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His eyes flash as he moves forward, crouching down in front of me. “I’m not trying to save the fuckin’ day, Lily. I’m trying to help you, but you’re too stubborn for your own good.”
“I’m not stu—”
“Yeah, you are.”
My gaze stays attached to his, not moving one inch as my breaths come faster. Why can’t he see how hard this is for me? I want to be free, fully free, but every time I think I’m close or have gained it, it’s ripped away from me. Why can’t he understand I don’t want to rely on him?
“This was never the plan,” I whisper, my head drooping down. “I had everything in place. My bag was packed, some saved-up money in there along with my I.D. It’s all I would ever need.” I twist my fingers around themselves on my lap, not willing to look up and see what’s shining in his eyes.
“And where’s the bag now?” he asks, his voice lighter than a couple of minutes ago.
“In my hiding spot in my bedroom.”
“Fuck,” he whispers.
The silence stretches between us, and just when I think he’s going to walk away and leave me to wallow, he reaches out, cupping my chin and bringing my face up.
“Then we make a new plan.”
“A… new plan?”
He nods, his lips lifting on one side. “You’re not on your own, Lily. You have me and even though I know you hate asking for my help; it’s what I’m here for.”
“But—”
He lifts his hand, pressing his finger over my lips. “You have a problem, you come to me. I don’t want to control you, I don’t want anything in return. I just… I want to help you.”
I swallow at the intensity in his eyes, and when he pulls his hand back, I whisper, “Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want to help me?”
He stares at me, his head tilted to the side. I can see his mind working overtime, see the way he thinks everything through before he says a word, but what I don’t expect is for him to say, “There’s something about you, Lily. Something that draws me to you, and I can’t fuckin’ explain it.” He stands up, scrubbing his hands down his face. “All I know is I shouldn’t feel this way—not after what happened to you—and definitely not while you’re still underage.”
He takes a step back as my mouth pops open, but nothing comes out. I replay his words over and over again. What is he trying to say?
“I’ve tried to stay away from you, but I can’t.”
He spins around before walking out of the room, and several seconds later the front door slams shut.
He tried to stay away?
LUKE
I pull into the compound, but something in my stomach doesn’t feel right. I stayed with Lily for two days, and after yesterday I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t have a choice. Knowing I’m going to be undercover for at least a week didn’t make it any easier to leave her alone.
I curse myself for wanting to stay, and even though I tell myself it’s to keep her safe, I know it’s not. If I’m honest with myself, it’s more than that. Way more. But I can’t be honest. Not right now anyway. I have to do what’s expected of me, and that’s making sure I find the mole and keep my family safe.
My body vibrates with adrenaline knowing today is the day we take down Aaron—Lexi’s uncle. Once this is over, I need to head back to the bar and start worming my way inside their ranks. I need to build up trust and get into that back room to see what they’re doing in there. But most importantly, to work out who the mole is. They’re bound to turn up there after what happened with Charlie and the judge, it’s just a matter of waiting them out.
I give Evan a nod before watching all the guys get into their cars and grit my teeth when Kitty and Dean get into my SUV.
I don’t want to get involved in their conversation so I block them both out but keep half of my attention on Dean. There’s something extra slippery about him today, and when he catches my gaze in the rearview mirror, something behind his eyes flash. Fucker thinks he’s getting away with whatever the hell he’s doing. He’s wrong. I’m gonna bring him down, just like I do with everyone who tries to cross us.
Pulling into the town Evan said Lexi grew up in, I park before we all exit and head toward the van. We manage to squeeze inside the small space before Evan gives us the rundown. He hands me a blue earpiece—this one different from the ones we normally use. He explains they have trackers in them and record everything. Once he’s done with his speech I jump out of the van after Ty and Kay and take up my position.
“In position,” Kitty says through the earpiece. I don’t turn to face her because I know she’s over the road and a little ways down at a coffee shop with Dean.
