Chapter Four
1444 Words
Noah
Noah hated hesitation.
Stopping too long meant danger in his eyes.
Right then, when Luna slipped into the backseat next to him, a feeling almost like that flickered inside.
Beyond what anyone expected lately…
Fear in others mattered to him. Whether they felt it changed how he moved.
Right away, the idea got under his skin.
Falling hard beyond the windows, rain smothered the city as tires cut through puddles on vacant roads. Not a word passed inside - just quiet piling up where speech should be.
Luna stayed close to the door, keeping her distance. Far from him, she held still. Pressed into the frame, she waited.
Smart.
Her eyes moved away, yet Noah stayed still. A pause settled between them without sound.
Out the window she seemed to stare, though now then her gaze slipped his way - quick, careful - a glance vanishing just as fast.
Nervous.
Suspicious.
Still stubborn.
Even now.
He made most women cry. Tears followed his presence like a shadow others could not shake.
Some flirted.
Others begged.
Luna sat still, but her eyes moved fast - like she was already three steps ahead of the car's motion.
Noah almost smiled.
Almost.
Her voice broke the silence at last. You just kept on looking, she said under her breath.
“You keep noticing.”
“That’s because you’re being creepy.”
Just like that, it showed up once more.
That mouth.
She faced no fear while speaking to him.
No careful politeness.
Just honesty.
Something about it pulled Noah in, making him lean closer without thinking. A quiet pull kept his attention fixed, drawn by tones he couldn’t name. The sound stayed with him, lingering past its end. Each note left a mark deeper than words ever could.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Facing them, Dante did a poor job of hiding his grin.
“You know,” Dante said casually, “most people don’t call Noah creepy to his face.”
Luna crossed her arms. “Most people probably have survival instincts.”
“A fair point.”
Noah ignored him.
Outside, the glow of streetlamps smeared into streaks as droplets traced paths down the glass. Her crimson shoes sat close by - neatly placed - one tipped sideways, its heel snapped earlier that evening.
His eyes stopped for a moment on her uncovered feet.
Small detail.
Yet his eyes caught each detail she carried.
A mark, small and pale, rests by her ankle.
Her thumb moved slow across the skin of her hand. Nerves showed in that small circle she traced without thinking.
What stood out was how tired she seemed under that tough front.
A small tension crept into his jaw. He didn’t speak, just held it there - still.
She’d been pushed beyond reason by one person too many.
What stuck in his mind bothered him longer than expected.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
Luna turned her gaze quickly. “Exactly where are we headed?”
“My house.”
“No.”
One slow blink came from Noah.
“No?”
“I’m not staying at your house.”
“You are tonight.”
“You kidn*pped me.”
“No,” Noah corrected calmly. “I protected you.”
“That sounds exactly like something a kidnapper would say.”
Bursting into a cough, Dante swallowed his own laughter.
Once more, Noah turned away without a word. He looked past, silent as stone.
A sudden bend brought the vehicle past tall iron gates.
Luna's eyes grew a bit wider.
Ahead stood the mansion, not so much a home but something closer to a stronghold.
Tall black gates.
Armed guards.
Security cameras everywhere.
Flickering gold spilled out of massive panes as droplets danced on water jets below.
Luna looked horrified.
“You live here?”
“Yes.”
“Why does your house look like a villain headquarters?”
Dante couldn’t hold it in - a laugh broke loose. Suddenly, the air filled with sound, sharp and bright.
Luna felt the handle turn before she saw him move. Step outside now, he meant without saying it fully. The night air hit her face right away
“I don’t trust you.”
“That’s wise.”
Out came her foot, slow at first. Then she paused, just a breath, before moving forward.
Water poured down, turning the dress dark against her skin. Not a moment passed before he slipped off his coat, placing it around her. The fabric sagged with weight, clinging from wrist to shoulder.
Luna looked startled.
“You really do this dramatic rich man thing naturally, huh?”
He moved a bit nearer, Noah did.
“You’re cold.”
Heat crept over her skin when those words came out his mouth. Not fast - slow, like something waking up.
Annoying.
Very annoying.
Thunder rumbled far off, breaking only the quiet within the grand house. Light from hanging crystals slid across polished stone underfoot, glowing faintly where watchmen held their posts near doorways.
Next to him, Luna began to ease her pace.
“This place is terrifying.”
“It’s secure.”
“There’s a difference.”
Her eyes met Noah's for a moment. He looked away first.
Out of all the corners of town tonight, this spot held her best chance - she just didn’t know it yet.
He meant for things to stay just like they were.
Out of the hall she came, a woman in her fifties, moving fast.
“Mr. De Luca - ”
Out of the corner of her eye, movement - Luna stood there. A still figure where none had been before.
A flicker of disbelief flashed across her features without warning.
Interesting.
Few women ever stepped through Noah's front door. He rarely made exceptions.
“She’ll stay in the east wing,” he said calmly.
Her eyes flickered shut, then open again, a pair of quick blinks. She bobbed her head fast, almost like she was catching up to herself. “Yes, that goes without saying.”
Luna’s eyes darted from one face to the other, a quiet doubt flickering behind her stare.
“Why is everyone acting weird?”
He began moving down the path once more. That’s why - curiosity gets them every time
“That’s not the reason.”
Smart girl.
Again.
Outside the big room on the upper floor, they came to a halt.
“This room is yours,” Noah said.
Inside, Luna moved slow. Her feet touched the floor like it might break.
The room was beautiful.
Huge windows.
Cream-colored walls.
Fresh flowers beside the bed.
And suddenly -
Luna froze.
Noah noticed immediately.
“What?”
Step by step, she moved closer to the small table beside the glass. The path took time, her feet light on the floor. There it stood - wooden legs, a few bottles resting on top. Her reflection waited without motion, quiet under the room's soft glow.
After that, her hand closed around an object. She lifted it without a word.
A photograph.
Her photograph.
Stillness sat on Noah’s face. Quiet filled his features, giving nothing away.
Luna held her breath, eyes locked on the photo. The image trembled in her hands. A cold stillness settled around her. Her pulse echoed loud in silence.
It was her.
Last week marked the third since stepping away from the job.
A shape dropped down next to it.
Luna at a grocery store.
Another.
Luna laughs near a coffee shop door. Outside air wraps around her while she tilts her face up toward light.
Her breathing stopped.
Her voice broke a little. What… This thing - what could it be? A question slipped out, shaky
Silence.
Her every move stayed under Noah’s eyes.
Her eyes held a fear that didn’t weigh on him like it might’ve. Instead of gripping his chest, it slipped past, barely noticed. Something about that lack of pull stayed wrong long after.
Yet all he sensed was annoyance - her knowing it like this.
“You were following me?” she whispered.
“No.”
Luna stared as if he’d lost his mind.
“These are pictures of me!”
“I had security watching you.”
“That’s FOLLOWING ME!”
Forward he moved, inch by inch. Noah drew near.
“You were already being watched before I intervened.”
Instantly, the words landed. A sharp moment followed.
Fear gave way to puzzlement in Luna. She blinked, unsure what just changed.
“What?”
Noah’s face darkened.
Out of nowhere, he spoke the single line she could not have predicted.
“Someone else became obsessed with you first.”
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