Chapter 76
Then again, it was unusual in my world too. It was simply that a prince had it, and whenever it came to royals, that was that.
"He's a police officer from Seattle who...well, there was..." I affected an uncomfortable swallow and softened my voice when I went on, "He was lovely with me. And he and I, we..." I looked demurely away and then back to see what I saw many a time from the my-world Lahn when he regarded his Circe (though with obvious differences as this Lahn was regarding me).
A tender warmth of features that I felt settle around my heart.
If I had not known I was doing the right thing (and I already knew that), I would have known in that moment.
"He's here, with me, and Jo," I carried on quietly. "He is not living under...he's himself. And if you were to look into him, contact him, he would verify all I've said to you today."
"Can you give me a contact number so I can phone you when I've had that verification?" he asked gently and finished respectfully, "I hope you understand the need for it."
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 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 relations.h.i.+p and living under a false ident.i.ty."
It took much to remain impa.s.sive 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 doc.u.ments, 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 a.s.s." Noc did not murmur. "Really f.u.c.kin' 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 s.h.i.+t 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 f.u.c.k's sake," Noc interrupted her to say to the ceiling, visibly at the end of his patience.
I decided to move us past this part as it seemed all had settled quite well with that and now it was time to move on to the next part.
"As soon as this is sorted, we're having dinner with Lahn, or Dax, as he's known here. You will, of course, need to invite Circe to this dinner," I shared.
Noc dropped his eyes to me. "Did you hear me when I said this was your gig?"
"I heard you when you said you'd do anything for me," I replied quietly.
Yes, that wasn't fighting fair.
But love was on the line.
That was the one time anyone had to agree it was all right not to fight fair.
"I just...need to text Glover," Josette murmured and slid off her stool, moving out of Noc's kitchen.
I watched her go, and when she was in the living room, I again looked to Noc.
"I'm not asking you to break any laws, be my wheel man. I'm asking you to affirm I am who I am and I have the money I've offered his charity. And I'm asking you to ask Circe to dinner. That's it."
"And I'm gonna affirm you are who you are and I'm doin' that part because I got no choice but also because you got half a billion dollars, you can give a million to a domestic violence shelter. Circe, I'll give you her number. I'll show at this dinner. But I'm not gonna be the one who leads her to the Savage."
"Noc-"
He took a quick step to stand opposite me at the island.
"Do anything for you," he whispered. "Anything you ask. Call Circe. Set her up for an ambush. Right now what I'm askin' you to do is not ask me to do that. I am who I am to her. That means something to me. She trusts me. That means even more. So please, babe, I'm askin' you. Don't ask me to do that."
I nodded immediately. "I'll phone her and you don't have to be at dinner."
"I'll be there if only to keep your a.s.s out of whatever hot water you might get it in and to be there for Circe if she freaks way the f.u.c.k out you're throwin' her right to the wolves."
Dax was frightening but I'd seen his tender streak.
He was no wolf.
I did not share my insight into Dax Lahn's character.
I said, "I think that's wise."
Noc drew in breath through his nose.
I sat still and said nothing as he did that.
When he released it, he declared, "I cannot believe you waltzed into his office and told him off for missing a non-existent meeting with you."
We had told him the story.
All save the part we were intending unauthorized access to Dax Lahn's computer.
We did not (as far as I knew) break any laws.
Noc didn't need to know we'd intended to.
"You told me to get creative."
"Well, Frannie, you succeeded in that."
I held his gaze and asked softly, "Are you angry at me, my love?"
"f.u.c.k no," he replied instantly. "Why would you think that?"
"You seem," I flipped out a hand, "irked."
His lips twitched. "Irked isn't angry, gorgeous. Irked is irked."
"So you're irked not angry."
"Yeah, the woman I love confronts the most vicious attorney in the city, she succeeds in her objectives and comes away unscathed, I'm not freaked because she's good. I'm not angry because she's good. I'm irked because she's a lunatic."