Page 32 of Ashes to Ink

“You shouldn’t hide her,” Michael said, looking at hisbrother. “I mean, she’s a pretty little thing. Maybe we should share her likewe did when we were younger.”

Ryan took another step forward, and Michael took a stepback, knocking into a display of tea canisters. They shook against the wall butdidn’t fall. That made Ryan freeze because there was no way he was going todestroy Abby’s shop trying to get his brother out of the place. He would justremain calm and collected and make sure that Michael didn’t fuck everything up.

Ryan lowered his voice and tempered his anger as much aspossible. “We didn’t share when we were younger, Michael. You’d need to besober and not drugged off your ass to get it up.” Ryan winced, annoyed withhimself for letting his temper spill over. He shouldn’t goad his brother, hejust needed to get him out of there. If he did, everything would be okay.

Everything had to be okay.

Michael’s eyes narrowed into slits. “You’re an asshole. Youknow that? You think you’re so high and mighty, and yet you’re nothing. Justlike you were when we were little.”

Michael looked over at Abby again. “And I know what yourname is, dear Abby.” Michael giggled. Fucking giggled. “Oh, that’sfunny. Maybe I can write to you like all those little old ladies do. I wouldn’thave those stupid fucking problems that don’t mean anything, but you could helpme with my dear brother. Do you know that he has a stick up his ass? I mean, hehas all those tattoos, and he thinks he’s so cool doing tattoos and piercingsand living on the edge. But he’s just some fucking hipster with too much moneyand time on his hands. Mommy and Daddy loved me more most of the time, and Ryannever liked that. So he made sure that I didn’t get anything when they died. Imean, they kicked the fucking bucket, and I got nothing. There’s somethingfucking wrong with that.”

“I said don’t talk to her,” Ryan snapped. And how the helldid he know Abby’s name? It wasn’t on the shop, and she didn’t wear a name tag.That meant that Michael had been watching them for more than just today.

That sent chills down Ryan’s spine, and he shook his head,trying not to throw up. “You need to leave.”

“Yes,” Abby said, her voice firm and without a trace of fearin it. “This is my place of business, and you’re not welcome here. You need togo before I call the police.”

Michael just shook his head, still giggling. “You think youcan tell me what to do? A bitch thinking she can tell me what to do? You knownothing, just like you, Ryan. Little fucking Jon Snow who knows nothing but isapparently good with his tongue. Because the only way you can get her is byusing that mouth of yours. I bet that beard feels good between your thighs,doesn’t it, little bitch?”

Ryan took a step forward and grabbed his brother by hisleather jacket. “I need you to fucking leave.”

“I don’t think so.” Then Michael wiggled away, smashing hiselbow into Ryan’s gut.

Ryan hadn’t been expecting that, and sucked in a breath ashe tried to grab his brother.

But Michael ducked and threw out his hands, knocking over adisplay of teapots before he did it again to a shelf of canisters.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get out of here. Stop it.”Ryan shouted the words and tackled his brother to the floor, knocking overanother set of teapots in the process.

He had his brother on the floor but looked over at Abby, whohad her phone to her ear, probably talking with the police. She was pale andnot saying a word to him, just telling whoever was on the other end to comeover. The fight must have been loud—though Ryan couldn’t hear anything over thepounding of the blood in his ears—because the Montgomeryswere soon over at the store, ready to help out.

Mace had Adrienne behind him even as she tried to push through,probably trying to see what the fuck was going on just like the rest of them.

“Mace, let me in. I need to make sure Abby’s okay.”

Landon pushed his way through, his shirt off even in thecold, new ink on his shoulder. Ryan had forgotten that Mace was working onLandon’s tattoo today, meaning the whole merry bunch was there, even Dimitriand Thea, who apparently had been at the bakery. As each person looked atMichael, they paused, glancing between Ryan and his twin.

It wasn’t every day that his friends saw a distorted mirrorimage of someone they knew.

Everyone was front and center to see his fuckingdrug-addicted brother lying on the ground, everything torn, shattered, andbroken around them.

And Abby looking at Ryan as if she had seen a ghost.

Or maybe as if he were beneath her.

And that would be true.

Because without Ryan being there, Michael probably wouldn’thave come into the shop at all.

If Ryan had been faster or smarter, he would have gottenMichael out of there before he destroyed anything. Instead, all Abby’s newestand most expensive displays were ruined, and it was his damn fault.

“The cops on their way?” Ryan asked as Mace and Landon andDimitri all circled him. Thea and Adrienne went over to Abby, holding her closeand whispering to her. They were probably making sure that she was all rightand telling her that everything would be okay.

And it was going to be okay.

As long as he had nothing to do with her. As long as hewalked away and made sure that she would always be fine, that this would neverhappen again, she would be okay.

“I called the police,” Abby said, her voice wooden. “They’reon their way. If you would just keep him here…”