Page 2
Story: Dagger
“Quinn?”
Shocked to feel tears running down her cheeks, she quickly brushed them away.
“Sorry. I’m leaving on Friday, and I understand how you’re frazzled, but the project is in good hands.”Quinn pressed her lips together, ignoring the knot in her stomach. “I’m prepared, Piper. I’ve got a security contractor lined up for the trip. David Langford from Aegis Force Solutions.”
“Oh, I’m glad you took my advice,” Piper said, sounding relieved. “We’re definitely recommending additional security. Things are tense there, but I’m sure you already know that. If you need anything at all, give me a heads-up. I’m happy to coordinate from our end.”
Quinn ended the call and set the phone down with precision. She was ready, at least, she would be. There was no room for emotion, no time for ghosts.
She clicked the intercom again. “Diane, can you get David Langford on the line, please?”
A moment later, David’s deep voice filled her office. “Quinn, I was about to call you myself. My team’s all set for Friday. I’ll have everything from transport to lodging locked down. As we discussed, I’m on the same flight out, so I can escort you to the airport if that helps.”
“That’d be perfect,” Quinn said, tapping a pen on her desk. “I appreciate the thoroughness, David. Aegis is covering me and my people, right?”
“All of you,” he confirmed. “Nobody travels alone. I’ll see you Friday morning, bright and early.”
When the call ended, Quinn released a silent breath. David’s involvement should have made her feel in control. Should have reassured her that she had the right people in place, that her team could do their jobs without interference. Then why did it feel like she was still bracing for impact? It was nerves. She respected his expertise, trusted his judgment, and he was an ally sanctioned by the State Department. Nothing to worry about.
“See you then.” A flare of sunlight lit her desk, casting a flicker of gold across the court petition. For a moment, it looked like something new was being born. But Quinn wasn’t a myth. She had enemies. One of them was standing on the other side of this fight.
There it was again. That nagging in the back of her mind, and it was getting annoying. She pushed it away with both hands, stubbornly refusing to entertain those thoughts.It’s holding you back from completing the program and from getting that sobriety chip, but the thought of even approaching him, uttering those words, made her freeze inside. Releasing her anger? No, that was too scary. Besides, he’d betrayed her. He’d taken her children.
To save them…from your negligence.Not wanting to accept that thought, she filled with flame.
Yet, the thing that mattered most still wasn’t hers.
But that wasn’t the only reason she felt strong today. She had earned this moment. Not just because of her firm, not just because of the contract she’d landed against bigger, better-established firms.
She had fought through the wreckage of her past, one brutal step at a time.
Six months. The chip would be hers soon. A solid, tangible mark of her fight, a mile marker in her battle with the bottle. It was more than a symbol. It was proof. Proof that she wasn’t that woman anymore. The one who had fallen so far that her children had been taken from her. She also wasn’t Brian’s wife anymore, even if she carried his memory in her heart.
The worst part? He’d been right. That truth scorched her more than any insult ever could. She wanted to hate him, but beneath the burn, bitter and sharp, was a grudging respect. Dagger had protected her boys. Even if it was from her.
She owed him that apology, but something inside her resisted. She didn’t dare examine that something. Because if she did, it would change everything.
She could detect the barest of sound. A deep, rich fluid voice, not demanding, but commanding, and her whole attention shifted to her doorway. Even before Quinn caught a glimpse of him, she sensed the shift in the air. The space around her, usually so heavy with her own tension and restless energy, suddenly felt charged with a subtle coolness. It wasn’t a physical chill, more like a hushed promise that something formidable had entered her orbit. In the quiet thrumming beneath her ribs, was presence unlike any other, calm but potent, a steadiness that seemed to siphon the wild heat from the room. Even before Dagger came fully into view, Quinn knew he was there,moving closer. Every nerve alive with danger, and for a split second, she wavered, as if testing the contours of this unfamiliar, unwavering current. The door to her office opened.
She didn’t flinch, even as he seemed to suck all the air from her lungs. Before she could control herself, Quinn felt as though her rage and passion swirled inside her like a vortex. She could sense the heat of her emotions scorching the air, daring him to come too close. Keeping him at bay felt safer. He couldn’t see the hurt behind her fury if he never breached the fiery perimeter she’d built.
Dagger stood in the doorway, tall and composed, as if he owned the ground he walked on. She’d never gotten used to how silent he could be. One moment, the space was hers. The next, he’d arrived, bringing a sense of steady energy that felt like cool water skimming over burning sand.
