Page 60 of Creeping Lily
His head tilts, a slow, deliberate reminder of the oath I took not to ask questions.
“You’d do well to remember your place. You came to us. Not the other way around. Break the rules and you’re out.”
I bite down on the retort clawing its way up my throat, wipemy palms against my jeans, and give him a look that says I’m not impressed.
“What’s the second thing?”
“Your relationship with Lily Snow.”
“What about it?”
“It ends. Now.”
“The hell it does,” I snap, leaning forward. The heat in my chest is pure rage.
“You can’t let your dick compromise her safety,” he fires back.
“My relationship with Lily has nothing to do with Goliath.” My voice is tight, my teeth clenched.
“It does when she’s a client. She has been since the day she arrived.”
“If she’s your client, then why thefuckdoes she have no idea you’re trailing behind her?”
He rises, planting his hands on the desk and leaning over it until the air between us feels like it might ignite.
“She’s here because of Goliath. You keep pushing, and I will destroy you.”
The words are slow, quiet, deliberate. I’ve seen men crumble under that kind of tone. I’m not one of them. If anything, I’m walking out of here even more determined to dig into what they’re hiding.
“What is it about this girl?” I mutter.
“Believe it or not, Collins, we want the same thing.”
“You think keeping everyone in the dark is helping her?”
“You know as much as you need to know.” He waves at someone behind me, and Clara appears like she’s been waiting.
As she walks me out, I glance back. “So what’s your boss’s name?”
She smirks. “Names don’t matter here, Collins. What matters is he’s got a serious hard-on for you. Thinks you’ve got potential.Don’t let it go to your head.” She leans in, lowering her voice. “Keep your eye on the ball. You’re going places… just not with Lily Snow.”
The cathedral doorsgroan as they swing shut behind me, swallowing me back into the cold night.
The air out here feels different. Sharper. Like even the city knows I’ve just walked out of a den full of wolves.
Clara’s words stick in my head like burrs.Going places. Just not with Lily Snow.
It’s supposed to be a warning. I take it as a challenge.
The stone steps under my boots are slick from an earlier rain, but I don’t slow down. My pulse is hammering too hard, my mind running hot with images I can’t shake—Bentley Walker at the café, Lily’s face caught between shock and despair, the way my handler shut down every question with that smug little head tilt.
They’re hiding something.
Somethingbig.
And the worst part? Lily has no idea. She’s in the middle of their game, and I’m starting to think I’m not here to protect her at all. I’m here to keep her in line.
I hit the street and keep moving, my hands shoved deep into my jacket pockets to hide the fists they’ve curled into. A black SUV idles across the road—one of Goliath’s. No headlights, just the quiet hum of the engine. Watching me. Reminding me I’m never truly out from under their eye.
