Page 33 of Lillith
Tank grabbed her shoulder, pulling her tighter behind him as another round of shots rang out. “Don’t look,” he said.
“Too late,” she muttered. Another crash sounded behind them as glass shattered everywhere.
“They’re trying to come up on the sides!” someone yelled.
“Cut them off!” Ember barked. Two of the Harlots broke away instantly, moving toward the side hallway without question. Lillith’s heart was beating so hard it hurt. This wasn’t supposed to be her life. This wasn’t supposed to be—a body hit the floor in front of her, cutting off her train of thought. She flinched, her breath catching, and Tank’s hand tightened on her shoulder.
“Stay with me,” he said.
“I’m here,” she whispered. Another shot rang out close to them, and then it was silent.
Lillith blinked, her ears ringing. “Is it—” she started.
“Don’t,” Tank cut her off. Because of course it wasn’t over. A groan came from the doorway. It was one of the men, and he was still alive.
Tank moved before she could process it, stepping forward to grab the guy by the collar and hauling him up just enough to make him groan again.
“Who sent you?” he demanded. The man laughed—actually laughed.
“It doesn’t matter because you’re already dead,” he rasped. Tank hit him hard.
“You came into the wrong place,” Tank said, his voice low and deadly. The man spat blood at Tank’s feet.
“You think this is over?” he choked out. “That was just—” Tank hit him again before he could finish what he was saying. And this time, he didn’t get back up.
Lillith swallowed hard as the room slowly came back into focus. The Harlots were still standing.
“Everyone good?” Ember called. A chorus of answers came back.
“Clear.”
“I’m good.”
“Two down on the side.”
Lillith pushed herself up slowly, her legs shaky but holding as she looked around. The clubhouse was damaged and littered with bodies. She looked at the other women, her sister, and Tank, and thanked God that they were all right.
“You okay?” Tank asked, turning back to her. She stared at him—at the man who had dragged her into this. He stood between her and everything that had just tried to kill her. He didn’t run this time.
“Yeah,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. She took a breath and added, “I think I’m done running, too.” That got his attention, which worked for her because if this was her life now, then she wasn’t going to be the girl hiding behind walls. If having to deal with all of this meant that she could be with Tank, she’d take it. She’d fight alongside him. And from the way Ember and the Harlots were watching her, they’d back her one hundred percent.
The silence after the fight didn’t feel like a victory—it felt like a warning. Lillith stood in the middle of the clubhouse, her ears still ringing from the chaos that rang out around her. Lillith’spulse finally started to slow as the reality of what just happened settled in. She was in shock; she had to be. A part of her wondered how they were all still standing—every single one of them. All the Harlots were safe, and that was what mattered most, even if the clubhouse was a little worse for wear.
“You good?” Ember asked, stepping up beside her.
Lillith nodded, even though her hands were still shaking. “Yeah.”
“Liar,” Ember muttered.
“Yeah,” Lillith admitted. “But I’m still here.” That earned her a small nod from her sister.
“Yeah,” Ember said. “You are.” Across the room, Tank was pacing. She could tell that his tightly held control was slipping. It was like something inside him just couldn’t seem to settle. Lillith watched him for a second before pushing herself forward, weaving through the mess until she reached him.
“Hey,” she said softly. He didn’t stop pacing. Tank didn’t even look at her.
“Hey,” he muttered back.
“Tank,” she whispered. Somehow, that got him to stop. He turned to look at her, and for a second, she saw the part of him that was still ready for the next hit.
