Page 81 of Allegiance
“Please tell me the reception’s not on the beach.” she said before bring the cup to her lips.
From the corner of Lena’s eye, she could see Tank fidgeting in place while looking at his phone. “It’s not. It’s going to be at the Sunset Pavilion.”
“Thank God. My husband and I were worried about that. The views are spectacular at the Pavilion. At least Darla got something right with this wedding.”
“I’m sure it’ll be lovely.” Lena set the boxes of quiches in front of Mrs. Davidson, who was sipping her coffee. “I hope your committee meeting goes well tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, dear. It’s going to be perfect now that I have your delicious quiche and blackberry pie.”
Setting her cup down, Mrs. Davidson picked up her boxes, thanked Lena, and exited the eatery.
Tank opened his mouth to speak, but Lena cut him off. “I’m busy.”
“I don’t have time to fuck around,” he growled, looking down at his phone. “We’ve gotta talk.”
“I told you, I’m not interested in talking to you.”
“It’s not about that.” His eyes darted over to Sarah.
Sighing, Lena turned to the woman. “Sarah, can you finish tidying up in the kitchen for me?”
She looked up from the case where she was boxing cookies for the homeless shelter run. It was nearing closing time, and that night, Sarah had offered to drop off the packages after work.
“Do you want me to finish boxing these first?”
“I’ll do it, and I’ll do the drop off.”
“Are you sure?” Sarah looked over at Tank, and then back to Lena. “I don’t mind.”
“I’m sure.”
“Okay. I’ll finish up in the kitchen and then take off.”
“Thanks.” Lena waited until Sarah was out of earshot before she turned her attention to Tank. “I’m not giving you the money.”
“If you’d let me talk for a damn second, I’ll tell you why I’m here.”
She waved her hand in the air, gesturing him to go on.
“You gotta get out of here. Cougar’s coming for the money tonight, and he’s not gonna play nice. I’ll be here when he comes, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Take care of what?”
“I’ll give him the money for now.”
She shook her head in confusion. “For now? What does that mean?”
A frown wrinkled his forehead. “I’ve told you I can’t tell you stuff. Just believe me. You have to get out of here.”
“Wait. Is this your way of seeing me? I mean, you could pull this act every two weeks.”
“Fuck, you’re an aggravating woman. I have better things to do with my time than play some lame-ass game with you. This is for real, and you have no fuckin’ idea what Cougar is capable of, so you need to listen to me and get the fuck out.”
Tank’s stern look, coupled with his tone, sent shivers racing through her body.
“You’re serious,” she whispered.
“Yeah. Go. Now.”
