Page 102 of Dagger

His body was heavy with unfinished need, not just desire, but connection. Like he was still reaching for her in the dark, still waiting to feel her weight in his arms, her mouth against his, her laugh in his ear.

She’d never even said goodbye.

Now he stood there, empty and wired, pulse pounding andnothing to hit.

If she didn’t come back soon, he wasn’t sure what he’d do.

Then Tex squeezed his shoulder, and he was so thankful for their presence. He had a job to do, and he would do it with as much gusto as he’d ever had. To honor her, his warrior who had come out of that prison on her own terms. There were people out there who needed them, and they would always, fuckingalways, answer that call, for their country, for each other, and for strangers yet saved.

Months later, they loaded up at the airstrip, bags tossed into the transport truck, deployment officially over. Flash watched Quinn and Dagger say their goodbyes, low voices, tight grip, eyes locked like they were memorizing each other. There was something unshakable between them.Peace.

A peace Flash didn’t feel.

He wanted that. Needed it, maybe. But he couldn’t imagine what it would take to get there.

A new team was coming into guard Quinn, Tier 1 badasses, Iceman’s crew. The kind that moved like shadows and didn’t miss a damn thing. It put Dagger’s worries to bed. He didn’t look thrilled to leave her, but he trusted them. Trusted her.

“Thank you for understanding,” Quinn was saying, chin lifted, voice steady. “This job means so much, Kade. We’ll stay in touch.”

Flash caught the flicker of pain on Dagger’s face, quickly buried

Dagger’s answer came quiet, sure. “I’ll never stop you from being you. I’m just going to miss you.”

Flash looked away, like he was intruding on something sacred. He glanced at the embassy rising in the distance, half finished, bold, already beautiful. Strong.

Like her.

He didn’t know if he believed in forever. Didn’t know if peace was something men like them ever got.

But watching them, Quinn fierce and proud, Dagger grounded and sure, he knew one thing: They got what they deserved.

The wind kicked dust across the tarmac, and somewhere nearby, a palm frond rustled.

Then he heard it. A whisper of wings. He turned, pulse spiking, not sure if it was instinct or hallucination. Then he saw her.

Half-shadowed beneath a cluster of palms, braid trailing down her back, golden eyes catching the light. He was drawn to her as he took several rushed steps to her. She didn’t speak at first. She just looked at him, longing, fierce, aching with everything they hadn’t said.

Then she stepped closer, just enough to let her fingers graze the line of his clenched jaw, so lightly it barely felt real.

Her voice was soft as smoke, threaded with a smile only he would hear. “Watch the sky for me,águila estrellada.”

His breath caught.

“Lechuza…”

“Flash!” Tex’s voice barked from behind. “Let’s go!”

He turned his head, just for a heartbeat. When he looked back, she was gone.

No sound. No trail.

Just a shimmer of heat where she’d been.

The feeling that part of his soul had gone with her.

The buzzing humof the tattoo gun filled the small studio, blending with the low throb of bass pulsing from the stereo in the corner. The walls were covered in inked sketches, serpents, skulls, warbirds, wolves.

But Flash only had eyes for one thing, the wings. But Flash only had eyes for one thing, the wings. They’d come to him in a dream. Not soft. Not gentle.Urgent.

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