Lillith
“You okay?” Ember asked.
Ember’s lips twitched. “He said his name was Tank, right? Don’t worry about him. People come in here all the time thinking that we’re really a church. I guess that most are surprised to find out that we’re a biker club. You two seemed to hit it off, though.”
“Come on,” Ember said, pushing off the wall. “You should see the house.”
“Yeah, my house. It’s yours too, if you want it to be. You can stay with us, if you want to, but no pressure.” Ember jerked her head toward the door. “Jack’s already outside, probably pretending he’s not watching the place like a damn guard dog.”
Lillith hesitated for half a second. She really had nowhere else to stay in New York, and the idea of staying with her sister and getting to know her better was intriguing.
She nodded, “Okay.” She wasn’t sure what she had just agreed to, but she had already come all this way, so why not take a chance and get to know Ember? What did she have to lose?
The ride across town wasn’t long, but it felt like stepping into a completely different life.
Lillith clung a little tighter than she meant to as she rode behind Ember, the wind whipping through her hair, and the roar of the engine vibrating straight through her bones.
Her sister had convinced her to let Jack drive her pickup truck home so that she could give her a ride on the back of her bike.
She hadn’t been on a motorcycle since she was a kid—and even then, it had been nothing like this.
This felt powerful and made her feel alive.
By the time they pulled up in front of Ember’s place, Lillith’s heart was racing for reasons that had nothing to do with fear.
“Well, what do you think?” Ember asked, killing the engine and glancing back at her. She gestured to the house as Lillith slid off the bike slowly, taking in the modest house, the bikes parked out front, the man leaning against the porch railing—Jack.
“It’s nice,” she said, and for once, she wasn’t faking it. It wasn’t big or fancy, but it felt lived in, warm, and safe.
“Nice, huh?” Jack pushed off the railing, a smirk tugging at his mouth as he looked her over. Not in a gross way—more like he was assessing her. “I’m guessing you live in a mansion.”
Lillith lifted a brow. “Wow, are you always this charming, or am I just special?”
Ember snorted, and Jack’s smirk widened. “I like her.”
“Good,” Ember said. “Because she’s staying.” Lillith’s chest tightened at the casual certainty in her voice.
“Only if that’s still okay,” Lillith added quickly, her eyes flicking between them. “I don’t want to—”
“Stop,” Ember cut her off. “You’re not a burden.”
Jack nodded, “We have room, and you need a place to stay, so you got one.” Just like that, they accepted her being there. They didn’t put any conditions on her staying with them either, which was all new for her.
Lillith swallowed hard, blinking back the sudden burn in her eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Ember’s expression softened just a fraction. “Don’t thank me yet. You snore, you’re out.”
Lillith laughed—a real one this time. She wasn’t sure of the last time that she actually found anything funny. “Deal,” she breathed.
“Let’s get you settled, and then, I’ll make us some dinner,” Ember offered.
“That sounds great,” Lillith agreed. “Do you mind if I take a quick shower?” she asked.
“Not a problem,” Jack said. “I’ll carry your bags to your room, while Ember gives you a quick tour.
” She followed him into the house and looked around.
It was bigger inside than it looked from the outside.
The tour was short and sweet, and they finished in the room where she was going to be staying.
Jack put her bags down and told her that if she needed anything, to yell, kissing Ember on his way out of the room.
She turned to her sister and sighed, unsure whether to say what she was about to say. “If I start to overstay my welcome, you’ll let me know, right?” she asked.
Ember pulled her in for a quick hug. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem,” she said. “We have a lot of catching up to do, if that’s what you can call it. Up until a few hours ago, I didn’t even know that you existed.”
Lillith swallowed past the lump of emotion in her throat and nodded. “I’d like to get to know you better, Ember,” she breathed. “Jack too.”
“Good,” Ember said. “I just hope you feel like sticking around once you get to know both of us. We can be a lot.” She giggled and started for the door.
“Dinner will be in twenty minutes.” Lillith nodded and watched her sister disappear down the hallway.
She shut the door and turned around to look at the room where they were putting her up.
It was bigger than her shithole apartment, and had its own bathroom to boot.
She had a feeling that staying with Ember was going to make it hard to leave and go back into the real world when it was time.
She had nothing to go back to, and for some reason, that made her feel sadder than usual.
Later that night, after a quick shower, Lillith sat on the edge of the bed in the spare room—her room.
She still couldn’t quite wrap her head around the fact that her sister had agreed to just let her stay with her and Jack.
Ember really didn’t know her, but for some crazy reason, she felt like family already.
She just hoped that her sister felt the same way about her.
The envelope of cash sat on the nightstand, untouched since she’d pulled it out of her bag earlier, and tossed it onto the dresser.
It felt heavier now—not just because of what it could do for her, but because of what it meant.
She had a father she didn’t know. She also had a past she couldn’t change, and a future that suddenly looked a hell of a lot different than it had this morning.
Lillith reached for the envelope, flipping it open and pulling out the slip of paper with Ben’s number written on it. Her fingers tightened around it. She could call him and ask him more questions. Hell, she could demand answers, but she knew that he probably wouldn’t give her any.
Her thoughts drifted to dark eyes and a quiet voice that had her girl parts standing at attention every time he said her name. A man who looked at her like she mattered, even if he didn’t really know her. Tank had taken her by surprise, and she didn’t like surprises.
Lillith huffed out a soft breath, shaking her head at herself. “Get it together,” she muttered to herself. He was a stranger—a drifter, and he’d probably be gone by morning. And yet, she couldn’t stop thinking about him.
She reached for her phone and scrolled through the contacts, finding the one that she had made for Tank. Her thumb hovered over the screen. “This is stupid,” she whispered, but it didn’t stop her. Before she could talk herself out of it, she texted him a message.
Did you find your church?
She stared at the message for a long second and then hit send.
The room went quiet around her as she held her breath, waiting to see if he’d text her back.
She was acting like a foolish schoolgirl.
Lillith tossed her phone onto the bed beside her and flopped back against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling.
“Definitely stupid,” she murmured, but for the first time in a long time, she wasn’t thinking about what she’d lost in life. She was thinking about what might be waiting for her next. And that was a whole different kind of terrifying.