Chapter 16

Noah and Maggie exchangedwide-eyed looks.

"The Porsche?" Maggie said, immediately rising to scan the parking lot.

"Porsche?" Noah could hear the confusion in Hugo's voice. "No, his Trailblazer."

"Where?" Noah cried.

"Before I tell you, why didn't you mention it was missing when we spoke on Saturday morning?"

"I didn't realize it was gone until after you'd left. And then there was the whole thing with the Porsche."

"What whole thing with the Porsche?"

Noah launched into an explanation of finding the Porsche in Valentina's parking lot after Hugo and the police had left them and about how all the paperwork stated that the car was his.

"So, this Porsche is actually in your name?" Hugo sounded incredulous.

"Yes," Noah said. "The police have checked it out already, and everything seems to show that it really is mine. But, again, I have no memory of buying it, Hugo."

"Strange," Hugo said, sounding thoughtful. "Well, I have some other news to share with you besides the discovery of your car. Can you take the phone off speaker? I want to make certain passersby can't hear the rest of what I want to say."

Noah did as Hugo asked, and then scooted closer to Maggie so they could both lean in to hear. She smelled like warm vanilla and sunshine and he inhaled deeply, nearly forgetting he had the phone in his hand until Hugo began speaking again.

"I'm technically not allowed to share all of this with you, so what I'm about to tell you is officially off the record, okay?"

"Okay," Maggie and Noah said together.

"Needless to say, a potential murder in Whispering Pines is a big deal. So, naturally, the police are putting all hands on deck to get to the bottom of this missing woman. As a result, they're moving a lot faster than normal when it comes to getting back results from the lab, like the arsenic in the wine I told you about."

Noah sighed.

"But they've learned more. Even though the wine bottle had enough arsenic in it that just a few sips would have been enough to kill someone, there were no traces of it in either of the wine glasses that were on the table."

"That's good, right?" Noah said.

"Well, it certainly doesn't hurt," Hugo replied, then continued. "And about your car, Noah, they found it abandoned on a back road outside of town. The police have thoroughly examined it. Any fingerprints inside and out have been wiped clean, including yours, which is strange. And there was no evidence that anyone else may have driven it."

Noah shook his head, and Maggie placed a hand on his shoulder. But he couldn't even appreciate her gentle touch. "Please tell me there was no dead body in my trunk, Hugo?" he said in a low voice.

"No dead body," Hugo said. "And another positive for you is that they've uncovered new evidence that's leading them to consider other suspects in Valentina Romano's disappearance."

"Like what?"

"They were able to obtain a print from the knife your alleyway attacker used. The knife belongs to a man named Nicola Verilla, also known as ‘Nick the Knife.'"

"Nick the...what?" Noah exclaimed.

"Apparently, Verilla is the number two man for the Detroit Partnership crime family," he paused for effect. "As in, the mafia."

Once again, Noah and Maggie exchanged shocked looks.

"But why would the...er," Noah looked around furtively to make certain nobody was nearby, but still whispered the next part of his question, "family be coming after me? Or Valentina?"

"They haven't figured out a connection yet, but they're working on it. I just knew you'd want to know."

"I do! Thank you, Hugo!"

"One more thing before I let you go," Hugo said. "They don't have any further reason to hold your car, so I pulled a few strings and they're releasing it. You can come pick it up."

Noah thanked Hugo again and disconnected.

Maggie threw herself back onto the blanket and Noah followed suit, both of them staring up at the twilight sky. It was painted in streaks of pale pink and blue as the sun sank closer to the waterline, making its way toward sunset.

"I can't believe this," Maggie said. "First it was just Valentina, then arsenic in the wine, and now the mafia?"

"And don't forget my erased memory," Noah said.

She turned her face toward him. "This is all so much bigger than we ever realized."

"It really is," Noah replied. He sat up then, his eyes fixed on the horizon. The weight of everything that had transpired hung heavy in the air between them.

A moment later, he felt Maggie lay her hand gently on top of his, a silent gesture of support. "We'll figure this out, Noah," she said. "Together."

Noah pulled his eyes from the waves and gazed down at her. He studied her face, the slight furrow between her brows, the expression of concern coloring her features, and the curve of her lips as she nibbled the bottom one with her teeth. Then his eyes skimmed over her, admiring how her skin glowed like warm honey from their afternoon in the sun. In spite of everything that was happening, everything they had just learned from Hugo and the anxiety it induced, all he wanted to do right now was wrap her in his arms and pull her close. He could almost feel the softness of her body against his, feel her inviting warmth as he breathed her in.

His eyes moved back to hers and found her looking back at him, heat flickering in the depths of her gaze. Their eyes remained locked on each other's for a heartbeat, then two, as the tension between them seemed to grow with each passing second. The air around them crackled with unspoken words, and Noah felt his pulse begin to accelerate. He reached out a tentative hand, his fingers tracing the line of her jaw, brushing against the soft curve of her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her eyes fluttering briefly, as she seemed to savor the sensation.

