Scoffing, Noah lifted Diego just that little bit higher before he brought their faces closer together. His lip pulled back while he stared Diego down. It wasn't actually going to work and he knew that. His own power was not in his attitude, but the strength of his will and body. Personality left a lot to be desired. That was all Silva's forte and personality was a lot stronger than most would give it credit for. Charismatic leaders could change entire nations. When it came down to it, Noah was nothing but a single person who had no allegiance but to whatever he felt like following. Right now it happened to be Diego, who wasn't the least bit worried at all of Noah's manhandling. That was fine; Noah wasn't expecting anything for real yet.

"What if," he said slowly, "I just snapped right where we fuckin' stand and I don't follow you anywhere because you can't make me do shit?" It was a rhetorical question, one posed because Noah simply didn't know how to give in without making a point of his own unwillingness, his awareness that he consciously making the decision to do something. He would not be controlled, and he would not be jerked around. Just because he had some kind of trust in Silva didn't make the man immune to Noah's inability to integrate.