Page 101 of Daisy Chain
“Bruce, you’re a pathetic dick. You need to rot in hell,” Natasha spits.
“What are you doing here?” I need to keep her safe from Bruce too.
“I’m helping you get Daisy away from that sick bastard,” she sneers at Bruce. She’s no more than five feet two inches. Skinny enough for a light breeze to knock her off her feet. Thoughthere’s a fierce expression on her face, like she can bring down the biggest and meanest son of a bitch. “Let Daisy go, you asshole,” she yells at her foster father.
“Your sugar daddy needs to give me more money.”
“Sugar daddy? Eww, he’s too old for that.” She turns to me. “No offense.”
I give her a small smile. “None taken.”
“Take whatever money is in the bag and get lost. No one wants to see your ugly face anymore.”
I place a hand on Natasha’s shoulder. “I’ve got this.” I’m grateful for her support, but I need to keep the situation under control.
“But—”
“You’ve had to deal with him enough. Let me put this fucker in his place,” I interrupt. Having to take care of herself for years, it’s easy for her to think she’s all she’s got. Not anymore. We are her family now. “Seeing you thrive will fester in his gut.”
Nodding with a triumphant grin, she steps back and stands with the others.
“Do you want the cash or not?” I ask as if I’m bored.
“I said I want more.”
“There isn’t any.”
“Go to the bank.”
“I could do that. But they’re not open until the morning. What if a hiker wanders by and sees what’s happening here and alerts the police? Do you want to risk waiting around?”
His beady little eyes scan the area, and he shuffles nervously on his feet. “Fine. Give me the bag. If you make any sudden moves, I’ll cut this bitch.”
If he so much as nicks her, he’s a dead man.
Picking up the bag, I slowly take a couple of steps forward. “Take it and let Daisy go.”
“I thought Daisy would be worth more than a measly two hundred thousand.” He snickers, like he thinks he’s insulted her.
“You have no idea what Daisy means to me. A man like you only thinks about himself.”
He scoffs. “You’re just like me. Nothing means more to you than money.”
I take two more steps and glimpse in Daisy’s direction. The fear is subsiding from her features, and she’s looking more pissed than scared. “I’m nothing like you. I care about people. Love them. Would give my life for them.” Something I never believed until I met Daisy, and she showed me what kind of man I truly am.
“I’ve changed my mind. Get more money. I want to see how much she’s really worth to you.” He sneers.
“Fine. To keep Daisy safe, you can have it all. I’ll drain my accounts. Give you the fucking deeds to my properties. You will be a rich son of a bitch. But that’s all you’ll ever be… a son of a miserable bitch. With no one who’d stand by you.”
His gaze flicks to the people who are standing behind me. People who will always have my back. No matter what.
Two more steps and I’m just over an arm’s length away. I glance at Daisy and give her a look telling her with my eyes what I want her to do. She gives me the slightest nod, like she can read my mind.
“Here, take this for now.” I toss the bag of money at Bruce, and, like I expected, he drops the arm holding the knife at Daisy’s throat to catch it. Daisy pushes him toward me. He stumbles, and I land my fist in his face. Satisfaction fills me at the sound of his nose cracking.
Bruce drops to his knees, moaning in pain with blood splattered on his face. I pull my arm back to punch him again. Daisy places a hand on my arm, stopping me. I turn to lookat her. Shaking her head, she says, “I don’t want you doing something you’ll regret. He’s not worth it.”
Everything inside me wants to end this fucker, but she’s right. With the rage burning inside me, if I lose control, I won’t stop. He’s not worth losing everything I cherish.
