Secret Obsession (Carder Texas Connections #6)(36)

They rode the elevator in silence. When they reached the door, Noah stretched his arm in front of her body. He checked out the room, nodded, and allowed her to go in. He said nothing, but emptied his computer case and set up his laptop on the table in the suite’s sitting area, attaching a small black box to the internet cable.

“What’s that?”

“I don’t want anyone tracing my signal,” he said. “Zane may think he’s the computer whiz around CTC, but I hold my own.” He gave her a long look. “I know what I’m doing, Lyssa.”

Lyssa hovered for a moment before taking a breath of courage and sitting beside him. How could she apologize without explaining? “Jack told me you were more than good. He called you a genius.”

Noah tapped the keys, his face stoic. Finally he leaned back in his chair. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to apologize,” Lyssa said. “You could make it easy on me.”

Noah twisted in his chair, facing her. “You made a choice not to trust me, Lyssa. I thought we’d come further than that. My mistake.” He turned to his computer and started typing. “We’ll keep our relationship just business. It’s probably best anyway. No small talk necessary.”

His fingers tapped away at the keyboard. She didn’t move. She sneaked a few glances at the strong line of his jaw, the intense focus.

This wasn’t right. He was Jack’s best friend. She placed her hand on Noah’s arm. “Um...Jack said you owned more than one company when you went into basic training together?”

His hands stilled and his gaze rose from the monitor. “This isn’t necessary.”

“Yes, it is. You’re doing everything you can to help me,” she said. “I don’t like the strain between us.”

“Strain?” He rose and bent over her chair, his hands on each armrest. His big body loomed large, his hooded gaze dangerous—not to her safety but to her sanity.

“You think learning more about me will make me forget that you haven’t been honest? You think a few words will make the tension between us go away? What’s happening between us is about way more than trust, Lyssa, and you know it.”

His breath warmed her cheek, his lips nearly touching her as they hovered just above her skin. She swallowed, the gulp seeming to echo in the room.

“I see you get the message.” He pulled away slightly. “You have a choice to make, and one road leads to you going all in.”

The words sent a shiver to her core, not of fear, but of longing. She placed her hand on his chest. His heart thudded against her palm.

A knock sounded at the door, the pattern of the taps obviously preplanned.

Noah cleared his throat. “Rafe and Zane.”

Slipping his gun from his pants, he peered through the keyhole. He turned back. “You’re starting on a dangerous path,” he whispered. “Be very sure it’s what you want.”

He opened the door. The scent of mesquite-smoked barbecue filled the room. While Rafe and Zane set up a huge meal, Lyssa couldn’t stop staring at Noah. He was right. She had a choice to make.

Archimedes might be dangerous to her life, but Noah Bradford brought a whole new kind of danger—and if she let her heart rule her head, she’d never be the same.

*

THE BRADFORDS MADE everything difficult. Archimedes clutched the laptop, squeezing the frustration building from deep within. Hours had passed. All of the family homes were empty; completely deserted.

Perhaps he could create a reason for Noah’s family to come home.

He clicked on the image outside of Noah Bradford’s driveway entrance. He zoomed in. Security. And not just any security—security from Bradford’s Dreamcatcher company. It would be much easier to leave a message at one of the other houses, but Archimedes liked a challenge. He’d always thrived on a mental battle.

He always won.

All he had to do was jam the signal. He entered the coordinates of Noah Bradford’s house into his computer. Before he could execute the file, an image moved across his screen.

He paused.

A bright yellow Jeep pulled into Noah Bradford’s driveway. An arm reached out and keyed in a password. The light brown hair that stuck out reminded him of Lyssa. Quickly, he glanced at the tracker. The blinking dot in Dallas, Texas, quieted his pounding pulse. She was still at the airport.

So who was this woman?

He opened his file and studied the only woman in the group. Not as beautiful as Alessandra. Sierra Bradford. Her jaw too strong; her eyes too knowing. He didn’t like her.

Still, she was a gift.

The vehicle drove through the gate. He quickly typed in a few codes. Encrypted. He couldn’t commandeer the signal, but he was only fifteen minutes away.

He made it in twelve. She hadn’t come out yet.

Slipping on his latex gloves, Archimedes rounded his trunk. Digging into the back of his bag, he filled a dart with liquid and loaded the weapon. He got into the driver’s seat and waited.

Five minutes passed, then ten. He could be patient. Eventually she would come out.

Another eight minutes went by before the gate slid open.

Archimedes shoved the gear into Drive, his hand patting the gun. He maneuvered the vehicle to the side so he’d have a clear view.

She opened her window to close the gate.

He shot the dart.