Chapter 4THUMP. NOELLE JOLTED awake in an instant. Bump. Senses on high alert, she reached for the baseball bat by the side of the bed.
“Put it down.”
The voice was familiar yet deeper, angrier, more intense. She blinked the sleep from her eyes. Derek stood in the doorway, feet planted shoulder width apart. His arms stuck straight out in front of him, clutching her service weapon. The hell? How'd he get it out the safe? Only she had the code. Her fingers turned to jelly and the bat clattered to the floor. Noelle swallowed hard. A strange glint flickered in her son’s eyes. She'd seen the same look in Warren's eyes at brunch.
“What’s this all about, D?” She kept her voice even. Calm. Steady. This wasn’t her first time at the business end of a gun.
“Why are you taunting me this way?”
“Ho
