dressed in worn-in jeans, an old T-shirt with a message too faded to read, and a scuffed pair of boots. A firearm sat on the little table beside him. Above his head, another notice was pinned to the wall: Noah. Protector. The DA’s office hired him and our security team.

Noah?

As she stared at his face, trying to remember if she’d met him, a vague memory of a bulldog dressed as a man fighting in a war zone popped into her head.

Helpful…

But what really confused her was she’d woken in a room that wasn’t her bedroom, with a stranger beside her, and yet she wasn’t afraid.

She did a quick mental survey of her internal state—no racing heartbeat, no desire to run, no stark terror.

Huh?

Cautiously, because her muscles were so stiff, she sat and swiveled until her feet rested on the ground. She wore pajamas. Which was strange because she didn’t own any. These had a Wonder Woman emblem printed on them and were at least a size too big.

“I must be dreaming,” she muttered, because nothing made sense.

“Sorry to disappoint you,” a deep voice said, making her eyes snap up to the man in the chair. “But this isn’t a dream. It’s great to see you awake, though. Good morning.”

His smile could have melted ice cream in winter. It transformed his rugged face into something sensual and sexy as hell.

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry. “Noah?” She pointed at the sign.

He nodded as he sat up and then reached for the bottle of water at his side. After he’d unscrewed the cap, he handed it to her. “Doc says you need to keep your fluids up.”

Grateful for the water, Annabelle sipped it as she studied him. “Have we met?” she asked once she’d drunk her fill.

His smile turned wry. “Oh yeah, we’ve met. You were a little out of it with a fever and seemed convinced I was a hallucination. Before you passed out, that is.”

Flickers of memories that made little sense danced before her eyes. “You have two sons,” she said hesitantly, not really sure how she knew that.

“Yep.”

Noah smiled some more. It was distracting and had a strange effect on her stomach—like someone had switched on a soda machine inside her, filling her up with bubbles. She glanced at the water bottle and wondered if it was just a bad case of gas.

Sounds began to register, and she noticed voices coming from the other side of the storage room door. She frowned at it, trying to make sense of her strange situation. “Are your sons here?”

“Nope, they’re in Atlantic City, visiting their grandparents.”

The image of a photo surfaced in her head. The perfect American family, all smiling for the camera. “With your wife?” she asked.

A flash of soul-deep sadness appeared in his eyes before disappearing almost as fast. “My wife died five years ago. Cancer”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her cheeks flushed with an embarrassment that made no sense.

“You didn’t know.” Noah rested his forearms on his knees and leaned toward her. “The voices you can hear belong to my team. We’re with Benson Security. We specialize in keeping people safe and, well, some other stuff, but the main thing for you to know is that your assistant DA hired us to take care of you.”