I straightened, and when it came again, I turned and opened the door. Light poured from behind me, lighting the most beautiful sight in the world.
“Gatsby,” she sighed when she saw me, her brown eyes lighting up. My own heart and soul reflected in her expression.
“Daisy, you came.”
Chapter 36
Gatsby
Daisy fell forward,and I threw my arms out to catch her before her face hit the tile. I hit the floor with her and pulled her into me.
“What happened to you?” Her tan skin was covered in scratches and bruises. She wore no shoes and was dressed in sleep clothes. “Daisy?” I called her name when she didn’t answer me. Her eyes fluttered open, and then closed again.
“I needed to see you, Gatsby. I’m... tired.” Her body relaxed into mine, dead weight. I looked around; the door was still wide open. I stared into the dark, wondering, had she been chased here? I decided that tomorrow morning would be time for questions. For now, I had to get her in bed, safe and warm. I hauled her up and kicked the door shut. I turned to take her to the elevator when I was stopped by Dewayne.
“Sir, oh.” He paused in his stride, his eyes flicking from me to the woman in my arms.
“Yes?” I asked, annoyed. Daisy was freezing. I needed to get her under blankets.
“Uh, the main course for next weekend’s dinner is here. It’s… quite large.”
The way he said and bore his dark brown eyes into mine made me nod. “Alright, I’ll be down shortly. Keep it in the kitchen until I can inspect things.”
“Yes, sir.” He left, and I moved fast to get her upstairs.
In my suite, I laid her on my bed softly and stretched her legs out. Concern washed over me as I stared at her legs. They were scratched all to hell and covered in dirt.
“Daisy?” I whispered.
She groaned, and her eyes flickered open.
“Gatsby. I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I just needed to see you.”
I dropped to my knees on the carpet and crawled closer to the bed. I stroked her hair and soothed her.
“Ssh, it’s okay. I’ve been wanting to see you, too. I don’t know what happened, but I’m glad you’re here. You’re exhausted. Please, sleep some, and I’ll be back in a bit.”
“You’re not coming to bed with me?”
My heart screamed for me to do as she requested, but the bull in the kitchen forced me to shake my head. “I can’t. I’m still working. I just need to finish up. I’ll only be an hour.” I stood and pulled the covers up to her chin. She snuggled into my Egyptian cotton sheets and closed her eyes.
“One hour, and then I’ll come look for you,” she swore as she closed her eyes. I swallowed. While it felt like a joke, I couldn’t take the risk. I watched her fall asleep, then checked my watch and left the room. I had one hour.
I took the elevator and, the moment the doors opened, I sprinted to the back of the house and into the kitchen. The moment I threw the doors open, I was greeted by an explosion of shouts and the jarring sound of metal on metal.
“Get him down!” Jules shouted as three men, including Dewayne, were running through the kitchen, their arms out and faces in a panic. I stood by the doors, taking in the scene. It was then that I saw our main course and the blood in my face drained. Dewayne hadn’t been lying; this man was huge.
How did no one notice that before we brought him in?
Taking action, I stepped forward and went to a counter, pulling a knife from one of the holders. I was going to make this easy. The sound of the metal being unsheathed caused everyone running through the kitchen to freeze. The bastard causing all of this looked around and found me. We made eye contact. I took a good look at him then.
His pale white skin was red with rage. His hair, red and disheveled, was as long as his beard, going down to his waist.
“Where the fuck am I?” he growled, his southern accent shaking the kitchenware hanging from the ceiling. He stomped his foot and turned toward me, his arms raised at his sides, and his eyes boring into me.
He was preparing to charge.
Feigning calm, I ran my fingers across the knife in my hand and looked back up at him.
