Page 90 of Heir

“Are you thinking you should stay away from her just because you’re in the club?”

I didn’t answer him.

“Do you regret joining?”

I shook my head. “Fuck, no.”

He squeezed my neck gently and sat back. “You think you have to pick between keeping her safe or being in the club, and you can’t have both?”

I didn’t answer. Iwasthinking about that. I was thinking things would be better for her if I just left her alone.

But I couldn’t.

When Blue had texted and said he was taking Gemma to a house party, I was angry at the idea of some other bastard touching her when I wasn’t there to protect her.

I had driven over there in a fucking haze, and shit didn’t clear until I saw her on the back patio. Then I was struck with a sense of possessiveness so fucking strong, it took all of my control not to break the arms of the bastard touching her.

“You think someone else could do a better job at protecting her than you?”

I blinked.

“Fuck, no.”

His lips twitched. “There you go. You don’t leave the woman you love with the messed-up excuse of trying to protect her. You keep her close, son. You keep her safely tucked by your side and kill any bastards stupid enough to try to take her away from you.”

“I don’t love Gemma.”

I didn’t. I was possessive of her. I wanted to control her. I wanted to tie her up and fuck her hard until she begged me to stop, and maybe not even then. Not until she realized just who she belonged to. Who owned every single inch of her body.

“Hmm,” was all he said.

I didn’t bother to consider what he might mean by that noncommittal sound.

“Why did you come here?” I asked because I doubted this was just a social visit. Not when I had only seen him this morning.

He looked me over carefully, making my skin hum with awareness.

“There’s been a sighting of your mom in Sacramento.”

I didn’t outwardly react to his words, though I could hear the blood roaring in my ears.

She was in Las Vegas the last time I’d checked, but that had been years ago. I didn’t want to have anything to do with that woman, yet here she was, back in the city, in the King’s Men’s territory.

Why?

“Are you sure?” I asked.

Dad watched me carefully. “I haven’t seen the pictures, but our source is pretty sure it’s her. I know you don’t like her.”

Don’t likewas too fucking tame of a phrase to describe my feelings toward the woman who spawned me. I fucking hated the bitch. The woman was manipulative, narcissistic, selfish, and abusive, though she had never put her hands on Braxton or me. Dad would have killed her if she had.

The bitch had tried to use me against Dad, and when that shit didn’t work, she turned her attention to Braxton. I didn’t know how much he remembered of her since he was so little when she left, but his feelings toward her weren’t as strong as mine.

Shit wasn’t so bad when she was so fucking far away from Sacramento.

“Do you know what she wants?” I asked.

“I don’t know yet. But I’ll fucking find out.”