Striding in, he found her digging around in her handbag. Her gaze shot up to his.
She’d never looked so disheveled. So lost. Confusion filled her face as she looked around. “Did I come into the men’s bathroom?”
“No, babe.” He moved carefully forward, as though approaching something fragile and yet volatile. “Brown eyes, what’s wrong?”
A bark of humorless laughter escaped her. Then she closed her eyes. Took a deep breath. Before she straightened up.
He was seriously worried about her. He thought about snatching her up and carrying her out to his truck, but he was concerned that might upset her further.
He didn’t give a shit about the rest of the people in the restaurant and their reaction.
Betsy was his.
He’d take care of her as he saw fit.
If only he knew what the hell was wrong.
“Brown eyes, what’s going on?”
She slid closer. Wrapped herself around him. “I’m so sorry. Bringing up all that stuff, it was harder than I thought. I have a headache. I think I better just go home.”
“I’ll take you,” he said immediately. A headache? That wasn’t what this was about.
Damn it. He wanted to force her to talk to him.
“I appreciate it. But I have a car coming for me.” She slid her hand into his back pocket, squeezing his ass. Then she leaned up to whisper in his ear.
“I wasn’t lying about it all. I’m so sorry.”
He frowned as she moved away from him. “Betsy!”
Turning, he strode towards the door. Only when he stepped outside, he couldn’t see her anywhere. Where the fuck was she?
How did she leave so quickly?
And what did she mean she wasn’t lying about it all? What had she lied about?
She didn’t know how she managed to hold it together. She kept her face lowered as she slid into the back of the car.
“Dinner ended early.”
Shoot. It wasn’t Ranulf but Kit behind the wheel.
Stupid. Betsy. Stupid.
“I have a headache.”
He snorted. “That’s not gonna cut it with the boss and you know it. Play the game smart, Betsy. You’ve got a lot to lose. Don’t give Forrest an excuse to hurt you.”
The threat was clear. It sat like a lead bullet in her stomach.
Was that what men always did? Hurt you?
Except Ink. Sure, he’d spanked her, disciplined her, he could be strict.
But he’d never hurt her. Never taken advantage of her. He’d taken care of her.
Except now Ink was gone. She’d never see him again.
11
Ink was striding back and forth across his office as everyone arrived. He gave Duke a questioning look when he entered with Sunny.
“We were on our way home when I got your message,” Duke explained. “It seemed urgent enough to just turn round and bring her with me.”
“I can wait in the foyer,” Sunny offered.
He shook his head, still unable to form words without roaring his fury to the world.
“How come we’re meeting here?” Reyes asked in a deceptively calm voice.
Ink knew it would have pissed their president off to be basically summoned here. He liked to have the position of power. But then, it didn’t matter where the asshole was, he commanded pretty much any space.
“Because this place has better security than the club.”
Anger was a fire in his veins. Fury thrummed through him. Relentless. An itch had developed across his skin that he couldn’t seem to scratch.
He wished he could take care of this by himself. He didn’t want the rest of them knowing what a fucking idiot he was.
She’d taken him for a ride.
Made a fool of him.
He’d wanted her. She’d seemingly been everything he desired.
And it had all been a lie.
It wasn’t until he’d gotten home and was undressing, while trying to figure out how the night had turned into a clusterfuck, that he’d found the note she’d tucked into his pocket.
“Ink?” Sunny asked, moving from where Duke had her settled in his lap to walk over to him. She laid her hand on his arm. He saw Duke tense but the ass should know he’d never hurt Sunny. It was a well-known fact he cared about her.
Hell, he didn’t sit for a tea party with just anyone.
You did for Betsy.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the note. He handed it over to Reyes, knowing the other man would want to read it first.
He had more control issues than the rest of them put together.
The other man stared at it with a frown. “What the fuck is this?” Reyes snapped.