Page 17 of Dash

And he’s got hold of her wrist, holding her where he wants her.

I’m going to knock his teeth down his throat, or maybe I’ll rip his fucking head off.

She sees me before he does, and her breath hitches. Relief floods her wild eyes, drowning the fear.

“Dash.” My name is barely a whisper, but it detonates through my skull like an explosion.

“You good?” I ask, even though I can see she’s not.

She opens her mouth, but scrawny pulls her into his side. “She’s fine. Piss off.”

I ignore him, focusing on Dayna. “You want to stay with this prick?”

The guy splutters, squaring up to me like he’d stand a chance if punches were thrown.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” he snaps. I glare at him, and he wilts under my glacial glare, but he’s still drunk enough to be reckless. “She’s mine, dickhead.”

Those words are a match to oil, but I lock my fury behind my ribs. We have an audience, and I’m wearing my colours. Too easily identifiable.

He also doesn’t fucking matter right now.

Just her.

“Dayna.” I say her name softly, braced, ready to protect her with my body if he attacks.

Her lashes lift. “I don’t want to stay.” She’s quiet, scared.

It’s all I need to hear. I step up to scrawny, and he stumbles back even though I haven’t touched him.

Then his gaze drops to my kutte, and his mouth clamps shut, like he realises he just picked a fight with death.

Good. Be fucking scared. At least now he knows how she feels.

I sneer at him then turn to Dayna, holding my hand out. Without missing a beat, she slips her palm into mine.

She’s so cold, but her trembling isn’t because of that.

She’s freaked.

I want to smack this bastard, but the people queueing outside the club are pointing phones in our direction, waiting for the fight to break out.

I don’t fucking give them a show.

I walk past the line, my grip on Dayna’s hand firm, and I don’t stop moving until we’re on the next street.

As soon as we’re out of sight and the noise from the crowd is behind us, I turn to her.

I want to touch her, to cup her face in my hands, but I dip my head close instead. “You okay?”

Her arms wrap around her belly like a protective shield, and she’s dragging in frantic breaths. “I was two seconds from screaming in his face like a banshee.”

“I can go back and break his nose,” I say, which gets me a choked laugh. I’m not joking.

I might do it even if she doesn’t want me to.

I drop my attention to her mouth as she smiles. It’s radiant. Real… for a change.

“I think you scared him enough just by existing.”

---