Page 20 of Heir

Unlike me.

I looked down at my scarred hands.

Only two years since I joined the King’s Men, and I had lost count of how many times I had gotten into a fight—had gotten my hands bloodied for the club.

I had no business getting near this girl, and if I were a good man, I would leave her alone.

Fuck, just the way she affected me was enough of a reason for me to leave her alone.

Silence descended upon the table. I leaned back in my chair and casually took a sip of my beer. The silence didn’t bother me. I’d made friends with silence long ago, but the way Gemma shifted in her seat told me she was uncomfortable.

I watched as a slight blush bloomed on her cheeks gracefully, wondering how someone could look so… pretty like that. I didn’t think she had on much makeup. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to notice her blush or the scattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose and above her high cheekbones.

She cleared her throat, and I felt my skin buzzing with awareness just from her mere presence alone.

What was with her and Blue? And why did I get the feeling I had heard her name before?

And why the hell was I reacting to her like this?

Gemma—

I narrowed my eyes at her. “You’re Gemma Gallagher.”

Blue sucked in a sharp breath in surprise, and I shot him a dark look. So he’d known, and he hadn’t planned on saying anything.

“The former Mayor Gallagher’s niece.”

Fuck, it had been two years since the bastard was sentenced to twenty in prison. He lasted about a week before one of the members of the Savkin Bratva got to him for sending their members to prison when he was still working as a prosecutor. I wasn’t upset the bastard was gone and hadn’t really thought about him or his family since.

He was survived by a wife and two young boys.

But those boys were barely out of diapers. They weren’t a threat to the King’s Men. I didn’t think his only niece would be either, but Gemma—fuck me, she could very well be my fucking downfall.

“She’s nothing like her family,” Blue defended.

“How the fuck do you know?” I asked sharply, making her flinch. My fists clenched. Fuck, but I didn’t want to scare her.

I didn’t want her to be scared of me.

Blue stood up. “I know her.”

I raised an eyebrow at that. “You willing to risk that? Risk your place at the club and have your loyalty questioned?”

“Yes,” Blue answered without hesitation. “I know her.”

I took a deep breath but didn’t say anything more. Across from me, Gemma was watching the scene with a terrified expression on her face.

Fuck. Either she was a really talented actress, or she was genuine.

I didn’t know which I preferred.

“Are you gonna vouch for her?”

Blue nodded. “Yes.”

“Fine.”

I gathered up my laptop and walked out of there without looking back, feeling her eyes bore into me the entire way.

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