Page 79 of Tempest’s Torment

She rolls her eyes, her cheeks pinking. "You're impossible."

"Probably, but Lilah." I hold her gaze. "I'm choosing you." Her smile softens. "That includes the awkward bits," I say quietly. "Don't ever think you've got to hide those from me."

She reaches across the table, her hand settles over mine. I turn mine over, thread my fingers through hers, and she smiles again. "I hoped you'd say that."

My phone vibrates against the table, breaking through the moment. I glance at the screen and see that it’s Rogue that’s calling. I answer straight away. "Yeah."

"We've got a problem."

My stomach clenches at the tightness in his voice. "What happened?"

"Webb's gone."

I look across the table at Lilah. "Gone how?"

"His apartment's empty, his car's gone, and the burner phone's dead. Everything's gone, he packed up."

I feel my brows rise. "Inside a two-hour window?"

“Yeah,” he says.

My jaw tightens. "He knew."

"He left because he knew we were coming," he says.

I lean back in my chair. "Someone warned him."

"We think so."

I take a steadying breath. "Find out who."

"I'm already on it,” he assures me "Tempest..."

He hesitates for a beat; the anger in his voice has me bracing. "What?"

"If somebody tipped Webb off..." He lets the thought hang between us. "We've got a bigger problem than Webb."

"I know,” I say through gritted teeth, but I’m talking to air, because the line’s gone dead. He ended the call.

I lower the phone and see that Lilah's watching me. "What happens now?"

I don't take my eyes off her. "Now..." I think about Webb and the two-hour head start he has, about the person who gave it to him, and my blood boils. "We start looking closer to home."

CHAPTER TWELVE

lilah

The television fills the apartment with noise; we’re sitting on the sofa, watching a movie, a comedy, but Tempest doesn't react to any of the funny moments. He's looking at the screen, but I know he isn't seeing it. I think his mind's still on Rogue's phone call.

He’s most likely trying to solve who gave Webb the tip-off that the Saint’s Outlaws MC were looking into him. And he’s been trying to solve it ever since he and Rogue ended the call hours ago.

I reach for the television remote control and mute it; his gaze locks on me as I rise to my feet. "Come to bed."

His brows lift. "Lilah..."

"Come to bed."

He studies my face for a second. "I'm fine."