Page 20 of Shattered Hearts
Thomas Brennan shows me that condescending little grin again. I’ve never wanted to knock the smile off someone’s face so badly.
Despite his jeering face, my father’s not joking. He’d think nothing of killing the Zhangs.
And that’s not a risk I’m willing to take.
“Fine. I’ll do it.” Cold fury laces my voice, and it’s an effort to keep what I can only hope is a pleasant expression plastered on my face. “Promise me you won’t harm the Zhangs, and I’ll keep up this farce until Harper comes back.”
“Wonderful. We have a deal.” He kisses my cheek as the song comes to an end. “I knew I could count on you.”
“May I cut in?” Shane Gallagher’s warm voice interrupts our bargaining.
My father nods and smiles, releasing me without a word and stepping aside. I watch him stalk off the dance floor, exhaling the breath trapped in my throat.
Harper’s awful selection for the father-daughter dance flows into a different track, and I relax just enough to remove my battle armor. The difference between the leader of the Kings and my father is night and day.
Shane Gallagher is an intimidating man, and just as capable of violence as the rest of mob. But while power and strengthradiate from him, he never exudes the tendencies toward casual cruelty and selfishness that are part of Thomas Brennan’s innate personality.
Even now, Shane’s grip is gentle as he lifts my throbbing hand and draws me into a slow dance.
“Thank you,” I breathe.
“That’s what I was going to say to you.”
My eyes snap to the green-eyed gaze of Finn’s father. “Did I say that out loud?”
Shane breaks into open laughter, the sound light and hearty. Self-consciousness prickles at my skin.
I don’t know how to react. At all.
If I’m being honest, I can’t hide my surprise. The enigmatic Shane Gallagher boasts unmatched strategic prowess, like a chess master on steroids. Finn inherited his striking jawline, and despite the difference in color, his deep-set eyes. I can’t process that this is happening right now, let alone the kindness in his face.
“I want to thank you.”
“Me?” I’m floored. What can I—or my sister—have ever possibly done that’s worth Shane’s gratitude? “What for?”
“For marrying my son.”
I gulp. “You mean filling in for my sister?”
He studies my face for several long moments before a tiny, secretive smile lifts his lips. “Sure. Let’s go with that.”
What? My brow furrows, but he begins talking again before I can ask for clarification.
“My wife, Kath…she loved the theater. From Broadway to the West End and back again, she adored everything about going to shows. She kept every single playbill she ever got. Before we met, she used to wait in back alleys with the other die-hards for the chance to get them signed.”
I listen, resting my weary mind in the safety of this otherworldly moment.
“When my sons were young, she used to insist on family outings to the theater, as often as she could.”
Sons as in, more than one?MeaningFinn has a brother? How is it possible that I don’t know about this?
My brain conjures an image of Finn’s equally devastating brother before I can stop it and…god.
I force my brain to shut down the fantasy machine and keep listening.
“But I was too busy most of the time. This was during a turbulent period in the Kings’ history, and there was much that required my attention…” Shane leads us into another rotation, and as we spin, I catch a glimpse of Finn by the bar, his oldest friends loitering around him.
His brooding gaze fixes on me dancing with his father. My heart slams against my ribs when our eyes meet across the distance.