Page 11 of Dagger

Tonight, it was a damn good thing I showed up, because there was a man in her yard, watching her. It was too dark to tell if it was the same asshole from the park, but it had to be, unless she had a horde of stalkers.

There was only one way to find out.

I pushed away from the tree where I kept myself hidden and closed the distance between us without spooking him. I moved closer and closer, taking in the way he pushed up on his toes and pressed his face against the window, he was so focused on her that he didn’t see me coming until I was just a few feet away.

“Hey, asshole,” I whispered to avoid alerting Sinclair.

The guy fell backwards and scrambled to his feet before taking off through the backyard. He jumped a fence and disappeared into the night. I tried to make chase but lost him.He seemed to know the neighborhood well, which only made me more unsettled. It was clear he’d been watching her for a while.

Fuck. Now that I knew there was someone else watching her, I had to find a way to get closer to keep her safe.

I’d already decided I wanted to get to know Sinclair better. Maybe this would be the perfect one stone, two birds situation?

Chapter 7

Sinclair

The school day was over, and it was that sweet spot where the building was full of end-of-day chaos mixed with joy. I straightened the papers on my desk and gave my classroom a quick look to make sure no one had forgotten anything important. It was mostly clear aside from a few hidden candy wrappers and rubber bands, so I headed back to my desk.

“Miss Bronson?”

I smiled at the sound of Dani’s voice, sweet and hesitant. “What’s up, Dani?”

Her lips tugged into a grin. “My dad found a therapist and I’ve been talking to her.”

“That’s really good, I’m proud of you. How’s it going?” This little girl had no idea just how strong she was.

Her little shoulders rose and then fell in a nonchalant shrug. “I like it, but it feels weird just talking about myself all the time.”

I laughed. “Sometimes that’s okay because sometimes it’s about you.”

“It’s not selfish?”

“If working on yourself so that you can be the best version of yourself is selfish, I say embrace that.” I leaned in close. “Kind of like reading. I don’t do it to help anyone or to make the worlda better place. I do it because I enjoy it. Some might say that’s selfish.”

“But reading is so fun,” she insisted.

“Exactly.”

“I have breathing exercises to help,” she began, and looked around the room, “when I feel overwhelmed.”

My heart swelled with pride for a child that wasn’t mine. This was what drew me to teaching, the chance to help kids in ways big and small. Whether it was a few words of encouragement or figuring out basic arithmetic, it was its own kind of magic. “That’s awesome, Dani. Good for you.”

She smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Miss Bronson. I think you’re why my dad hung out with me this weekend.”

I shook my head. “No way, I think you are.”

She shook her head. “I had fun.”

“That’s what matters.” I stood and escorted Dani out of the building where the pickup line had finally started to dwindle. The buses were gone and all that was left were working parents rushing to beat traffic to pick up their kids, and in some cases nannies and babysitters. “Dads sometimes have a rough go of it with little girls,” I told her. “They don’t know what to do with us, so it takes them a little bit longer.”

Dani giggled. “Okay.”

Dagger walked across the parking lot like he owned the place, all broad shoulders and swaggering confidence. It was impossible to look away from the figure he cut in well-worndenim and a bicep-hugging t-shirt. “Ladies.” His deep voice was smooth like honey but dipped in a big vat of aged whiskey.

“Dad,” Dani began in confusion. “What are you doing here? Did something happen to Callie?”

The panic in her voice was alarming, and I instinctively placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

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