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The moment the words left his mouth, Brawler tapped Beast. The Malinois, already bristling with aggression, snapped up instantly, dropping to all fours with a sharp growl, his lips peeling back in a flash of teeth. Langford flinched just enough to betray the moment of panic before he masked it. His breath hitched as Beast took a half step toward him, a low, dangerous snarl filling the silence.
Cold satisfaction settled over the team as they watched him jerk back, face tightening with barely controlled anger.
Dagger smirked, the flicker of satisfaction barely dulling the fire burning under his skin.The fucker.Langford straightened, rolling his shoulders back like he hadn’t just been rattled, his gaze scanning the room, marking faces, calculating grudges. Then his eyes locked onto Dagger’s.
A challenge. A promise.This isn’t over.
Dagger met his glare head-on, expression unreadable but broadcasting one simple truth.You have no idea what I would do for Quinn. Test me and see.
Langford didn’t just leave. He let his gaze linger, letting the moment stretch, letting them all feel it. Like he wanted them to know he wasn’t finished. When the door clicked shut, the silence left behind was thick with unspoken threats.
Dagger’s pulse pounded in his ears, his breath slow and measured, but the storm inside him raged unchecked.Bring it the fuck on.If Langford wanted a fight, Dagger would give him one, one he wouldn’t walk away from intact.
He wanted to see him bleed, the way he made Quinn bleed. Wanted to watch the light flicker in his eyes as he realized, too late, that he’d fucked with the wrong man. Wanted to see the same fear that had been in Quinn’s.
His fists ached to deliver the first blow, to etch a message into Langford’s skin that couldn’t be ignored.
But not yet. He exhaled slowly through his nose, jaw locked. Not yet.
Retribution wasn’t just his. It was coming, a blade already in motion, cutting through the dark toward Langford’s throat. When it landed, he wouldn’t even see it coming.
When the door clicked shut, Emma’s voice sliced the quiet tension. "That's one hell of a weak excuse for a so-called professional." Her eyes found Dagger’s, filled with sharp understanding and sympathy. "I don’t like his reaction time or his attitude.” A chorus of muted agreement rippled through the room. “But we have other matters to discuss.” She folded her arms, her gaze thoughtful and unrelenting. “JSOC is on the warpath after a call from State regarding the optics of this attack. State has a contract with Langford, so he’s still on the books. There’s nothing we can do about that.” She looked at Tex. “Fill them in.”
Tex turned his attention to the team. “We’ve been assigned to additional security at the site, backing up Langford’s outfit. He sounded like he was trying to swallow glass. “We’re on deployment exclusively for security.”
“How long?” Dagger asked, thankful that JSOC had taken control of the situation. Without Quinn, the embassy project would be stalled. The architect’s vision permeated every metal, stone, glass and concrete part of the design. She was integral and had to be top priority.
“Six months, then we rotate out and another team rotates in and so on until the project is completed. The timeline is about eighteen months.”
“What about Herrera?” Bondo asked.
“The Shadowguard are tracking him. The moment they have his location, we’re going to launch a drone attack. The Venezuelan government is on edge, and even more so after this blatant and bold attack on our people, desecrating our site. As far as JSOC, the CIA, and State are concerned, it’s an act of war, and we’re going to respond in kind.” Emma picked up a folder and started for the door. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to contact my operatives in the field and get a progress report.”
“Emma, is Lechuza part of that hunt?” Flash asked. Dagger looked toward him as every weathered eye turned his way. Flash ignored their speculation.
“She is,” Emma said, her voice catching a bit. “I can’t thank you enough for saving her and O-voo. They are valuable operatives, and close friends.” There was a soft murmur in the room. The team went after hostages for one reason only: to bring them home. They didn’t expect accolades or thanks. It was part of their DNA. “I’ll keep you guys posted.”
As the door closed behind Emma, the team started to rise, but Tex said, “We’re not done here.” His gaze landed on Dagger.
Tex’s calm yet deliberate tone cut through the silence. “Dagger, Are you in the right headspace to handle Quinn’s protection detail?” The question was loaded, since the only thing stopping him from tanking his career was Easy and Bondo’s unwavering strength and concern for their teammate. From Dagger’s perspective, the room had become a confessional, the cold concrete walls and utilitarian lighting mirroring the starkness of his inner turmoil. The air felt heavy, charged with the unsaid words of the team, as Tex waited for his answer in the wake of his brother’s expectant stares.
Dagger’s jaw tightened as he admitted, even if only in a low murmur, “I was reckless…and?—”
“Scared,” Easy said. Easy’s words and his tone were raw, exposing a vulnerability he had fought so hard to bury. “That’s not judgment, Kade.” His eyes shuttered and his gaze darkened. “I would have done anything to protect Astraea from Ramos. But even though our situations are different, you guys were there in the end when I couldn’t protect her.”
“Yeah, we all know how that feels,” Twister said. “You all know what kind of hell I went through during theKittiwake’ssalvage operation below the ocean when Neil Lancaster attacked us. I thought I was going to lose Sadie, and it was the most visceral and terrifying moment of my life.”
Bondo nodded. “On the carrier, Cam went fucking overboard.”
“You fucking went after her in that churning ocean and brought her back alive,” Shark said. “Just like I took a lead for Maddy.”
“Only because you guys were there to reel us in. We get it, Dagger. We do.”
“We sure do,” Tex said.
“He went after Nora alone, in the jungle, and fought Hezbollah single-handily fucking them over, and got intel in the process. That was amazing,” Flash said.
“I left the mission in your capable hands, and we got the win,” Tex said.