Dice (Blackwings MC: Croftridge #3)

Chapter 1 – Daphne

1

DAPHNE

I cursed when I heard the rhythmic thump, thump, thump—the telltale sign of yet another flat tire. I’d already had two in the past month.

I was almost at my scheduled appointment. If I could make it there, I would worry about the tire after the showing.

When I pulled into the driveway, I exhaled in relief. I made it. Quickly hopping out of the car, I rushed to the front door and hurried inside to prepare the house before my clients arrived. I wanted to make a good impression, but I also wanted to make a sale. The seller was offering a substantial bonus if I could find a buyer before the end of the month. I was in the middle of a messy divorce and could really use the extra money. Especially with the run of bad luck I’d been having. I’d had three flat tires, my mailbox had been knocked down twice, my trash can disappeared, the glass in my sliding door had been shattered with a rock, and my dog almost died from a snake bite. All within the last few months. Needless to say, the bills were adding up quickly.

The sound of a car door closing broke me out of my thoughts. I walked to the front door and opened it to greet my new clients. “Hello,” I started, but stopped abruptly when my eyes landed on the person standing on the porch, dressed in all black and wearing a ski mask.

I tried to close the door but didn’t quite make it, resulting in a war of strength as the stranger pushed against it. When they slipped a hand through the open space and tried to grab me, I did the only thing I could think of. With all my weight pressing against the door, I leaned forward and bit the person’s arm as hard as I could. I’m not sure what happened on the other side of the door, but suddenly, the force pushing against it was gone, and the door slammed forward, trapping the person’s arm between the door and the jam. When they screamed in pain and begged me to open the door, I learned the person was male.

I didn’t know what to do at that point. If I opened the door to release him, he could use that opportunity to gain entry into the house and carry out whatever nefarious plans he originally had. But I couldn’t stand there with his arm trapped in the door forever. Finally, I decided to open the door a little so he could slide his arm out before slamming it shut. Unfortunately, I was faster than he was, causing several of his fingers to get smashed by the door. Once again, I opened the door just enough for him to remove his fingers before quickly closing and locking it. Then I ran to the back door and made sure it was locked. It was a good thing I did, because the enraged masked man appeared on the back deck moments later, trying to get into the house.

He beat on the back door with his good hand while I frantically tried to find my phone to call for help. When I finally found it, I quickly dialed nine-one-one and pressed send just as the glass on the back door shattered. I watched in horror as the man reached through the broken glass and unlocked the door before I dropped my phone and ran.

There was nowhere to go, and it didn’t take long for him to catch me. Thankfully, I’d done some damage to his arm, which allowed me to put up a decent fight. Otherwise, I think he would have killed me.

We’d been trading blow for blow, but my hits didn’t seem to affect him as much as his hits were affecting me. Everything hurt, and I didn’t know how much longer I would be able to keep going. As much as I hated to admit it, I was almost ready to give up when I heard the sirens approaching. Knowing help would soon arrive gave me the strength to keep fighting.

Suddenly, he rolled to the side and tried to push to his feet. I knew then that he’d heard the sirens and was going to run. The house was surrounded by woods where he could easily disappear. I couldn’t let that happen. I rolled toward him and grabbed the hand I’d smashed in the door, yanking him back to the floor. As he was falling, I brought both feet up and kicked him in the chest as hard as I could. He fell to the floor, gasping and wheezing for breath.

Seconds later, two police officers entered the room with guns drawn. I raised my hands in the air and burst into tears. “Please, help me.”

To my disbelief, the asshole on the other side of the room said, “She attacked me. I was just defending myself.”

“You can’t be serious!” I yelled and turned my attention to the police officer closest to me. “Look at us. I’m dressed like a professional, and he’s dressed like a burglar.”

“Okay, okay,” the officer said. “Tell us what happened.”

“I’m a real estate agent, and I had an appointment to show the house. I thought I heard my client’s car in the driveway and went to the front to greet them. Instead, that masked man was standing there. He tried to get in through the front door, but I smashed his arm in the door and managed to keep him out. Then he ran around to the back and broke the glass with his good hand to get in. I called nine-one-one before he made it inside and caught me.”

The other officer pointed to the bloody cuts on the masked man’s arm. “His injuries are consistent with her story.”

“We’re placing you under arrest for …” His words faded as I sagged with relief, and promptly lost consciousness.