Then, without breaking eye contact, Noah leaned slowly toward her, testing. But she didn't move away. Instead, her lips parted. The swell of her breasts rose and fell as her breathing increased. In that moment, time seemed to stand still, and the world with all its chaos faded away, leaving just the two of them.

Maybe it was the confusing roller coaster of emotions he'd been riding all weekend. Maybe it was the safe port in the storm that she represented for him in the midst of this turmoil. But no. Even as these thoughts occurred, he dismissed them from his mind just as quickly. It wasn't any of those things. It was the fact that he was in love with Maggie Milena. He'd always been in love with Maggie Milena. And now, he wanted to kiss her.

His heart pounded in his chest as he closed the gap between them until their lips were only a breath apart.

"Noah?" her voice whispered against his skin.

Woof, woof! Boon's sudden barking caused them both to start. Noah automatically looked up and Maggie quickly scooted from beneath him, sitting back up a distance away. They both turned to look at where the dog sat beneath the tree, staring at them. Both of his expressive ears were now pointed upward at full attention. The spell was broken.

"The poor guy is probably bored," Maggie said.

Noah nodded, certain that the regret he was feeling showed clearly on his face.

"I...think we'd better go," she said.

***

They didn't talk muchon the way to the vehicle impound lot. Maggie was grateful for Boon's intervention. Who knows what stupid thing she may have allowed to happen if she hadn't been saved by the bark? She knew without a doubt that Noah had been about to kiss her back there on the beach. And heaven help her, she'd wanted him to with every fiber of her being.

Oh yes, I'm not dating at all anymore. No, siree. I'm staying away from men completely. Big talk, Milena.

The more time they spent together, the more difficult it was getting for her to deny her true feelings for him. She thought their years apart would have erased her feelings for Noah, or at least softened them. But she was even more in love with him than she'd been in high school.

She knew that Noah was a wonderful man, and she even recognized that he was not the type who would be a bad choice for her. In fact, he was the opposite. He was the kindest, most thoughtful, most gentlemanly—and yes, she may as well admit it—the sexiest man she'd ever known. The problem was that up until now, they'd remained strictly and safely in the friend zone. And even though he'd been about to kiss her, she was certain that her feelings for him ran much deeper than his did for her.

And there was absolutely no way that she was going to let herself get involved with him in some sort of casual way. She was smart enough to recognize the pain such an involvement would cause her down the road if she let herself act on impulse now.

She took a deep breath and reminded herself that he was her client. It was her job to find him his happily ever after. And a casual romance with her was not it.

They pulled into the impound lot Hugo had directed them to. And after Noah signed a form, the officer in charge led him to his car and handed him the key.

"They found your car unlocked with the key under the mat," the officer said with a shrug.

Noah unlocked the car and looked around inside, then checked the glove box. "Everything seems to be here," he said.

"Is the car still in your name?" Maggie teased with a smirk.

"Looks like it," he said, holding up the small, white car registration form.

"So, what do you want to do now?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I've gotta be honest, I've felt pretty weird driving around in that Porsche. I think I want to hold off on driving it anymore until we get to the bottom of this whole thing."

"Sooo...what are you going to do with it?"

"If you're okay with this, can you drive the Porsche and follow me back to Valentina's lot? We can leave it there for now." He ran a hand through his hair. "I would take you home after that, but I think we should sleep at my brother's again tonight. I know the police have made it a priority to look for Nick the Knife and his partner, but they're still out there somewhere."

Maggie hadn't really heard much of anything Noah said after he'd asked if she'd drive his Porsche. With a broad grin, she held out her hand. "Key, please!"

Noah rolled his eyes and pulled the sleek decorative key fob out of his pocket. Maggie reached for it, but he pulled his hand back, looking her squarely in the eye. "No speeding!"

"Yeah, yeah," she said, snatching the key and slipping into the driver's seat. "Come to Mama," she said as the engine purred to life.

Back at the condo parking lot, she pulled into a space and regretfully turned off the engine.

Noah parked in the empty space on her passenger side.

It was well past sunset now and a few clouds had gathered at the edges of the sky, hinting at the possibility of rain later. But now, a blanket of summer starlight glittered overhead and a warm breeze teased at the curls around her face as she walked around to Noah's car. His window was down and she could see the flash of his white teeth as he smiled in the darkness. "She'll be all right, Mags, I promise."

"I'm just really going to miss her," Maggie said, climbing into his passenger seat and giving a dramatic sniff.

A panting Boon stuck his head between the front seats to greet his old friend. He gazed at her, his soft eyes glowing with concern.

"Hey, buddy," she said, scratching him behind one flopped-over ear. She giggled as his pointed wet nose nuzzled her and then she leaned away as his pink tongue shot out in an attempt to lick her cheek. "No kisses right now, Boon!" she laughed.

Noah had his hand poised to put the Trailblazer in gear, but he didn't complete the action. Instead, he seemed lost in thought, staring out into the darkness for so long, she started to wonder if he'd fallen asleep with his eyes open.

"Hey...Noah? You okay?"

