Page 129 of Tied to You

He shrugs his shoulders. “Well, what?”

“Do you want to know?” He’s testing my patience but I want him to hear this.

“Whatever you say, I’ll have forgotten in the morning. So it makes no difference to me, princess.”

“Don’t be a prick,” I snap, scowling at his back, hating what he does when I see what it’s doing to him.

“It’s what I’m good at,” he answers arrogantly. The selfish arsehole.

“At least that’s something we can agree on.”

“Ha,” he practically sings, attempting to stand straight under the still not running spray.

Frustrated, I step closer, kicking the clothes at his feet away before reaching past him and turning on the water. It’s stone cold. I make sure of it.

He splutters and shakes, the harshness of the water momentarily stealing his breath.

It causes a smile to spread across my face, but I don’t let him see it.

After a few moments, it seems to have the desired effect on him. He begins to move under the water, allowing the iciness to sober his blurred senses. The entire time he’s under the spray, his eyes never open. He never once looks at me.

All I can do is let him think.

Once I see his skin turning blue, I turn it off, knowing he’s uncapable. He turns when he finally realises, his body now sunken. There’s no more anger in his eyes. No more resentment or irritation. My lips part, but he’s the onewho speaks first. “I killed Sparky tonight.”

His words hit like a sledgehammer, knocking the wind from my lungs. I’ve only met the guy once on one of the rare occasions I’ve helped the club, but I know he was a part of their new move into pushing drugs with Elvis. “What?”

His gaze is stiff. Icy like the air around us. “You heard.” Ruthless. Hard. His true colours begin to shine through.

“What did he do?” Instinctively I step closer, wanting to touch him. Wanting to let him know I’m here.

Travis walks forward. Although no longer swaying as he was, his movements are still a little unsteady. He passes me, grabbing a towel off the rail, and my eyes look down checking he doesn’t step on any of the glass. “He betrayed us. Everything we had is gone. Chopper, he’s… he’s gone too.”

Fuck. No.They lost everything? Chopper’s gone? What about his family? Tanya.

My heart sinks. My eyes instantly fill with tears.

“You need to leave, Mollie.”

I freeze, startled, my hand pausing under my dampened eyes. “Why, what are you going to do now?” More retaliation? Further violence? How much more can he withstand? I don’t want him to leave me again. I’m tired of being cooped up.

His head drops, his hands wrapping the towel around his waist, the water from his hair dripping down his front. “I don’t mean tonight,” one hand then pulls on the back of his neck, “I mean for good. Get out whilst you still can.”

His unexpected words sting. “You don’t mean that.” I let my hands drop to my sides. Defeated.

“Don’t I?” he replies quickly.

Dejected, I feel my top lip wobble as I look him up and down. “No. You don’t.”

“Don’t try and read me. I’m fucking serious. This,” he waves a hand between us, “this is…” He can’t find the words because they don’t exist.

“What? This is what? What are you trying to say?” I suck in a breath in an attempt to stop my threatening tears.

“The fucking truth,” he bellows, the effort it takes to shout evident. He slams his eyes shut, one hand going to the side of his head. “You’re going toend up hating me. I mean it. I’m going to really hurt you one day.”

“You couldn’t even if you tried.”

His hand is wrapped around my throat before I see him move. He slams me against the wall, my head jarring with a whack.