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“I was set up by the mob boss's daughter for betraying her. After my friend put a gun to her boyfriend’s head, she decided to cough up some cash and pay the judge to give me a lesser sentence.” Tyler glowers.
Robert turns and looks at me incredulously. I lower my gaze, knowing he’ll say something to me later.
“You’re lucky your sister talked Jerry into hiring you. If it were up to me, a criminal wouldn’t be anywhere near that garage.” Robert’s crass words have my heart racing.What the fuck?
“Well, fortunately that’s not up to you,” Tyler retorts, staring at Robert while taking a swig of beer.
“He’s not a criminal. He was framed,” I explain.
Robert glares at me with disapproval in his expression as if he’s my goddamn father. “Did you not hear the part where he worked for a mafia family? He’s far from innocent.”
I swallow hard, the tension nearly smothering me. “Well, you don’t know the whole story,” I say.
“Why are you defending him? He’s probably murdered people and robbed people.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks as his words fuel my anger. “What?Don’t be insane! You’re making him sound like a monster when you don’t even know him.”
“Gemma.” Tyler says my name gently, and there’s too much rage burning inside me as I stare at Robert, but Tyler continues as our gazes lock. “It’s okay. You don’t have to argue on my behalf.” His eyes soften, and I feel awful about all of this.
Katie sucks in a deep breath as Tyler turns back to Robert.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but I was undercover to help out my friend. When his girlfriend was kidnapped, I infiltrated the mob and got hired as a bodyguard so I could help her escape. The mafia princess got even with me for betraying her. And Idon’tfucking regret it.”
I smile but then quickly suppress it so Robert doesn’t catch me. He’ll never admit he was wrong for jumping to conclusions because in Robert’s world, he’salwaysright. He doesn’t say another word as he slams the darts on the table, then walks to the bar. I’m so infuriated and humiliated, but I can’t even hide it because my face is red hot.
“I’m so sorry,” I say to Tyler and Katie. “He doesn’t usually drink this much and—”
Tyler wraps an arm around Katie but keeps his eyes locked on me. “Nothing I can’t handle. Been dealing with assholes like him for most of my life.” He shrugs. A small part of me hoped they would’ve gotten along.
“He’s not usually an asshole,” I say. “The stress from work is getting to him.”
By the way his jaw clenches, I know Tyler doesn’t believe me. I’m making excuses for Robert when he should be the one apologizing to everyone.
“Well, anyway…” I wipe my palms down my dress. “You two have fun. We’re gonna head out.”
I give Katie a hug, and she squeezes me tight. Her demeanor changes, and she becomes more upbeat than she was just moments ago. I flash her a smile in return, and whisper in her ear, “Hope you guys hit it off.”
“Thank you.”
I pull away from her, then turn. “Good night, Tyler.”
“Night, Gemma.”
My throat tightens, and I force away tears as I meet up with Robert and tell him I want to go. He roughly grabs my hand and jerks me out of the pub.
I’m at a complete loss. I don’t know how to deal with the conflicting feelings in my head. Tyler blew back into my life like a tornado, and now everything’s upside down and messy. A part of me wishes things would go back to how they were before he arrived, but another part of me knows that’s a complete fucking lie.
CHAPTERTHIRTEEN
TYLER
I watchRobert pull Gemma through the bar, then possessively drag her out the door. My jaw tightens as I replay the last ten minutes. Robert was a dick to embarrass Gemma like that in a public place while also making Katie uncomfortable. I’m not pissed he put me on the spot, but I wasn’t going to stand that and be compliant either. I know I got under his skin, and now we’re even. He didn’t expect my response and got pissed that his fiancée took up for me.
Honestly, I’m surprised she did. It’s obvious that Gemma’s more conflicted about marrying Robert than I originally thought. I’m not trying to make things harder for her, and I actually try to stay out of her way as much as possible. Maybe she was content before I arrived, but I see it clear as day that she’s not one-hundred percent positive she wants to marry him.
“Is he always that rude?” I ask Katie after they leave.
“He’s got a hard exterior, but he treats Gemma like a queen. Always buying her expensive things, spoils her like crazy, and constantly begs her to move in with him. He’s also open about starting a family and wanting kids right away, too. Wouldn’t surprise me if she ended up being a stay-at-home wife and mom. Robert’sverytraditional.”
