10. Tempest
CHAPTER TEN
tempest
The kiss isn't long enough. I know that before I even step back. My forehead rests against hers, her breath warm against my skin, and for the first time in a long time, my head's quiet. There’s no threats, no contingency plans; it’s just her.
I don't move and neither does she. I should, but I don't. I want another second, hell, maybe two. I want long enough to kiss her again.
Movement catches my eye from the window and in that instant everything changes.
I step around her, putting myself between her and the window.
The black SUV sits across the street with its engine off.
They’re watching, waiting, and every other thought disappears.
I move closer to the glass, staying just far enough to one side that my profile doesn't give me away.
The windows are tinted so I can't see the driver.
I scan the vehicle instead: registration, wheels, any damage to the bodywork, anything that stands out, anything I'll remember later. I quickly pull out my cell once again and snap some pictures; I want everything documented.
Behind me, I hear Lilah shift. "Tempest?"
I don't look away from the street. "Step back from the window."
There's no hesitation, she doesn’t ask questions, but I hear her footsteps instead.
Fuck. She trusts me. My chest tightens at the realization.
I pull my phone from my pocket and snap three more photographs through the gap in the curtains before calling Ghost.
He answers on the second ring. "Ghost."
"There’s a black SUV outside the apartment." My voice is low and steady; I don’t want to frighten Lilah—I know she’s listening.
His voice hardens immediately. "The same one?"
"Looks like it."
I hear music getting louder and know that he’s on the move. "Still there?"
My gaze is focused on the vehicle; I’m not letting it out of my sight. "Yeah."
"Don't engage."
"I wasn't planning to."
"I'll send Savage and Rogue. Sit tight." The call ends and I realize that Lilah’s quiet, but I don’t turn to see if she’s okay. I keep my eyes on the street where the vehicle is.
“Your brothers are coming?” Lilah asks after a few moments.
I glance back at her. “Yeah, Savage and Rogue’ll be here soon.” She’s sitting on the sofa, her gaze on me, but I don’t see fear in her eyes, just patience.
I hear an engine turn over and glance back out the window, the SUV’s headlights are on and the fucker pulls away slowly, and I know that the fucker is watching this apartment hoping to catch a sight of Lilah.
It reaches the corner just as the growl of two Harleys reaches my ears, then the SUV disappears around the corner.
"Shit," I mutter in its wake.
Two bikes pull up at the curb, but Rogue's already turning his bike to follow after the SUV, while Savage gets off his bike and makes his way over toward the building.
The knock comes less than two minutes later. I stride across the apartment, frustration burning low in my gut. Just as we got close, the bastard disappeared. I unlock the door; Savage steps inside without wasting time. "Rogue's following him."
Another rumble of pipes sound, and I know instantly that Ghost’s arrived. Savage has the door open for him.
Ghost steps inside, his gaze finding Lilah first. "You alright?"
She nods. "I'm okay."
He studies her for a second, then looks at me. "You?"
"Fine," I say through clenched teeth. I’m anything but fucking fine. This bastard is tormenting Lilah; he’s already fucking tortured her, and when she finally thought she was free, he’s back and playing his games.
Savage closes the door behind him. Ghost walks straight to the window but stays off to the side, the same way I had. "What've we got?"
I hand him my phone and he flicks through the photographs in silence. "Same SUV?"
"Looks like it."
He zooms in on the plate. "Rogue'll confirm.
" As if on cue, Ghost's phone vibrates and he answers immediately.
"Talk." His gaze is on my cell where the picture of the SUV remains.
"How long?" he asks. "You lost him or did you choose to lose him?
" Ghost's expression doesn't change. "Good.
" He ends the call and pushes his cell into his pocket before turning to me.
"Rogue stayed with him for six miles, but the SUV doubled back through traffic. Rogue made the call not to force it."
I'd have done the same thing. "He wanted us to follow."
Savage speaks for the first time. "He knew we'd send someone."
Ghost nods. "He wanted to split us."
Silence fills the room because no one wants to say what we’re all thinking. If Rogue's chasing the SUV it means there's one less Saint protecting Lilah.
Ghost looks at me. "You leave this apartment?"
"No."
"Good." He glances at Savage. "Check the fire escape." Savage nods and disappears without another word.
Ghost looks back at me. "She's your priority."
"She already was."
"I know."
He holds my gaze. "I'm making it official."
I nod. "Understood."
His eyes flick briefly toward Lilah before settling back on me. "He changes tactics again..."
"I call."
"Immediately," he insists.
"Yeah."
Ghost gives me a sharp nod. "Good."