Quinn took in the sight of him and had to swallow an unexpected surge of apprehension. His shaggy hair was honey and bark, threaded with subtle copper highlights that caught the light whenever he moved. Pale green eyes the color of sea glass assessed her calmly, the stark color nearly shocking against his tanned skin. His brows were drawn slightly, and for a second, it reminded her of Brian when he was trying to soothe her, manage her emotions with steady hands and soft words. But Dagger’s gaze wasn’t the same. He wasn’t managing anything. He was looking at like he saw her.
Dagger’s thick lashes and slight hook to his nose gave him a rugged appeal. A neatly trimmed beard and mustache framed an enticingly full bottom lip. Beneath his clothes, Quinn knew there was a body honed by real-world training, a Navy SEAL who moved with confidence and lethal ease. His stance was all conqueror, the hot blood of the conquistador moved through his veins, as though it lent him an innate, quiet intensity.
At first, his calm demeanor struck her as an indifferent judgment on everything she was feeling. Had he already dismissed her as too volatile, too wild, too broken? The possibility ignited her anger. Glaring accusations, warnings at him, anything to keep him at arm’s length. If he was here to test her, she’d meet him with raw heat.
But Dagger didn’t counter her aggression with aggression of his own. Instead, he stepped closer with a resolve that unnerved her. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t lash back with violence. When she met his gaze, unyielding yet not unkind, her anger wavered for a split second, and it terrified her how much she wanted to lean into that momentary cool.
“It’s all right,” he said quietly, not stepping away. “You don’t have to keep me at a distance. You never did, Quinn.”
Quinn’s fury coiled tighter. She wanted to know why he would say such a thing. Didn’t he realize how dangerous she was, how quickly she could burn him if he stayed too close? Didn’t he understand that clinging to her anger and Brian’s memory was all she had to keep from collapsing under the weight of her pain?
Still, Dagger remained unmoved, neither scorched nor intimidated. His pale green eyes stayed on hers, strong and steady. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he told her. “I’m glad to know you’re fighting. I’m here to remind you that you don’t have to fight alone.”
A ripple of unease washed over her, almost like a cool breeze against her hot skin. It was one thing for someone to argue back, to hurl her fire straight at her. But to offer acceptance, to let her fury wash over him without judgment... it made Quinn hesitate. For a moment, the heat of her rage faltered, leaving room for a new kind of uncertainty.
Shocked to feel tears running down her cheeks, she quickly brushed them away.
“Sorry. I’m leaving on Friday, and I understand how you’re frazzled, but the project is in good hands.”Quinn pressed her lips together, ignoring the knot in her stomach. “I’m prepared, Piper. I’ve got a security contractor lined up for the trip. David Langford from Aegis Force Solutions.”
“Oh, I’m glad you took my advice,” Piper said, sounding relieved. “We’re definitely recommending additional security. Things are tense there, but I’m sure you already know that. If you need anything at all, give me a heads-up. I’m happy to coordinate from our end.”
Quinn ended the call and set the phone down with precision. She was ready, at least, she would be. There was no room for emotion, no time for ghosts.
She clicked the intercom again. “Diane, can you get David Langford on the line, please?”
A moment later, David’s deep voice filled her office. “Quinn, I was about to call you myself. My team’s all set for Friday. I’ll have everything from transport to lodging locked down. As we discussed, I’m on the same flight out, so I can escort you to the airport if that helps.”
“That’d be perfect,” Quinn said, tapping a pen on her desk. “I appreciate the thoroughness, David. Aegis is covering me and my people, right?”
“All of you,” he confirmed. “Nobody travels alone. I’ll see you Friday morning, bright and early.”
When the call ended, Quinn released a silent breath. David’s involvement should have made her feel in control. Should have reassured her that she had the right people in place, that her team could do their jobs without interference. Then why did it feel like she was still bracing for impact? It was nerves. She respected his expertise, trusted his judgment, and he was an ally sanctioned by the State Department. Nothing to worry about.
“See you then.” A flare of sunlight lit her desk, casting a flicker of gold across the court petition. For a moment, it looked like something new was being born. But Quinn wasn’t a myth. She had enemies. One of them was standing on the other side of this fight.
There it was again. That nagging in the back of her mind, and it was getting annoying. She pushed it away with both hands, stubbornly refusing to entertain those thoughts.It’s holding you back from completing the program and from getting that sobriety chip, but the thought of even approaching him, uttering those words, made her freeze inside. Releasing her anger? No, that was too scary. Besides, he’d betrayed her. He’d taken her children.
To save them…from your negligence.Not wanting to accept that thought, she filled with flame.
Yet, the thing that mattered most still wasn’t hers.
