Page 4 of The Sniper (Club Southside #9)

CHAPTER FOUR

DANIELS

T he following morning, Daniels pushed open the glass door to the FBI’s Chicago field office, holding it just long enough for Reyna to follow behind him. She didn’t look at him as she strode past, her boots clicking against the polished floor, her posture sharp and confident. She carried herself like she owned the damn place, even though she had no clearance to be here. It was both impressive and infuriating.

“This way,” Daniels said, his tone clipped as he led her through the security checkpoint.

The agents stationed near the entrance glanced at Reyna, their eyes narrowing with curiosity and, in some cases, suspicion. She was dressed in her usual black tactical pants, a leather jacket over a fitted shirt, and that unmistakable air of someone who could dismantle a man with her bare hands. Daniels ignored their stares, his focus on getting her to the briefing room without incident.

Reyna didn’t say a word, but he could feel her assessing everything around her, cataloging exits, noting the positions of cameras, probably even estimating how fast she could take out the nearest armed guard if it came to that. It was instinct for her, and he couldn’t decide if it irritated him or turned him on. He was afraid it was both.

As they reached the briefing room, Daniels opened the door and gestured for her to step inside. She gave him a quick glance, one eyebrow raised as if to say, “I’m doing you a favor, remember?” He ignored it, following her in and closing the door behind them.

The room was small, with a conference table in the center and a screen on the wall displaying a map of Chicago with several points marked in red. A few agents were already seated, including Assistant Special Agent in charge, Charlie Harris, who looked less than pleased at Reyna’s presence.

“Agent Daniels,” Harris said, his voice flat. “Care to explain why you’ve brought an unauthorized civilian into a classified briefing?”

“She’s not a civilian,” Daniels replied evenly, his tone carrying just enough steel to signal he wasn’t in the mood for a debate. “Reyna Marx is with Cerberus. Her team is tied to the message our victim left, and we’re going to need her insight if we’re going to make sense of this.”

Harris’s eyes flicked to Reyna, who had taken a seat at the table and was leaning back in her chair with the kind of relaxed defiance that set Daniels’ teeth on edge.

“Cerberus,” Harris said slowly, the distaste in his voice evident. “You mean the private mercenaries who think they’re above the law?”

“More like the people who clean up the messes you can’t,” Reyna said, her voice calm but cutting. “Don’t worry, Harris. I’m not here to steal your thunder. Just your intel, provided you have any.”

Daniels closed his eyes for half a second, willing himself to stay calm. “Reyna.”

She shrugged, leaning forward and planting her elbows on the table. “What? He started it.”

Harris’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t press further. Instead, he gestured to the screen. “Let’s get to it, then. The victim, Mistress Veda, wasn’t a member of Club Southside, but she was well-known in the scene. A Domme with a reputation for discretion and, apparently, for making enemies.”

“Discretion?” Reyna repeated, her tone skeptical. “Doesn’t sound like someone who’d end up bleeding out in an alley. If they didn’t want her found, there were a lot of other places to kill her, including sound-proofed privacy rooms within the Velvet Glove.”

“See, this is where it gets complicated,” Harris said, clicking a button to bring up a photo of Veda on the screen. “Our investigation uncovered ties between Veda and a group calling themselves the Obsidian Cartel.”

Daniels frowned. “I’ve never heard of them.”

For a moment he saw Reyna’s eyes flash. She must have heard of them but apparently had no intention of sharing that information.

“That’s because they don’t advertise,” Harris replied. “They operate within the BDSM community but use it as a front for illicit activities—trafficking, blackmail, extortion. We suspect Veda was either involved with them or had dirt on someone who was.”

Reyna leaned closer, her expression sharpening. “And you think whoever killed her was sending a message to Cerberus. Why?”

“Because of this,” Harris said, bringing up an image of the collar found at the scene. “This wasn’t just left for dramatic effect. It’s identical to the ones the Obsidian Cartel uses for their submissives—submissives who aren’t just playing the game to get their kink freak on. They’re property—some of them willing, some of them not.”

