I opened my mouth to answer but Josette stepped around me. “You can deal with me on that.”
He nodded to her, took us both in and then we pivoted to watch as he sauntered to his desk.
My, but he was most watchable.
More so in person.
He pulled a pen from his inside jacket pocket, put it to a pad on his desk and lifted his gaze to Josette. “Your number?”
She rattled it off in a way that made me wonder if I should memorize my own.
I didn’t think long of that.
Instead, I thought fast.
First step done, it was time for the next one.
I just didn’t expect the first one to happen as it did so I had no idea what should come next.
“Thank you,” he said when Josette was done and straightened from his desk. “I know it’s an inconvenience that we weren’t able to see to our business today, and it would be my pleasure to take you both, and Mr. Hawthorne if he’s available, out to lunch as my way of apologizing when we meet again to discuss your situation and how best to bestow your gift on First Mother House.”
I had, for once, not thought fast enough.
Fortunately, he’d given me the perfect plan.
I did my best not to allow my mouth to curve in a triumphant smile and declared, “Dinner.”
His brows pulled together. “Sorry?”
“Dinner,” I repeated. “Drinks, for us first, to go over business that should only be between us. And if you’d please invite the director of First Mother House to dine with us after drinks, I’d like to meet her. I’ll make another donation, not anonymous, but generous, to explain her presence while we dine. The anonymous one can be made when all the arrangements have been seen to.”
“Actually, that’s a great idea,” he stated.
I knew it was, seeing as Circe wanted us all to meet for dinner and we would be doing just that.
With Dax Lahn in attendance.
He carried on, “Patricia is an amazing woman and she’ll be best at explaining just how much good your gift will do for the women, men and children who find themselves in need of First Mother House.”
Then he imparted upon us a genuine smile.
Josette beside me made a noise like a stifled moan.
I pressed my lips together.
“I’ll look forward to that,” he said, lifting an arm. “And now, I’ll walk you to the lobby.”
Josette touched the back of my hand and whispered, “I need to call a taxi.”
“I’ll do that as we walk,” Lahn offered. “We have a service. The least I can do is get you home after wasting your time in coming here.”
Not to mention, his “service” could offer him the information of the locale of where we’d been deposited.
I had no idea what reputation Valentine had in New Orleans. My sister-witch was exceptionally cunning so I had no doubt she made certain it was excellent.
I was still going to lead them to Noc’s house.
He might be angry.
But then again, he could have helped. I’d asked. He’d refused. He’d told me to get creative.
And one could say the last ten minutes were most creative.
I smiled slowly at Dax Lahn and accepted.
“That’d be lovely.”
* * * * *
“Yeah, unh-hunh, yeah.”
Noc was pacing his kitchen, head bent, hand wrapped around the back of his neck.
Josette and I were perched atop the stools at his island, watching him.
I caught myself biting the side of my lip and ceased doing that as Noc made a turn, dropped his hand, lifted his eyes to me, and at the look in them I felt a not-altogether-pleasant curl in my belly.
“Right,” he said into his phone. “Tomorrow’s good. We’ll meet there. No problems. Yeah. Later.”
He finished speaking and took his phone from his ear, his eyes still locked on me.
“Just to put your mind at rest, sugarlips, I just made a meet with one of Dax Lahn’s investigators to corroborate your story.”
“I, well, erm…” I began.
I looked to Josette.
She felt my gaze and returned it with wide eyes.
I looked back to Noc.
“Thank you, darling. That will be most appreciated,” I finished.
“And so you know,” he continued like I didn’t say anything, “Lahn contracts with the firm I’ll be working for to do his investigative work. So essentially I’ll be having a meeting with my boss tomorrow to let him know my woman is filthy rich but on the run from an abusive relationship and living under a false identity.”
It took much to remain impassive in the face of this dire information but I did so, saying, “Is that going to be troublesome, my dearest?”
“No, since I’ve given them permission to investigate me in order to clear myself for the job. This means, now that you’re in my life, they’ll likely investigate you, so now I have a plausible excuse why the woman in my life has falsified identification documents, somethin’ guys the caliber of these are gonna find out in about two seconds.”
Well!
That was a windfall!
“How lovely. Two birds,” I murmured.
“Two birds, my ass.” Noc did not murmur. “Really fuckin’ good luck.”
That worked too.
Noc turned his attention to Josette.
“I gotta worry about this one’s shenanigans,” he gestured to me. “With this shit today, now I gotta worry about you jumpin’ on her bandwagon?”
“I’m sorry, Noc, I don’t know what jumping on a band—” Josette began.
“Oh for fuck’s sake,” Noc interrupted her to say to the ceiling, visibly at the end of his patience.