“Yes,” he said, “so that makes some sense, if any of this does.”
“That’s the thing though. None of it does,” she said.
“You know that Levi and Ice will need all kinds of information from you, when we get you there.”
“I don’t have anything to give them,” she murmured. “Some idiot came out of nowhere, attacked me, told me it was a warning for Levi, and took off. And, even then, I don’t understand why Maxwell would attack me a second time.”
“Any reason to think it wasn’t the same guy?”
Her eyes widened. “Oh God,” she said, “I really need it to be the same guy. To think that I was attacked by two separate people, that’s too much.”
“I hear you.”
He kept his thoughts to himself, and she appreciated that; yet his question ate away at her. “Do you think it wasn’t the same guy?”
“I don’t know what to think,” he said. “We just need to stay open to ideas as we get on top of this.”
She sank back against the seat and wondered. The fact that she would see Ice and Levi earlier than planned was huge because they were really good friends, and she never really got a chance to visit them at the compound. It always felt like coming home whenever she saw them. It didn’t matter where in the world they were; they always had the ability to make her feel like she was a part of their family. Dianne really appreciated that.
Di didn’t think Ice came into that easily. Only since she became a mother was it something she became really natural at. Di had connected with Ice several years back. Maybe that had been part of the reason she had come to this part of the world. Texas hadn’t been a destination that jumped out at Di as a place she really needed to go, but apparently she did. As she sat here, she wondered at the strange vagaries of fate that brought her to a place where she was immediately attacked.
“Hard to imagine,” she said, “that I came this far safely, and then I’m sitting in a parking lot, and I’m attacked.”
“I know,” he said. “Sometimes you have to wonder.”
She smiled, and, when she saw a coffee shop up ahead, she said, “I don’t suppose I could get a cup of coffee, could I?” He nodded, changed lanes, and wheeled into the coffee shop, where he ordered her a beautiful hot cup that she huddled over, as he continued to drive. “Are you cold?” he asked in concern.
“Just maybe a little shocky still,” she said.
“Understood,” he murmured. “Do you want heat on?”
She shook her head. “No, it’s not that bad.” He smiled and kept driving, and she felt herself nodding off. When the cup was pulled from her hand, she opened her eyes again and murmured, “Sorry.”
“No need to apologize,” he said easily. “Just close your eyes.”
She looked at him for a long moment, and, almost as if he’d had the power to make it happen, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
Chapter 2
Dianne woke with a start, fear racing through her heart. She bolted upright, Noah driving still.
He grabbed her hand, saying, “It’s all right. I’m Noah. You’ve just woken up. Take it easy.”
She stared at him, as she tried to reorient herself, and then sagged back in place. “My God,” she said. “I just wanted to sleep, but it seemed like that’s almost worse than staying awake.”
“Sometimes it can feel that way,” he said, “but you’re doing fine.”
“Where are we?” she asked, as she sagged back.
“Almost there,” he said cheerfully. “You know how to make a trip very short.”
“And here I thought it was supposed to be a very short trip anyway,” she teased.
He grinned at her. “And it is. We’re getting there.”
Di looked out her window to see that they were, indeed, at the little town just outside of Levi’s compound. “I’ve always wondered about their location,” she said.
“I think an inheritance started the whole thing here. Plus, Levi and Ice wanted a place off in the countryside anyway.”
“Maybe,” she murmured. “But they’ve sure built it into something incredible.”
“That they have. Very incredible,” he said. She shifted her position, reached for her coffee, and winced. “You got half of it down,” he said, “but the rest went cold.”
“Maybe I can get a cup when I get in.”
“Are you kidding? Once Bailey and Alfred realize you’re here and that you’re hurt, believe me, you’ll be almost sorry you brought it up.” She burst out laughing. He looked at her and smiled. “You seem to be feeling better.”
“I am,” she said. “My head isn’t killing me nearly as much.” A few minutes later he pulled into the large double gates, and she looked around with interest.
“Have you ever been here?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No. I know bits and pieces from Ice.”
“Interesting,” he said. “I assumed you’d been here before, since you recognized the town back there.”
“I recognized it from photos Ice has shared. I’ve also looked online and checked out the satellite feed for it. Ice always has these great stories to tell.”
“They live great stories here,” he said, with a smile. “It’s made it a pleasure to be around.”
“How long have you worked for them?”
“Years, but all around the world for the most part. This is the first time I’ve ever been stationed at this compound.”
“It’s amazing,” she said, “like seriously amazing.” They drove up to the front door, and he parked. She looked at him and said, “I don’t think you’re supposed to park here, are you? All the vehicles are over there.”
“But I have an injured passenger beside me,” he said, “so no way. I’m not parking over there.” She looked at him and frowned. He frowned right back.
Her lips twitched. “You don’t give an inch, do you?”
“Nope,” he said. “Give an inch and people take a mile.”
“Wow, no shortage of bitterness there.”
“No bitterness at all,” he said, looking at her. “Just a healthy awareness of humanity.” He shut off the engine and quickly hopped out and around to her, where he opened her door.
She stared at him and said, “I could have gotten out on my own.”
He shrugged. “Maybe you could have, maybe you couldn’t. I didn’t give you the chance.” He reached up, gently grabbed her by the ribs, and lowered her to the ground, like a child.
At five-eight, she wasn’t used to that, and she took a moment to gain her footing. “You’re very strong.”
“I am what I am.”
She looked up at him and said, “That sounds like part of a song.”
“Probably is,” he said cheerfully. “Meanwhile, let’s get you inside.” She let him help her inside the front door, where they were greeted immediately by Ice coming down the long hallway. She took one look, opened her arms, and the two women hugged gently.