Shay rushed after Noah as he started storming over to the house, grabbing him and wrapping him in her arms before he could get too close. "We're not supposed to intervene, remember?" Shay whispered, holding him in place in the backyard just ten feet from the window. "Just do surveillance and gather evidence for the police, ok?"
Noah's body was so rigid she felt like she was wrapped around a tree trunk. Nothing soft about it. "I can't just let him hit her." His deep voice reverberated in her bones and she pressed her cheek against his chest, trying to soothe his speeding heart.
"I know. I know it's hard but just think about how much worse it will be if you go in there." Shay reasoned. Greg would fight back until Noah did irreparable damage, maybe even Barbara would step in to stop the intruder from hurting her husband, and the kids would most likely run in and bear witness as well. Nothing good could come out of it. Nothing. The best shot they had was gathering enough evidence that the cops had no choice but to put him away.
"You stupid bitch, you better listen to me or I swear I'll kill you next time." Greg's voice interrupted them again, the threat clear and irreputable. The perfect thing to have recorded.
"She'll be okay, Noah. She'll be okay." Shay whispered.
Noah flinched and seemed to make a tiny attempt at breaking free, but Shay held strong. "You don't know that, Shay. You can't possibly know that." His voice was low but held a smidge of panic, an emotion that rarely found its way into Noah's tiny range of feeling.
"We can't do anything."
"Yes we can."
Shay knew what he wasn't saying. That they could hurt him so bad he may never walk, or maybe break a bone, or maybe even kill him. Those would be real ways to get justice for the years of abuse Barbara had no doubt endured.
But what about the children? What about the love that Greg's wife had for him? There were too many things they didn't know, too many possible consequences for every action they could take.
"We can't hurt him, Noah." Shay's voice was firm even as more protests and loud bangs came through the speaker. "Just look at me, ok?"
Noah's eyes stayed focused behind her, so she started to turn their bodies. Noah resisted at first but gradually went along with it, moving his feet so he was facing the woods behind them.
"Look at me, please." Shay repeated, this time taking a step back to gaze at him. Her hands still holding onto his arms to make sure he didn't make another move, her hands not even wrapped halfway around his biceps.
Eventually, he looked down. His haunted eyes found hers and she temporarily lost her breath, a flash of pain shooting through her skull at the sight of his expression. Another thud came through the speaker and Noah winced, his eyelids shutting for a moment as his lip twitched. His fists were clenched at his sides and it looked like it took everything he had to stand in front of her.
"You can do this." Shay encouraged. "You can do this for her." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. "I'm calling 9-1-1. Everything will be fine."
Noah's eyebrows furrowed together. "I thought we weren't supposed to."
"I'll put in an anonymous tip." Shay stated. "I can't let him keep hitting her."
Things had been quieter on the audio for the past couple of minutes but they couldn't be sure it wouldn't start up again. Besides, they had enough evidence to put him away by now.
"Are you okay?" Shay asked after she made the call, concerned. He was taking deep breaths that seemed to calm him, and she even had the gile to think her embrace helped as well.
"I think so." Noah looked down at her again, his eyes softer this time. No sound came from the house as his green orbs gazed into hers. Shay stopped breathing as his attention was suddenly brought to her lips, which she was unconsciously biting. Then her cheeks turned red, and the weird feeling in her chest was present until sirens were heard in the distance. She moved her hands off of Noah's arms and brought them to her side, still feeling embarrassed though she didn't know why.
Then again, she always felt flustered around him.
"We should head out now." Noah grabbed her hand to lead her away but stopped, looked down and lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "You're so cold."
She hadn't been two seconds ago, when she was grasped onto him. Touching him always made her feel warm, both inside and out.
"It's cool outside." She said, wrapping her other arm against her body for effect.
He squeezed gently before leading her back to the car, slinking through the bushes and remaining out of view until they got to the car parked half a mile down the street. Cop cars were stacked in the driveway of their house, the lights flashing against the dark trees surrounding them. Shay glanced back before she slid into her seat, hope illuminating her spirit now that the police were there. It was interesting how she herself could be working against them in some cases and with them in others.
How bad was she, really?
******
"Shay, bring this dish to the table please." Eli ordered.
Shay walked over to the dish in question, a ceramic bowl filled to the brim with mashed potatoes, and set it on the dining room table. Summer was setting the silverware for each seat, two forks, one spoon, and a knife, while Jon brought over glasses. Noah was helping Val in the kitchen, acting as her own personal taste-tester as he brought a spoon full of pumpkin soup to his lips.
After Eli pulled squash out of the oven and put it on a blue-trimmed decorative plate, Shay grabbed it and added it to the collection of assorted food covering every bit of the table. It was like Thanksgiving, but for the middle of October. Val just really liked to have big dinners when everyone was home.
Once everything was set, they all took their usual places around the oak table. Grabbing her teal napkin, Shay placed it on her lap before reaching for the steamed corn in front of her. Each of them rationing out what they wanted of each individual dish before passing it clockwise. It wasn't until everyone had their share that Val started the conversation.
"So how was everyone's day?" She asked as she put a tiny forkful of potato in her mouth. They didn't have the typical debrief in the basement, like Shay would have expected. Instead, they had it at dinner, which she couldn't help but find odd.
"Katerina Bondar is no more." Summer reported. The three of them, Summer, Jon and Eli, had just gotten back from their mission this morning after spending four days in Washington D.C. "She was planning to assassinate the Vice president but we are assured he is now safe."
"Excellent." Val smiled with pride before turning to Shay and Noah, who were sitting next to each other. "I saw on the news that Greg is in police custody. Was that your doing?"
Shay's face flushed as she prepared to answer, knowing fully well that the sister was supposed to be the one to get Mr. McAuley arrested. They were supposed to send her the intel so she could decide what to do with it, not call the police themselves.
"Greg threatened Barbara's life so we did what we had to." Noah reported before Shay had a chance to.
"I do encourage using your own judgement instead of blindly following orders but I believe that was the wrong call." Val frowned.
"We have Greg threatening his wife on tape. We can send it to the sister so she can add it to the evidence." Shay said. "Besides, whatever injuries she accumulated from today must be enough to put him away for a long time."
Val regarded both of them with her signature blank expression. Shay couldn't tell if she mad or if she was just thinking. Either way, the silence was unsettling.
"Very well. I'll talk to Barbara's sister and see what I can do." Val concluded.
The next couple of minutes were filled with the sounds of silver hitting china, the clinking making a sort of off tempo rhythm that entertained Shay's mind.
"Bro, we gotta go to Paddy's tonight." Jon suggested to Noah. "I need my wingman back."
Shay kept her eyes on her plate, unnerved by the request. Noah had been spending more time at the house lately and she was growing accustomed to it.
"Yeah, for sure." Noah's reply was unenthusiastic but it still sent a flash of pain to Shay's core. If he came home with another hickey she was going to kick his ass.
"Shay, while they're off being idiots, do you want to hang out with me?" Summer asked.
"Yeah."
Shay avoided Noah's occasional glances her way for the rest of the dinner, her mind full of thoughts that she'd rather keep hidden from his interpretation. She finished without another word and helped clean up, and was about to head upstairs to Summer's room when Val stopped her.
"Can I have a minute?" Val had confronted her in the great room while everyone was just ten feet away in the kitchen. Shay didn't respond right away so Val clarified. "It's about Noah."
Noah. Of course it was.
"Sure." Then she followed Val into her office and the questions began.