Page 27 of Dagger

There was something about the softness of the knock that gave me pause. I dropped my bag and pushed it against the desk before I opened the door, seeing a pair of familiar browneyes staring up at me hopefully. “Hey, Dani. What are you doing here?”

She frowned. “Dad said you wanted to work on math problems today.” Her lips pushed into a slight pout. “Is that true?”

Damn that careless man and his inability to think about anybody but himself. He knew I wouldn’t hurt Dani, that I wouldn’t risk setting back the progress she’d already made in coming out of her shell. I fixed a smile on my face and stepped back. “Sure. Want to come in?”

She nodded and took a hesitant step inside and then another and another until she stood in the middle of the room. “This is my dad’s room.”

I said nothing about that, just changed the subject. “Would you rather do math outside in the sunshine?”

Dani nodded, an adorable smile touching her lips. She placed her hand in mine and guided me through the clubhouse until we arrived at the perfect plot of grass. “How are you, Miss Bronson?”

I smiled, shrugging at the same time. “I’m doing fine, Dani, thanks for asking.” She was such a sweet and caring little girl, and she was the reason I stayed to help. Not her arrogant father. “How are you?”

She shrugged. “I was really scared, but Dad sat with me and read me a story until I got sleepy. He wanted me to know that I was safe and had nothing to worry about.”

Don’t be touched by it. That’s what any father would say to his terrified daughter.

“Good. I’m glad to hear things are going better for you.”

She nodded, plucking at blades of grass. “Dad is different now,” she began softly. “He asks about school and my feelings. He checks in with me too, and I think it’s because of you.”

I shook my head instinctively. “It’s not at all because of me, it’s because of you. Because your father wants to be better for you.” I bumped her shoulder until she looked at me and smiled. “Now how about we do some math?”

“Okay.”

We spent more than an hour practicing basic arithmetic until Dani could do the basics without using her fingers. Pride swelled within me when confidence made the little girl sit a little taller. “Excellent work, Dani.”

She smiled brightly. “Thanks, Miss Bronson. Math isn’t so bad, I guess.”

That was high praise from a nine-year-old, and despite everything else going on around me, her words brought a smile to my face. “Once you know how it works, it’s not so scary, right?”

Those words stayed with me long after Dani had gone home. I knew how the world worked. I was nobody’s fool, not anymore. That made everything less scary.

I knew what I had to do to stop living in fear.

Chapter 16

Dagger

It had been nearly a full day since my blowout with Sinclair, and I hoped that time had cooled her anger. But I didn’t really think it had, since she wouldn’t even look at me last night when I came to retrieve Dani and take her home. She didn’t offer up a good night, not to me anyway, or even an angry glare. She simply pretended I wasn’t there.

But today was a new day and she was a forgiving woman. She had to understand why I’d done what I did.

Buoyed by hope, I killed my bike engine and strolled into the clubhouse with a smile on my face as I went in search of Sinclair. “Hey, Laura, have you seen Sinclair?”

She frowned as she thought about it. “No, not since last night. Sorry.”

Suddenly there was a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, and I urged my feet to move as fast as they could towards her room. My room. I pushed inside without knocking, clenching my teeth so hard they ached when I saw the room was empty. Neat and tidy as it had been when I dropped Sinclair here days ago. “Fuck!”

I smacked my hand against the door and rushed out, angry and worried as fuck. Sinclair was hurt and she was angry, not exactly a solid recipe for thinking clearly.

But she had no car, so she couldn’t have gotten far. My first stop was Slate. “Did you order a car for Sinclair?”

He shook his head. “Haven’t seen her since you scared her off yesterday.”

“Dammit.” She could’ve used her own phone to hire a rideshare. “Can you check her phone to see?”

Slate nodded and in less than a minute he was shaking his head, sympathy in his eyes. “She hasn’t called anyone. Hasn’t used any apps either. Sorry, bro.”

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