Page 82 of Dagger

Taking a shaky breath, she blinked away her tears, determination seeping in at the edges. She had to find the courage to face him, face them. Apologize for blaming him, for lashing out. Tell him she was done using Brian’s memory as a shield.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, heart still racing. Letting go of her grief didn’t mean forgetting Brian. Forgiving Dagger didn’t mean betraying her husband, it meant admitting that she wanted a future with the man she should have seen a long time ago.

A heavy exhale left her as she dropped her forehead against her bent knees.God, this is terrifying.But Dagger’s voice rang in her memory again, the hardness giving way to an unmistakable plea.I’ve loved you since the minute I met you.She’d felt it in his every kiss, every fierce touch.

She wanted to live, to love, to stop drowning in regret. Yes, she wanted Dagger. She wanted her children. Her career, which Dagger would always support. She wanted to stop punishing herself for not having everything figured out.

Her tears slowed, replaced by a gentle ache. It wasn’t the kind of pain that drowned her. It felt more like a purging, a sign that the wall of anger she’d used for so long was finally beginning to crack.

Pressing her hands flat against the blankets, she lifted her head and took a breath. “I won’t shut him out of my life,” she said softly, “but I won’t hide behind him anymore, either.”

The words sounded resolute, even if she still felt fragile. Because she knew there was no turning back from this. The next time she saw Dagger, she wouldn’t meet him with condemnation or denial. She would meet him with truth, and she’d finally see where that truth led them both.

A trembling breath escaped her, and for the first time in months, she allowed herself the tiniest seed of hope. Even if it hurt, even if it was frightening, she was alive, and maybe she not only deserved to be, but she needed to act like it. God, she released a soft sob.

Quinn dragged shaky hands across her cheeks, attempting to calm her frayed nerves. Dagger had left mere moments before, slamming the door so hard the walls seemed to vibrate with the force of not his anger, but his hope and his fear. She sat there torn between fury at him for pushing her and fury at herself for not being able to push back with anything more than denial.

Her heart thundered, adrenaline still pulsing in her veins from their confrontation, and from what they’d shared in the shower. Her skin felt hypersensitive, each bead of moisture clinging to her threatening to send her into another wave of emotion she couldn’t name.

When a knock sounded at the door, her heart lurched.He’s back.She wasn’t sure whether to feel relief or sheer panic. She flew from the bed, her fingers hovering near the doorknob. Like he said, the time to run, hide, deny was over.

She inhaled a shaky breath and opened the door ready to live…with him.

Two unfamiliar men rushed in, crowding her before she could even draw breath to protest. One slammed the door shut behind them. Their grips felt like iron bands on her arms, causing her wound to throb.

“What—?” she managed, trying to yank free. “Who?—?”

Neither answered. One clapped a calloused hand over her mouth, stifling her shout. The other wrenched her wrists behind her, gripping them in a bruising hold. Heart thundering, Quinn attempted to struggle, but the men pinned her effectively.

“Let me go,” she mumbled against the palm clamped to her face, though it came out distorted and muffled. Her eyes darted around the small room in desperation.Where the hell was everyone?

“Shut it,” snapped the man holding her arms. With a swift jerk, he forced a strip of duct tape across her mouth.

She fought, adrenaline pounding, but he merely twisted her wrists into a makeshift zip-tie. She gasped through her nose as pinpricks of pain shot up her arms. One of them kicked her phone from the table, then stooped to snatch it.

No, no, no.Quinn’s stomach plummeted.Dagger…someone…

Fear hammered in her chest, but the men gave her no chance to shout. They half-lifted, half-dragged her out of the room and into the corridor. She stumbled, boots catching on the tile. A harsh grunt erupted from one of them as he swung her against his chest, keeping her upright yet utterly captive.

They hurried her through an unguarded side exit. The night air slammed her, hot and heavy, as though mocking her hope for rescue.Of course, no one expected this in a secure compound.She was hauled toward an idling SUV with dark-tinted windows.

Her captors shoved her in. She slammed down against a seat, breath exploding from her in a pained whimper. A pair of hands forced her torso upright. The overhead light flickered, illuminating a figure inside.

David Langford.

Quinn’s heart seized. The CEO of Aegis Force Solutions gave her a cold, triumphant smile, then snapped his fingers at the men. One passed him her phone.

“You and your boyfriend,” he drawled, “are going to regret humiliating me.”

Quinn glared at him over the duct tape, trying to push down the terror clawing at her throat. She wrenched her shoulders back, but the zip-tie refused to give.

Langford grabbed her phone and tapped the screen. His lips curved into a predatory smirk as he held it out. “Unlock it.”

She shook her head, refusing. He nodded to one of his henchmen, who responded by clasping her throat and tightening. He cut off her air supply that easily, and she struggled against the burning in her lungs. A gray veil dropped over her mind, wisping over her until she was going away, so far away.

“That’s enough,” Langford growled. He held out the phone. The man let go, and she gasped as air flowed into her lungs, pushing away the shadowed filaments. “The next time. I don’t stop him.” She couldn’t take the chance he was bluffing. Dagger would get her out of this. He would. Chest heaving, Quinn forced her trembling fingers around the phone, tapping her passcode under his watchful eye. The second it unlocked, he snatched it back. Her mind whirled.Who is he texting?

Langford’s smug expression told her all she needed to know. A cold dread settled beneath her rib cage.He’s setting a trap.The only person he’d need to lure was the one man she knew would come for her without hesitation.

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