“Are you all right?” Tasha asked. “What happened?”
Lilith scrubbed the back of her hand across her eyes then looked around, her gaze coming to rest on Tasha, her brows knitted. “Why’d you come back? I told you to get out of here.”
“There were guys on the street,” Tasha said. “The ones who were with Gideon. I think they were looking for me.”
Lilith snorted. “Probably. You should have gone with them.”
Tasha glared at Lilith. “Are you out of your mind? I don’t know what those guys want with me, but it can’t be anything good.”
“Yeah,” Lilith said, “with them, it’s always something.”
Which wasn’t an answer. Tasha sat back on her heels. Before all hell broke loose, Lilith had convinced her to go back to the bar and talk to those very men, although she hadn’t said why that was a good idea. Yet, she was also the same woman who had likely saved Tasha’s life this evening. She needed to have a serious talk with this woman, but it would have to wait.
Tasha scanned the inky skies. “What were those things?”
Lilith’s expression turned grim. “I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.” There was such determination in the set of her shoulders and the line of her jaw that Tasha was glad to not be in Lilith’s sights for once.
“Do you think you can help me find my purse first?” Tasha asked. “I think I dropped it when I took my shoes off.”
Lilith curved her palm in front of her mouth and blew on it softly. A handful of flame flickered to life.
Tasha sucked air, stunned. “Okay, then.”
Lilith grinned and stood, swinging her arm back and forth in slow arcs that illuminated the ground about them. “It’s magick, but I can’t keep this up forever, you know?”
“Oh, right.” Tasha scrambled to her feet and hunted until she spotted the leather bag.
She flicked open the clasp and dug out the keys to her rental. “Need a ride?”
Lilith closed her hand and the flame vanished. “He’s not going to stop, you know.”
“Gideon?”
Lilith nodded.
“Well, he can forget about it.” Tasha shook her head. “I don’t know what the deal is between him and Owen, but it has nothing to do with me. Even if they think I’m involved, here’s a newsflash: I’m not. Owen and I had a thing. A hook-up. Whatever. Now…we don’t.”
“So what are you going to do?”
“I’m going to go back to the spa and see if they’ve got someone on staff who can see Erin—”
“Your friend?”
“Yes, and then I’m going to pack my things and in the morning, I’m going back to my life. End of story.”
“Good luck with that,” Lilith said.
Her matter-of-fact tone made Tasha uneasy, but she ignored the feeling along with the skeptical light in the back of Lilith’s dark eyes. Maybe it wasn’t skepticism. It was too dark where they stood to be sure, but why should she care what Lilith thought?
“Do you want a ride or not?” Tasha asked, her tone cool and far more nonchalant than she felt.
Lilith didn’t speak. She’d turned, craned her neck toward the parking lot. Great, she wasn’t even paying attention.
Tasha started to walk away.
“Wait.”
Tasha was so done with this nonsense. “Suit yourself. I’ve got to go.”
Lilith grabbed her arm in a surprisingly strong grip. “Didn’t you hear me? I said, wait. You need to start paying attention.”
Tasha ground her teeth. “What for?”
Lilith pointed.
Tasha saw three men—the two big ones who belonged to Gideon—stalking across the parking lot, plus a third who trailed behind. From the silhouette, the third man looked like lean, dark-haired one who’d been standing behind Owen inside the bar.
Tasha swallowed. Why was she so important that someone would send three men after her? For a stupid one-night stand? This was insane.
More insane than a woman who faced down demons and held fire in the palm of her hand?
Panic bloomed in Tasha’s gut. The urge to run was almost overpowering. She had her keys, she was barefoot, the car wasn’t that far away. If she could evade them across the parking lot and hit the fob and jump inside the car…
“Wait,” Lilith hissed.
Tasha jerked her arm out of Lilith’s grasp. “You wanted me to go back inside and talk to him. That… that Gideon. That biker-gangbanger-hoodlum guy. Now you’re saying stay away? What is up with that?” She gestured helplessly. “What is up with all of this?” Her lower lip quivered, and she hated herself for it.
Something bright flashed in Lilith’s eyes and then it was gone. She jerked a thumb toward the men who were still combing the parking lot. “For right now, all you need to know is that I’m not on their side. I’ve never been on their side.”