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She squirmed for some way out. The back of her head rolled against the boards. “You filthy—!” Brian screamed curses at her. His fingers dug into her shoulders and arms like vises. She tried to reach up, tried to push him away, but the pain was too much.
He’ll kill me.Terror flickered through Addisyn’s mind. How could she have loved this man? Ever? She closed her eyes, tried to turn her head. Brian gave her body a hard shake that made her neck feel as if it were snapping.
Suddenly, a voice cut through the maelstrom of Brian’s violence and her own mental turmoil.
“Good work, Addisyn. Now let me finish.”
A familiar tenor voice with that West Coast accent.
And then—the paralyzing grip on her shoulders was gone, so abruptly that Addisyn fell to the floor.
She scrambled up in a second, ready to run, ready to fight. Then she saw she wouldn’t need to. Brian had backed away and now stood, breathless and defensive, facing another man. A man who stood with arms folded, strong and solid.
Darius Payne.
Addisyn gasped. “Darius!” She blinked rapidly. How hard had Brian thrown her into the wall? Was she hallucinating?How could Darius be here, in—
Brian wasn’t one to be cowed. He straightened himself to his full height—still not that of Darius, Addisyn noted. “Well, well, well. If it isn’t the glorious Uber driver, here to save the lady in distress.” His sneering tone was like an abrasion.
Darius locked his gaze. “That’s right.” His tone was calm but firm. “I am the Uber driver who picked you up at the bus stop that afternoon.”
“You’re the man who was messing around with my girl.” Brian’s eyes were mere slits.
“I’m the man who had a photo of Addisyn Miles on my dashboard, yes.”
Addisyn felt her heart flutter. Darius had kept a photo of her on his dashboard?
“Mr. Felding, I think you need to leave.” There was no bucking Darius’s tone.
“Leave?” Brian gave a sarcastic laugh. “Actually, I was having a private discussion with my fiancée when you—”
“A discussion that involved pushing her into a wall. I saw.”
Brian’s eyes smoldered with rage—and maybe fear. “If you are insinuating—”
Darius sighed and even gave a small smile. “Mr. Felding, if I am insinuating, I apologize. I meant to be perfectly clear. Let me state this simply. You need to leave.”
“You have no right to be here.” Brian’s mocking tone made Addisyn think of Satan, circling a lost soul. “You’re an Uber driver, not a skating professional.”
“I am an Uber driver.” Darius nodded slowly. Then took a deep breath. “And I am also Darius Andrew Payne.”
For a moment Brian stared at him. Then his mouth dropped slightly. “Andrew Payne—from Vancouver?” He swallowed. “You won gold in the—”
“Olympics. Yes.” Darius stared at him. “I have many friends in this industry. Should I choose to report this incident, I’m sure enough of them will believe the word of an Olympian that you may find a career change necessary.”
Brian was scared now. Addisyn could see the beads of sweat on his brow. He tried a smile, offered his hand. “Look, I just didn’t realize who you were. I didn’t—”
“Leave. Now.” Darius’s tone had increased slightly in pitch.
Brian scowled at him and shot one more hateful glance at Addisyn. “Fine.” His eyes seared Addisyn. “You stupid girl. You weren’t worth the time I wasted on you.”
His parting words, and with that, he was gone. Addisyn felt her whole body go limp. For the first time she realized she was shaking rigorously. Not surprising. She’d been through a cornucopia of emotions in the last half hour. And judging from the fact that Darius’s presence seemed to pull the breath out of her body, she was about to experience some more.
Questions whirled rapidly through her mind. Darius—in Chicago? What was he doing here? And how could he have appeared right then—just when she needed him most? Seeing him when she had been thinking about him so much was surreal, as if he were a figment of her overwrought imagination.
“Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Darius’s voice was low, his tone even. He turned and looked straight at her for the first time. She couldn’t read anything in his eyes.
“I’m fine. He didn’t have the chance to do much.” The back of Addisyn’s head hurt, and she was sure her upper arms would be bruised for a week, but she had no major injuries.
