Page 101 of Silent Fire (Sin & Steel #6)

Noel puffed out his cheeks, trying to psych himself up. He could do this. This motorcycle wasn’t like the one from his past. It was safe. Tomas was safe.

Placing his hand on the leather seat, he tried to hop on, but it didn’t go smoothly. After three attempts, he gave up. “I’ll just walk.”

“Try using my shoulders.” Tomas patted his right one. “Gotta grip it tight.”

“You watched me struggle and didn’t say anything the entire time?” Noel started walking, annoyed with the whole night and in no mood for Tomas’s bullshit.

The motorcycle roared to life, disrupting the quietness, but Noel didn’t stop. Tomas rode up beside him, feet moving slowly along the road. “I’m sorry. I was being a dick.”

Without breaking stride, Noel flipped him off.

“Please, get on, florito . I promise to behave.” Tomas revved the throttle. “I can have us back at Sin’s in ten minutes.”

Noel got why Tomas was acting this way, but that didn’t mean he had to like it.

“You’re still pissed at me for leaving in the first place.

I don’t need this, Tomas. Not after what I just went through.

” Damn it! He clenched his jaw as tears started to form.

It was just because he was exhausted and hungry, not because he cared. He definitely didn’t care.

“That still doesn’t make it right,” Tomas said, reaching for Noel. “I really am sorry. I let my feelings get in the way.”

Noel stared at the extended hand, hesitating. He didn’t want to share anything about himself. Didn’t want to like Tomas. That would just complicate things when Noel eventually moved on.

But after six months on the run, the loneliness was really starting to get to him.

“My stepdad used to do things like that to me,” he murmured, curling his arms around his stomach.

“He said it helped build character. It wasn’t the bike I was actually afraid of.

It was being dismissed, my feelings not validated, and forced to suck it up when I was scared. ”

Tomas climbed off the bike and pulled Noel into his arms. “I’m sorry, Noel. I messed up. But your stepdad letting a little kid deal with his fears alone? That’s just wrong.”

Noel simply rested his head against Tomas’s chest, feeling a comfort he didn’t often experience. He just wanted to find someone he could trust, who wouldn’t hurt him, someone who actually cared about him instead of brushing aside his feelings.

He leaned into Tomas’s solid warmth, letting himself be comforted for just a moment longer. Then he took a shuddering breath and pulled back, meeting Tomas’s gaze. “Thanks. I’m ready to try again.”

Tomas nodded, guiding Noel back to the motorcycle. He placed his hands on Noel’s hips and helped boost him up onto the seat. The seat was soft under Noel as he settled in, gripping the leather beneath his thighs.

Tomas swung his leg over and kicked the stand up. The engine roared to life, vibrating through Noel’s bones. He tensed, fingers digging into Tomas’s waist.

“Relax, hon,” Tomas called over his shoulder. “I’m not gonna let you fall off.”

They took off down the road, wind whipping through Noel’s hair.

He squeezed his eyes shut at first, stomach swooping at the unfamiliar sensation.

But as Tomas guided the bike smoothly around bends, Noel peeked one eye open.

Then the other. The night rushed by in a blur of shadows and moonlight.

It was...exhilarating. Terrifying and freeing all at once.

He might’ve even cracked a smile. And definitely noticed the solid body he clung to, the hips his legs bracketed.

Then Noel loosened his grip, reminding himself to keep his feelings out of this.

Just from the little time he’d spent with Tomas, Noel knew the guy was a heartbreaker.

The kind of man who swooped you off your feet and into his bed, leaving you only with a memory of the best night of your life.

Noel already had his heart broken, and then a few bones.

Not that he thought Tomas would be the same, but he was still scarred from Brian, emotionally and literally.

Getting involved with someone at this point in his life would be a huge mistake.

Noel wouldn’t be able to take another emotional blow.

He just didn’t have it in him to go through that again.

Less than ten minutes later, they were parking outside Sin’s.

Tomas backed into a spot between two bikes then cut the engine, steadying the bike so Noel could clamber off on shaky legs.

The sudden quiet was jarring after the roar of the wind.

Music and raucous laughter spilled out from the open door of the tavern, a stark contrast to the silent countryside he’d left behind.

This was exactly what Noel needed, noise, distractions, anything that would drown out the memory of Sharp Teeth.

