His face was red, his hands gripping the edge of the desk forcefully.
“Come on,” Worthington said, grabbing Noah’s arm and trying to pull him back. “Noah, come on.”
Noah shrugged him off, wrenching himself out of the professor’s grasp. “I will end you,” he repeated.
“Noah,” Worthington said. “Come on.”
Noah stood there for another moment, then turned and headed for the door. As he went, he reached his arm out and angrily pushed a can of pencils off the detective’s desk.
I hurried out after Noah and Worthington, even though apparently neither one of them even remembered I was there.
Noah stormed ahead, back through the double doors before barreling through the lobby and back out onto the street.
“What the fuck was that?” Worthington seethed once we were out of the police station.
“That was a fucking ambush,” Noah said. He was putting his gloves back on. “I’m not talking to them again. They can go fuck themselves. They think I killed Dani DeClair? Yeah, well, prove it.”
“No, I mean, what the fuck were you doing?” Worthington demanded. “They have you on tape threatening a police office. Do you know how that makes you look? Not to mention if there’s ever a grand jury hearing, they’ll – ”
“I told you,” Noah said calmly, “I don’t give a fuck what they do. And if you can’t accept that, well, then, maybe I should find a lawyer who can.” He started walking toward the street, where he climbed into the backseat of his waiting limo.
Besides the slight look of disapproval he’d given me when I asked Detective Rake for some coffee, he hadn’t acknowledged my presence at all.
“Jesus,” Professor Worthington swore under his breath. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He lit one up and exhaled slowly. He glanced over at me, seemingly remembering for the first time that I was there.
“You smoke?” he asked, holding out the pack and offering me one.
I shook my head no.
He took another long drag and I just stood there, not sure what I was supposed to say. This definitely wasn’t the way I imagined my first foray into the real world of law going – me having slept with a potential suspect, finding out that a couple of other women he’d slept with had ended up murdered.
My phone started ringing, and I fumbled through my bag until I found it.
It was a number I didn’t recognize.
“Charlotte Holloway,” I said, deciding to try and sound professional in front of Professor Worthington.
“Hi, Charlotte Holloway.” The voice was smooth as silk, and instantly recognizable. “This is Noah Cutler.”
“Oh,” I said. “Hi, Noah.”
Worthington looked up with interest.
“I’d like to discuss what just happened in there,” he said. “Would you be available for a meeting?”
“Where are you?”
“Sitting in my limo. Watching you.”
I bit my lip, considering.
“You look cute when you bite your lip like that.”
“Let me ask Professor Worthington,” I said. I covered the phone with my hand, why, I had no idea, since there was no reason to – Noah could hear everything anyway, and besides, he was watching us.
“Noah wants to have a meeting,” I said.
“Of course,” Worthington said. “When? Where?”
“Just you,” Noah rasped into the phone.
“What?”
“Just. You. Not Worthington.”
I paused, my heart hammering in my chest. “He, um… he wants it to be with just me.” My face burned, as I realized how that sounded. Noah was making it perfectly clear that he wanted time alone with me, doing everything but coming out and saying that it had to do with something of a personal nature. Why else would he want to have a meeting with a law student?
“Go,” Professor Worthington said, seemingly unfazed. “Whatever he wants, go.”
“When?” I asked into the phone.
“Now.”
“Where?”
“Come to my limo, Charlotte.”
The line went dead.
“He wants me to go to his limo,” I said. “He wants to read over the notes I took.”
Professor Worthington nodded. “Sure,” he said. “Do whatever he wants.” I wasn’t sure if it was my imagination, but I thought I heard an implication in his tone, like maybe he was telling me to do whatever it took, in whatever way.
I nodded and slid my phone back into my bag.
When I got to the limo, I opened the door and slid inside.
Noah was sitting in the seat across from me.
“Hello,” he said conversationally, as if he hadn’t just been ignoring me for the past hour.