Page 23

Dagger

“D ad, look!” Dani pointed to an exhibit on prehistoric animals in their natural habitat. Her eyes lit up with excitement as she took in every detail as she bounced on her toes. “It’s so cool, isn’t it?”

My heart constricted as she read what she could, sounding out the words she didn’t recognize before looking up to Sinclair for confirmation. She’d been the one to recommend the children’s museum and Dani insisted that she come along, which was what I also wanted so I didn’t put up a fight at all.

“It’s really cool,” I offered, and attempted to focus on the ancient creatures instead of the woman beside me. The woman who occupied my thoughts even when she was right next to me.

“Do you see how big the insects are?” she pointed out to Dani, smiling as she explained something about higher oxygen levels or some shit I didn’t really understand.

“That could eat me!” Dani giggled and reached for Sinclair’s hand with an affectionate smile.

This felt odd as fuck. It felt surreal. It felt really fucking domestic.

And the craziest part was that I wasn’t freaked out about it.

My heart wasn’t racing and my legs weren’t wobbling.

It felt right and normal, it felt like this was how it should’ve always been.

This was what Dani deserved, two attentive parents. Weekends spent together.

“You okay?” Sinclair’s hand rested on my arm and then she rubbed gently with furrowed brows.

I blinked. “I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Her hand slid down my arm and tangled with my hand, our palms pressed together like we were a team. “You seem off.”

She was right. I felt off and I couldn’t say why. “Give me a minute?”

She nodded, her expression full of worry, but she just turned her attention back to Dani, giving me what I’d asked for.

I walked away from my girls and paused, scanning every face inside the museum until I spotted the lone face that looked out of place among the groups of families. A man by himself, not smiling but scowling. But his expression wasn’t on me, it was just past me.

Sinclair.

Whatever else I’d thought about whoever the fuck this asshole was, this wasn’t about me or the Steel Demons. It was about Sinclair.

My blood ran cold. My hands tightened into fists. My feet froze as indecision went to war inside me. Did I go after the fucker or stay close to Sinclair to keep her safe?

I started walking casually in his direction, looking around like I was oblivious that we had a shadow.

It pissed me off that I hadn’t noticed him until now when we’d been at the museum for at least an hour.

I was distracted. My dad’s voice sounded in my head, reminding me that caring about people was a weakness that could get someone—namely, me—killed.

I shook off his words, told myself that it was a chicken shit belief that let him keep everyone at a distance because he was too fucking scared to give a shit about anybody but himself.

I wasn’t him, not anymore. I passed the asshole and even though he appeared casual to the untrained eye, I saw him freeze when I passed him, felt the weight of his gaze following me.

But Sinclair’s pull was too strong for him, and when I turned to watch him, his gaze was on her again. He watched openly, unafraid of being noticed by anyone but me.

“Slate,” I said the minute he answered the phone. “He’s here at the museum. Can you get a clean image of him?”

Slate, the asshole, laughed. “You want me to hack into a museum surveillance system?”

“Yeah, what the fuck are you asking stupid questions for? Can you do it or not?”

“Of course I can. Where are you?”

I spun around, searching for some clue where I was. “No fucking clue. Dani and Sinclair are looking at some prehistoric shit, like stuffed animals and shit.”

“Okay. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.” He ended the call before I could say anything else.

I shoved my phone into my pocket and made my way back to the girls, passing the stalker. I stopped and turned to him, startling him. “See something you like?”

He took a step back, but his gaze narrowed at me. He took another step back when he realized I had a solid five inches and thirty pounds on him. His gaze flicked to Sinclair and back to me. “No. I don’t see a goddamn thing I like.”

I took a step forward, biting back a smile when his eyes went wide with fear. “Then I suggest you move along, because you won’t like what happens if you don’t.” I stared him down, watching him try to swallow his fear before he marched off.

I wasn’t dumb enough to believe this was the end of it, but I managed to put his presence behind me and focus on Sinclair and Dani when I found them transfixed by a display on electricity.

Sinclair spotted me first, smiling as she looked up at me with a question in her hazel eyes. “Everything okay?” she mouthed.

