“I was talking about you as well, Dylan,” she said.
He gave her a fierce look. “If you think I’m going anywhere, a mhuirnín, you’re sadly mistaken. A man doesn’t leave when the going gets tough. And if you try to leave, I’ll spank you every night for a week. I can take care of myself. And you.”
“This is the safest place for you, Tilly,” Rogan added. “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out of this mess.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. If she had more courage she’d try to convince them to stay out of this mess, but she was scared and totally out of her depth.
“The two of you can’t handle this alone,” Rogan told them. “You need our help.”
“Won’t it create problems for you to go up against the Vipers?” Dylan asked.
“Let me worry about that.”
“I really don’t believe Miller would do this. She sounded so scared on the phone. And why would she pretend to be in trouble? Why wouldn’t she just call me and ask me to visit her?”
“Because this got you to drop everything and come running,” Aedan told her.
“I suppose,” she said doubtfully.
“We should have demanded to speak to her,” Rogan said. “But after Dylan threatened Iker, I thought we’d better make a quick exit. Once we get this sorted, I’ll demand to talk to her. I’ll find out the truth.”
“Okay,” she said. “Thank you.”
Dylan stood. “Come on, babe. Let’s get some rest.”
Tilly said a quick good night to the others then followed him upstairs to the bedroom they’d had before.
“Well, I’ve managed to make a real impression on your friends,” she said dryly as she sat on the bed. Dylan knelt at her feet and slipped off her shoes. “Think they’ll invite us back for Thanksgiving?”
Dylan snorted and slipped off her socks.
“I can do that,” she said, pulling back her feet. He’d already done so much for her.
Dylan placed his hands on her thighs. “Let me. I need to look after you right now.”
“I’m really sorry for bringing you into this mess,” she said.
He tightened his hold on her. “I’m glad you did. The thought of you in the grasp of the Vipers makes me feel ill.” He shuddered.
He undid her jeans then stood her up so he could pull them down off her legs. She sat again, dressed only in a t-shirt, bra, and panties.
“I’m sorry about the way Aedan reacted. He shouldn’t have talked to you that way.”
“Don’t apologize,” she told him. “He has every right to be disgusted with me. How did I not realize what was going on?”
“Don’t,” Dylan ordered, his voice very firm. “Do not blame yourself. You have no reason to feel shame. Aedan knows that.”
Tilly took his hand. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not.”
Tilly rubbed her eyes. “I knew that Javier was an awful person, but I still find it hard to get my head around everything he’s done. And then there’s Miller…” It hurt to say her friend’s name. Had she really betrayed her? To become part of a gang? It just didn’t make sense.
“I’m exhausted, but I don’t think I can sleep.” Her mind was in complete turmoil. Miller’s supposed betrayal. Javier’s dangerous lies. She just couldn’t see any way out of this. Her life was going to be changed forever.
Dylan studied Tilly for a long moment. She was so stressed that he was growing worried. If this kept up, she was going to make herself sick.
“Do you need me to take over for tonight?” he asked her. “Do you trust me enough to let me take control?”