Page 26 of Dagger

"You wanna tell me what the hell that was back there?" Tex asked, voice tight. "Or are you just gonna keep trying to beat your feelings into submission?"

Dagger’s fists stilled against the bag."You let your guard down, you lose."He exhaled, pressing his forehead to the leather. "I can’t do this right now."

Tex scoffed. "That’s too damn bad, petty officer because you’re going to drop down and give me fucking one hundred whether you like it or not."

Dagger turned, wiping his face with his forearm. Tex wasn’t budging. “That sounds suspiciously like an order, sir.”

Tex crossed his arms. “Did you forget? I own you, mister. In or out of uniform. You belong to Uncle Sam, and I’m his fucking big stick.” He stepped closer. "You think I haven’t noticed you spiraling? You think Bondo hasn’t? Brawler? We all see it, man. But you? You’re too damn stubborn to admit it." There wasgoing to be a team reckoning. Those guys weren’t going to let it slide either.

Dagger set his jaw, shoving past him. He needed air. Tex didn’t let him go.

"Whatever affects you, affects this team," Tex said, not even needing to block his path, his words stopped Dagger cold. "You, my friend, are neck-deep in your own bullshit."

Dagger whipped around, eyes flashing. "It’s personal."

Tex’s jaw ticked. "No. It’s the job. It’s your head. It’s everything."

Silence stretched between them, weighing him down. Damn if he didn’t love this fucking guy.

Then Tex exhaled sharply, dragging a hand over his face. The anger in his voice shifted, still firm, but quieter now.

"You’re not just losing it over Quinn." Dagger felt it like a body blow. Tex shook his head. "It’s Brian." Dagger’s breath was sharp. His muscles locked down. Tex exhaled again, slower this time. "I get it, man. I do. But you gotta start talking before this shit buries you."

Dagger clenched his jaw. He wanted to walk away. He should walk away.

But his chest felt too tight, like the pressure was closing in. Tex wasn’t going anywhere.

Tex sighed, hands braced on his hips. His next words weren’t a demand. Just quiet understanding. "What else are you carrying, Dagger?"

The dam cracked. The need to confide in Tex was overwhelming, warring with his need to remain strong. He never wanted to look weak in this man’s eyes. Dagger ran a hand down his face, sucking in a breath. "Quinn’s kids," he said, voice raw. "They’re biologically mine. Brian couldn’t father children. I helped out." Tex’s head snapped up. Dagger let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head. "Twister’s the only one who knows."

Tex blinked, his expression shifting, anger fading into something deeper. Then, he let out a sharp exhale. "Their father, but not their father,” he muttered. “Fuck, Dagger." Dagger nodded, swallowing hard. Tex sighed and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Get some rest."

Dagger nodded, but he didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

Tex studied him for a beat longer. “Family is everything, whether it’s a bunch of knuckleheads, your beautiful wife, or children you brought into this world. They are worth fighting for, Kade, and you’re no quitter. I’d have to boot your ass if I thought losing ever entered into your thick skull. You work the problem just like any other problem. You fucking work it, you fucking find a solution and you fucking make it your bitch. I’ll expect updates.” Dagger groaned. “Don’t give me that whiny bullshit. Get it done.” As he went to turn to leave, his voice came out much, much softer. “You remember how it was with Nora? She kicked my ass, but I got up from the dirt and kicked hers back, and she respected me for it, and it won me the most beautiful woman on the planet.” His voice softened even more, a rasp making Dagger’s throat tight. “Fatherhood isn’t to be taken lightly, I know.” He cleared his throat. “Fighting is in our blood, but honesty wins every time. Keep that in mind when you go into battle.” Dagger barely registered him leaving.

The gym was too quiet now. Too still.

Dagger sat on the bench, elbows on his knees, exhaling in slow increments.

The walls had crumbled under Tex’s unrelenting leadership, but they had been falling ever since he contemplated showing Quinn who he was, that he had always seen her, and had been helpless to keep her out of his heart. It was time to work the fucking problem and make it his bitch.

“Justin?”she whispered, so thankful that her AA sponsor had answered his cell. She was sitting on her bed in her room at the compound provided by the Venezuelan government, a gray secure facility complete with all the amenities they would need. It had been a former hotel until they requisitioned it, secured it with guards, guard posts, and a high concrete fence. She’d entered the place, her steps faltering reeling from her near miss as she registered where they were. Saw the vehicles. The gear stacked near the doors. Her stomach twisted, her cry echoing as she raced to her room. Dagger was here…where they were staying…his whole team.

“Quinn, sweetheart. What’s wrong? You sound…on the edge.”

“I almost took a drink,” she sobbed, tears running down her face. “I didn’t. I left.” Relief rushed through her, the feeling she dodged a lethal bullet, on the cusp of something different, something changing inside her. She was a mess, a freaking terrible mess.

"Quinn, I'm proud of you for recognizing that moment and choosing not to drink. But I need to know. What were you feeling at the time? Was it a memory, a pain, or a moment of overwhelming loneliness? I don't ask this to judge you, but because understanding thewhybehind that urge is the key to healing. Sometimes it's not just about the drink, it's about what that drink represents. Let's explore that together, so we can find a better way to carry that weight."

"I know you think it's about my kids, but it's not," Quinn said, her voice wavering with raw honesty. "It's not about the boys. It’s about him. I want Kade. When I think about him, it'slike a spark that sets me ablaze, intoxicating and undeniable. Sometimes, that thought feels so right, it makes me forget everything else...but then I remember Brian, and it all turns wrong. I ordered that drink to stop these thoughts, to drown that burning need. I just wish I could shut him out, but I can't."

"Quinn, Brian's gone. He's not coming back, and holding onto his memory like a lifeline is only weighing you down. I know you've tethered your heart to his memory, but there's no shame in moving on, even when it hurts. I get that it complicates things, especially with Kade being your brother-in-law, but sometimes the heart just wants what it wants, no matter what the head says. It doesn't mean you're betraying his memory. It just means you're looking for a way to feel whole again. Just promise me you'll take this one step at a time, and not let the past prevent you from healing."

Quinn sat in silence for a moment, the weight of his words pressing down on her like an anchor, steadying but heavy.Brian’s gone.It wasn’t new information, but hearing it so plainly, without the soft edges of grief distorting it, made something inside her crack.

Exhaling sharply, she ran a hand through her curls. “You’re right,” she admitted, the words foreign and jagged on her tongue. “I’ve been trying to control something that isn’t meant to be controlled. Maybe I’ve been using Brian as an excuse to stay angry, to stay stuck, because it’s safer than accepting that I stillfeel. That I want…him.”

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