Reyna’s jaw tightened, her eyes narrowing. “And you think Veda was one of them? You seem to have missed two salient points: One, Veda was a Domme and not a submissive; she’d have cut off the dick of any guy who tried to place a collar on her; and two, she wasn’t a member of Club Southside.”

That seemed to surprise Harris. Good God, the guy in charge knew nothing about the lifestyle and was letting it show.

“Well,” Harris started, “someone wanted us to think Cerberus is connected to this.”

“I already figured that out. And the only connection we might have is, if they’re using Veda to send us a message to back off,” Reyna snapped. “We don’t traffic people. We stop the bastards who do.”

“And yet here we are,” Harris said pointedly.

Daniels held up a hand, stepping in before the conversation could spiral further. “This isn’t about blame. It’s about finding out why Veda was killed and who’s behind it.”

Reyna shot him a look, her lips pressing into a thin line, but she didn’t argue. She leaned back again, resting her hands on the table as Harris continued to outline the case. The conflict in the room was tangible, but Daniels kept his focus on the task at hand. They could deal with their differences later—if they lived long enough to have the luxury.

When the briefing ended, Harris and the other agents left the room, leaving Daniels and Reyna alone. She didn’t say anything at first, just stared at the map on the screen as if it held the answers they needed.

“You don’t trust him,” Daniels said finally, breaking the silence.

“Do you? He’s an idiot and doesn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground,” she said, turning to face him. Her eyes were sharp, but there was something vulnerable beneath the surface, something she’d never let him see if she could help it.

Daniels stepped closer, his voice softening. “Reyna, this isn’t about Harris. It’s about you being willing to let someone help you for once.”

“I don’t need help,” she said, her voice tight. “Not from him. Not from you.”

“Bullshit,” Daniels said, his tone hardening. “You can’t do this alone, no matter how much you want to believe you can.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he didn’t let her. He stepped even closer, his presence filling the space between them.

“I have a whole fucking team. One that will follow my lead.”

“This isn’t about control,” he said, his voice dropping. “It’s about survival. You want to fight me? Fine. But don’t let your pride get in the way of finding whoever did this. Veda deserves better than that.”

For a moment, she just stared at him, her breathing shallow, her gaze locked on his. The space between them was electric, the kind that made every nerve in his body hum with awareness. He wanted to shake her, to force her to see reason. But more than that, he wanted to reach out, to touch her and remind her that she wasn’t as alone as she thought she was.

“Fine,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper. “But don’t think for a second that I’m following your lead, Daniels. I won’t put up with any of that me Dom, you sub crap.”

He allowed himself a small, satisfied smile. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

She rolled her eyes but didn’t pull away as he stepped back, the moment broken but not forgotten. Daniels knew this was just the beginning, and whatever came next, they’d have to face it as a team—even if it killed them.

Daniels leaned against the edge of the conference table, his arms crossed as he studied Reyna. She stood across from him, her body tense, her gaze fixed on the photos spread out in front of her. The dim lighting of the briefing room left corners of the room in shadows, the low hum of the overhead projector the only sound in the room. The silence between them felt anything but empty.

“You’re wound too tight,” Daniels said, his voice low and steady.

Reyna didn’t look up. “What else is new?”

“I’m serious,” he said, his tone sharpening just enough to draw her attention. Her head tilted slightly, her sharp gaze flicking up to meet his. “You’re not going to see anything if you’re this tense. Take a breath.”

Her lips parted, a protest forming, but she caught herself. Instead, she inhaled deeply, her chest rising as she followed his command. Daniels watched the subtle change in her body language, the way her shoulders eased, her stance softening. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to remind him why he was so damn drawn to her. Even when she didn’t realize it, she responded to him.

“Better,” he said, his voice softer now. “Now, tell me what you see.”

Reyna turned her attention back to the photos, her fingers brushing over one of the images. It was a grainy still from a security camera, showing Veda entering a high-end bar in the downtown district. Beside her was a man, his face partially obscured by a baseball cap.

“This,” she said, tapping the photo. “This is off. Veda didn’t meet people in public unless she trusted them.”

Daniels stepped closer, his presence brushing against her like a shadow. “Then who is he?”

