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“Yes, it’s giving you fluids. You were severely dehydrated.” He gave her another stern look. “That won’t be happening again.”
“M.M,” she muttered. Old Meanie Malone strikes again.
“Lilac, you’re in big trouble.”
Her mouth dropped open. “How am I in big trouble? It’s not my fault I’m sick. Although I don’t really feel sick, just kind of dizzy and weak.”
Tanner sighed, looking at her worriedly. “I should get the doctor.”
“No, please. Wait.” She rubbed at her forehead. “I want to know what’s going on first. How did I get here? Why are you here? And did you really think the best idea was to tell them I’m your wife? Don’t people here know you?”
He hummed. “Yeah. Good point. Might be why I’ve had a few strange looks.”
“Tanner!”
“Don’t panic. I told the administrator that I would settle the bill but that you needed to use my last name as you’re on the run from an abusive brother.”
“You . . . what?” she whispered.
“Figure that’s close enough to the truth, am I right?” He sat down again.
“You know?” she asked. She hadn’t told him that exactly.
“Not everything, baby. You’ll have to tell me the rest. But we’ve pieced together enough details to come to that conclusion. I’m still not sure where Opal and Ryleigh come into it, though.”
“We?” she asked, focusing on that part.
“Me, Jake, Alec, and Linc.”
“You’ve been asking questions about me?” This just kept getting worse and worse. “What if he finds me? He’s going to find me.”
She couldn’t breathe. What if Stefan discovered them?
“Listen to me.” He grabbed her chin, turning her to face him. “Listen. No one is going to hurt you.”
“You don’t understand.”
She felt so helpless. So weak. She couldn’t afford to be weak. She had so much she had to do.
“I don’t. But I will soon because you’re going to tell me.”
“You can’t . . . you can’t bully me into it.”
She’d already decided to tell him. Heck, six months ago, she’d been going to tell him some of what was going on. Now . . . she’d tell him it all. He deserved to know.
However, he couldn’t just demand it. That was rude.
“I won’t have to. You’ll tell me because you want to. Because me and my family will take care of you.”
She gaped up at him. That wasn’t exactly what she’d expected him to say. “Your family?”
“Yep. No one fucks with the Malones.”
“But I’m not a Malone.” Her heart raced for an entirely different reason. She didn’t even know his family. She’d only met Raid.
“Didn’t we just have this conversation, baby? You’re a Malone now. And we look after our own.”
“You do?” she whispered.
