Page 97 of Play Fast (Brooklyn Dawn 2)

Jamie planted a stiletto-heeled boot on the back of the booth before she climbed up and jumped down into the next circular booth, surprising the table of people clustered there.

Shrieks.

Chaos.

I needed out.

My gaze swerved to the swarm of people—now scattering, thank God, either to help clean up or afraid where Jamie might land next, Spiderman-style. In the crowd, I caught sight of that dark-haired guy in the trench coat who’d been outside my Uber. He’d followed me. Was he a photographer? Or was he someone who wanted to hurt me?

I shoved at Teagan, my breaths coming short, and scrambled to get out of the booth. “Sorry, sorry, gotta—”

Then hands were beneath my armpits, hauling me from the seat. Plucking me up and out as if I wasn’t squirming and fighting for my very life.

I reared my neck back and glimpsed Oz, which only made me fight that much harder. He didn’t scare me physically, but he was absolutely a threat to me.

He set me down and gathered me close, his big arms enfolding me in a way that tossed a thick, soft blanket on my panic.

I appreciated the effort, except now I could feel the tears starting. Humiliated, frightened ones. I tried to breathe through it while I wrenched my neck, trying to see the guy in the coat. He was still there. Not running. Bold as fucking day.

“Who are you?” I shouted over the noise. Somehow even with Oz reaching in to grab me like a human crane, our huge group still hadn’t quieted.

Until that very moment.

“Daisy.” Oz’s voice was even. Steady. He ran a hand down my back. “It’s okay. He’s okay.”

I pushed him back and stared up at him. Normally, I wasn’t all that intimidated by his size, which was crazy considering the enormous difference in our heights and weights. But right now, he might as well have been a giant speaking down at me from very far away. White noise buzzed in my ears as I struggled through the fight or flight response still cramping my muscles. “How would you know that?”

Oz looked away before rubbing a hand down his face. It was only then that I noticed the heavy lines and shadows near his eyes, visible even in the low light of the club. “Let’s go outside.”

Deliberately, I moved back. “No. We can talk right here.” I didn’t care who heard. Who saw.

I was tired of trying to put a pretty face on things, including my emotions. I was fucking raw and freaked out and had gone through too many changes in too short of a time.

And I was also tired of having feelings for a man who would never admit he had real ones for me. If he even did. Sometimes I thought he might, but if he didn’t allow them to take root, did they matter?

It wasn’t enough to care about someone if you didn’t want to. If you acted as if acknowledging anything other than a desire to fuck them brainless was akin to eternal torture.

Fuck that. And fuck him too.

“Daze.” He smoothed a hand down my bare arm, and I shrugged off the gesture. “Fine. He’s just someone I hired. Nothing to worry about.”

“Someone you hired?” I turned around and glared at the man in question, who held his ground without saying a damn thing. Typical male. “For what? Why would you hire someone to follow me—” When it clicked, I pivoted to stare up at Oz incredulously. “You actually had the balls to fuck me and leave then you dared to hire someone to do the job you couldn’t do?”

Behind me, there were a few scattered laughs and muttered comments, but I didn’t care. Let everyone listen. Oz could try to make me his dirty secret and ignore me like he’d ignored me for months, but I wasn’t going to take it quietly.

Yes, I’d been the one to push it. I’d forced him to talk to me. I’d stolen his truck and invited myself to his cabin. So, yeah, I had some problems with boundaries too. But I hadn’t run away. He had.

I expected a smart remark. Something to keep his bravado firmly intact. Instead, he just shifted his head, and the silver chain around his neck gl

eamed.

Kerry’s arrowhead. That he was wearing it hit me square in the chest, even though he was wearing it for her. Had to be. I was just the keeper of the necklace until he was ready for it.

He would probably never be ready for me. For us. I just had to accept that before it ripped me open any more than it already had.

Tears blurred my eyes and I pushed past him, not listening to the calls of my name or the heavy footsteps that followed.

I moved through the densely packed bodies, hurrying down the stairs to the main level. Just as I reached the doors, my sister came through them, her expression going stark as she saw my face.

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