Chapter 121 Chapter 121
Stanley's POV
The house was still, but the stillness here was not peaceful. It was quiet with substance, weighing heavily on the walls, thinning the air like a rope that could cut at a single pull. Liana leaned beside Serena on the couch, knees bent toward her, with that soft, deliberate voice she reserved for certain people. Her tone had an edge that was enough to remind you that she was not the kind of woman who cracked under stress.
Serena's skin was white, her eyes darkened from too many nights without proper sleep. Her hands tugged at the string on her hoodie, tightening knots in it tighter and tighter, as if she could pull so hard that she would untangle the entire mess. This was a habit for her that I had noticed over the past weeks.
I stood at the back of the room, somewhat hidden in the dim lighting. My back was slightly turned against them because distance allowed me to see more. I didn't want them worrying about how this conversation would go.
From where I stood staring at her, every curve of her lips reminded me of what it felt like on mine. Last night wasn't planned, but it was a good one, if I was honest. Dangerous but good.
I could still feel the heat of her breath wafting across my jaw, the pounding of her pulse against my fingers when I'd grazed her. That was a memory all its own, the kind you couldn't afford to let go. She'd infiltrated my defenses without even trying, that was a path I had no right to travel at the moment. We had so much more going on and now was supposed to be a time of focus.
Serena was talking about something but my mind was already in a different gear. Each hour we waited was an hour Dominic had to erase his trail until it was nothing more than bare footprints.
I reached into my pocket and took out my phone, scrolling to Nolan's number. I whispered a prayer as it rang, considering the fact that he had missed the first call. The line connected on the second ring.
"Nolan," I said, my voice low-pitched. "Got a job for you. Are you in town?"
Even through the phone, I could hear him weighing the trouble against whatever he had going on.
"Like that kind of crack?" he replied at last, voice guarded.
“Yes, that kind.”
"Lets see face to face, you knowI always have time for you."
It was a risk to see in public now. Dominic had people staking out, they'd register my movement right away. But this wasn't the type of conversation you had over a line that could be dirty either.
"Where?" I asked.
He told me the location. I didn't care for it. I acquiesced anyway.
Pushing my phone aside, I spun to face Liana. "I need to leave. I gave a meeting."
She didn't ask with who or press for information. She merely looked at me with those eyes that could strip a man bare to the bone if he allowed them. That was the issue, she paid attention too much. I didn't need to hide that it was Norlan I was going to see but I knew they would be worried if I mentioned.
I gave her a kiss on the forehead and told Serena bye. Her silence followed me out like a shadow, settling in the back seat of the car with me.The drive was all muscle memory and paranoia. My eyes swept the mirrors, cataloguing every car that stayed behind me for more than two turns. I looped back through side streets twice, switched lanes without warning, and then slowed down enough to see anyone trailing me show their hand. Nobody was.
But still, Dominic's face lingered in my mind, the sneer that had twisted his lip this morning, as if he'd already read the final chapter and we were just wasting time. That was enough to set my fingers on the wheel into a hardness until the leather creaked.
The café Nolan had chosen was exactly the kind of place you wouldn't notice unless someone had been told where to look. No sign over the entrance, just a weathered wooden door and a tarnished brass bell above it. The side street it sat on was narrow enough that two parked cars would choke it off completely.
Inside, the air tasted of coffee and wood. Dim lights filtered through blinds that looked like they hadn't been cleaned in months. Two people were in the room, an old man reading a newspaper at the counter and Nolan in the back corner, hoodie low on his face, slouch loose but gaze keen.
We shared a hard nod before I moved into the booth across from him. "You said this was high profile," he told me, bypassing any introduction.
I returned his stare and thought, “Yes, it is. This is very important Norlan and you are the best forensic guy I know. This isn't just about the money, it is about a life at risk.” I watched him as he took in the details and louder, I said, "If we don't get into that drive, an innocent woman burns and a predator walks. I'm not letting that happen."
He sank back in his chair, examining me as though he were looking for cracks in a wall. He wouldn't find any. At last, he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "You've got me." He held out his hand.
“But we need this in less than a week.”
“A week? Come on Stanley.”
“Final hearing is six days away, I really need this.”
He looked at me, took a deep breath and said, “For brotherhood.” And then stretched his hand fir a shake.
I took it, my hand steady. “For brotherhood.”
The handshake lasted for some moments and the air between us was thickened with the understanding that once we started, there was no walking back.