I nodded, deciding in that moment to keep his presence to myself. There was no need to scare her unnecessarily. “What is this?”

Dani turned and gasped, taking my hand and tugging me forward while she tried to explain the exhibit to me. “Watch what happens when I put the wand against the ball.”

It was the perfect afternoon, which was something I never thought I’d say about hanging out in a fucking kid’s museum, but it was. Dani was bright and lively, excited about learning every new thing, and she wanted to share it all with me.

And then there was Sinclair, who was becoming the glue that held us together.

She just knew what we needed and made it happen.

I’d lived in Steel City for decades and didn’t even know this place existed.

She flashed a smile at me, her eyes sparkling with amusement as if she somehow knew—again—that I had no clue what my daughter was saying.

“I’m hungry,” Dani said sometime later while we walked through the hall of mirrors. She stopped and turned to Sinclair with hope in her eyes. “Can we get food?”

Her gaze flicked to mine and she offered a soft smile. “I could eat. What about you?” she asked me. “Is it time to feed you again?”

“Daddy eats so much,” Dani exclaimed, and giggled when I glared at her. “Sorry, but you do.”

I bent over so we were face to face and scowled harder. “I’m a big guy and I require a lot of food.”

She giggled again, no longer afraid of me. “A whole lot.”

I stood tall and put my hands on my hips, watching each of them for a long time before I spoke. “My vote is for pizza.”

“I love pizza,” Dani exclaimed. “With lots of cheese and tons of sauce!”

“And pepperoni,” Sinclair added seriously.

***

Once we’d left the museum, that’s what we got at the pizza place, a pizza entirely too big for three people covered with too much sauce, too much cheese, and a fuck load of pepperoni.

Everybody was stuffed and everybody was happy.

And Dani was asleep less than five minutes after we left the pizza joint.

“So,” Sinclair began. “This was a good day. Right?”

I nodded, voice too tight to speak.

“She had fun with you. She loves spending time with you, Dagger.”

“I know. Every day like this just reminds me of how many years I failed her.”

“Don’t think about that, just think about the fun you had today. Movie night. Even making cookies before someone bashed in my windshield.” She reached over and grasped my forearm. “She loves you and loves spending time with you. Think about that.”

I nodded because I knew she was right. “Guilt doesn’t go away that easily.”

She laughed. “Believe me, I know. But if you focus on the guilt, you’ll miss out on all the great times you’re having with her.” She nodded to Dani sleeping in the back seat. “Don’t let that mess up what you already have.”

I turned my arm over and took her hand in mine. “How are you so good?”

She smiled and shook her head. “I’m nothing special, Dagger. Just me.”

“Well, I think you’re pretty fucking great.

” That was the damn truth. Most of the time when I was with her, I felt like I was out of my depth.

I knew I was in over my head, and I knew it could all blow up in my face, but when we were together like this with her soft, small hand in mine, it didn’t matter.

There was something about her that just made things better. Made me better.

When we made it back home, I scooped Dani’s sleeping body in my arms and made my way to the front door. I stopped and turned to Sinclair.

“Go on,” she insisted. “I’ll lock up. Take care of Dani.”

She just knew what was right, so I nodded and went inside. Dani held me tighter and snuggled into me as we climbed the stairs. She was so small, so vulnerable. It was up to me to keep her safe, to protect her. I always will , I promised her, as well as myself.

It took only a few minutes to get her out of her day clothes and into her pajamas, even though she was dead weight. She curled into the blankets the moment she hit the bed and I covered her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. “Good night, baby girl.”

She groaned and turned to face me. “Good night, Daddy. I had fun today.”

“Me too,” I laughed.

“I love you, Daddy.”

My heart squeezed tight. “I love you too Dani. Always. Forever.”

Her eyes drifted shut, a smile on her lips as she returned to dream land.

In that moment, my heart was so full I nearly choked on it. Things were better with Dani, so much better, and I owed it all to Sinclair. If not for her, I never would’ve reconsidered my approach to fatherhood.

I owed her more than protection. I owed her the freedom to live her life unafraid of some asshole lurking in the bushes.

I could give her that. And I would.