I hear a car door slam shut behind me but I don’t take my eyes off Derek for a second.
“Back off, asshole. She’s not interested,” Jaxon says at my back. Melody and Jaxon are all too familiar with how my relationship ended with Derek. Melody moves to place herself in front of me again, but I touch her shoulder and shake my head. She gets the hint and stands at my side instead. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the bouncer radio someone as Jaxoncomes along the left side of me, slightly placing his body in front of mine. I hope they called for backup.
“Derek, for the last time. We. Are. Over… Done with! Get it through your thick skull and leave me alone. Was it you that left the daisy in my apartment, too? Creep. All I want is for you to leave. Me. Alone.Please.”
“Daisies? I haven’t left you any daisies, Dani. I don’t even have your apartment key,” he protests, genuinely looking confused before he continues. “You don’t mean all that though, baby… You’re overreacting. You’ve just been exhausted from work, you’re tired. I get it. We can work this out, you and me. I know you didn’t mean what you said at your apartment. It’s OK, baby. I forgive you.”
He didn’t leave the daisy? Fuck, I don’t know if I believe him. The audacity this narcissistic man has to try to gaslight me is completely mind blowing.
“Stop right there, Derek. I meant every word I said and I’m not taking them back anytime soon.”
Before Derek can utter another word, the door to the club opens and music flows out into the street. Standing in the entryway like an avenging god is Kayden. He’s deathly calm as he strides over, his eyes raking over my body as though searching me for any harm.
“What seems to be the problem here, Derek? I’ve told you once to leave and not come back. I’ll tell you again but that’s the last chance you’ll get. I don’t ask a third time.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” he spits back at Kayden before directing his next words to me. “Who the fuck is this guy anyway, Dani? Are you sleeping with him? Cheating on me? You filthy fucking whore.”
It takes Kayden all of two strides to reach Derek, wind his arm back, and launch his fist straight into his face. A crack echoes in the space between us as Melody and I jump back,taken by surprise by Kayden’s quick show of violence. Surely that broke his nose.
“I’m going to tell you, a second time and last time, to get. The. Fuck. Out of here, Derek. If I see you come around again, you’ll have a lot more than a broken nose, asshole.”
My blood spikes with adrenaline at the violence in front of me, but I can’t help feeling like Derek brought this on himself. He should have left the first time he was confronted in the club. But to hang around and wait for me outside? Complete psycho behavior.
Kayden leans down to where Derek is hunched over bleeding and whispers something in his ear. I see Derek’s eyes widen and he pales as fear shines in them.
Derek, still clutching his nose, straightens and looks at me one last time before turning and striding to a vehicle that I just now notice parked along the street. He gets in the passenger seat and doesn’t break eye contact as they drive away, a dark promise held in his gaze.
I shiver, the feeling of dread coming over me like a heavy blanket. I’m completely caught off guard as the adrenaline starts to wear off and I feel lightheaded and weak. I stumble in my heels slightly, but I’m steadied by a warm hand on my elbow.
“Careful there, spitfire. Wouldn’t want you breaking a heel now would we?” Kayden asks with a smirk, slipping a playful edge to his words.
I gaze up at him and once again become lost in the depths of his eyes. I’m instantly transported back to that night, blood everywhere, dead bodies strewn about, but he stooped to my level to block it all out. They hold me prisoner… but as I think that, I realize how wrong it sounds.
Iwasa prisoner. But not by him.
If anything, those blue eyes set me free.
Eight
Kayden
Dani peers up at me with her big doe eyes and I’m instantly transfixed within their emerald depths. “No, I guess not. These are my favorite heels. Well, my only heels really,” she stammers, blushing under my gaze.
“It’s the least I can do,” I reply, keeping my hand on her elbow to steady her. I feel the slight lean she puts into my touch and the darkness within me wants nothing more than to possess her. Own her. Rip that dress from her and lick my way over her entire body. Before I can so much as move an inch closer to her, I’m interrupted from my thoughts.
Melody stands in front of Dani, her hands on her hips. “When were you going to tell me about the daisy, Dani? You know what happened to me. This is serious.”
Ohhh, this is going to be good.
“I don’t know, Melody. I’ve been trying to ignore it, honestly,” she says, glimpsing over at me from the corner of her eye. Melody catches her look and pegs me with a raised eyebrow.
“At least text me when you get home, so I know you made it safe and nocreepis in your apartment. Please?”
“I will,” Dani responds, looking down at her feet.
“Say, Kayden. You wouldn’t mind giving Dani a ride home, would you?” Jax asks a bit sheepishly from behind me. It’s clear he’s trying to change the subject. “I swear I completely forgot Dani was with Melody and I was already in the area, otherwise I would have brought the other car.”
I turn around and narrow my eyes at Jax. It’s very unlike him to forget something like this. I see the nervous tells that Melody lets slip, the fidgeting and wringing of her hands. I know my sister-in-law pretty well, and the more the wheels in my brain turn, the more I’m thinking this was orchestrated by Melody herself. Giving a pointed look at Melody and Jax, I turn around and peer down at Dani.
