Chapter 6

Noble Sanfino wasn't normally one to be up and about so early in the morning, but ever since he'd stepped foot back in New York City, he was a man with a purpose again. That, plus his current obsession was an annoyingly early riser, especially when he worked during the day. Noble walked back into his cramped, little hotel room not far from his old friend's apartment, carrying a large coffee and his favorite breakfast pastry, just what he needed to get him through the morning matinee. This wasn't the sort of accommodations he associated with his old New York City lifestyle, but this wasn't the time to attract any unwanted attention to himself. And, anyhow, he had more important things to spend his money on these days. He had plans for Jamie Reagan and seeing them come to fruition would be reward enough; he'd barely remember how he'd had to slum it once he was far away from the city again.

If it wasn't for his extra-curricular activities back in Colorado, he wouldn't even have been able to afford this dump on top of all of his other expenses. Deciding that he wasn't going to fully accept the fate being forced on him by WitSec, Noble had long ago managed to find ways to supplement his income and feel a little more like the businessman he used to be. Living in a college town meant that there was a demand for certain types of products and Noble had been quick to sniff out the right supply line. Being in witness protection meant he was supposed to keep his nose clean and as far as the Feds were concerned, he had been doing just that, keeping his little side business completely off their radar. He'd managed to keep his hands clean - for the most part - while working for his uncle and doing the same in Smalltown, USA had turned out to be a snap.

Noble placed his breakfast on the small bedside table and checked the feed on the laptop, finding everything in the small apartment still and quiet. That was surprising since there would normally be some sort of activity from one or both occupants by this hour of the morning. With at least a few more minutes before the live show, Noble dropped down onto the unmade bed and took a long sip from his latte as he turned to study the collage of printouts and photographs taped to the wall above the cheap wooden desk...the amount of information you could find on the internet still amazed him. But that was nothing compared to the wealth of information available to you when you utilized the services of a twenty-year-old college geek who was slowly developing his talents as a master hacker and, lucky for him, traded his services for the product he carried most of the time; the kid was a freaking genius as far as he was concerned. It was because of him that he now knew all there was to know about Jameson Reagan, from his ridiculous allergy to the exact score of his sergeant's exam. And it had been just as easy to dig up information on his new wife. All of it helped make easy targets of the unsuspecting newlyweds.

Noble was staring at the wedding photo of Mr. and Mrs. Jameson Reagan from the Post's website when the couple in question finally resurfaced from their little love nest. He took a seat on the rickety desk chair and watched them move around the kitchen with perfect synchronization as they both got ready for another exciting workday, preparing breakfast as they bantered back and forth like two people so perfectly happy and in love. The two were poster children for your typical, sickly-sweet newlyweds who couldn't keep their hands off each other. It had been entertaining at first, but now it just made Noble sick to his stomach...probably because it was everything he didn't have in his own pathetic life.

Jamie Reagan had a seemingly perfect life: a good family, a beautiful wife and a promising career - he was already climbing the ranks with a major undercover bust under his belt. It wasn't fair, Reagan was living his own version of the American dream in the big city while he was hidden away in some forgettable town out west all because he'd allowed himself to be suckered in by the stupid cop.

Noble's jaw clenched as he watched the couple head out to work together, checking the schedule pinned to the wall to estimate when they'd return home. He just wanted Jamie Reagan to know all that he'd lost because of him.

He'd know soon enough...he was getting tired of this show anyway.

Eddie walked out of her apartment building and squinted into the bright mid-afternoon sunshine. She came to a stop and placed her dry-cleaned uniform over her arm as she rummaged around in her purse for her sunglasses.

"Eddie Reagan?"

Eddie's head snapped to the left where she found an unfamiliar man approaching. "Maybe. Who's asking?" she responded suspiciously as she eyed the stranger approaching her.

"Sorry. I'm an old friend of Jamie's," the sandy-haired man explained with a bright smile. "Name's Eric. Eric Weller," he said while extending his hand.

Eddie studied the man, searching her memory for a mention of an Eric Weller as she returned his firm grip. "Sorry, I've never heard your name before. You say you're an old friend of Jamie's?"

"Yeah...actually it's been years since we've seen each other," he began to explain as he casually slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket. "We were kinda tight until I moved away. He was like a member of my family...saved my life once, you know?"

"Oh," Eddie said with a polite smile, not knowing what else to say to this perfect stranger while wondering how he'd even recognized her if he'd been gone all these years.

"Yeah. I moved out of the city several years back. Just moved back into town and wanted to catch up. I thought I'd surprise him," he said.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate that, but I'm sorry to say that he's at work. I can let him know you stopped by. Did you want to leave me your number?" Eddie offered.

Noble held his hands up. "No need. I have his, but like I said, I figured I'd surprise him. I'll give him a call later," he said, studying the petite blonde that had been half of the main attraction the last few weeks. She was even better looking in person, he thought. No wonder Reagan married her.

"Okay," Eddie responded uncomfortably, feeling as if he was ogling her.

Noble's eyes widened and he snapped his fingers when he remembered something else that he wanted to mention. "Oh, and by the way, congrats on the marriage. I saw the article in the Post several months back. That's how I recognized you, actually," Noble said, instantly noticing the way she tensed at the mention of the article. His smile grew, confirming yet again how easy it was to get under their skin.

Eddie's discomfort was replaced by annoyance as she mentally cursed that damn article, but put on a happy front. "Uh, yeah. Thanks," she replied with a forced smile.

"Yeah," Noble sighed, as he made sure to leave her with a lasting impression. "I never thought I'd see the day that Jamie Reagan would settle down. He was a real player; I had trouble keeping up with him sometimes. He even chased after my sister for a while...like a dog with a bone, that one," Noble laughed. "But that got a little weird with our friendship and everything."

"I'm sure," Eddie said slowly, finding that the conversation had become a little strange. She wasn't certain if he was just completely oblivious as to what he was telling her about her husband or whether he was actually doing it on purpose for some strange reason...some friend.

"But our friendship came first in the end. He's good that way," Noble smiled.

"He sure is," Eddie agreed with a nod of her head, trying to think of a polite way to end this run-in with Jamie's weird buddy.

"Seeing that article on your wedding is what really made me want to move back and reconnect with some people I haven't seen in a while. I missed this city," he said.

Eddie stared back with slightly puzzled eyes.

"Well, I've taken enough of your time. It was a pleasure to meet you, Eddie. I hope to see you soon," Noble smiled and turned to walk away.

"Sure thing," Eddie replied as her phone began to ring, wishing it had done so a few minutes sooner. "Strange guy," she muttered under her breath as she accepted the call. "Hey, mom," she answered as she turned to head for her car, quickly filing away the encounter for now, but she'd definitely bring up to Jamie later when she saw him.

Jamie will find out next his old buddy is back in town!