Page 169 of Tattooed Love

I was still staring at her and it was when she glanced at me that I saw the pain in her eyes.

“We aren’t,” she said firmly, still looking me in the eye. “I’ve learned my lesson when it comes to relationships.”

That was my fault.

“Speaking of which…. I have to see Blake while I’m in town.” She wouldn’t look me in the eye again.

“Why?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking. She said she would never go see him again. She had promised me that. It was on the same night I broke up with her. Was she going back to him?

“He is using my name,” she mumbled, frowning. “And it’s bothering me.”

“How is he using your name?” I took a step closer to her, pushing Adam out of the way, so I could read her expression properly.

She looked up. “He is telling people I’m in charge. I haven’t even been in the country and I’m getting heat for it.”

“We can handle it,” Troy said as he pushed me back towards the car. “No need for you to be brought down by his crap.”

She sighed. “Letting my brothers handle him. Tempting.”

“Come on Amber, we owe you one,” Cole pointed out as he unlocked the car. “I don’t know how many times I’ve been tempted just to be put in holding, just to give him a fight.”

“That’s exactly what he is after. A fight.” Amber ran a hand through her hair. “It mightn’t even matter. I might not stay. Then if I fly out, I guess the problem stays here.” She was staring at the pavement. “He is making my life hell; God, some days I wish he would just go back to hitting me. At least that would bruise and heal.”

My eyes widened. I don’t think she realized what she’d said. That she’d admitted to her brothers that he used to hit her. They were all staring at her, and she was still staring with no emotion at the pavement. She appeared to be in her own world.

“Amber, what did you just say?” Cole dumped the suitcase in the back seat and walked towards her, gripping her by the shoulders and breaking her eye lock with the pavement.

She frowned. “What?”

“Did he used to hit you?” Cole was calm, not a hint of anger. It was the very rare side of Cole you would see, before he started shooting or choking someone to death.

She frowned. “Did I really just say that?” She seemed shocked for a second.

Cole nodded his head.

“Um, well.” She pushed his hands off her shoulders. “Yeah, he did. It was why we broke up. Wouldn’t have broken up if he could control his temper.”

“He’s dead,” Cole said simply, and all her brothers nodded in agreement. “Dead,” he repeated. “As of tonight.” Cole glanced at me. “You don’t really need me tonight, do you?”

He wanted to go and kill Blake. Fine by me. I shook my head. “We can handle it,” I said. “But for the record, Blake got a beating for touching her.”

Their heads snapped to me. Even Amber was looking at me slightly shocked. I shrugged my shoulders.

“She came back to her house black and blue, and her dad said she had a boyfriend. Turned out to be Blake.” I answered their unsaid questions.

“So, that explains his reaction to you when he saw you at my house that morning,” Amber said, like she had just put a puzzle together. “And why he was beaten up the day he came and saw me at the house to break up.” She smiled at me, and it hit me hard. “You did a good job.”

“Well, I didn’t love you then so he got off lightly.” I’d just said it. I was sick of hiding the fact I still loved her. I didn’t fucking care what her brothers thought of me for loving her, but they looked at me like I couldn’t possibly have said I still love her. “So, should we go?” I said as they just stared at me.

“Yeah. I have a prison to visit.” Cole was the first one to snap out of staring blankly at me.

“You can beat up him Cole, but you can’t kill him,” Amber said directly. “I don’t want you to deal with murder charges and he isn’t worth it, but, considering the hell he has been putting me through, I would like it if he beat him to the point of nearly an early death.” She smiled knowing Cole would like that.

His expression hardened like he wasn’t about to accept that. He would go to prison for murder. Cole wouldn’t care.

“Fine, but only because you asked nicely. Now, get in.” Cole opened the back seat door for her. “And, are you serious when you say you aren’t dating this Tae guy?”

She nodded her head.

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