Shay Warner ran away from her adopted family as soon as she found out what they truly were: criminals. They lied, they killed, they betrayed her in a way that scarred her forever. It isn't until the police catch up to her that she's forced to go bac...
Noah didn't sleep much that night after Shay left. He tossed and turned while thoughts kept him awake, stealing away what little peace he had left.
The blue-eyed bandit. That's what she called herself.
Noah could imagine where the name came from, since she had the most mesmerizing eyes he had ever seen, but the bandit part was interesting to say the least. Apparently, the part of her that wanted to be a badass had never died.
Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he looked her name up in Google on his phone. He got a hit for it instantly, and clicked on an article detailing her most recent stint. It was in New York City three months ago, probably right before she moved to New Hampshire. Apparently, the guy she robbed had been a one night stand. She took his wallet in the early morning and went on a shopping spree, buying everything from Iphones to TVs before the guy even woke up. Local law enforcement described her as tall, with brown hair and blue eyes, and a suspect for several other cases with the same M.O.
So she fucked guys and bolted.
Noah squinted at the screen to see if he was reading it right. Shay had always been a sneaky girl but he didn't think she'd ever do anything like this. Although, if he was being honest with himself, he was more pissed that she slept with other guys as opposed to the whole stealing part. Before she left, she was a virgin. Not anymore, apparently.
Feeling a new wave of irritation, Noah threw his phone back on the bedside table and laid on his back with the sheets moved off to the side. Now his brain had decided to imagine Shay naked and before it could get too far, he hopped out of bed and paced around the room.
Twenty minutes later, after draining the angry thoughts in his brain, Noah closed his eyes and finally drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Noah woke up before anyone else. He ran for an hour in the woods, dodging trees and leaping over rocks on the wooded trail, sprinting like his life depended on it. Then he showered, got dressed, and was in the kitchen by seven o'clock.
"You're up early." Val commented. She was wearing a robe over her pajamas, standing at the counter as coffee brewed in the pot behind her.
"Only an hour earlier than usual." Noah replied. He, like everyone else in the house, liked to keep a daily routine. Most mornings, he ran with Jon and Summer but today he was feeling restless.
"What's your plan for the day?"
"I'm gonna see Shay."
Val's eyebrows furrowed. "I thought she was driving up by herself. And not for a couple of days."
"I've seen her apartment, there's nothing in it. And she has no good reason to wait."
"Noah," Val started, looking at him with concern. "It's been less than twelve hours. Don't pressure her."
"I'm not. I'm just gonna see how she's doing."
That was a lie. A blatant, unnecessary lie. Before Val could call him out on it, he grabbed a banana and stalked to the secondary garage, the one that his black truck was always parked in. After pulling out, he began his drive accompanied only by heavy rap and the wind blowing through the windows.
When he turned onto her street, he spotted a car that stood out. A black SUV, the kind that feds drove. Noah parked a few houses down and kept his eye on her door, wondering what the hell was going on.
Then a man walked out of her apartment. Young, blonde, and attractive.
The blue-eyed bandit strikes again.
*******
"I'm getting a new partner."
That was what Alec had said to her when he showed up randomly the next morning. Wearing nothing but a loose t-shirt and cotton shorts, she'd answered the door at eight thirty expecting it to be some sort of emergency.
Nope. Just a new partner.
Shay didn't know why he had to drive all the way to her apartment to tell her that. A phone call would have been fine, but no.
After telling her to get some proper clothes on, he'd made his way outside to get her car ready to be packed up. Apparently, she was moving sooner than expected. As in, today.
So that's why he came over.
"Wait, I don't know what I'm taking yet." Shay yelled to him as she stepped outside, now wearing jeans and a t-shirt. Alec was walking down to her small Toyota Corolla parked on the street in front, getting ready to back it up into the shared driveway of her apartment building so she could load it easier. As she stalked after him, arms crossed from the chilly fall air, a black truck sitting a couple of houses down caught her attention. Squinting, she made out a man sitting in the driver's seat, watching her through the tinted windows.
She knew that car.
And it was far too early to deal with what was about to happen.
Noah jumped out of the truck before Shay could react, storming over to Alec like a flaming piece of cannon fodder.
"Noah, what are you doing here?" Shay demanded. Noah was only ten feet away from Alec, who had just made it to her driver's side door. She sprinted ahead and jumped between them, keeping them both at arms length.
"I was gonna help you move. Who's he?" Noah demanded, his head slightly cocked like he was gearing up for a fight.
"A friend." Shay said.
"Who are you?" Alec asked, even though he knew exactly who Noah was. She wondered briefly if this was a test, a way to prove her loyalty to the FBI. Did Alec know Noah would be here?
"A guy you don't want to fuck with." Noah growled.
"Both of you shut up. It's too early for this." Shay's voice was louder than both of theirs, leaving no room for argument. "Noah, go back to your car and Tony, go home. I'm fully capable of moving by myself."
Shay didn't miss Alec's confusion when she called him by the wrong name. It didn't take him long to catch on, though. Noah had resources. The last thing she needed was for him to look up Alec and figure out who he really was.
"Fine. I'll see you later." Alec relented, looking down at her with a sad smile. Then he did the stupid thing of leaning in and giving her a quick peck on the forehead before she could turn away. Then, he did an even stupider thing and smirked at Noah.
If this wasn't a test before, it certainly was now.
Instead of slapping Alec like she wanted to, she smiled at him. She actually fucking smiled at him to save herself from jail, her reaction just causing even more fiery heat to radiate off of Noah's body.
She thought back fondly to a time when he wasn't mad at her. What a great three seconds that was.
"I'll see you at the house, Shay." Noah muttered. After shooting Alec one more glare, he went back to his car and drove away.
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Are you all ready for some Noah/Shay drama? I know I am. Now that the past stuff is all out of the way, what better way to move the story forward than with some tension and angst ;)
