Chapter 9
TANK
This situation was exactly what he’d been trying to avoid.
Tank gripped the steering wheel tighter than necessary as the truck tore down the road, Yonkers disappearing in the rearview mirror one mile at a time.
The engine roared beneath him, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the thoughts hammering in his head.
You should’ve left. He had, well, sort of. He just didn’t go far enough, fast enough, and now, she was sitting in the passenger seat of his truck, pulled straight into a war she didn’t even understand.
His jaw tightened. “Seatbelt,” he muttered.
Lillith shot him a look. “Really? That’s what you’re worried about right now?”
“Yeah,” he said flatly. “Because if I have to slam on the brakes, I don’t need you flying through the windshield.”
She stared at him for a second, but then buckled her seatbelt. “Happy?” she snapped.
“No,” he said. “Not even close.” Silence filled the cab of his truck, loaded with everything they hadn’t said yet. Tank glanced in the rearview mirror and noticed that no headlights were trailing them. Well, there was no obvious tail, but that didn’t mean anything.
“They found you fast,” Lillith said finally, her voice quieter now, but no less sharp. Tank didn’t answer right away. He didn’t want to because the truth made this worse.
“They didn’t find me fast,” he said after a beat. “They’ve been here the whole time, and somehow, they found you.”
Her head snapped toward him. “What?”
“I told you,” he said, his grip tightening on the wheel. “I never really left.”
“You watched me?” she demanded.
“Yeah,” he breathed, knowing that made him sound like a class A stalker.
Her laugh was sharp. “Wow. That’s creepy as hell, Tank.”
“Yeah,” he agreed without hesitation. “It is.” That seemed to throw her off, which worked for him because he wasn’t about to sugarcoat any of this for her. She deserved the full truth.
“I was making sure they didn’t get close,” he added. “And tonight, they got too damn close.” Lillith crossed her arms, turning toward the window like she didn’t want to look at him.
“Could’ve told me,” she muttered.
“And what?” he shot back. “You would’ve stayed inside like I asked?” She didn’t say anything, and he knew that was his answer. “Didn’t think so,” he said.
“Don’t,” she snapped, turning back toward him. “Don’t act like this is my fault.”
“It’s not,” he said immediately. “It’s mine.” That shut her up for a second.
“For leaving?” she asked.
“For coming back,” he corrected.
“You said they’re still here,” she said slowly. “Who are ‘they,’ Tank?” He exhaled, not sure that he wanted to answer her question. He didn’t want to pull her any deeper into this. But that ship had not only sailed, but it sank.
“I told you before, I saw something that I shouldn’t have. These men killed someone powerful, and now, they want to make sure that I don’t tell anyone about it,” he said.
“Okay, then, being here with you isn’t safe. Just take me back to Ember’s place. I’m sure that I’ll be safe there,” she demanded.
Tank shot her a look. “You don’t get to demand shit in this situation.”
Her eyes flashed. “Watch me.” God, she had no idea what she was up against, and no idea what he was trying to keep her from. And still, she pushed him.
“You think I’m just gonna sit here and play passenger princess while you drag me across state lines?” she demanded. “I deserve to have a say in all of this, Tank.” Passenger princess, Jesus. Despite everything, his mouth twitched.
“Not exactly the term I’d use,” he muttered.
“Tank,” she said his name like a warning. Her tone stopped him cold, and he glanced over at her. He saw the fear that she was trying to hide, and the anger that she wasn’t bothering to conceal. At the strength that made him want to both protect her and push her as far away from him as possible.
“These are important people,” he said. “The kind that don’t leave loose ends. They have money and people high up in their pockets. They will kill both of us, and never look back.” Her stomach probably dropped. He didn’t have to look at her to know it did.
“And I’m a loose end?” she asked quietly.
Tank’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Not if I can help it.” That wasn’t an answer, not really, but it was the truth.
“Great,” she muttered, leaning back in her seat. “So now I’m on the run with a guy who won’t let me help decide anything, and apparently has enemies who like kidnapping women.”
“They weren’t there for you,” he said.
Her head snapped toward him again. “Oh, that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“They were there because of me,” he said, sharper this time. “They wanted me to show my hand, and taking you would force me out into the daylight.” Everything that happened tonight was on him.
“I should’ve stayed away,” he muttered.
