Falling Up

44. Hidden

Shit. It was exactly the question Noah didn't want to hear, yet it was the first question out of her mouth. Where is Jason?

Hearing the question and doing his best to process an answer in his mind, he merely put the car into gear and started driving without so much as a word in Riley's direction. Luckily, she was distracting herself as she went off on a tangent about something or other that went in one ear and out of the other.

Noah's arm was leaning out of the window, nervously tapping his fingers against the outside of the car, hoping his agitated state wasn't giving anything away. He just needed to think of what to say and hopefully not freak out in the meantime.

"Hello?" called out Riley. "Noah? Anyone home?"

A gentle tap on the shoulder pulled Noah out of his thoughts and his attention onto Riley.

"Are you okay? You zoned out there for a moment."

Noah forced a smile. "Err, yeah, sorry, lack of sleep, I guess," he lied.

"Well, maybe if you stopped going to the gym at 3am in the morning, then you wouldn't act so dazed."

"Yeah, you're probably right," mumbled back Noah, knowing his lack of sleep wasn't the cause of his current problems. He was used to a lack of sleep. In fact, he kind of thrived on it.

"Where is Jason, by the way? I thought he was going to pick me up today? He promised me a milkshake from that new place that opened up. What's it called again?" Riley said, clicking her fingers together.

"The Milky Way?"

"Yeah, that's the one. Catchy name."

"I can still take you there," said Noah, who was doing his best to avoid the question yet again, although he knew he wouldn't be able to put it off for much longer.

He glanced in his rear-view mirror, his mind on edge at the thought of Vincent being out there, but all he could see was the same non-descriptive black SUV following them. The same one that had been following him for weeks now, carrying two of Tyrus's men in the vehicle. The calm it used to provide, though, was long gone after Jason was taken. It made him more on edge, afraid that the FBI wouldn't be able to protect Riley.

"So... about Jason?" Riley questioned yet again and Noah knew there was no avoiding it this time. He would either have to tell her the truth or hide it from her until they figured something out.

He glanced over at Riley, calm and full of energy, and he realised he couldn't do this to her. With the way he was feeling, there was no way he wanted her to feel the same. She looked so happy and carefree. And even though his original plan was to just let the cat out of the bag, every moment he was with her made it harder for him to say the words. He couldn't bring himself to tell her. The anxiety she would face, the fear, the reminder of what he did to her. It wasn't right to tear down her world like that again.

Noah let out a heavy breath, plastering a smile on his face as his demeanor changed to relaxed and casual in a mere moment. "Sorry Riley, I've been distracted today. Tyrus picked up Jason this morning. Said he was surprising him with a spontaneous vacation."

"What!" squealed Riley. "He's so lucky. Do you know where they went?"

"Not a clue, to be honest. Tyrus wanted it to remain a secret."

"How long is he gone for?"

"I'm not too sure."

"Well, either way, I'm happy for him. I don't think he's ever actually taken a vacation before."

Noah thought back on that sentence and come to think of it, none of them had ever been on a vacation before. It was kind of sad when he thought about it. But he felt even more guilty about lying to Riley. He felt like she was always kept out of the loop and, even though he did it with her best intentions in mind, it didn't make it any easier. And his lie wouldn't hold up for long. They just needed to find Jason and Vincent before Riley had any idea what was going on. Sure, she would be mad at him, but that he could deal with later. Right now, his focus was keeping Riley happy and safe.