After the Storm (11 page)

When she gasped Noah looked at her, a question in his eyes, but she couldn’t speak. There, behind a group of people, a man was staring at her. She moved to get a better look at him. He was partially hidden in the dark, but it looked like Anthony. She knew it couldn’t be, but it looked so much like him. She couldn’t breathe. Her body shook, her heart about to pound right out of her chest.

Her shaking altered Noah to the fact something was wrong. He looked in the direction she did and saw a man staring at her. “Lexi, what is it?”

When she didn’t answer, he grabbed her shoulders and turned her to look at him. He couldn’t bear the look of fear in her eyes. “Lexi, tell me what’s wrong.”

She slowly pointed to where she saw the man that looked like Anthony, but he was gone. She closed her eyes, willing herself to calm down so that she could speak.

“Who were you pointing to?”

“It was him.” She let out the breath she’d been holding. “It looked like him. But it couldn’t be.” She shook her head trying to clear it. “I don’t understand. Noah, I want to leave, I want to get out of here. Right now, please I need to leave.” With every word her voice grew shakier. Her grip on his arm became painful.

Noah started pulling her towards the front gates when a male voice came through the loud speaker. “Can I have your attention please? We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but no one is able to leave at this time. There’s been an incident and the police will need to speak to everyone. The games and rides will be shut down, however the concession stands will stay open and all non-alcoholic drinks will be free, per park management. Please stay available and wait your turn to speak to an officer.”

~*~

“Shit.” All Noah wanted to do was get Lexi out of here. She was seriously freaked out, had seen someone he assumed looked like the asshole who’d beaten and raped her. She’d told him right after she’d found out he’d been released he was being monitored twenty-four hours a day and was still in La Jolla. It was time for him to start making some phone calls, himself.

He walked her over to a bench against a building and made her sit down. It worried him how easy she just went along with him. “I’m sorry, honey, but we can’t leave. This is a good place to wait. No one can sneak up behind us, it’s well-lit and we can see the police officers right there at the front gate.” Lexi didn’t say anything. He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. “Come on, Lexi, snap out of it. Hey!” he said sharply. “You’re stronger than this. You didn’t let him win last time. Don’t let him win this time. Don’t let him in your head.”

She blinked a couple of times and he saw the tears build in her eyes. “Please, honey, don’t cry. Please.” He gathered her up in his arms, sat her on his lap and rocked her, humming a song quietly under his breath. It worked because he felt her body relax against him.

While they sat there, he listened to what people around them were saying. A couple of kids had gone into the woods to make out and had found a dead body. The rumor was that it was a woman from town that had been missing for a little over a week. Some unkind people weren’t surprised. It seemed she was always spreading her legs for any man that came around. They were saying that she must’ve been beaten pretty badly, based on the bruising the kids had seen.

That was when Noah noticed the missing posters hung up around where they sat. He took a moment to study the woman. Long, brown hair with blonde highlights, slim, most likely in her thirties. Noah squinted at the picture. It looked like—
no, it can’t be
. From this distance, the missing woman looked like Lexi. Noah wanted to get up and get a closer look but with Lexi finally calmed down, he didn’t want to disturb her. It would have to wait.

~*~

Lexi sat wrapped in Noah’s arms staring blankly at the garbage can. Anthony was here. How was that possible? Was it really him? What was his plan? Was he just toying with her? She’d spent so much time working on getting through what had happened.
Yet, the first time I see him, I completely freak out
. She felt like a failure. She needed to be stronger. With her mind spinning, she went back through everything she had learned after her attack.

~*~

After waiting for an hour, the police finally spoke with Noah and Lexi. It wasn’t until he had to give his name that he thought of the fact it might get into the papers. In the past, the first thought would’ve always been, ‘How is this going to be publicized?’ Now, it was all about Lexi. While they were talking to the officer, Noah inched closer to the picture. Sure enough, the missing woman resembled Lexi. That wasn’t good. If this Anthony-asshole was still in La Jolla, how could this be happening?

He didn’t like to throw his fame around, but he didn’t want Lexi to go to the restroom by herself, and was able to get a female officer to accompany her. He took the time to fill in the officer with what he knew about Anthony Maldono and what had happened to Lexi in La Jolla.

“I’m not sure there is a connection, Mr. Matthews.” The officer dismissed his concerns a little too easily.

“Neither am I, but I had to tell you just in case. Lexi had an incident a few weeks ago. Someone put a hole in her radiator. She thought it was just kids playing a trick but now I’m not so sure.” He ran his hand through this hair and put his cap back on. “She thought she saw someone on the side of the road when she broke down but when she went back the next day she didn’t find any footprints. Then tonight she thought she saw the guy who is supposed to be in La Jolla with an ankle monitor and we find out a woman was discovered beaten, dead, and most likely raped like Lexi was?” The bile rose in this throat.

