Page 12 of Dagger

Loyalty to the Iron Reapers pulses through me like a second heartbeat, as steady and sure as the rumble of a Harley. They're my family. And I've just betrayed every unspoken rule, every code of conduct that holds us together.

I can already picture the looks on their faces when they find out. The disbelief, the anger, the disappointment. Mason's jawwill clench, his eyes going hard and flat as he tries to reconcile his trust in me with the knowledge of what I've done. Tank will be furious, his temper exploding like a powder keg.

My chest constricts, panic clawing at my throat. I have to get out of here. I can't face them, can't bear to see the accusations in their eyes.

I take one last look at Chloe, memorizing the way her dark hair spills across the pillow, the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. She looks so damn peaceful, so innocent. Like she hasn't just shattered my world into a million fucking pieces.

I want to hate her for it. For making me feel things I've never felt before, for cracking open the carefully constructed walls around my heart. But even now, with everything hanging in the balance, I can't bring myself to regret a single moment spent in her arms.

Steeling myself, I turn the knob and slip out of the room, the door clicking shut behind me with a soft snick. The hallway stretches before me, long and narrow. In the silence of the early morning, I walk down the hall and through the main room, intent on getting to my bike without anyone seeing me.

My boots heavy on the worn floorboards. Each step feels like a betrayal, a severing of the bonds that have defined my life for so long. Uncertainty gnaws at my gut, a sickening twist of fear and self-loathing.

Will I ever be able to come back from this? To face the music and accept the consequences of my actions? Or have I just lost everything that matters, sacrificed it all for a few stolen moments of bliss?

I don't know. I fucking don't know.

All I know is that I can't stay here, can't bear to see the fallout of my own reckless choices. So I keep walking, out into the night, into the unknown.

Leaving my heart, my home, and my brothers behind.

FIVE

CHLOE

I wake up slowly,blinking against the soft morning light filtering through the room. For a moment, I don’t recognize where I am, but then it hits me—I’m in his bed. I’m in Dagger’s bed.

Holy shit.

A flood of emotions rushes through me. I’ve been half in love with this man for months, and last night… last night it finally happened. After all the stolen glances, the tension that neither of us ever acknowledged, something shifted, and I couldn’t be happier that it did.

I smile to myself, warmth blooming in my chest. He has no idea how much last night meant to me. It wasn’t just another hookup, not for me. It was the first time I gave my body to a man willingly. The first time I let someone touch me, see me, and it didn’t feel like a loss of control—it felt like freedom.

And pleasure—God, pleasure. For the first time, I felt it, really felt it, and it was because of him.

I roll over, excitement bubbling in me as I reach out, ready to see him, maybe start the day with another round. But my hand lands on cold sheets. His side of the bed is empty.

What the hell?

I sit up, the blanket clutched around me, and listen for any sound—footsteps, the low hum of his voice, something. But all I hear is silence.

Maybe he went to the bathroom? Or downstairs for coffee?

But as the minutes tick by, the excitement in my chest starts to fade, replaced by a sinking feeling. The longer I wait, the more certain I become. He’s not coming back.

My throat tightens, and my stomach churns. What did I expect? A man like Dagger doesn’t settle down, doesn’t do mornings-after, and I knew that. Hell, everyone knows that. But still… after last night, I thought maybe, just maybe, this time would be different.

I bite my lip, the weight of disappointment pressing down on me as I stare at the empty space where he should be. I can still feel his hands on me, his lips, the way he looked at me like I was the only thing in the world that mattered.

But now? Now it feels like I’m the only one who thought last night meant something.

I roll out of bed, my body still sore in the best way, and grab my clothes from where they’re scattered across the floor. I don’t have time to sit here and wallow. Dagger may be gone, but I’ve got a life to live, and I refuse to let this ruin my morning.

Stepping into my dress for last night, I take a deep breath and grab my things. Slinging my purse over my shoulder, I glance around the room one last time before stepping out into the quiet clubhouse. The air feels still, like the place is holding its breath.

I close Dagger’s door behind me as quietly as I can, but the sound of heavy footsteps makes me freeze. I turn just as Hawk comes stumbling down the hallway, looking half-awake and a little hungover.

“Oh, shit, sorry,” he mutters, almost bumping into me. Then he stops, his eyes going wide as they flick between me and the door I just walked out of.

---