Chapter 7 #2
He moved like a shadow, sticking to the edges of buildings and keeping his head down while his eyes missed nothing.
He didn’t trust the quiet—never did. He knew not to let his guard down, even if everything seemed on the up and up.
Tank circled the block once, and then again.
He was looking for patterns—anything out of place, a car that didn’t belong, a figure lingering too long, or even a shift in the dark that didn’t sit right with him.
But he saw nothing, which was almost worse, because men like the ones hunting him didn’t make mistakes.
They didn’t get sloppy. Instead, they waited and watched for him to slip up, and then struck when it mattered most—like with Cami.
His gaze landed on the house, and he noticed a few lights still on upstairs.
Good—that meant Lillith might still be awake and was probably safe—for now.
Tank stepped closer, stopping just short of the property line.
That was close enough for him to see, but not to be seen.
That was the line that he wouldn’t cross.
He stayed there for a long moment, watching, listening, and waiting. He saw no movement except the occasional shadow passing by a window. There were no signs of forced entry or trouble. Everything seemed normal, and Tank let out a slow breath.
“Good,” he muttered. Because that was all he could hope for. Lillith was safe for now, and his job was done. He could leave now. He should have left before he crossed a line he couldn’t come back from. Or before she saw him standing out here like some creep who couldn’t stay away.
The front door opened, and Tank froze. Lillith stepped out onto the porch—barefoot with her hair loose, wearing that oversized shirt that made something in his chest tighten in a way he didn’t like, or understand. God, she was beautiful.
“Really?” she called softly into the night. His jaw clenched. Of course, she knew that he was there because women like her didn’t miss much.
“Are you gonna keep hiding out there, or are you gonna come talk to me?” Tank stayed where he was. He didn’t move or breathe for fear that she’d see him. “You’re not as stealthy as you think you are,” she added, a hint of amusement in her voice. Yeah, he’d been made.
“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath. There went his plan. Slowly, he stepped out of the shadows and into the light. Lillith crossed 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 they burned 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.
“Just give them a chance, Tank. You came back here for a reason, right? Let Ember and her club help you,” she insisted.
Maybe that was the only reason he’d even considered coming back.
Maybe Ember and her club could protect Lillith, and that was all that he really cared about.
He learned a long time ago that he was expendable, but Lillith didn’t deserve to be caught up in his mess.
Maybe letting Ember’s club get involved would give him what he needed—freedom from his past, but that didn’t mean he trusted them completely.
“What do you have to lose?” she whispered, taking his hand into her own.
“Everything,” he breathed. That was the truth, too. He had been running for so long, he had forgotten what his life used to look like. If he kept running, he’d never have a life again, but if he stopped, he’d lose everything. “This isn’t a joke, Lillith.”
“I know,” she said quietly. “I can see that.”
“What are you going to do?” she asked. Tank’s gaze shifted down the street and then back to her.
“I’m leaving,” he said. There it was—the truth, simple and final.
“When?” she asked, stone-faced.
“Soon.” Not soon enough.
“Right,” she murmured. Tank took a step back, and then another, giving himself some distance and putting the wall back where it belonged.
“You’ll be safer if I’m not here,” he said. It sounded like an excuse, even to him.
“Maybe,” she said.
Tank frowned. “That’s it?” he asked. “No argument?” Maybe he expected too much—especially from a woman he had just met.
Lillith shrugged. “Would it change your mind if I asked you to stay?” Tank stood there, not sure how to answer her question. “Didn’t think so,” she said. She wasn’t going to beg him or chase him down. She wasn’t trying to hold him back, and for some reason, that made leaving harder to do.
“Stay inside,” he said again, softer this time.
“I will,” she promised. Neither of them moved. Maybe neither of them was ready for this to be the end of something that never actually started. “Goodnight, Tank.”
“Night, Lillith.” He turned and walked away. Tank didn’t look back, because if he did, he wasn’t sure he’d be able to keep going.