Page 74 of Rush the Edge
I grin while watching my opponents fall like flies.I win.
“Told you I’m fine.” I smirk over my shoulder, except Malaki is no longer standing there.
Instead, it’s some sort of magic trick, because surely, Daisy fucking Sullivan isn’t actually standing at my back with big round eyes full of worry.
The longer I look at her, the more my skin itches.
Why is she here? At the casino? Dressed like she’s heading to a baseball game or something? Ripped jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and an LA Dodgers hat. She stands out like a nun in a brothel.
Just look at her, commanding the attention of every male in the room. They’re all wondering who this mysterious woman is in the middle of a hazy casino, hiding her perfect face beneath a baseball cap.
I’ve got an answer for them.
She’smine.
Anger scorches the soles of my feet as I stand up and turn for her. I’m a foot away when some older man with rings on every other finger hooks his thumb into one of her belt loops and pulls her into him.
The alcohol in my veins suddenly disappears, and I’m more focused than ever.
I faintly hear Malaki in the distance. “Shit. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
Everything moves in slow motion.
The man pulling Daisy toward him. Daisy angling her chin to get a better look.
The never-ending slot machines stop their buzzing, and the place seems to empty. I grab the man by the collar of his suit and pull him toward me. “Let go of her.” The lethal bite to my tone could be heard by a deaf person.
My heart pounds violently.
I suck in the smoky air of the casino and try to ground myself before I really lose my control. Two wrinkled eyes that his Botox can’t even begin to hide swim with confusion. “Oh,” he says, “I didn’t know she was with you.”
She’s not.
Daisy’s warm hand falls to my arm. It’s soft and grounding. I love and hate it at the same time.
“Kane.”
One word.
That’s all it takes for me to cave.
I release my culprit slowly, lifting one finger at a time, leaving his wrinkled shirt behind.
“Come on,” she begs. “Let’s go. Please.”
A hot thought flows through my head.
I like it when she begs.
What I don’t like is the disappointment lingering in her dreamy blue eyes. My teeth work over one another the longer I stare at her face.Why did she have to come here?
“Go home, Daisy,” I demand.
Beneath her hat, worry mixes with the shadows.
Before she can say anything, I lower my voice. “What are you even doing here?”
“I called her.” I raise my glare to Malaki.
