Page 20 of Overstaying His Welcome

“What the fuck, Chance?!”

His outburst threw me for a second before I realized it was fear for me upsetting him rather than something I’d done. Still, I wouldn’t take shit from him. That wasn’t how our relationship worked.

“I had no clue who he was before now, Tank. Donors aren’t given background checks in political campaigns.”

“Not even ones who donate millions?”

The fury in his voice was enough to have my hackles rise. “I only just got the email. The funds aren’t even distributed yet. I can stop it from going through.”

“It’s not about stopping it. He already knows who you are! This is…” he tugged at his hair, the paper clenched tight in his hand. “This is worse than I thought. He knows who you are. Knows what you mean to me.”

I raised my hands.

“Woah! How did you even make that connection? It’s a donation, not a death threat.”

“It might as well be. You think it’s coincidence?” He rose from his chair in a rush, then paced the length of the room.

Leaning back in my chair, I observed him for a few moments. He needed to get a hold of his thoughts before I asked him to explain further. Anytime my safety was involved, he became irrational.

I would have been the same way; however, Tank was the most capable person I knew. While I often admired him for it, I could also see the toll it took on him. I saw how he distanced himself from people and relationships. Aside from his team, I was the only other person in his life.

He’d once told me it was easier to not have anyone to lose when life fucked you over.

CHAPTER 6

TANK

It wasas if my worst nightmares were coming true.

To see Diestro’s name on the list of donors for Chance's campaign was devastating. How did he even know who Chance was?

To my knowledge and the research we've done, Diestro didn't have a stable home in this city.

Now, of course, he was a ghost for the most part, so it was very possible he did have somewhere here and knew what was happening.

But it seemed like a slim chance.

The margin of error here was as unknown as the details of all the players involved.

But what I did know was that this development was a problem. Nothing good could come from this affiliation.

I stared at Chance, my heart nearly breaking because of what this meant.

I had put him in danger. My love for him and my inability to let him go has led to this.

“I don't think you understand,” I told him, my voice breaking.

He shook his head. “Clearly I don't because you're far more upset than I thought you would be. I get that this is a big case.”

I held up my hand to stop him.

“This isn't just a big case, Chance. I know there are things I can't tell you because of who you are and how it could implicate you. But this is massive. It's nationwide. I have the FBI involved.”

He frowned.

“The FBI? If it was that huge, why don't I know anything?”

“Because I don't want you to,” I pleaded. “Because the more involved you are, the more danger you're in. That's why I kept you separate for so long.”

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