Page 33 of Ashes to Ink

“What the fuck is going on?” Mace asked, anger in his voice.

“Meet my brother, Michael.”

“You’re going to pay for this. No one fucks with me.”Michael shook under Ryan’s hold, and the other guys in the room came closer,ready to help.

“Shut up.” Ryan put his hand on the back of Michael’s headand pushed it to the floor. Maybe he would have tried to be a better brotherand not hurt Michael, but he was so fucking tired. So fucking tired ofall of this.

Why couldn’t his brother just leave him alone? The more Ryanhad helped in the past, the worse Michael got. So Ryan had stopped. He hadpushed his brother away, just hoping that Michael would be able to find peace.

Ryan had never looked for his own. He had thrown himselfinto his work and tried not to make others care about what was wrong with himor worry about what he needed. Then he made a mistake. A big fucking error whenit came to Abby.

He deserved anything he got.

But Abby didn’t.

“Well, damn,” Dimitri said, his voice low. The guys knewabout his brother, at least some of the details. It was hard to have drinks andwings twice a week for over a year and not share at least some things aboutyourself.

They had wanted to know about Ryan’s life, and he hadmentioned Michael. And that meant the guys’ women probably knew about Michael,too.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking at Abby. She just gave him atight nod, and he knew that this was the beginning of the end. He’d fucked up.Then again, that’s what his family did.

“Let me help clean up,” Adrienne said and then stoppedherself midstride. “No, I guess the police need to see this, don’t they? Ryan, doyou have him? Should the guys be helping you?”

“We’ve got it,” Mace growled, and soon, all four men werehelping keep Michael down, their eyes on the women in the room since theaggression in the air intensified with each passing moment. It only calmed slightlywhen the police arrived.

All of them talked with the cops and gave statements as theauthorities pulled Michael out of the way, taking in the scene and doing theirjob. Ryan had a feeling that this wouldn’t be the end of it. Jail time, and alittle slap on the wrist for destruction of property and threatening wasn’tgoing to stop Michael. It never did.

Ryan couldn’t look at Abby. He was afraid that if he did,he’d see the disgust in her expression, the hurt.

He was so fucking embarrassed. So fucking ashamed.

It was one thing to say that, yes, he had a brother who wasa drug addict, it was another when he showed up in your life and screwedeverything up. It was yet another thing when he was suddenly there in yourface, screaming and saying crude things that no one should ever say or have tohear. It was still more when that person came in and destroyed the things thatyou loved.

Ryan knew that Abby was doing well in her shop, but it wasstill early enough that he was afraid that if insurance didn’t cover what hadhappened, she would lose everything. Well, he wasn’t going to allow that tohappen. At least he would do his best to never let that happen.

As the police took Michael close to the door, his brotherlooked Ryan in the eye. “You’re a fucking betrayer. Look what you did to me.Look what you left me with. You think you deserve this life? You’re nothing.One wrong move, and you’re right beside me. Needle or not.”

The police pulled Michael out of the building, out ofeverything that Abby had worked so hard for. And Ryan just stood there, hisfists at his sides, a small cut on his hand from one of the teapots that hadshattered on the floor. He didn’t know when he’d gotten cut, but it hadprobably happened when he knocked Michael down.

The cut shed a single droplet of blood on Abby’s floor, andhe noticed the way the others looked down at it—most likely looked down on him.

“Okay, let me help you clean up now, they took photos,”Adrienne said, her voice soft.

“Let’s just leave it for now, close up for the night. Maybego get some coffee?” Abby’s voice started to break, and everyone looked at Ryanas if it was his job to go over and hold her. As much as he wanted to do that,that wasn’t him anymore. He couldn’t hold her. He didn’t have the right.

He knew he had been falling for her already—falling for her smile,for everything about her. And he knew that if he stayed, he’d hurt her evenmore than just this night had.

So he glanced at her, looked at the wideness of her eyes,the paleness of her face. It would be forever etched on his mind. And then helooked at the door. “I’ll help clean up tomorrow. But I can’t do this. I needto go. I’m done.”

Nobody said a word, but Abby moved forward. She put a handon his arm, but he didn’t look down at her. As much as he wanted to, he didn’tturn her way. Because if he did, he’d break down, and he’d want to stay. And ifhe stayed, he’d hurt her.

“I’ve got to go. I’ll pay for it. But I’ve got to go.”

He paused. “I’m sorry.” He let out a breath. “But I’m done.”

And then he walked out, leaving a mess behind him like healways did when it came to his brother.

Maybe Michael was right, maybe Ryan wasn’t so different,after all.