Page 27 of Imminent Danger


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After an eternity of silence, Kaylie’s small, hesitant voice came through the phone. “Okay,” she agreed.

Tank blew out a relieved breath. “I’ll be there soon. Go inside and lock the doors.”

He was already halfway out the building by the time he hung up the phone. Eventually, someone would realize he’d left, but he’d deal with that later. There was nothing more important than making sure Kaylie was safe.

Tank drove over the speed limit the entire way home, saying a prayer that the police were occupied elsewhere. A flood of emotion hit him when he stormed through the garage door and found Kaylie and Lia curled up on the couch in the family room. Kaylie had turned on a cartoon, and Lia was nestled under a blanket, clutching Elphie.

His fingers tensed by his side. Now that he was here and could see with his own eyes that they were safe—at least for the time being—he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to sweep them both into his arms, but he couldn’t do that.

Kaylie kissed Lia on the head and smoothed her hair before standing and motioning for him to join her in the kitchen. She padded softly, her socks nearly silent on the smooth hardwood. He followed wordlessly, trailing behind her like a well-trained labrador.

In the kitchen, Kaylie sat on the edge of the barstool. Tank followed his instincts and stepped closer to her. Every cell within him nearly burst with satisfaction when she melted into his frame, laying her head on his chest. His arms circled her, holding her close.

“I’ve got you, fiamella,” he whispered. His voice lodged in his throat, the words almost nonexistent.

A shudder ran through Kaylie, and her hand tightened on his shirt.

“I can’t… Drew—”

Her words cracked with a choked sob and then she quieted again. Tank let his hands run over her shoulders and back as he tried to comfort her. He had no idea who Drew was, but whoever it was had upset Kaylie somehow. The thought of another man being so important to her made him jealous, but he pushed it away. She was here with him right now and that meant something.

After a few minutes, Kaylie sniffed and pulled out of the embrace. The wetness on her cheeks and the dark spot on his shirt betrayed her mostly silent tears.

He ducked to meet her gaze. “What can I do?”

“I don’t even know why I’m here, Anthony.”

A zing of pleasure licked through his body at the sound of his name on her lips. Too often, it was Mr. Olson. A name that only brought back memories of a father he’d rather forget. He’d been Tank since he was a kid, with few exceptions.

Tank trailed his fingers over her cheek. “Let me take a guess and then you can fill in the gaps.” Her gaze grew stormy and a wrinkle formed just above her brow. He took a deep breath and sent up a quick prayer that she wouldn’t be angry. “You have ties to the Moreno family. You’ve been running from them for years and something happened.”

Kaylie curled into herself, a tiny ball with her legs on the barstool as he spoke. “How do–”

“Kaylie…” Tank lifted his arm to rub the back of his neck. Her eyes followed the movement and her mouth dropped open slightly. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me… But the company I work for can find out pretty much anything about anyone. I just want to help,” he reassured her. “Please let me help?”

Kaylie’s expression looked pained, and her eyes flicked to the door as though she were contemplating an escape. Tank’s heart sank. She didn’t want his help after all.

“This is my mess,” she insisted, her chin dropping.

“No, fiamella.” He tucked his finger under her jaw and lifted her gaze to his. “It doesn’t have to be. I can help you. You just have to trust me.”

Tank could see the moment she made her decision, a firmness appearing in her expression. She inhaled deeply. “Okay. There’s a lot more to the story, though.”

“Would anyone look for you here?” His first order of business was making sure they were safe for the night. He’d commandeer a Black Tower safehouse in the next fifteen minutes without permission if he needed to. He could ask forgiveness later.

Kaylie shook her head. “I–I don’t think so. Why would they?”

Right. Because he was just a housekeeping client. Just another reminder that he was far more invested than he should be. He glanced at the clock. “Let’s get some food ordered and then you can tell me everything.”

She nodded her agreement.

Tank ordered pizza, figuring that was the safest bet for Lia. Even though he would have loved to order something special for Kaylie. He couldn’t help wanting to spoil her. He had the means to do so, and he could tell her life hadn’t been easy up to now. He found himself wanting to do whatever it took to coax out one of those smiles she seemed to reserve specifically for Lia.

They waited to talk, both silently acknowledging that they didn’t want to talk about whatever the situation was while Lia was still around.

The doorbell rang and Tank headed toward the front door, his finger on his gun as he peered through the window beside it. He relaxed slightly once he recognized the delivery guy–the same teenager who delivered to him almost weekly. It used to be even more before Kaylie started cooking for him.

Taylor didn’t appear nervous, and Tank saw no sign of anyone else. He opened the door.

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