Page 158 of Rush the Edge

Her voice is soft and sleepy as it flows out of my speaker. “Miles?”

“Daisy?” Miles rocks back on his feet and puts his hands in his pockets. “It’s been a while.”

She rubs her eyes. “What are you doing here, Miles?”

He gets right to it, attempting to push through the door. Daisy slams it shut and blocks the doorknob from my brother.

“Um, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he seethes.

My teeth grind with obvious anger from the way he’s talking to her.How fucking dare he speak to her like that?

“Kane isn’t here,” she says.

He scoffs and sends her a scathing look that does nothing but pull my attention to his skinny face. His clothes are wrinkly, and he looks as if he hasn’t slept for weeks. “And you expect me to believe you?”

“Why wouldn’t you?” Daisy crosses her arms.

“Because you’ve been protecting him for years. Now I know why he hasn’t been texting me back.” Miles leans in close to Daisy, and my shoulders tense. “It’s because of you.”

When Miles pokes his finger into Daisy’s shoulder, I curse under my breath.

“What is he talking about?” River asks me. “Protecting you for years?”

I shake my head and brush him off. We both put our attention back to the scene unfolding.

“You promised you’d never ask anything of him again.” Daisy shakes her head. “All those times I checked on you, dropped off pamphlets, made sure you were staying off online gambling sites, you’ve been lying?”

Wait, what?

“How could you, Miles? After everything? Do you know that you basically wiped him clean? He makes millions, and he didn’t even have enough to pay his rent!” Daisy’s voice rises with anger, and all I want to do is reach through the phone and separate them. “And to think thatyou”—Daisy pokes his shoulder just like he did to her—“knew this entire time that he hasn’t even spoken to your mother because she still thinkshe’sthe one who turned out like your father, and you’re still coming around to ask for money?”

I feel River’s stare.

The air shifts with the whipping of his head, but I refuse to look at him.

“You should be ashamed of yourself.”

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

“Let’s go,” Daisy says.

“Go?” Miles repeats.

“I know exactly why you’re here. You’re here for money. I’ve seen your texts on his phone.”

Daisy, what the hell are you doing?

River tenses. “What the hell is going on?”

“Are you going to come up with the money, Daisy? Because if we show up without anything, they’ll probably kill me and then take you for their prize.”

My throat closes with the thought. Too many thoughts filter in, and I’m seeing red by the time I take my next breath.

“I have money,” she says. “But I’m only paying off your debt on one condition.”

“Money?” River repeats. “She can’t have thatmuch. She’s a mascot.”

“What’s your condition? That I go back to rehab? You going to pick me up and take me to those stupid gambling anonymous classes again?”

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