The Note by Natalie Wrye (urban books to read .TXT) 📗

Unfortunately, remnants of that monster are still around.

Before I can stop myself, I wind up saying five words that may seal my fate, may prove to be my biggest mistake. Lord knows I’ve made a lot of those in the past two days, even amongst all the whoring, battling and boozing I’d barely escaped.

And there’d been a hell of a lot of all three.

I swallow, watching the two women go back and forth. I step forward before my conscience can kick in.

“I’ll give you a ride.”

The woman beside her nods, her green eyes expectant and excited. But the other pair of hazel eyes stop and stare, something indiscernible passing through their wooded depths.

And suddenly I know I’ve made another mistake. Keeping control of the wolf—or ‘Cujo’ as Cynthia called it—inside me is proving harder than I ever imagined with this girl. And yet I can’t imagine myself saying anything else.

SOPHIA

I’m clearly missing brain cells, accepting Noah Quinn’s ride. And I wish I could blame it on all that gallery champagne, but I didn’t drink any.

The weather has taken a turn for the worse, turned torrential. A downpour drenches the Manhattan streets on this balmy early winter night, and luckily, Noah’s driver steps out a town car, black umbrella in hand. Escorted to the back of this luxury ride, I almost forget who I’m sitting next to.

Noah, Nancy and I squeeze in the back of the town car and the elder driver dressed in black at the wheel takes off. Sliding her address to the chauffeur, Nancy leans back and we sit in silence, me in the middle, a million different thoughts running through my mind as to how the hell I got here.

After ten minutes like this, Nancy breaks the silence.

She clears her throat. “Uh, so,” she starts out, “I saw… Noah, is it?”

Beside me, the man who’s radiating heat in the dark navy three-piece suit pipes up, his low voice a rumble in the quiet car. “Yes. Noah Quinn. And you’re Nancy, right?”

My boss smiles. “Yes, that’s right.” She waits a beat, looking over. “I saw you buy our Sophia here’s painting.”

“Yes, I did. It will be delivered in the morning, the gallery assured.”

Nancy’s gaze goes to his. “I’m assuming you two know each other?”

Noah shrugs. “Only by robbery.”

Nancy’s eyes dart to me, and I shake my head, swiping a hand at my neck. “He’s just…joking.”

Noah’s voice is deceptively smooth and dark when he responds. “Yes, because I always joke about losing half a million dollar watches.”

“Wow.” Nancy glances down at her slender watch. “Well, would you look at that? Time sure does fly.” She glances out of the window. “Thanks for the ride.”

I set my hand on her knee. “Wait… We’re not at your apartment yet.”

She quirks her eyebrows, glancing out at the sheet of rain falling. “Oh, it’s close enough. I’m only ten blocks or so away.” She lowers her voice, his words hissing between clenched teeth. “I’ll leave you and Mr. Perfect to it.”

“But Nancy…” I hiss back. But she’s no longer listening. She calls out to the driver to stop and soon he slides in towards a curb, slowing down completely.

My boss—or former now—turns towards me, a ghost of a grin on her face. “Well, this was sufficiently awkward.” Her green eyes flicker up at Noah. “Thanks for the ride, anyhow.”

He nods, ever the smug bastard. “My pleasure.”

Nancy hops out of the town car before I can say another word, and Noah’s driver heads back on the boulevard we just came from as I watch her hurry up the soaked sidewalk.

I flounce back in my seat, frustrated from my toes to hair. I shift to look at Noah.

“You didn’t have to do that?”

He doesn’t look at me. “Do what?”

“Scare her off.”

“With the truth?”

“What is the truth, Noah?”

That gets his attention. He pivots his broad shoulders, giving me the full view of his face that I didn’t get to see in the dark gallery.

He’s even more handsome than I remember, his dark blue eyes serious beneath deep brown brows. His earthy brown hair is perfectly tousled, and I imagine how I must look to him, how must I appear.

We couldn’t be more different.

But that didn’t mean I had to take this shit.

I don’t wait for him to reply. “Let me tell you what the truth is: You picked up a strange woman in a bar. Something, I’m sure, you’ve done a million times before. But this time? We made a mistake.”

He glares back at me, words finally leaving his lips. “You got that damned right.”

“But I want you to know I’m not the type you must think I am. The stealing type.” I try to argue my case. “This was a one-time thing. I needed rent money.” I take a deep breath. “And I found the watch. It was just coincidence. I didn’t go looking for it. And I didn’t snoop.” I lower my eyes to the leather seat, suddenly unable to meet his. “It actually was like the watch found me and not the other way around.”

“And I’m guessing the other items you stole found you as well?” I hear from the other side of the backseat. “Because I found your record, and I don’t think the car you stole that landed you in juvie just walked into your lap. Or maybe I’m not so familiar with Ferraris and the way they function anymore.” I glance up and he’s looking at me. “What do you think?”

I can’t breathe as I face him, my skin turning hot beneath the fabric of my silky dress. My jaw goes slack. “How do you know about that?”

“I have my sources, Miss Somerset. I guess you could say because I fit your former definition of rich. At least rich enough to buy the right information on you. To know that you’re a thief. And likely always have been. Looks like you were always more Goldilocks than the Little Bear.” He scoffs. “See,