“They’re not done,” he said as though plainly stating a fact.
Lillith swallowed. “I figured.”
“They don’t do half measures,” he added. “That was a test.”
Her stomach dropped. “A test?” she asked.
“Yes, to see how we respond,” he said. “They wanted to see what they’re up against.”
“Good,” Ember cut in, stepping closer. “Now they know that we can handle our own.”
Tank’s jaw tightened. “Yeah, but now they’ll escalate.”
Lillith looked between them. “Then we don’t wait,” she said. Both of them turned to her, and she worried that she had said something wrong.
“What?” Tank asked.
“We don’t sit here and wait for them to come back with more men,” she said. “We end it, now, on our own terms.” Tank stared at her like she’d just said something reckless, and maybe she had.
“You don’t ‘end’ people like this,” he said, looking around the room at the bodies on the floor.
“Why not?” she shot back.
“Because they don’t just disappear,” he snapped. “The men who want me dead have endless resources. You take one down, someone else steps in. There is no end to this—not until I’m dead.”
Lillith’s gasp filled the room. “Then we don’t take down just one of them,” she said. That got Tank’s attention.
“What are you saying?” Ember asked.
Lillith took a breath, and then another, trying to steady her nerves. “We talk to them.” The room fell deadly silent.
“Absolutely not,” Tank said immediately.
“Just hear me out—” Lillith started.
“No,” he cut in. “That’s not how this works.”
“Then explain how it does work,” she fired back. “Because from where I’m standing, this just keeps going until someone ends up dead—and I’m not okay with them killing the man that I love.”
“Lillith,” he said, his voice lower now. “Did you just say that you love me?”
“I did, you stubborn mule, and you dying isn’t okay,” she said. Lillith didn’t need him to say those words to her in return, but she refused to hide the way that she felt about him any longer. Today had taught her that tomorrow isn’t promised, butshe wanted to work like hell to make sure that they were both around to face a new day.
He looked at her, like he was trying to figure out what to say next, and she shook her head. “Don’t worry about that now, Tank. We need to focus on what to do next about the assholes who are trying to kill us. We need a plan, and I think that mine is a good one,” she insisted.
“You don’t sit down with people like that,” he breathed.
“Why?” she asked. “Because they’re dangerous?”
“Yes.”
“So are you,” she said.
“They want you,” she continued. “Not me, not Ember, and not the Harlots.”
“They’ll use all of you to get to me,” he snapped.
“Then let’s make it not worth their time,” she said. Ember watched her closely now, and she hoped like hell that her sister would have her back in all this.
