Tyler (Inked Brotherhood 2)

“I fucked up, man. I asked Erin to look out for you. I thought she was into you.” He reaches up and rubs the shaved side of his head. “Dammit.”

What is he talking about? The heat leeches out of me, and ice coats my insides. “I don’t understand.”

Zane shakes his head and walks into his booth. I follow him, about to launch myself at him, grab him by the collar, shake him and demand an explanation, because a sickening suspicion has taken hold of my mind and won’t let go—when I hear familiar voices behind me.

Ash and Audrey walk into Damage, discussing something. Their heads are down, bent together, and Audrey’s red curls tangle with Ash’s dark spikes.

“But Tess said Erin will bring him over to meet us. She seemed so excited about it.”

“The fuck she is. I’ll kick her teeth out.”

“Ash!” Audrey grabs his arm, and they stop as the door closes behind them. “If Erin loves Jax, then that’s her right.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not her fucking right to string my brother along, okay?” Ash clenches his fists and looks up.

He freezes.

I glance from him to Zane, who curses under his breath.

“Jax.” My voice sounds hollow in my ears. “Who’s Jax?”

Ash’s eyes are dark with anger. Audrey’s face is white.

But it’s Zane who speaks. “She’s been talking about him for years now. I’m sorry, fucker.”

The room tilts, and I shake my head to clear it. I need to get out. Need air. Grabbing my jacket from the desk, I shove past Ash and Audrey and stride out of Damage and into the cold.

***

The frigid air stings every bit of exposed skin as I speed down the road out of town. The night closes around me like a fist. A deeper darkness is expanding inside my head.

I tap my fingers on the handlebars—one, two, three.

And again.

Where am I heading? I have no fucking clue. I need out. I need to drive until the anger has left my system just enough to let me slow down. Cars and trucks zip by and I accelerate, my hands clenching on the handles.

It’s damn funny. No matter how fast I go, I can’t outrun my bad choices or catch up with the lost time.

Erin has Jax.

I have nothing.

My bike roars as I take a tight turn.

This can’t be happening. I was with her this morning. I kissed her, held her. Why wouldn’t she tell me the truth? Is this… is it payback for vanishing from her life before?

Erin wouldn’t do something like that. She wouldn’t.

But she’s with Jax. She’ll bring him over, so he can meet her friends. She talked about him for years. Years. How many times did you wonder who she ended up with? You thought she waited for you for so long? You thought you got lucky all of a sudden?

Well, you thought wrong.

The helmet’s too tight. I can’t breathe. I stop at the side of the road and pull it off. What am I doing? What should I do?

Fuck this.

I ram the helmet back on and return to the road. I still have some rage to burn. I ride as if the hounds of hell are running at my heels and have to wonder at my luck for not getting caught going well over the speed limit when the rest of my life keeps going to shit.