Page 51 of Ink

“Is Evan one of your brothers?”

“No.” Ink laughs. “She’s goin’ to love when I tell her that. Evan is my Prez’s woman. She owns the giant ass house next door. They’ve been fixin’ it up. She’s the one that got you changed and into my bed.”

My face flushes with embarrassment that I know I shouldn’t have at my breakdown being brought up again. I don’t remember much of anything after Zach left. My body started doing that about halfway through my relationship with him. It doesn’t hurt as badly the next day when I can’t remember what happened.

“I need to thank her,” I say, my voice just above a whisper. I sharply inhale as my gaze casts downwards towards his hands, unable to hold his eye. Bruises and cuts cover Ink’s knuckles. “Is that from me?”

Please say no.

I won’t be able to face him ever again for as long as I live if I caused that. I’ll have to find a new place to work and probably sleep on the street. It’s all I’ll think about anytime I see them. And Ink will tell the guys at the shop about it. The looks of pity alone will eat me alive.

Ink looks between me and his hand as he flexes his fist.

“No,” he replies. His brow furrows, the lines on his forehead deepening as he hesitates. “I lost it when I saw the scars on your back.”

My world just stopped.

Chapter

Nineteen

SUTTON

“You saw them?” I barely wheeze out.

I feel like I can’t breathe.

My chest is growing tighter and tighter with each breath I take, the pressure almost too much to bear.

“Breathe,” Ink demands, his large, tattooed hand is rubbing circles on the small of my back. “Can you do that for me?”

I nod.

That’s about all I can do.

I can’t meet his eye.

How can I after this?

The scars are something I never wanted anyone to see.

Ever.

They’re ugly. Just as ugly as the memories that refuse to leave my head. Every single time I see them in the mirror, it’s like I’m reliving the nightmare. I’ve played out a million different scenarios of the story I would tell whenever someone saw it. Each time, the lie not seeming good enough. How can it when you can tell each burn has been strategically placed?

“Good,” Ink says softly after a few moments as I start to calm down. “I know it probably doesn’t seem like it, but I know how you’re feeling right now. You feel like your world is closing in on you and you’re helpless to stop it. The first step out is always the hardest, and you already took it by leavin’ him, bunny.”

Huh. I never thought of it like that.

I had wanted to leave since the first time Zach put his hands on me. It felt almost impossible to do when the person you want to run from controls every aspect of your life.

“Yeah,” I agree on a whisper, letting it all hang out there. “What happened to you?”

“You goin’ to tell me how you got those scars?” He finally asks the loaded question, conveniently ignoring mine.

Am I?

He’s seen them. There’s no taking that back, even though I would do just about anything to make that possible.