A SIMPLE SECRET™

Fear

CHAPTER 23

“What’s eating you?” Cooper asked casually, as he sat on Noah’s desk.

“Hey.” Noah responded distractedly.

“You still bummed about Eva?” After Noah shook his head Cooper responded to his own question saying “Yeah, yuh are. And I don’t blame you. You saw yourself married to her, some red headed brats. Messes with you…”

“We made up.” Noah stated flatly.

“Oh?” Cooper responded surprised then questioned “Then why you don’t look too happy about it?”

“I was happy.” Then he murmured “a little to happy.”

“What happened?”

“I uh made a slight error.”

“What??”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.” Noah replied hastily.

“You sure?”

“Positive!” Noah stressed.

“Ok then!” Cooper relented as he stood up.

Frazier came up saying. “Package for you. Agent Marshall.”

“Thanks Alex.” Noah said absently as he opened the package.

Inside was a box with a note: “She’s pretty…Not so much now.” There was a picture of Eva and she looked unconscious.

Noah was at the elevator door pressing like a madman and when it didn’t open fast enough, he ran down the stairs, all the way to the basement parking lot. Alex stepped in front of him shouting “Noah!” but all he did in response was shove him out of the way. Something slammed him into his SUV handcuffing him then he heard Cooper shouting at him “NOAH CALM THE FUCK DOWN! EVA’S OK, SHE’S OK!”

Noah stopped seeing red and actually heard Alex when he said “I checked with Sam, she’s at yoga.”

“The picture…” he muttered dully.

“We can have forensics take a look.” Cooper suggested.

“Send a forensics team to her apartment as well.” Noah suggested, his mind functioning again.“That picture was taken in her bedroom.”

Cooper and Alex glanced at each other feeling Noah’s fear. As Alex turned to leave Cooper said “Have Ethan’s crew do a sweep, before Moss.”

“Right” Alex said before he ran to the elevators.

Noah looked around now noticing they were in the parking lot. “Un-cuff me.” He ordered and turned around for Cooper to do so.

“The bomb squad was good thinking.” He told Coop then suddenly had a thought “Get Ethan to send someone down here.”

When Cooper had left, Noah walked around his SUV. Stopped and searched inside then under the vehicle. Nothing looked out of place but the feeling didn’t go away. He pulled out his cell and called Eva but she didn’t answer and he almost had a panic attack until he remembered Sam.

He called him and the man answered immediately “She’s fine, Marshall. Though watching your girlfriend stretch isn’t such a bad deal.”

“Unfortunately for me you may have to get a closer view.” Noah replied.

“What’s going on over there?” Sam asked seriously.

“I’ll have to brief you later. Ethan’s here.” Noah replied, hanging up as he saw Ethan stride towards him dressed for the occasion.