Chapter 13
TANK
They pulled into town at around dawn. Yonkers looked the same, even though he expected it to look different somehow.
Maybe that was just wishful thinking, and that was the problem.
He had been doing too much thinking since Lillith had tumbled into his life.
Or, maybe it was the other way around, since he stumbled into the church accidentally, where the Royal Harlots met.
He felt like there wasn’t a target sitting in his truck, and that had him feeling uneasy once he crossed city lines.
There wasn’t a countdown ticking somewhere he couldn’t see, but he could feel that something was off.
Tank slowed a block out, eyes sweeping the street like he expected it to bite him.
“Relax,” Lillith said quietly. “You’re doing the thing again.”
“I won’t relax here,” he muttered. “This is where someone tried to take you,” he reminded.
“Yeah, I’m getting that,” she sassed. He didn’t answer. Honestly, he didn’t have the energy. His focus was already on the building ahead—the church, or what used to be one. Now, it looked like something else entirely. It wasn’t finished yet, but it looked lived in.
Motorcycles lined the side of the building, and seeing them there made him smile.
He remembered the first day that he met Lillith, and the back pew was lined with bike helmets.
Tools were still stacked near the open doors, and fresh lumber leaned against one wall.
The place was a work in progress, just like everything else.
Tank pulled the truck to a stop, but he didn’t kill the engine right away. Instead, he watched and waited for any signs of trouble. A woman stood by the door, and he saw a few more moving inside. Two more shadows shifted deeper inside the building.
“Home sweet home,” Lillith said softly beside him. Tank finally killed the engine.
“This isn’t home,” he said.
“Give it a minute,” she shot back. His jaw tightened because that wasn’t the part that bothered him. The part that bothered him was how easy it would be for her to think that after such a short amount of time.
“Stay close,” he said, opening his door.
She snorted. “You say that like I’ve got somewhere else to be.” He didn’t respond. He just stepped out of the truck and was already scanning the street again. He didn’t see any noticeable danger, but that didn’t mean anything.
He moved around the front of the truck just as the church door swung open.
Ember stepped out, her red hair gleaming in the sunlight.
She stared him down, and if he was being honest, she intimidated the hell out of him.
Her presence didn’t ask for attention; it just took it.
Ember didn’t smile. She just looked straight through him, and then at Lillith, and back to him again.
“About time,” she said. Lillith didn’t hesitate.
She moved past Tank, closing the distance and pulling Ember into a quick hug.
Tank watched, not because he cared about their reunion, but because he watched everything—always.
Especially when it involved Lillith. Ember hugged her back, and then she stepped back, her hands landing on Lillith’s shoulders.
“You good?” she asked.
“I’m okay,” Lillith said.
Ember’s gaze flicked to Tank. “Define okay,” she demanded.
“Well, I haven’t been kidnapped today,” Lillith said dryly. Ember’s expression didn’t change much, but her eyes sharpened as she stared him down again.
“Let’s get inside,” she said. It wasn’t a suggestion.
She called for the other women, and the rest of them appeared.
There were about five or six women—maybe more.
They were all watching him as though assessing him.
Tank didn’t miss the way they positioned themselves protectively around Lillith and Ember.
They were watching their territory, and he was a fool to walk into the church, but there was no way that he’d leave Lillith.
“Guess I’m the guest of honor,” he muttered under his breath.
“Or the problem,” Ember shot back quietly.
He followed her and Lillith into the church.
The place looked nothing like the last time he’d seen it.
The church was still rough, and parts of it were still under construction.
But the place felt more alive now—as though it had a purpose.
Chairs were dragged together, and a table was set up as if they were holding meetings here.
It looked more like a clubhouse and less like a church.
Ember took her position near the center of the room. Not by accident. Everyone else fell in naturally, and that told him everything he needed to know. She was in charge—there was no question about that.
“All right,” she said, arms crossing over her chest. “Let’s skip the small talk.” Her eyes locked on him. “You brought trouble to my door and to my family.” It wasn’t a question, but more of a statement. Tank didn’t flinch because he was well aware of what he had brought into Lillith’s life.
“Yeah,” he breathed. A few of the women shifted, and Ember nodded.
“Then you’re gonna explain exactly what kind of danger you brought here,” she insisted. Silence settled in the room, and all eyes were on him. Lillith was quiet beside him now—watching and waiting for him to start talking. She was trusting him not to screw this up.
Tank exhaled slowly. “No names,” he said.
“Not how this works,” Ember replied.
“It is if you want me to keep your people out of it,” he shot back.
Ember tilted her head slightly. “You don’t get to walk in here and make rules.”
“I’m not,” he said. “I’m telling you how this stays contained.”
“Try me,” she said. Tank glanced around the room, taking them all in. Then, he looked back at Ember.
“They are organized crime,” he said. “These guys are well-funded, not street-level scum. They aren’t sloppy.”
“That narrows it down to what? Half the country?” one of the women muttered.
“Less,” Tank said. “Because they don’t leave witnesses.
” He needed the Royal Harlots to understand exactly what they were stepping into.
“They already made a move on her,” he added, nodding slightly toward Lillith.
That shifted the energy in the room because now it wasn’t just his problem.
Now it was theirs, because Lillith was one of them.
Ember’s eyes darkened. “They made the wrong move trying to take my sister,” she said quietly.
“They won’t stop,” Tank continued. “Not until I’m out of the picture.”
“Or you’re gone,” another woman added. Tank didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. They all knew the truth.
Ember studied him for a long second. “You planning on running again?” Tank’s jaw tightened.
It was his instinct to run. He always ran, but then he glanced at Lillith—at the way that she stood there watching him.
She was in this mess because of him, but she trusted him to keep her safe, and that had changed everything.
He didn’t want to run anymore because he finally had something to stick around for—or in this case, someone.
“No,” he said. The word came out before he could second-guess it—before he could do what he always did. Everything shifted, and Lillith closed the distance between them and reached for his hand. Ember didn’t smile, but something in her expression changed.
“Good,” she said. Then she pushed off the table to stand in front of him. “Because neither are we.” That got a reaction from the room, followed by a couple of nods.
A low “finally” from somewhere in the back rang out, and Tank’s gaze sharpened.
“You don’t know what you’re signing up for,” he said. Ember stepped closer. She was standing close enough to make her point without raising her voice.
“Yeah,” she said. “We do. You came to the wrong clubhouse if you think we scare easily.” Tank held her gaze, and for the first time since this started, he noticed that this wasn’t just a group of women playing at something.
This was a club—a real one, and now, they were in this mess with him.
All of them were in danger now because of him.
“All right,” he said slowly. Another line was crossed, and another decision was made. “Then we do this right.”
Ember nodded. “Yeah,” she said. “We do.” Tank wasn’t sure how he was going to keep Lillith safe, but now, he didn’t have to worry about that alone. He had the Royal Harlots behind him, and she’d never be alone again.