Page 12

“Bridesmaid!” A tight, painful squeeze inside Daisy’s chest made it impossible to breathe. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against the wall. This was a betrayal. Leticia had betrayed her. And all for a big house and a fat diamond ring.

“Daisy? Are you still there? Don’t be angry. It’s not attractive. It—”

Daisy punched the disconnect button, and her sister’s image disappeared as she was mid-sentence.

Her knees were shaky as she rushed to the bathroom and was sick. Tears trickled from her eyes as she retched over the toilet. Her sister and Johnny. After everything he’d done. His cruelty. His snide, judgmental face looking down on her as he ripped away their happily ever after. He was an asshole. And he was a dangerous asshole. Leticia couldn’t marry him.

“Daisy, you’re in distress. I’ve sent a request for help,” ELVIS said.

When she’d stopped retching, Daisy staggered to her feet and rinsed out her mouth in the sink. “There’s no need. It’s just shock. I can’t believe it. Leticia must be out of her mind.” No, she knew exactly what she was doing. Johnny Page was rich and handsome, and Leticia was that shallow to be willing to overlook everything he’d done to her only sister.

There was a banging on the main door of her quarters. Daisy staggered out of the washroom and opened it.

Rexx charged in. He grabbed her shoulders, his eyes full of anxiety as they ran over her. “ELVIS said you were unwell.”

She was glad he was holding her so firmly because her knees were about to give out. “I’ve just had some terrible news.”

“News that made you sick?” His nostrils flared.

She tried to back away from him, but he held on tight. “Let me go. I must smell gross. I just puked.”

“You’re fine. That’s not important. What happened?”

“I... I...” She couldn’t get the damn words out. Betrayal resonated through her, making her insides shake and her brain feel like it was boiling. She had to get this rage and anger out before she exploded.

“Daisy! Let me help. Whatever you need, I’m here for you,” Rexx said. “Has someone hurt you? Is a family member ill? What is it?”

She sucked in a deep breath and rolled her shoulders. “Yes, you can help me. Let’s go to the training room. I need to hit something. Hard.”

***

Anxiety spiked through Rexx as he waited for Daisy to come out of the changing room. He’d felt her ricocheting pulse as he’d held her. Whatever had happened, it had devastated her. But she didn’t want to talk about it.

He could handle her silence, so long as they found a solution to whatever the hell was eating her up.

He rolled his shoulders and shook out his arms, trying to free the excess adrenaline that poured through him.

His heart stilled for a second as Daisy marched out of the changing room. She wore fitted black shorts that hugged her curves and a tight, black sleeveless vest. He swallowed. She did this to him every time. He didn’t care what she wore, but damn if that outfit didn’t suit her, revealing toned legs, the sweet inward curve of her waist, and the swell of her breasts.

She jogged onto the training mat, while he stood there like a dumbass, unable to tear his gaze from her.

“Are you ready?” she said.

He nodded. “Is there any particular—” He instinctively dodged to the right as Daisy threw out a punch.

“Let’s just fight. I need to burn off energy.” She bounced on her toes and circled him, her hands raised and her fists clenched. Her eyes sparked with fury.

His gaze ran over her again, this time appraising her fighting stance and not that tempting figure. “Lower the center point of your weight. Throw more of your strength behind your punch. Use your whole body weight when you attack.”

“I know how to damn well punch.” She jabbed out a fist and caught him in the shoulder.

“You’ve had training. You can always use more. If you don’t train, your technique gets sloppy.” He arched away from a clumsy punch. Her anger was making her reckless.

“Do you have to be such a show off?” Daisy practically growled the words.

“This is showing you good technique. You need it.”

“I don’t. I can take you down.” She landed a stinging punch on his arm. She seemed stronger than normal. The blows she landed had power, even though they were uncoordinated.