Page 158 of Tattooed Love

Well, not here anyway.

Her eyes narrowed. “He treats me like I’m an equal. He doesn’t see me as a weakness. Like you do. Like my brothers do. He looks at me as a strength.”

Well, she had me there. I always thought she was my weakness. And it was true; she still was my weakness.

“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know what else to say. It was my fault she was trusting Tae, because he was treating her as an equal when all I had done was look at her as my one weakness.

“Don’t worry about it.” She looked away from the camera. She frowned again. “It’s not your fault. What I’m doing… it’s not on you. It’s all me.”

“I made you leave Amber. What is happening is all on me.” If she got herself killed, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. “Can you stop it? Just cut him out of your life?”

She smiled. “No.” And then added. “I rely on him now, as much as he relies on me.”

“What does he give you?”

“Money.”

“Don’t you have your dad for that?”

“He cut me off.”

“What!”

She sighed. “As soon as he found out I wasn’t going to school, he cut me off. I’m on Tae’s payroll. It’s my only source of income.”

“I have money. You can have it.” My money could be touched now. She could have all of it, if it meant she would leave him and his dirty business and all this shit with TNS behind.

Her lips twitched. “Thanks, but I’m not letting my ex-boyfriend bail me out. I can look after myself.”

Ex-boyfriend. That hit me hard in the chest, right in the heart; the heart that was beating for her.

“Just take the money Amber.”

“No.”

I sighed; she was going to be stubborn. “What can I do to get you to change your mind?”

“Nothing. It’s actually weird you called tonight.” She frowned for a second. “Because Tae is forcing me to take my new role.”

“What role is this?”

“His invisible hand. Just handling the cash, taking out hits. You know, keep his empire running but from a distance, not have anyone know I report directly to him.”

“Why can’t he just do that? He is in England. I’m sure he is capable.”

“It’s not here, it’s back home,” she said slowly, looking torn about it.

“Here?” She was coming back?

“Well, I’m not sure if I will be located back home, but I’ll be in the country somewhere.” She smiled dimly. “Wherever he decides I’m needed the most.”

I hated someone else having control over her. She was mine.

“Make him locate you here.” I basically demanded it of her. “Make him choose here.”

If she was back in the country, back here, I had a chance to get her back. I had a chance to get my girlfriend back. I’d never had a girlfriend before; she was and is the only one I will ever have.

“I’m not really in a position to ask a favor.”

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