“C’mon.” Tomas’s hand touched Noel’s back again. “Let’s get some food in you.”

Inside, the noise and crowd hit Noel like a physical force. He faltered, but Tomas’s touch anchored him, guiding him through the press of bodies to the bar. Noel climbed onto a stool, shaking his head, finding it ironic he was right back where he’d started.

Tomas signaled the bartender and ordered them both drinks. A moment later, Cesar appeared, sliding a heaping plate of wings and fries in front of Noel with a wink.

“Your blackmail meal as promised.” With a flourish of his hands, he produced salt and pepper shakers like he’d just performed the neatest magic trick.

Noel’s mouth watered at the sight and smell. His stomach rumbled loudly. Picking up a wing, he bit into it and nearly moaned. Crispy skin, juicy meat, spices that danced on his tongue. It was the best damn thing he’d ever tasted.

“Got any ketchup?” he asked around a mouthful.

Cesar chuckled and produced a bottle from under the bar. “ Salsa de tomate for the man who demands a high price to not rabbit on me.”

Noel glared but couldn’t hold it, too busy savoring every bite. Tomas watched him with an amused half-smile, sipping his whiskey.

“Hey.” Tomas’s voice cut through his ravenous haze. Noel glanced up, hoping he didn’t have sauce on his face. Tomas arched an eyebrow. “Swear to me you won’t take off again without a word. Not like that.”

Noel swallowed his food, meeting Tomas’s intense stare. The instinct to run was a living thing inside him. But he thought of Tomas’s arms around him, the steadiness in his voice. The way he made Noel feel like maybe he could exhale, just for a little while.

“I swear,” Noel said in a low tone. “I won’t ghost on you again. I’ll use my big-boy words if I feel that itch to run.”

Tomas studied him for a long moment before giving a nod. He squeezed Noel’s shoulder then stepped away, melting into the crowd.

Alone at the bar, Noel stared at his plate, his appetite slightly diminished but not enough to push his food away.

He polished off the wings methodically, barely tasting them now.

His mind kept circling back to the farmhouse, to those feral eyes and sharp teeth.

He shuddered, shoving a fry into his mouth.

Cesar briefly returned, just long enough to set a glass of soda in front of Noel before disappearing again.

For a second, Noel closed his eyes, telling himself not to get used to this, to the feeling of family, of belonging.

He’d had that feeling in the past, and it hadn’t ended so well.

For real, he’d never had the “family” thing.

Not like a kid should’ve had. And if he were being honest with himself, Noel had never felt like he truly belonged anywhere.

But this place? He’d been here less than a day and both of those feelings had already swept through him.

The way they laughed and patted a shoulder here and there, their skin crinkling at their eyes.

The rowdiness that seemed good-natured, like they could either kill you or offer you the leather off their backs.

As Noel glanced around, he started to understand what this club meant to these men. A brotherhood they wouldn’t find anywhere else.

Stop it. You’re not staying. You can never stay in one place for too long . Gritting his teeth, Noel turned back to his food just as his phone buzzed in his back pocket. He glanced at his sauce-covered fingers with a twist of his lips, shrugged, then licked them clean before fishing out his phone.

The text on the screen made his heart thunder so hard his chest hurt.

Miss me? Been thinking about you. Is that town as cozy as it seems? Winking emoji. See you soon, love.

Brian.

Bile rose in the back of Noel’s throat. His lungs constricted, making it difficult to breathe. No. No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening. He’d been so careful, never staying in one place too long. How had Brian found him?

The phone trembled in his white-knuckled grip. He had to get out of here. Had to run. Had to—

“Noel?” Tomas’s concerned rumble cut through the static in Noel’s head. He was suddenly right there, standing over him, brows furrowed. “What’s wrong?”

Noel quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, controlling his features from a longtime habit. “Nothing. Everything’s cool.” He tried for a smile, but it felt brittle, cracking at the edges. Exactly like his mind was doing.

The look in Tomas’s brown eyes said he knew Noel was lying. But instead of calling him out on it, he settled onto the stool next to Noel.

You need to run. Can’t bring that bullshit here. Not when they’ve been so nice to you.

He wasn’t hungry anymore, but he forced himself to keep eating mechanically. Chewed and swallowed past the lump of dread in his throat. Anything to keep his hands busy, to keep from vibrating out of his skin.