Noah held his body perfectly still. “Did you know he was planning to kill her parents?”
Austin stared down at the floor. “No. Dear God…no. He was bad before Claire, he hurt some other girls, seemed to get off on the power rush, but with her, something broke in him.” Then Austin squared his shoulders. His head lifted. His eyes met Noah’s. “She’s here, isn’t she?”
Noah glanced around the room. “I just see you and me.”
“In the hotel,” Austin snapped. “If you’re here, then she has to be close. Look, the PI called me and said—”
Noah jumped on that. “You mean Sloan Hall?”
“Yes, Hall. He said you and Claire were together. I’m not paying the guy anymore. That was my father’s madness. Let Claire know that she’s free, okay?”
“Sloan Hall is dead.”
Austin’s eyes widened.
“He was shot in the head.”
A shudder slid over Austin’s body.
“So I don’t think you have to worry about paying him,” Noah murmured. “I do think you may have to worry about watching your ass.”
***
“Claire, I need a list of your enemies.”
She’d put a bit more distance between herself and Drake.
“You moved around jobs quite a bit,” Drake continued as he rubbed his chin. “So maybe you—”
“I didn’t exactly have an option on the job front. Senator Harrison made sure my past had a way of being brought to the attention of my bosses. If they didn’t fire me immediately, he just exerted a little more…pressure on them.”
He seemed to absorb that. “Senator Harrison was your enemy.”
Uh, yes. “Obviously.”
“Who else?”
“Ethan was locked away.” She shook her head. “As far as I know, there isn’t anyone else.” No one who hated her enough to kill.
He started to pace. He headed toward the door that led out onto the balcony. For a moment, he gazed at the city, then he tossed a hard glance back at her. “Come on, tell me the truth. You’ve got lovers that were burned. Maybe one of them is—”
“Noah.”
He frowned at her.
“Noah is my lover. There hasn’t been anyone else. Just Noah…and Ethan.”
“I’m supposed to believe that? Come on, try again.”
Claire heaved out a sigh. “It’s the truth. Why would I take a lover when—”
“When you can’t even usually stand to be touched.” He leaned back against the balcony door. “So why does Noah get the free pass?”
“Excuse me?”
“What’s so different about him? Because, sweetheart—”
She tensed at that endearment. Ethan had always called her that. She hated the word sweetheart.
“—if you want to talk about a man having a monster inside, Noah is your guy.”
Now he was trying to scare her away from Noah? “I’m not afraid of him.”
Silence. Good. Maybe it would last until Noah came—
“I am,” Drake said.
Her gaze flew to his face. He looked completely serious.
“I know what it’s like when a man gets too lost in a woman. When he loses his control.”
Drake was confused. “Noah isn’t…lost in me.”
“Noah clings so tightly to his control for a reason. If he breaks, I don’t want to see what happens.”
***
“I’d like to apologize to Claire.”
Noah didn’t plan to let this guy anywhere near Claire. “I’ll be sure and pass that along to her.”
Austin’s jaw hardened. “I’m not like them. I want to make this right.”
“Then walk away from her and never look back.”
Austin blew out a hard breath. Then he turned and stormed for the door. His hand curled around the knob. His shoulders stiffened. “I think it’s my fault.”
Noah slowly uncrossed his arms. “What’s your fault?”
Austin spun back toward him. “Before he died, Ethan said…he told me that I was the one who saw her first. I’d forgotten about that. It was so long ago. Another life.”
Noah advanced on him.
“I must’ve made some comment. Said I was going to ask her out. Ethan was always so competitive with me. I said I liked her, so he had to cut me out. He went after her first.” He gave a miserable shake of his head. “I brought Claire to his attention. He wanted to one up me, and he did it—”
“By taking the girl you wanted.”
“Ethan hated me.” His hands were shaking. “I realized just how much…at the end.”
“The dead can’t hate anymore. They can’t do anything.”
Austin nodded but his shoulders slumped. “I want to tell her myself. Just say how sorry I am.”
“No.”
“Look, I—”
“No one in the Harrison family ever needs to see Claire Kramer again. You say you’re sorry? Then prove it. Stay the hell out of her life. Claire doesn’t need you and she doesn’t need your apologies.”
Austin’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Noah stood toe-to-toe with the man. “Claire isn’t your concern anymore.”
“How do you fit into this?” Austin’s shoulders straightened. “You and Claire are lovers, okay, fine but—”
“Claire is mine.” That was all that needed to be said. “Now, Harrison, seeing as how your business isn’t in New York, I’d advise you to get out of my town.”
Austin held his gaze.
Noah waited. This guy would be leaving town, one way of another.
Then Austin sighed. “Right. No business in New York, and no one left in Alabama. Maybe it’s time for me to try something new.”
“Maybe.” Noah yanked open the door. “But stay away from Claire.”
Austin stepped into the hallway. But he lingered. Lingered. “I guess I had this wrong.”
He sure as f**k had.
“If…if someone is after you and Claire—you protect her, got it?”
A warning, from that jerk?
“I figure she’s been through enough,” Austin whispered, and then he finally walked away.
Noah stared after the guy. Yes, she has. It was time for Claire to know more than just blood and death.
***
Noah York would be a problem.
The man’s guard was up. It wouldn’t be so easy to lure him into another attack.