Page 15 of Lillith
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. There went his plan. Slowly, he stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Lillithcrossed her arms, watching him like she’d been expecting him to do something like this all along.
“You always stalk women outside their sister’s house, or am I just special?” she asked. Tank stopped at the bottom of the porch steps—close enough to not touch her.
“You shouldn’t be outside,” he said.
Her brows lifted. “That’s what you lead with?”
“It’s not safe,” he insisted.
“There it is again,” she said, shaking her head. “You keep saying that like I’m supposed to just accept it without questions.”
“Because right now?” he snapped, his voice low. “You should.” That wiped the humor off her face, which worked for him because she needed to take this seriously.
“You want to tell me why it’s not safe?” she asked quietly. Tank hesitated. This was the moment. Once he said it, there would be no going back. She’d be mixed up in his world—in his mess and his danger, and he didn’t want that for her. He didn’t want to be the reason something happened to her. But she was already looking at him like she wasn’t going anywhere—like she wasn’t walking away. Lillith had already decided that she needed to know his story. The question was—did he tell it to her or walk away again?
“Tank,” she said, softer now. Just his name, again, and he felt that same pull that made him feel weak. He exhaled slowly and ran a hand down his face.
“After the diner, I got a couple of text messages,” he said finally. “They weren’t random.”
Lillith went still.
“Okay,” she said carefully.
“I saw something that I shouldn’t have witnessed, and now, there are men after me. I saw them murder a very important man, and now, they want me dead too. I left home when theyburned down my grandfather’s house. Hell, it was the first time that I was happy he was gone—so he wouldn’t have to witness his home burning to the ground.”
“That’s awful,” she breathed, stepping closer to him. “You lost your grandfather and your home. Did you try going to the police?” she asked.
“I did, but this person that they killed—he was a big deal. The cops can’t be trusted. I learned to only rely on myself, and I took off and never looked back. I only stopped running one other time.” It was the time that he met Cami, and she convinced him to stay with her. They were only together for a few short months before his past caught up to him.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I met someone about two years ago, and she convinced me to stay with her. I thought that it was safe. I hadn’t heard from anyone in months, so I stayed with her, and that was the biggest mistake of my life.”
“Did they hurt her?” Lillith asked.
“They found me and killed her. I got away, but Cami wasn’t so lucky. I swore that I’d never stop running again, and I had kept that promise until today.”
“Until you met me,” she breathed. “And I asked you to stay.”
He nodded. “Yeah, so now you know why I can’t stay here, Lillith. It will only put you in danger, and whether I care to admit it or not, I like you. I’d never want to put you or your newfound family in danger,” he said. There, he had laid it all out there, and although walking away now was going to suck, she’d at least understand why he had to do it.
Her breath caught. “I like you too, Tank,” she whispered.
He groaned, “You’re not getting the point, Lillith. It doesn’t matter if we like each other or not. I can’t stay here without putting you, your family, and myself in danger.” Silence fell between them—thick and heavy.
And he needed her to be able to walk away, and if that meant that he had to play the asshole, he would. “Tank—” she started.
He held up his hand, stopping her from saying what she was about to say. “You need to stay inside,” he said, cutting her off. “Stay with your sister. Don’t go anywhere alone. Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t?—”
“Hey,” she said sharply. That stopped him. “Breathe,” she added. Tank blinked. He hadn’t realized how fast he was talking or how tight his chest felt. He was dangerously close to losing control of the situation.
“I’m fine,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” she said dryly. “You don’t look it.” Despite the danger, the tension, the situation, his mouth twitched—just a little.
“She’s got people that can help,” Lillith continued. “The scary biker club that you saw earlier—they can help you.”
“No,” he breathed.