He surprised her by shutting off the engine. Then he twisted in his seat to angle toward her. There was only a single light pole in the center of the parking lot and it wasn't very close to them, so most of his face was hidden in shadow.

"I'm not sure."

"What is it, did you remember something?" She leaned closer, trying to discern his features.

"No, it's something you just said."

"What?" she was mystified.

He cleared his throat. "Maggie, when we were at the beach earlier, just after Hugo called...well, it kind of felt like we were having a moment."

Maggie was grateful for the darkness now so that Noah couldn't see the heated blush suddenly staining her cheeks. A moment? Yes, we were having a moment! You were about to fulfill my teenage dreams by pressing your lips against mine. But no way was she saying that out loud.

"I'm not certain what you mean," she lied.

He didn't respond and they sat together in silence as several interminable seconds ticked past. Although the night hid his face, she knew that he was studying her.

Finally, he spoke again. "I think you do, Maggie. I think you know that I wanted to kiss you. And...I still want to kiss you."

His voice was a low, husky whisper that washed over her, making every inch of her skin tingle and a delicious warmth blossom deep inside her. She could not believe that he'd just said that out loud. Her mind whirled.

"I—look, Noah," she said, struggling to keep her voice calm, cool, rational. "I think we've had a couple of very long days here. And maybe the stress of it all is wearing on us and bringing up feelings that we wouldn't normally—"

The rest of what she'd been about to say faded to breath as he slowly leaned toward her, just as he had on the beach. The light of a crescent moon illuminated his face, casting shadows and soft highlights across his features, and she could clearly see the desire in his smoky eyes. Their lips were now only an inch apart and he hovered there, as if waiting to see what she would do. But she'd lost the ability to speak, to think. Her own lips trembled in anticipation as they almost brushed against his. She could feel the tantalizing warmth of his breath, the heat emanating from his body, the intoxicating scent of him overwhelming her senses.

Then the tender touch of his lips pressed against hers, soft and sweet. He lingered there, sending shivers of pleasure dancing down her spine.

At first, his lips moved slowly against hers, almost questioning. But if he was worried about moving too fast, she quickly disabused him of that notion. She knew she wasn't thinking straight but for once she didn't care. She reached up with both of her hands to cradle his face and began kissing him back with an abandon that shocked her. A soft moan issued from deep in his throat as their lips danced together. She felt his hand thread into her hair as he pulled her even closer and their kiss deepened.

Her lips parted and the tip of his tongue flicked ever so lightly against the sensitive underside of her upper lip. Without conscious thought, she rose up out of her seat to somehow end up on his lap. Her insides swirled with a fluttering heat and she gasped as his lips forged a tantalizing trail across the underside of her jaw and down her neck. His tongue flicked against the hollow of her collarbone before he made his way back to her mouth, savoring it with a combination of gentleness and intensity that took her breath away.

The fevered passion between them slowly began to ease, and his lips brushed against hers one last time before he finally pulled away and leaned his forehead against her own.

She was on sensation overload but still managed to hear his whispered, "I've wanted to do that for a long, long, long time."

She tipped back to look at him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "You have?"

"Yes. And maybe I'm wrong, Maggie, but from the way you responded just now, I think you've wanted it to."

She nibbled at her bottom lip, afraid that if she gave an inch, she'd end up giving a mile. How could she confess that it wasn't only that she'd wanted to kiss him? She wanted all of him. The time they'd spent together over the past few days had only made her more certain than ever. She was deeply, passionately, hopelessly in love with this man. But how could she tell him this? It was just a kiss. An incredible kiss, but...

"I can't deny that I've thought about it," she said carefully.

"I knew it!" he exploded, his teeth flashing again as he grinned in the darkness.

Boon gave a soft grunt at the sudden sound. "Sorry, boy," Noah said, reaching to give the dog a pat on the head.

"Really, Noah, this is totally inappropriate," Maggie said, wriggling off his lap and back into her own seat. "I'm your professional matchmaker. I'm not supposed to be...to be..."

"Making out with me?" he said helpfully, his tone tinged with amusement.

"Seriously, Noah, this is just not—" Suddenly, a light danced in her peripheral vision, distracting her from finishing her thought. She squinted out into the darkness. "What was that?"

Noah looked in the direction she was pointing and sucked in his breath.

In the window of Valentina's condo, they could both see the beam of a flashlight moving around inside it.

"What should we do?" Maggie whispered.

"Call the police," Noah said, pulling out his cell phone.

"Wait!" Maggie reached out to lightly touch his arm. "Look!"

Noah glanced up. The light had disappeared, and a second later, they saw a figure dressed in black leap out of what would have been Valentina's bedroom window. Only then did Maggie notice the white-framed piece of window glass leaning up against the side of the condo. The black-shrouded figure lifted the window and popped it back into place, then walked quickly from the building toward the parking lot.

"Duck!" Noah said. And they both scooted down low in their seats, peeking over the dashboard as the figure passed beneath the lone parking lot light.

"It's him!" Maggie breathed.

It was the angry-looking man from the photographs. The one who had been following Valentina throughout the date on Friday night. The night she disappeared.