Page 19 of Overstaying His Welcome

Tight jaw. Fiery eyes. Brows dipped low.

The man was a live wire waiting to blow merely at the thought of something happening to me. It wasn’t a declaration of love, but it was really fucking close for a person like him.

We’d never said the words to one another. Our actions said far more than those eight letters ever could.

Still, I was a man who could appreciate the deeply protective way he cared for me.

“I promise to be careful. Some light digging is all I’ll do. It might be that nothing comes up if he’s as much of a ghost as you suspect him to be.”

“Or he realizes you’re digging now, and he tries to shut you up completely. It’s a dangerous game to play, hence why I haven’t asked for your help before. If we weren't —”

“Desperate? Yeah, I get it. Again, I’ll be careful. Plus, if things look bad, you’re the first person I’ll call, secrets be damned.”

He smiled at that. Tank loved knowing he was a press of a button away. My phone had an app on it that only required me to press my thumb to it for him to be alerted. It was like that necklace the elderly wore for falls, with a touch more discretion.

Tank told me it would be good if no one else knew it existed. I suspected he didn’t trust the people I was surrounded by. Since most of them were hired or brought in by my father, I tended to agree with the observation.

“How has your week been otherwise?” I asked him, changing the subject to lessen the tension in the room.

He shrugged. “Nothing to report. The guys are settling in. Things at the Club are the same as ever. Patrick has a strong grip on what everyone needs, and Frost has really stepped up since Godric joined us full-time. We’ve begun taking on more smaller projects like we used to since we’re at a bit of a standstill.”

Had he been anyone else, I’d have asked if there was a money issue. But it was Tank. The man had more than enough funding to keep business afloat for ages before the well ran dry.

Over the years, I’ve watched him transform NightShade into the mega-security business it was. It’s a wonder any other company existed with the level of success he had.

Then again, he was adamant about not overworking his men. His loyalty to keeping them all sane meant he couldn’t accept every job that came his way.

Or in cases like mine where he needed distance, it was great to have other security companies to call.

“No news is better than bad news, right?”

He shook his head. “Not in this case. I’m worried he’s rallying troops to come after us. We’ve been careful covering our tracks but after finding out the office was bugged, I feel like I’ve missed some signs these assholes are closer than we originally thought. Like maybe there’s a connection we missed.”

I pulled my hand away from his and moved around my desk. His words sent a tremor through me. There was nothing worse than being betrayed by someone close to you. If that was the case here, Tank was going to lose his shit.

And if he did, the only chance we’d ever get to actually be together would evaporate.

I mean, sure, there wasn’t a huge chance now. We were hiding the fact that we even knew each other to most people who knew us. I think his team had some idea given the number of meetings, and obviously my assistant was clued in, but everyone else wasn’t.

If shit hit the fan, I’d have to distance myself from him.

Which was my worst nightmare.

Opening my private contacts file, I pulled up a search. “What’s his name?”

“Diestro Lune.”

I froze. “Diestro Lune?”

Tank leaned forward. “Yes. Do you already know the name?”

Shaking my head, I dug through the papers in my desk. I knew he was going to flip out once I showed him what I knew. There was no outcome in which Tank didn’t get upset.

The printed-out email Marten handed me earlier this week came into view. I scanned the page, anguish filling me once I saw the name again.

“This came in recently,” I said as I handed the document over.

I watched him read over the lines. At first, his expression didn’t change. Then he reached the point where I knew he’d put the pieces together.

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