Page 51 of Timeless

“It’s not Amber.” I glanced at Amber, who was just staring at the carpet, silently crying.

“Where’s Amber?” Tae’s voice, which had been friendly before, had hardened.

“Busy.”

“She must be because she wouldn’t have let you answer this number.”

My eyes were on Amber; she hadn’t so much as moved toward to the phone. “I’ve got a fucking lot I want to say to you. Starting with who the fuck did you think you were to stop her telling me about my son?!”

“I’ve always put Jack first. You won’t benefit his life.”

“I want you to leave my family alone,” I hissed into the phone. Was he still in my country? Because I would like nothing more than to set the Reaper on him. And it Reaper wasn’t up for it, I’d do it myself.

“Amber is going to marry me, Jackson, and I’m going to raise your son.”

“Like fuck I would let that happen!”

“Ask Amber if you don’t believe me. I know she’s made a decision by now.”

My eyes hardened on Amber. She would only turn to Tae if something was wrong. “What did you tell her today?”

“If she has chosen not to turn to you, I’m not going to be the one to tell you.” Tae’s voice also went up in pleasure knowing Amber hadn’t turned to me with whatever problem she had. “Tell Amber my plane is ready to leave as soon as she is.”

“She isn’t leaving with you.”

“They are.”

“You really think I will let her?” I would stop Amber from leaving. I would fucking lock her in this house if I had to. I would never let her leave and be with a man who was nearly as dangerous as me.

I was letting her be with Will. But if I really wanted to, I could stop that, too.

I was leaving tonight but I had still planned on taking a back seat in her life. I would always be looking over her shoulder. And my son’s. I was going to remove myself from the picture. Let her have the life she wanted, with Will.

“Jack comes first, right? I can keep him safe. And my wife.” Tae was saying that like Amber had already agreed to marry him. “Tell Amber I am ready when she is.”

“Stay the fuck away from my family!”

“Your family? That’s where you are wrong, Jackson. Since the day Amber approached me, pregnant, she and Jack became my family.” Tae’s words had strength to them. “And I won’t let you hurt my family.”

He really thought they were his? Well, I would just have to prove to him how wrong he was. First, I would cut his relationship with Amber. I would be making sure my son and the woman I loved were no way involved in his life.

“I’m destroying this phone. Consider your relationship with Amber over. And stay the fuck away from them.” I pulled the phone from my ear and hung. Then I snapped the phone in half. Phones weren’t what they used to be.

“Did you just break my phone?”

Amber was lucky I was only breaking the phone and not smashing everything in this fucking house. Did she really think I would let her marry Tae!

“Tae said his plane will be ready when you are.” I crossed my arms, clenching the broken phone in my hand. “Want to explain why you are choosing to leave the country with my son?”

I watched her eyes hardened. She hadn’t stopped crying from the moment I saw her tonight but her tears had stopped. She looked like she wanted to rip my head off. I was waiting for her to start ranting at me. Yelling, screaming, whatever. I was ready for it.

Instead, she slowly got up and walked to her closet. I threw her broken phone on the bed.

“What are you doing?” I asked as she flicked the closet lights on.

She remained quiet.

She was being cold. Distant. Then I saw her reach for a suitcase and I just fucking snapped.

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