Page 4 of Green Lights and Obsession
Daisy kept her walls up. It didn’t matter to her if everyone thought she was conceited or nothing more than a social climbing trophy wife. The truth was that she had to stay hard, or she’d break down. It was the only way she was going to get out of this life with all the pieces.
A life she didn’t want.
“What brings you to town?” Tom removed his hand from Daisy’s shoulder and moved across the room.
“Where are you staying?” Daisy relaxed.
She practically crossed her fingers in hopes that he would ask to stay with them. Anything to help distract her from this life. The same reason she’d convinced Jordan to stay with them while she was in town for the summer.
“I’ve got business in the city.” Nick cleared his throat. “I’ve rented a place across the bay for the time being.”
“You’re staying in West Egg? I know someone there.” Jordan interrupted them and walked up. Her eyes roamed up and down Nick appreciatively.
Daisy smiled as her mind started reeling with the possibility of getting her cousin and best friend to stay longer. She should push the two of them together. They were both single and good looking; if only that were enough.
“I don’t know anyone.” Nick shook his head at Jordan. “I’m not from here and I’ve only just moved in.”
“Oh, but you must know Gatsby.” Jordan’s fingers played with the dainty gold chain around her neck.
Ice.
Cold.
Shock.
“Gatsby?” Daisy glanced between the pair of them. “What Gatsby?”
She’d barely hid the tremble from her voice. It wasn’t a common name, but one of another life. Memories flooded her like an old black and white movie with no sound. All the air seemed to evaporate as she held her breath.
Could it be? The purest moment of happiness before she was forced into this arrangement. He’d been her everything and promised her the world before he was deployed.
Before.
Before her life was out of her control. Again. Freedom was fleeting for the elite when generations before you chose power and wealth. Power moves were made for the next in line, the following generations, without their thoughts or concerns.
“Let’s go out for dinner!” Tom all but slammed his glass back down on the bar cart.
Daisy moved slowly compared to the others as they left the house. Could it be him? What would she do if it were? Had he been this close all this time?
She swallowed as she slid into the car. Her eyes moved to Tom who was smiling as he glanced at his phone tilted away from prying eyes. Of course, he was busy talking to his mistress again. The woman who loved to interrupt at all hours of the day or night.
CHAPTER TWO
JAY
The blood pooled at the edge of his mouth. The taste of iron coating his tongue. He wiped the blood from his split lip with his thumb before spitting on the ground between them. It was a lucky hit. One that the bodyguard sneering at him wouldn’t have again.
The guard stepped forward to attack. Jay was faster though. He pulled the gun from his back holster. Aim. Fire. One shot to kill and he was on the move further into the building. He needed to be quick.
Wolfsheim preferred less of a mess. He wasn’t in charge of this part though. Jay learned early in his partnership with the old man that he didn’t directly get his hands dirty. It was always someone else making the call. Someone else was doing what needed to be done.
He’d spent the last two years working his way up. It had started before that, meeting people and learning of the connections. Although he didn’t start as Wolfsheim’s errand boy, he made it known he was going to be in the business for the long haul and work his way up. Jay didn’t need to get his hands dirty, but he enjoyed it.
There was something about the crunch of bone beneath his fist. The blood that coated his knuckles or splattered across the air with a direct hit. He was good at this part and wanted to bring the pain. They all deserve to suffer. So, he chose to get dirty in the dark. A mask covering his face and nothing left behind.
His background in the military gave him the resources and connections needed for the businesses both above and below the table. While he wasn’t living the life he once imagined, he was doing what was necessary. Every step he took was calculated. It had to be. Everything he did was for her. To give her the life she needed.
Oh, he was still pissed she chose to get married. Even after he sent her the letter when he’d heard news of the engagement. A reliable source reached out to him and told him all about the arrangement between her parents and the man’s family.