The apartment is very quiet once Ghost and Savage leave. I watch Lilah pottering around the kitchen without saying anything. She’s making something on the stove. I’ve come to realize she goes to the kitchen when she’s worried or anxious about something. It’s as though she needs to be busy.
I step into the kitchen, and she turns to me, her gaze searching my face. "Are they gone?" she asks.
"Yeah."
She turns back to the stove. I let her be and run the checks around the house: locks, camera, windows, fire escape latch. Nothing's changed, good.
When I come back, she's at the table with both hands around a mug, her gaze on me. I notice there’s another cup waiting for me. I sit down and see that she’s made hot chocolate, something I haven’t had in years.
"Are we pretending that didn't happen?" she asks.
I raise my head from the mug to look at her. "No," I say.
She smiles into her mug. Christ, she's beautiful. "Okay." She takes a sip of hot chocolate before turning back to me. "I don't regret it," she says.
I grin. "Good, cos neither do I." I wrap my hands around the mug. "I wasn't expecting hot chocolate."
She shrugs. "I needed something comforting."
I look down at the mug. "And I got one too?"
A smile tugs at the corner of her mouth. "It would've been rude not to."
I take a sip. "I've definitely been missing out."
Her brows rise in surprise. "You've never had hot chocolate?"
"Not since I was a kid."
She looks genuinely horrified. "Tempest."
"What?"
"That's tragic."
I huff out a laugh. "I've survived."
"Barely."
I shake my head. "I don't like being wrong."
"I've noticed."
I look at her over the rim of my mug. "Have you?"
She nods. "You notice everything."
"I do."
She smiles softly. "So do I and I've started noticing things too."
I don't ask what; I have a feeling I'd rather not know.
"He knew you were watching," she says after a while.
I’m not surprised she came to that conclusion. She’s a smart woman. "Yes."
"So he wanted you to see him?"
"Yes."
Her brows furrow. "Why?"
I give her the honest answer. "He's telling you that there's nowhere safe for you from him.
The sunflowers, the envelope, the SUV, he wants you to know he can find you wherever you go.
" I set the mug down. "Ghost thinks he's getting comfortable, that he’s been here long enough that he's stopped being careful. "
She gives me a sad look, one that has my heart clenching. "Or he's done waiting."
"Savage said the same thing."
"Which is it?"
"I don't know yet." I look at her. "But we will. Rogue's working on the rental company tonight. There'll be more by morning."
"He's not going to stop," she says, her voice soft, but I can hear the hurt in it.
"Not on his own," I say.
She looks at me. "So you're going to stop him."
I hold her gaze. "Yes."
She studies me for a long moment before nodding; she picks up her mug and goes back to drinking her hot chocolate.
I guess that was all that she needed to know.
I’ve no idea what the hell she’s doing; she’s been searching through drawers in the living room for the past ten minutes. I thought she was tidying up at first as she was moving things, but now I’m not so sure.
She lifts a stack of old magazines that are sitting in the corner of the room. "Aha!"
"What?"
She holds up a deck of cards. "I wondered where these went."
"You've been looking for them?"
"Not really." She drops them onto the coffee table. "You play?"
I look at the cards. "I know how."
She laughs. "That isn't the same answer."
"It'll do."
She sits cross-legged on the floor and starts shuffling, the cards moving easily through her hands.
"You've done that before."
"My grandad taught me." The smile she has can only be described as devilish. "He thought card games were a life skill."
"Were they?"
She shrugs. "He said you could tell a lot about someone by how they played."
I sit opposite her. "And?"
"He also hated losing."
"You let him win?"
She looks horrified. "Absolutely not."
I can't help smiling. "Good."
She deals the cards. "We're playing rummy."
I nod. "I know rummy."
The sly look in her eyes has me worried. "We'll see."
Ten minutes later, she's beaten me twice. I put my cards down. "You're counting," I say.
She has wide innocent eyes that I’m not buying. "I'm playing," she says, her voice soft, but she’s got a smile on her face.
"You're definitely counting."
She laughs. "I thought you said you knew rummy."
"I do."
She shakes her head. "You've lost, twice."
"I know," I tell her and she starts shuffling again. "I was being polite."
She raises a brow at me. "Were you?"
"I didn't want to embarrass you."
Her eyes are wide as saucers. "That's a bold strategy considering the score."
I look at the cards in her hands. "I've changed my mind."
Her brows knit together. "About what?"
I shake my head. She’s a shark, that’s for sure. "I don't think your grandad taught you."
"No?"
"I think he hustled people and you inherited it."