But that wasn’t the only reason she felt strong today. She had earned this moment. Not just because of her firm, not just because of the contract she’d landed against bigger, better-established firms.
She had fought through the wreckage of her past, one brutal step at a time.
Six months. The chip would be hers soon. A solid, tangible mark of her fight, a mile marker in her battle with the bottle. It was more than a symbol. It was proof. Proof that she wasn’t that woman anymore. The one who had fallen so far that her children had been taken from her. She also wasn’t Brian’s wife anymore, even if she carried his memory in her heart.
The worst part? He’d been right. That truth scorched her more than any insult ever could. She wanted to hate him, but beneath the burn, bitter and sharp, was a grudging respect. Dagger had protected her boys. Even if it was from her.
She owed him that apology, but something inside her resisted. She didn’t dare examine that something. Because if she did, it would change everything.
She could detect the barest of sound. A deep, rich fluid voice, not demanding, but commanding, and her whole attention shifted to her doorway. Even before Quinn caught a glimpse of him, she sensed the shift in the air. The space around her, usually so heavy with her own tension and restless energy, suddenly felt charged with a subtle coolness. It wasn’t a physical chill, more like a hushed promise that something formidable had entered her orbit. In the quiet thrumming beneath her ribs, was presence unlike any other, calm but potent, a steadiness that seemed to siphon the wild heat from the room. Even before Dagger came fully into view, Quinn knew he was there,moving closer. Every nerve alive with danger, and for a split second, she wavered, as if testing the contours of this unfamiliar, unwavering current. The door to her office opened.
She didn’t flinch, even as he seemed to suck all the air from her lungs. Before she could control herself, Quinn felt as though her rage and passion swirled inside her like a vortex. She could sense the heat of her emotions scorching the air, daring him to come too close. Keeping him at bay felt safer. He couldn’t see the hurt behind her fury if he never breached the fiery perimeter she’d built.
Dagger stood in the doorway, tall and composed, as if he owned the ground he walked on. She’d never gotten used to how silent he could be. One moment, the space was hers. The next, he’d arrived, bringing a sense of steady energy that felt like cool water skimming over burning sand.
Quinn took in the sight of him and had to swallow an unexpected surge of apprehension. His shaggy hair was honey and bark, threaded with subtle copper highlights that caught the light whenever he moved. Pale green eyes the color of sea glass assessed her calmly, the stark color nearly shocking against his tanned skin. His brows were drawn slightly, and for a second, it reminded her of Brian when he was trying to soothe her, manage her emotions with steady hands and soft words. But Dagger’s gaze wasn’t the same. He wasn’t managing anything. He was looking at like he saw her.
Dagger’s thick lashes and slight hook to his nose gave him a rugged appeal. A neatly trimmed beard and mustache framed an enticingly full bottom lip. Beneath his clothes, Quinn knew there was a body honed by real-world training, a Navy SEAL who moved with confidence and lethal ease. His stance was all conqueror, the hot blood of the conquistador moved through his veins, as though it lent him an innate, quiet intensity.
At first, his calm demeanor struck her as an indifferent judgment on everything she was feeling. Had he already dismissed her as too volatile, too wild, too broken? The possibility ignited her anger. Glaring accusations, warnings at him, anything to keep him at arm’s length. If he was here to test her, she’d meet him with raw heat.
But Dagger didn’t counter her aggression with aggression of his own. Instead, he stepped closer with a resolve that unnerved her. He didn’t raise his voice. He didn’t lash back with violence. When she met his gaze, unyielding yet not unkind, her anger wavered for a split second, and it terrified her how much she wanted to lean into that momentary cool.
“It’s all right,” he said quietly, not stepping away. “You don’t have to keep me at a distance. You never did, Quinn.”
Quinn’s fury coiled tighter. She wanted to know why he would say such a thing. Didn’t he realize how dangerous she was, how quickly she could burn him if he stayed too close? Didn’t he understand that clinging to her anger and Brian’s memory was all she had to keep from collapsing under the weight of her pain?
Still, Dagger remained unmoved, neither scorched nor intimidated. His pale green eyes stayed on hers, strong and steady. “I’m not here to hurt you,” he told her. “I’m glad to know you’re fighting. I’m here to remind you that you don’t have to fight alone.”
A ripple of unease washed over her, almost like a cool breeze against her hot skin. It was one thing for someone to argue back, to hurl her fire straight at her. But to offer acceptance, to let her fury wash over him without judgment... it made Quinn hesitate. For a moment, the heat of her rage faltered, leaving room for a new kind of uncertainty.
Table of Contents
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