“I’ll add it to the reports. Here’s my card with my number. Or you can call the station and ask for George Perkins. I know I don’t have jurisdiction where you both live, but it could come in handy. Let me know if anything else happens.” He cleared his throat. “Oh, and would you mind signing this for my wife? She had such a crush on you when we met. I got a tattoo on my arm, like you have. She thought it was so romantic. Still gets her. Whenever she’s pissed at me, I just flash the tattoo and she melts.” He laughed and slapped his hand on Noah’s back.

Noah smiled. “Sure, what’s her name?”

“Chelsea. Chelsea Perkins.”

Noah quickly signed something while keeping an eye out for Lexi. “Here you go. Can I take her home now?” He nodded towards Lexi.

“Sure, sure, just show my card to the guy at the gate.” He laughed when he read what Noah had written. “This is great, she’ll love it. ‘To Chelsea Perkins, George’s tattoo is better than mine. Enjoy, Noah Matthews.’ Thanks, man, she’ll love this.”

There weren’t too many cars left in the parking lot as Noah escorted Lexi back to hi Jaguar but he scanned the area anyway, looking for something, anything. He got her settled in the car and didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until they were on their way home. His eyes kept checking the rearview mirror to make sure no one was following them. If she had seen Anthony, he might be following them, and, although it appeared his disguise had worked well, you never knew if there was a fan out there that wanted to follow him home. He placed his hand on her thigh and she laced her fingers through his before she fell asleep.

~*~

He was pissed and excited as he waited in his car where it was hidden along the last bend before Alexia’s property. He hadn’t planned on having the body found so quickly. He should’ve known that the carnival was going to be setting up right next to the woods where he’d dumped the bitch. But he had little time to plan this one, as she had been a quick pick in a desperate moment for his need for release. He’d do better next time. He couldn’t afford to make that kind of mistake again.

He closed his eyes and brought the picture of Alexia to the front of his mind. The fear in her eyes was like a drug to his soul. He’d chuckled to himself, watching her not being able to move or speak. The fear coming off of her, he’d been able to feel it from across the crowd, and he needed to make her feel more of it. More, so that when the time was right and they came face to face, with no means of escape for her, he would be at the pinnacle of excitement, his cock dripping wet as he rammed it into her time and time again. Faster and harder, bruising her from the inside out. Making her bleed. Biting her so hard that he ripped her flesh off and eating it so that she was inside of him. Drinking her blood. Choking the life out of her as he rammed his cock inside of her pried open jaws, down her throat.

He was so hard he took his throbbing cock out of his pants and started to stroke himself. He stopped when he saw Noah’s car go by. He had never hated someone as much as he hated that stupid rock star. Well, there was one other person. He was going to have to come up with something to take care of them both before this was over.

Lexi woke up and stretched, then stopped. Something was different, she felt like she’d had a nightmare she couldn’t remember. She opened her eyes and didn’t recognize the room she was in.

Everything from last night came flooding back to her and she sat up, looking around for an escape. The morning sun was partially blocked by the drawn curtains. She couldn’t move, wondering if Anthony had gotten her while she’d slept. She felt like her body weighed a ton as the fear flowed through her. She couldn’t focus mentally. After a moment, she was able to move when her eyes finally found Noah sleeping, sprawled in a chair. He looked so uncomfortable with his legs stretched out before him and his head resting on the high back of the chair. She closed her eyes and sighed, trying to relax. She flopped back down on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.

The last thing she remembered was getting into Noah’s car and him driving home. She looked over at him, knowing he couldn’t be comfortable. She didn’t want to wake him though, not sure how much sleep he’d actually gotten. She got out of bed and tiptoed quietly to the bathroom that she could see from bed. When she came back out, Noah was sitting up and running his hands over his face. He looked up when she approached. “Did you stay there all night?” She nodded toward his chair.

“I couldn’t leave you.” He sounded exhausted. “You were so scared last night and were sleeping so deeply when we got home that I didn’t want to wake you up and I wasn’t going to leave you alone at your house. You didn’t wake up when we got home, or when I picked you up and carried you up here.”

“Thank you, Noah.” She ran her hand over his hair. “I don’t think I had any nightmares last night, or if I did, I don’t remember. I must have known you were watching over me.” He rested his head on her stomach.

“I never signed up for this. I never wanted to watch over someone and be unable to help them. I never wanted any of this.” Noah fumed and stood up to pace the room. “Do you understand what it’s like to just sit here and watch this happen to you and know there is nothing that I can do?” He sat down on the chair with his head in his hands.

