hastier goodbyes, Alexis slid into the car and pinned Noah with a challenging stare. “So, what was that between you and Marsh?”
Noah adjusted the rearview mirror before backing out. “Did my mom torture you with her dumb pictures?”
“No. I liked seeing you in your Batman costume when you were seven, and I’m going to tease you forever about that unfortunate peach-fuzz phase from middle school. But stop avoiding my question.”
Noah turned right out of the subdivision. “He doesn’t trust me.”
“I knew it,” she seethed. “Because Elliott works for a defense contractor. He thinks you’re going to do something.”
“Yep.”
“But that’s not who you are anymore.”
“I know.” He hung another right.
“You haven’t been that person in a long time.”
He glanced at her sideways. “I appreciate the indignation on my behalf, but in Marsh’s eyes, I’ll always be that person.”
That person, of course, being an angry teenager with a genius IQ and a misguided need for revenge for his father’s death. A rebellious kid who ended up in FBI custody because of a reckless, failed attempt to hack into something way out of his league. A kid who never actually rose above the hacktivist version of coffee boy, who immediately agreed to consult for the FBI and testify against the big guys, but who in Marsh’s eyes would never, ever live up to his father’s sacrifice.
Alexis jutted her jaw to the side. “I don’t understand why he’s so hard on you. Haven’t you proven yourself a hundred times over?”
Noah merged onto the freeway. “It’s complicated.”
She traded righteousness for sardonic deadpan. “A sister I never knew existed just showed up to tell me my long-lost father needs a kidney. I can handle complicated.”
Noah peeled a hand off the wheel and massaged the back of his neck. “He promised my father he’d take care of us, and it made sense when Zoe and I were young and when Mom was having such a hard time. But now, it’s like he’s mad that we don’t actually need him anymore.” He let out a breath. “Sometimes I think he’s actually pissed off that I’m not that kid anymore, you know? The world doesn’t make sense to him if I don’t need an ass-kicking.”
“I doubt your father wanted you to be Marsh’s emotional punching bag for the rest of your lives.”
The insight—so precise and accurate and classically Alexis—was a sucker punch to his chest. He white-knuckled the steering wheel. “I’m more worried about my mom.”
Alexis muscles went rigid next to him. “Is he mean to her?”
“No,” he said quickly. “Trust me. I wouldn’t put up with that. I just feel like he’s the reason she’s never really moved on.”
Alexis relaxed in her seat. “You think they’re more than just friends?”
“I think whatever they are to each other, it’s not healthy.”
“It’s hard to judge people’s relationships from the outside.”
Her words managed to both scold and shame him, because he knew that better than anyone. He’d been fighting the outside judgments about his relationship with Alexis for months.
A quiet ding from her purse saved him from having to respond. She dug around until she found her phone. She stared at the notification longer than necessary.
“What is it?”
“Candi.”
“How the hell does she have your cell phone number?”
Alexis pressed her fingertips to her temple. “I gave it to her before I knew who she really was.”
“What does she want?”
“She has to go back to Huntsville tomorrow night. She wants to know if I would be willing to meet her at her hotel.”
“Tomorrow?” The question came out more defensive than he intended.
Her answer was another one of those frustrating shrugs. “I don’t see how I can say no.”
“Easy,” he said, loosening his grip on the steering wheel because he was about to pop a knuckle. “You just say no.”
“She’s desperate, Noah. How can I stand by and force her to watch her father die knowing I might have been able to stop it?”
Noah swiped his hand over his hair.
Alexis stared at him. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m tired of you caring more about other people than yourself.”
“We’re talking life or death here.”
“Exactly. And you seem to forget that he’s not the only one whose life is at stake.”
“These transplant surgeries are safe. They do thousands of them every year.”
Noah wanted to argue but stopped himself. She didn’t need him putting more pressure on her than she was already putting on herself.
Instead, he dragged a hand from the steering wheel and covered the tangle of hers on her lap. “How can I help?”
Her relief was a living,