“Yeah,” she said softly. That hit harder than anything else she’d said, because she wasn’t yelling or snapping at him. She wasn’t fighting him on anything. She was just agreeing, and for some reason, that felt worse.
Tank exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. “Too late now,” he said.
“Yeah,” she echoed. Another mile passed, then another. The city lights faded behind them, replaced by darker stretches of road and fewer cars. That was good because it meant less exposure and less risk—for now.
“Where are we going?” she asked after a while.
“I’m taking you to a safe place,” he growled.
“That’s vague,” she grumbled.
“It’s supposed to be,” he insisted.
She huffed out her breath. “Of course it is.” Tank checked the mirrors again, worried that things were too quiet.
“You trust me?” he asked suddenly. The question hung in the air, and Lillith didn’t answer right away. She didn’t give him what he wanted just because he asked.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. That was fair. She really didn’t know him well enough to trust him. “But I’m in your truck, so I must trust you a little bit,” she added.
Tank nodded, “Yeah, I guess that’s enough,” he said.
It was enough—for now. But as he drove deeper into the night, one thing kept repeating in his head—this wasn’t over.
Not even close. The men who wanted him dead wouldn’t stop looking for him, and now Lillith.
But this time, he wasn’t running alone. He had someone worth fighting for by his side, and there was no way he’d let any man lay a hand on her again.
Tank didn’t take the highway because it was too predictable, and they would be exposed.
Instead, he cut through back roads, dark stretches of asphalt that wound through trees and empty land like veins no one paid attention to.
Places where headlights stood out too much—and where anyone following would have to get close enough to be seen.
So far, his plan had been working, but that didn’t mean they were clear.
It just meant whoever was hunting him was being patient.
And patience was what made men like that dangerous.
Tank checked the rearview mirror again, followed by the side mirror. It was a habit by now. He had spent the past few years of his life surviving, and now, it was second nature. “Do you ever stop doing that?” Lillith asked. “Checking to see if anyone is following us.”
“No,” he breathed.
She shifted in her seat, watching him. “It’s been, like, ten minutes.”
“It’s been twelve,” he corrected.
“Wow,” she muttered. “Those two extra minutes are very reassuring.” He didn’t respond to her sarcasm.
He didn’t have the energy for it right now.
His brain was running through exits, routes, and contingencies—every possible scenario that could go wrong, and how he’d handle it when it did.
Because it would go wrong at some point. It always did.
“You planning on telling me where we’re going yet?” she asked.
“To a cabin,” he said.
Her brows lifted. “A cabin.”
“Yeah,” he breathed. He wanted to tell her that she was distracting him by asking so many questions, but that wouldn’t be the entire truth. He had been distracted by Lillith for far longer than the twelve minutes that they had just spent in the truck together. Well, thirteen minutes now.
“You’re taking me to a cabin in the middle of nowhere?” she asked.
“Pretty much,” he grumbled.
She leaned back, exhaling slowly. “Of course you are.” Tank glanced at her briefly.
She looked tired—more than tired. She looked worn out, and that was exactly how he felt, too.
He felt like the last hour had taken something out of her that she didn’t know how to get back.
Guilt twisted in his gut, but he shoved it down because he didn’t have time for that.
“You’ll be safe there,” he said.
“That’s what you keep saying,” she replied.
“It’s true,” he growled.
“Based on what?” she asked.
“Based on the fact that no one knows it exists,” he shouted. That seemed to get her attention.
“Except you,” she pointed out.
“And my grandfather,” he said, “but he’s dead, so I’m pretty sure that he won’t tell anyone about the place.”
Her expression softened just slightly. “Was he the grandfather who raised you?”
“Yeah,” he breathed. Since his grandpa’s death, he really didn’t talk about him to anyone. Sometimes, he worried that he’d forget about him completely.
“Is it his place?” she asked.
Tank nodded once. “It was.” Something in his voice must’ve given away his sadness.
“Tank,” she started, softer now.
He shook his head. “Don’t.”
“Don’t what?” she hissed.
“Don’t make this a thing,” he said. “We’ve got bigger problems to deal with right now. The last thing I need to do is talk about my dead grandfather, or my feelings.”
She studied him for a second and then nodded. “Okay,” she said. She didn’t pressure him for more information, and he appreciated that.