Page 94 of Overstaying His Welcome

My brows rose at that information. He hadn’t mentioned that he was still questioning them. Though we both knew questioning meant something else.

Tank was the type to talk with his fists when an enemy arose. He’d never raise them at me, but he was a menace to those threatening his way of life.

Since he hadn’t come home with bloody knuckles or any bruising, I assumed things were fine. He and I were doing ok, and since we’d become intimate again, it felt like the before but better.

We were no longer hiding. No longer living on borrowed time.

Except for the late workdays.

Now I had to wonder if they were all centered around him getting his revenge.

“Can you tell me where they are?” I asked Jared.

Despite all the information I had about NightShade, where they tortured people wasn’t something I’d gained access to. Clearly, I should have asked before now. Then again, I didn’t think I’d need to mention it.

Tank usually told me everything. The fact that he’d avoided telling me about this meant something.

Jared bit his lip as he looked around once more. Then he rose on his toes and leaned over to whisper. After he told me what I needed to know, he dropped into his chair and got back to work.

To ease the strain I saw in his jaw, I made a bit more polite conversation with him. “You sure are working late. Shouldn’t you be home by now?”

He shook his head quickly. “It’s not — I don’t like being in the house alone for long. Things are different now.”

The way he spoke about it, as if I were familiar with his issue, let me know he was referencing the incident where we were all drugged. It was a shared trauma in a way. We all handledit differently, of course. It seemed Jared’s was avoiding being alone.

“You know one of the guys would absolutely walk you home if you needed it, right? They could check things out too.”

“No!” he shouted, before getting ahold of himself. “Please don’t mention it. I’m working on something to help. I think it will be good for me overall.”

I stared at him, assessing how truthful he was being with me. It could very well be a lie to get me to stop asking questions. Jared was smart enough to deflect when need be. It’s what made him so good at his job.

But I didn’t detect anything like that now.

He was truly working on a plan to make his situation better. I had to trust him until he proved he needed help otherwise.

I wouldn’t stand by if he were hurt or in need. He was part of NightShade, which made him family. We had to work together to take care of each other.

I’d learned that lesson ten times over since everything went down.

“Alright, then. Only if you’re sure.”

He smiled. “I’m positive. Why don’t you go hunt down your man?”

At his raised brows, I chuckled. He and I both knew what would happen when I found Tank. The fact that he hadn’t been telling me where he was and what he was doing meant he didn’t expect me to find out.

Surprise, baby!

I couldn’t let him handle this alone. Not when it was something I knew he still felt guilty over.

It didn’t take long to get to the place Jared told me about. While it wasn’t what I expected, I knew this made sense for its purpose. Discreet, easily accessible, and temperature controlled—all of it made the perfect torture chamber.

“Tank!” I called out as I knocked on the door.

Silence was all that followed. I waited a moment, but when I went to knock again, the door opened. Takeshi stood there with a grim look on his face.

He signed a greeting to me, then motioned me inside.

“I’m here to see Tank,” I told him plainly.

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