Delilah was a woman in the Bible who betrayed the man she was supposed to have loved. This girl, like all the other women I’ve ever met, should live up to her namesake. Except she doesn’t.
I was wrong. Sheisa threat. And not just to Benjamin.
If this is what has my target snared like an animal in a trap waiting to die, then I fully understand. And I envy him. So fucking much.
A surge of want rises in me. It’s so sudden and strong, it causes me to stumble back and loosens my grip on the knife. Delilah is an anomaly, a type of woman I didn’t know existed. One who’s willing to put herself in danger for someone, even if it means she’ll die. That deep, unshakeable loyalty…
I want that.
I need it.
Ineedher.
I don’t give a shit what the girl’s name symbolizes. Delilah is mine.
Chapter 2
DELILAH
“Sweet mother of fuck.”
I lean against the bedroom door with a loud sigh. Ben chuckles at my outburst and then grimaces, clutching his ribs. “Don’t make me laugh.”
I throw up my arms in exasperation, probably resembling an inflatable tube man. “I’m not trying to be funny.” I glare at him. “Seriously? What in the world were you thinking to threaten Frank like that?”
“Me?” My foster brother shoots me an incredulous look. “I’m not the one who stabbed him. You’re one to talk.”
“That’s fair.” I give him a gentle shove towards the bed. Once he’s laying down, I hand him the bag of frozen mixed vegetables. “Don’t give me that look,” I say, shoving the item in his face. “It’s not like we have fancy ice packs in this dump.”
Ben takes the bag and presses it to his side with a hiss. A frown pulls at my lips, but I’m quick to smooth out my features. If it’s one thing my foster brother hates, it’s to see me upset.
Considering I just stabbed someone, I’m pretty freaked out. On the positive side, at least I didn’t kill Frank. That shitbag better not bleed to death, or I’ll be screwed.
“Sit with me, Lilah.”
The nickname melts some of the tension still gripping my body. I smile at Ben and plop onto the bed next to him. My movements jostle him a little, and my grimace returns.
“Sorry.”
He shakes his head. “I could’ve died if you hadn’t interfered.”
“There’s no way I would’ve let that happen.” I take his hand in mine and give it a squeeze. “We’re family.”
His gaze sweeps over me with agonizing slowness. “Right. Family.”
A flush works its way up my neck at his intense stare, and I retract my hand to avoid any awkwardness. There shouldn’t be any between us. Ben is the one who took me to buy training bras and pads when I was twelve and he was fifteen. He’s the person who listened to me cry over a piece-of-shit mother who abandoned me.
But things have changed recently.
Maybe it’s because Ben’s a legal adult and I’m fifteen, still a kid to him. Or it could be because he’s leaving, and now he’s pushing me away to avoid missing me. I know I’m going to lose my mind without him around.
The one person who can keep me safe will be gone in the morning. That leaves everything on my shoulders. At least I still have that knife.
“So, now what?” I ask. “Are you done being mad at me?”
He blows out a breath, looking up at the ceiling. “I’ve never been able to stay mad at you for very long. You know that.”
“Yeah, but this is different. Either Frank will get the hint that I’m not messing around with him, or he’ll be more pissed off than before. Regardless, I won’t leave the girls alone. I need you to understand that.”