All of Lexi’s blood flooded to her face. “Well, no one asked you to, buddy.” She shoved him in the chest and started searching the room for her purse. “Consider yourself unsigned up. Go back to your rock and roll lifestyle. I don’t need you.” She felt like she was on an emotional roller coaster for the past day and didn’t need any more.

Lexi found her purse and turned to storm out of the door. Noah was up and out of the chair, knocking it over in an instant to block her way out. “No, Lexi, wait.” He put his hands on her arms to hold her in place.

“No, you wait, Noah.” She tried to free herself from his grip. “I don’t know what the hell is going through your brain but I’m out of here. I don’t need this. So get out of my way.”

When she looked down at his hands and up at him with one eyebrow raised, a cold look in her eyes, it scared him. “Lexi, I’m sorry. I’m a little grumpy. I’ve been up most of the night, worried about everything. I sat there by your bed and it reminded me so much of sitting by my mom when she was in the hospital. There was nothing that I could do then, either. All I could do was calm you down, when you screamed through your nightmares.”

“I did have nightmares? I don’t remember anything.” Her brow furrowed.

Softly Noah said, “You woke Sam and Martha up from across the house and scared them half to death. Not to mention me. I’ve never heard such torment, such anguish. I wanted to make it stop, but I had no idea what to do. I’d just talk and sing to you while rubbing your back. That seemed to work and you’d fall back into a deep sleep for a while before it started all over again.”

“I’m sorry,” Lexi said to the ground.

Noah tilted her chin up. “No, Lexi. You have nothing to be sorry for. I’m the one who’s sorry. I have no excuse for what I said. I just don’t know what to do with all of these feelings I have for you and I took it out on you. I couldn’t bear to see you walk out the door. Please stay.”

She felt completely emotionally wrecked. She needed some time to herself. “I’d like to go home and get cleaned up and into some different clothes.”

“Sure, no problem. You’ll come back, right?” The corners of his mouth turned down. “I don’t feel like you should be alone right now.”

“I’ll be fine, Noah. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again. As you said last night, I can’t let him win. I’ll be back in an hour or so.”

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight. “I know you have, love, but we still aren’t sure of what’s going on. If you don’t want me to go with you to your place, at least have Sam go with you.”

“You’re right. It wouldn’t be smart to go into the house by myself after I thought I saw Anthony last night.” She knew he was right, but she wasn’t used to relying on anyone other than her family and herself.

“Is there anything you’d like Martha to make? I know how much you love her cooking.”

“Thanks, but no.” She shook her head. “I’ll leave it up to her since I kept waking her up last night.”

Lexi walked out the door and Noah listened as she went down the stairs and out the backdoor. He watched her and Sam, who followed her into her house. She never looked back. He laid his forehead against the glass. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do.

~*~

When Lexi returned with Sam to Noah’s, she knew she had to tell him about the strange things going on at her house. She knew now it wasn’t just her imagination or forgetfulness about things being moved. When she went home this morning more things were out of place and more of her clothes were missing. What scared her most was the new photo on the dresser in her bedroom of her and Noah having dinner in her house that was taken from outside. A picture that neither of them had taken.

She was scared and wasn’t exactly sure what to do. She was going to have to give up all of the independence she’d created for herself. She also knew how Noah was going to take it. There was going to be a battle. She should be thankful for all of his help, and she was, but—she
needed
her independence.

“Why in hell haven’t you told me any of this sooner? My god, Lexi, who knows who has been going in and out of your house for weeks. I could’ve done something to protect you before now.” He started to pace back and forth in the kitchen.

“Noah, I wasn’t sure if I wasn’t just moving or misplacing things on my own without realizing it. I’ve been a little distracted the past few weeks.” She sat wearily on one of the stools at the counter.

He leaned on the other side of the counter, and waited until she looked him in the eye. “You should’ve told me after the radiator incident.”

Lexi spread her hands. “Hindsight’s twenty-twenty, Noah. We can’t be going back and forth with woulda, shoulda, coulda. We need to think about what’s going to happen going forward.”

“I can tell you what is going to happen. You are moving in here. Don’t argue.” He slapped his hand on the counter when she opened her mouth.

She stood up and the stool skidded back. “Don’t tell me what to do and no, I’m not moving in here. I have my own house right over there.”

He threw his hands up in frustration. “Come on, don’t be stupid.”

She came around the counter. “Don’t call me stupid, you Neanderthal.” She started to poke her finger into his chest. “You forget I’m the one who had to deal with all this crap for the past seven years. I don’t have to be locked up in your house to be kept safe.”

“Fine, then I’ll sleep at your place.” He folded his arms across his chest.