“Someone new,” Reyna said, her tone laced with frustration. “I’ve never seen him before.”

Daniels reached over her shoulder, picking up the evidence file. “We’re running facial recognition now, but so far, all we’ve got is the alias he used to reserve a private room. Orion.”

Reyna frowned, turning toward him. “Orion? As in the hunter?”

“Seems fitting, doesn’t it?” Daniels said, setting the file down. “Whoever he is, he wanted to make sure he couldn’t be traced. Fake ID, burner phone, the works. But he didn’t count on cameras.”

Reyna’s eyes narrowed as she considered the photo again. “You think he killed her?”

“I think he’s involved,” Daniels said. “Whether he pulled the trigger—or swung the knife—remains to be seen.”

Reyna ran a hand through her hair. “This doesn’t add up. Veda was careful. She wouldn’t meet someone like him without a damn good reason.”

“And that’s what we’re going to figure out,” Daniels said, his voice firm. He stepped closer, his gaze locking onto hers. “But you need to focus, Reyna. Let me take the lead on this.”

Her eyebrows shot up, a flash of defiance sparking in her eyes. “Take the lead? This isn’t your case, Daniels.”

“It damn well is. You’re only involved because I’ve allowed it. I’ve gone to bat for you with my superiors. You’re only here because I insisted. And I insisted because someone left a message in blood tying this to your team,” he countered, his tone hardening. “You can either fight me every step of the way, or you can trust me to do what I do best. Cerberus has no official standing; the Bureau does. The mayor and the Police Commissioner both signed the case over to us. They believe there are bigger implications.”

Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t argue. Instead, she crossed her arms, her fingers digging into her sleeves as she stared him down. “You’re insufferable, you know that?”

“And yet here we are,” he said, taking another step closer. He was close enough now that he could see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes, the way her breath hitched ever so slightly. She was stubborn, fiery, and more than a little reckless, but in moments like this, when they seemed to teeter on something more, he could see the vulnerability she tried so hard to hide.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice dropping.

Her lips pressed into a thin line, but after a long moment, she nodded. “Yes.”

“Good,” Daniels said, his voice softening. “Then let me do my job.”

Reyna’s gaze lingered on his, something unspoken passing between them. Slowly, she unfolded her arms, her hands falling to her sides. The shift in her posture was subtle, but it was enough to send a jolt through Daniels’ chest. She was yielding—not fully, not completely—but enough to remind him of the dynamic they had once danced around, the one that still lingered in the shadows between them.

He stepped back, giving her space, but his chest felt tight as he watched her turn back to the photos. The truth he’d been avoiding for years was staring him in the face now, and there was no denying it. Working with Reyna wasn’t just stirring up old feelings—it was tearing through the walls he’d built around himself. She was chaos, fire, and defiance, but she was also trust, vulnerability, and strength. And that terrified him.

“Orion,” Reyna said suddenly, breaking the silence. She tapped the photo again, her voice steady but intense. “We need to dig into that alias. Mythological names like that don’t just get pulled out of thin air.”

Daniels nodded, grateful for the distraction. “I’ll have the team cross-reference it with known associates and online activity. If there’s a connection, we’ll find it.”

Reyna turned to him, her expression hard but determined. “Then let’s find it fast. Whoever this guy is, he’s not done.”

Daniels watched her for a moment, the fire in her eyes a stark contrast to the cold reality of the case. He didn’t doubt her resolve, but he had a feeling that they were stepping into something bigger than either of them realized.

“We will,” he said, his voice low. “But you need to let me protect you, Reyna.”

She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off before she could.

“Not because I think you can’t handle yourself,” he said, his tone firm but calm. “But because I know what it feels like to lose someone I care about.”

Her breath caught, and for a moment, she just stared at him, the friction between them thick and heavy. Finally, she nodded, the fight in her posture softening just enough to make his chest ache.

“Then don’t let me down,” she said quietly.

Daniels didn’t answer. He couldn’t. Instead, he turned back to the files, his mind racing. They had a new lead, a new piece of the puzzle, Orion, but he also knew he needed to find out her intel about the Obsidian Cartel.