Chapter 239 239

Chapter 239 239
Nat's POV

Two days later, I walked back into the hotel and headed for the restaurant. I spotted Noah almost instantly. He was sitting at a small table tucked into a corner, away from the handful of late diners. His fingers drummed restlessly on the surface beside an untouched glass of water and he kept looking around, his eyes behind his glasses scanning the space warily.
He was probably looking for his fucking psycho of a brother.
Seeing him brought back the anger and betrayal swelling to the surface and I had to tamp down the urge to plant my fist on that lying face of his. The anger was not only directed at him though, a lot of it was internal, the self loathing I felt knowing I had put my best friend and her kids in danger. I should have told Elias everything from the moment I found out the truth about Noah, but I'd been too swamped with guilt and horror at how stupid I'd been to blindly trust someone.
Just then, Noah looked up and spotted me approaching and the relief on his face was so vivid, so raw, I almost faltered.
Don't be stupid, Nat. I reminded myself harshly as I walked up to the table. My last conversation with Maya, Elias and Jack filled my mind, grounding me. We had come up with a plan and I was determined to do my part to ensure the Dubois' and that bitch, Margaret, got what they had coming.
"Nat," Noah murmured and stood up quickly, the chair scraping back with an awkward squeak. He tugged at the hem of the light blue sweater vest he wore over a white shirt and dark pants. He looked less put together than usual, his hair was ruffled and there were bags under his eyes.
"You came." he said, voice soft, searching my face like he was trying to read my intentions before I even spoke. He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. "Please, sit."
"I did." I offered him a tight, unreadable smile as I ignored the offered seat and slid into a different one.
He hesitated, sighed then sat back down slowly. For a moment, silence fell between us. The kind of silence that stretches taut with everything unspoken, everything broken. A waiter approached and I ordered a coffee, though what I really wanted at the moment was a stiff drink to take the edge off my emotions.
The waiter left to get our orders and this time, Noah broke the tense silence.
"I have to admit," he said after a beat, his fingers twisting together on the table, "I was surprised when I got your message. I didn't think you'd want to see me again… let alone give me a chance to explain."
I looked at him then, meeting those familiar eyes that held so many secrets, and something stirred within my belly. My hands, hidden from sight under the table, formed into fists as I fought to keep the fury in check. My voice came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. "I'm not here for your explanations."
He blinked, caught off guard. "Then -"
"I'm here for Maya," I cut him off, my words firm and cold. "I'm here to tell you and your fucking psycho of a brother to leave Maya alone."
He stilled. The color drained from his face. "I don't…I don't understand what you mean."
I leaned forward, glaring daggers across the table at him and hissed. "You know exactly what I mean, Noah, don't play dumb. Is it not enough that your sick, twisted family tortured and hurt her? Now, you dumb fucks won't back off, threatening her and her kids?"
I was shaking from the force of my rage, the strain of keeping myself from lunging across the table to deal this lying bastard some well deserved ass whooping. "What the fuck is wrong with you guys? Threatening weak, defenseless infants and a woman who just gave birth?"
As I spoke, Noah's expression changed from confusion to realization and now he looked downright horrified, the color drained from his skin as he stared at me, wide eyed.
"What?" he rasped, shaking his head in disbelief. "No, no. Nat you must be mistaken, I didn't threaten Maya or her kids…I would never do that."
I laughed in derision. "Right. Like I'll believe you, knowing how good of a liar you are. I know you helped Cam steal Maya's number from my phone that day at the bar."
He reeled back in shock. "Nat, none of what you're saying is making sense. I may have lied to you about my part in Maya's abduction but I swear, I've done none of these things you're talking about. And Cam is not even here in LA anymore, he's currently in Vegas, where he's been since the attack on the mansion."
I leaned forward, my voice trembling with controlled rage. "Don't fucking lie to me. He called Maya two days ago and threatened her. While she was still in the hospital. He even made her believe he was in the fucking NICU with her babies, Noah. She ran through the halls terrified out of her mind that he would hurt her babies, but it was just more of his sick mind games."
Noah shook his head slowly, confusion and horror blooming across his features. "No. That's not possible. My father told Cam to stay in Vegas and forbade him from returning to Los Angeles. I was supposed to meet them there but I wanted to talk to you first…to try to apologize. My father has been blowing up my phone, ordering me to join him and he hasn't mentioned Cam being in LA."
"Well, Maya did not imagine the phone call," I spat. "And I don't give a damn how it happened. All I care about is making sure he never gets near Maya again."
Noah's brows drew together, his lips parting like he was struggling to catch up. "I swear to you, Nat… I didn't know. But I promise to find out what's going on and if Cam's really here."
He looked away, his jaw clenched tight. "If he really did this… if he threatened Maya—"
"He did," I snapped. "He taunted her. On the phone. Told her things about her babies only someone who had access to the hospital would know."
He stared at the tabletop, the skin around his knuckles whitening as his fists clenched. "He must've bribed someone. That's the only way he'd get that close. Christ…"
A shadow fell over the table and he broke off, fear tightening his expression when he looked up and noticed who'd joined us.