BACK TO THE NOISE
1152 Words
The ride back to RADIANT COMMUNICATIONS was suffocatingly quiet. DeMarco drove ahead in his sleek black sedan, while Lisa and Josh followed behind, both lost in thought.
Grant’s missing note.
The second set of footprints.
The unsettling quiet in that house.
None of it sat right.
By the time they reached the office building, the normal bustle of reporters, ringing phones, and hurried footsteps felt jarringly out of place—too loud, too alive for what they had just walked through.
DeMarco paused at the lobby entrance, straightening his jacket.
“I need updates the moment you have something solid,” he said. “And try not to let your… personal adventures interfere with work.”
Josh groaned. Lisa closed her eyes in embarrassment.
“Dad, please—”
DeMarco smirked and walked off.
When he was gone, Lisa muttered under her breath, “Unbelievable.”
Josh lifted a brow. “He’s not always like this.”
Lisa shot him a look. “Are you sure?”
They both laughed softly—but the moment didn’t last. The weight of what they’d seen at Grant’s house pressed between them again.
“Come on,” Josh said. “Let’s find somewhere quiet.”
He led her to a far corner of the floor, tucked behind a row of filing cabinets and a dusty awards case no one ever dusted. It was the closest thing to privacy in the chaotic building.
Lisa leaned against the wall, arms wrapped around herself.
Josh stepped in front of her. “Tell me what’s going on. The truth this time.”
She opened her mouth—
But before she could speak, a tall, bubbly figure popped into view.
“Ah-ha!” Mia, the office’s most notorious gossip and Lisa’s colleague, grinned like she’d caught them kissing. “Why are you two hiding back here? Doing… private research?”
Lisa groaned. “Mia. Not now.”
Mia wiggled her brows. “Oh, I get it. Many things can happen between breaking news and—”
“Mia,” Lisa snapped sharply. “Mind your business.”
Mia blinked, taken aback. “Okay, okay, someone woke up cranky.” She winked at Josh. “Good luck, hero.”
Then she strutted away dramatically.
Josh rubbed the back of his neck. “She is… something.”
“She’s irritating,” Lisa muttered.
Then her arms slowly dropped to her sides, the frustration melting away into something more fragile.
Josh noticed instantly.
“Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer. “Talk to me.”
Lisa looked up at him—eyes tired, scared, conflicted.
“I’m… I’m confused, Josh,” she finally breathed. “And scared. I don’t understand what’s happening anymore. Every time I think I have a grip on things, something else falls apart.”
“Lisa—”
“I mean, Grant is dead. Someone else was in that house. Someone took the note. And whatever he knew about my father—whatever connection exists—it’s getting closer. I can feel it.”
Her voice cracked.
Josh gently placed his hands on her arms.
“You don’t have to figure this out alone,” he said. “We’ll piece it together. We’ll protect each other. Whatever’s coming—we face it together.”
Her throat tightened.
“But what if I drag you into something you can’t get out of?” she whispered.
Josh leaned in slightly, his voice steady.
“Then I’ll fight my way out. I’m not leaving you, Lisa. Not now.”
Her chest rose and fell with a shaky breath as she searched his eyes—finding steadiness where she had none.
Then she whispered, barely audible:
“What if I’m the reason everything’s falling apart?”
Josh shook his head.
“You’re not,” he said firmly. “You’re the reason we’re still standing.”
Lisa closed her eyes, letting the words settle—warm, reassuring, but terrifying all at once.
Because deep down, in the corner of her mind she tried to ignore…
She wasn’t sure he was right.
Lisa walked back to her office, each step heavy with thoughts that wouldn’t stop spinning. The fluorescent lights overhead seemed too bright, too harsh, illuminating the stacks of papers and buzzing monitors that should have felt familiar—but didn’t.
She sank into her chair, pressing her temples with both hands, trying to make sense of the chaos swirling in her mind. Grant’s death, the missing note, the footprints, the shadows of her father’s secrets—all of it pressed down on her like a physical weight.
Minutes passed in silence. The only sound was the distant tapping of keyboards, the hum of the air conditioning, and her own shallow breathing.
A knock at the door made her start.
“Delivery,” a voice teased.
Lisa looked up to see Josh leaning in, holding a steaming cup of coffee, a mischievous grin on his face.
“You didn’t think I’d let you sit here brooding all day without caffeine, did you?” he said, stepping inside.
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “You really don’t want to let me rest, do you?”
Josh shrugged, taking a casual step closer. “Rest is overrated when the world is falling apart around us.”
Lisa smirked despite herself. “You make it sound like we’re in a movie.”
He held out the cup. “Consider this your co-star’s contribution.”
She took it, letting her fingers brush his briefly. “I don’t know how you’re always in the right place at the right time.”
He leaned casually against the edge of her desk. “It’s a gift. Or a curse, depending on how you look at it.”
Lisa shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips. For a brief moment, the chaos of the morning—the fear, the secrets, the weight of Grant’s death—felt a little lighter. She took a sip of the coffee and let herself breathe, knowing Josh wouldn’t let her face the storm alone.
But even as warmth spread through her chest, a shadow lingered: whatever had been left behind at Grant’s house wasn’t finished with her. And deep down, she knew that the comfort she felt now was only temporary.
Josh noticed her eyes darken, her fingers tightening around the mug. He didn’t speak—he just stayed, silently, a quiet anchor in the storm that was her life.
Lisa glanced at him, a mixture of gratitude and worry etched on her face. “We have to figure this out,” she said quietly.
Josh nodded. “Step by step. But right now… let’s survive this morning.”
She laughed softly, shaking her head. “You really don’t let me rest, do you?”
“Nope,” he said with a grin, “and you wouldn’t have it any other way.”
- Writer
