“What?” She glanced up at him then rubbed her head. “Sorry, I’m fine.”
“You’re exhau
sted and stressed,” he countered. “Unfortunately, you’ll have to try and rest in the truck. Come on, we need to get going.”
“Dylan.”
He turned as she called out, a note of distress in her voice.
“What is it?” he asked, walking back toward her. If there was something she needed, he’d do his best to provide it. “Are you scared for your friend? I’ll do everything I can to get her back.”
What state she would be in was anyone’s guess.
“No, it’s not that. I mean, yeah, I’m scared, but I…” She gazed up at him with frustration. “You don’t have to help me. You could just turn your back and walk away and no one would blame you. I’m sorry for what I said before. I didn’t mean it, about how we mean little to each other. I was just trying to protect you.”
Dylan frowned. Protect him? “I don’t understand. Why would you need to protect me?”
She stared at him incredulously. “Because this could be dangerous. Somehow I don’t think you’re going to just locate Miller and then call the police in to rescue her.”
He grimaced. Call the cops? Even as a law-abiding citizen he still had a gut reaction to avoid the police. It had been drummed into him as a child that cops couldn’t be trusted and he had a hard time overcoming those beliefs.
“The cops will just make things messy and bring the Vipers down on our heads. I’ll go in quietly and get her out.” Hopefully alive and well. He still hadn’t heard back from Rogan or Aedan. If they wouldn’t help him, then he would be on his own. Correction: he’d have Tilly to protect while trying to help her friend.
Maybe he should tie her up and have a friend babysit her.
“I don’t like that look in your eyes.” Tilly watched him suspiciously.
Dylan merely raised his eyebrow, trying to look innocent.
“This is my problem, not yours and I-I care about you. I don’t want you to get hurt. That’s why I said what I did.”
He gaped at her in surprise. She really had been trying to protect him. Him. Of course, she had it all wrong, he was the protector, not her. But he felt himself falling in love with her just a little bit more. When was the last time anyone had tried to protect him?
Dylan dropped his bag then walked up to her and clasped her around the waist.
“I’m sorry if I hurt you,” she whispered. “But I couldn’t bear it if anything happened to you.”
He lifted her until they were eye-to-eye.
“Nothing is going to happen to me.”
Tilly gazed at him intently from wide, brown eyes. “Do you think she’s okay?”
Much as he wanted to lie to protect her, he knew that could just cause more heartache in the long run and make her doubt him. He wanted her to know that he was the one person in the world who would always have her back.
“I don’t know, babe. But I hope so.”
She nodded and blinked back tears. “Umm, you should probably put me down.”
He smiled. “I’m thinking of carting around a crate for you to stand on. Tonight when I was spanking that delicious ass of yours, I almost had to bend myself in two to reach it.” He lowered her to the ground and led her out to the garage. When they were back in his truck, Tilly reached over and grabbed his hand.
Thank God he’d been with her tonight. The thought of her trying to tackle this by himself made him feel ill.
“Promise me you won’t get hurt,” she said. “I don’t think I could handle that.”
“I’ll try my best, a mhuirnín.”
“What does that mean?”