She mimicked his stance. “Not an option. I’m over there, you are over here. I have my independence. I
need
my independence. I need to do this, so deal with it.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out a way to win. “If you’re going to be so damn stubborn, the least you can do is let me install an alarm at your house.”

“The least I can do?” Both of her eyebrows rose this time.

“Yes, Lexi, the least you can do. This is not open for discussion. You know you’ll sleep better and damn it, so will I.”

“Fine, but it better not interrupt my life, Noah.” She turned around and stalked out of his house and back to her own.

He yelled out the door to her, “And don’t think you’re going to be alone today! I’m sending Sam and Martha over.”

Noah picked up the phone and called the head of his security in Los Angeles. He gave him all the information regarding Anthony Maldono and what had been going on here, knowing that he could trust him to find out everything and anything he could about him. Bruno said that he would get back to Noah in a couple of days with what he could find. Sooner, if something urgent came up. Bruno also called the head of a security firm in Boston that would be out within the next couple of hours to install an alarm at Lexi’s.

~*~

“You really should lock your doors.”

Lexi screamed and almost dropped her bowl of popcorn. There, leaning up against the door frame leading out to her balcony, was a shirtless Noah.
Oh my sweet Lord, please give me strength.
“How did you get up here?”

Noah shrugged. “I climbed up.”

What she wouldn’t give to have seen that. His muscles straining as he pulled himself up and then over the railing.
Okay, get that image out of your head, girl. Maybe you should worry about how easily he got into your home.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a loud siren going off.

She ran over to the key pad that was by the door and started trying to punch in numbers. Sighing when the siren stopped and gave Noah a look to let him know how much she hated the inconvenience.

She jumped when a voice came through the speaker. “Miss Hanson, this is the alarm company. Is everything okay?”

“Yes, everything is fine.” Staring at Noah with narrowed eyes.

“Great, then you wouldn’t mind giving me your verbal code,” the disembodied voice said from the key pad.

Smiling sweetly at Noah. “I would love to. It’s Neanderthal.”

“Thank you and have a good night.”

“You’ve made your point, Noah, and now you can leave. Besides, as you can hear, the alarm is on.”

“Doesn’t help for it to be on if your doors and windows are wide open up here. Anyway, why would I do that? I’ve finally got you in your bedroom.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Because I’ve asked you and you’re trying to be a gentleman.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head to the ceiling trying to keep her body under control.

“I guess there is that… but hey, popcorn, candy, lights are low, are you watching a movie? Why didn’t you just ask? I’d love to watch a movie with you,” he exclaimed as he jumped on the bed and got comfortable.

Lexi had a hard time thinking of what to say with him stretched out on her bed, hands behind his head and ankles crossed, in nothing but a pair of shorts. “I
didn’t
ask, so get up and leave.” She just wanted to watch a good movie and hopefully fall into a dreamless sleep to forget about everything that had happened.

“Oh, sorry, is this your side of the bed? I can move. Do you like the driver’s side?” he asked innocently.

“Excuse me?”

“You know, like in a car. The driver sits on the left side. Do you want to have control and be the driver, you naughty girl?”

“No, Noah. I’m a good girl remember?” She sighed with exasperation.

“Good at being bad?” he said hopefully.

“Give it a rest. Go back to being a perfect gentleman. I sleep on the left side, so I would like that side. Besides, if we were in England this would be the passenger side.”

“Well, I do love some tea and crumpets if that’s the way you’d like to go,” he said with a British accent.

She closed her eyes in what she hoped he thought was exasperation rather than the move it really was—hiding what his voice did to her. “I’m not getting you out of my bed, am I?”

“Nope.” He patted the bed. “Come on, get comfy and we’ll watch a movie.” After she sat down, he said, “So… is this what your normally wear to bed? Because I just wanted to let you know the little top and shorts work.”

She looked down at the purple shorts and matching cami top “Well, now that I’ve got your approval on my sleepwear, can you leave so I can start the movie?”

“But I was thinking...”

“You always are.” she sighed.

“You might get cold. I’m very warm blooded. I can keep you nice and warm, all night long.”

“I have a down comforter.” She tried hard to keep a straight face.

“I’ll be warmer,” he said hopefully.

“And a fireplace.” A small smile sneaked through.

“So, let me get this straight, you’re saying you won’t let me stay the night?” He pouted a bit.

“Ding, ding, ding. Give the man a prize!”

“A prize? Is it you?” He raised his eyebrows and a smile spread across his face as he leaned over to get closer to her.

She pushed him back. “No, now let’s watch the movie.”

“Is it a sappy romance?”

She sighed. “Will that make you leave?”

“No, I just want to know if I need to get a tissue ready for you,” he said helpfully.