Page 28 of Dagger

I ran to her car, which was parked in the lot of the auto shop and found the spot empty. “Fuck!” I rushed inside, where I immediately drew the attention of Pike and T-bone.

“What’s up?” T-bone asked, but the shit-eating grin on his face told me he already knew what I wanted.

“Where is she?” My chest heaved and heat filled every inch of my skin, worry prickled up and down my spine. “Well?”

He wasn’t at all concerned as he folded his arms across his chest. “I didn’t realize she was a prisoner.”

“Cut the shit,” I growled. “You know she was here for her own damn safety, so tell me where the fuck she is!” I looked into the repair bays, half expecting to see her car up on one of the lifts, but none of them were hers. “Where’s her car?”

“I fixed the windshield and did an oil change like she asked. Sinclair paid the bill and took off a few hours ago,” Pike said.

“You just let her leave?” I knew I was being crazy, but goddammit, we didn’t know shit about whoever was watching her. Most of all, we didn’t know what his plans were for her.

“Again,” T-bone said slowly, enunciating the syllables with an exaggerated tone, “I didn’t realize she was a prisoner who couldn’t leave.”

“Asshole,” I muttered before taking off to find Sinclair. My first stop was the most obvious place, and when I saw her car in the driveway, relief swamped me for half a second before my anger took over. I marched up to her door and balled up my fist, banging so hard the door shook.

It took seconds before the door opened to reveal Sinclair, angry in red yoga pants and a plain white t-shirt, a baseball bat gripped in her free hand. She frowned as she glared up at me. “Why the fuck are you banging on my door?”

I pushed inside without answering. “Why the hell did you leave the clubhouse? I told you—” I began but she cut me off.

“Oh, no, Mr. Stalker, you don’t get totellme anything, dammit. I trusted you and I stayed, but now I’m done with both of those things.”

“You’re still in danger.”

She shook her head. “You don’t know that. You’re guessing.”

“Well, I know for a fact that someone’s been watching you.”

She arched her brows at me.

“I’m not a fucking stalker, I told you why I was watching you,” I growled. “And we still don’t know who he is or what he wants.”

Sinclair rolled her eyes. “Look, Dagger, you got what you wanted. I’m helping Dani, so we can just stop with the pretense, okay?”

Her words hit me like a dropkick to the fucking nuts. “If that’s what you think, you’re not as bright as I thought you were.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh no, a liar is calling me dumb.” Her sarcasm was unmistakable, and her closed-off stance said forgiveness wouldn’t be coming anytime soon.

I took a step in her direction. “That’s not fair.”

“Yeah, well, life isn’t fair, Dagger, as I’m sure you know. I’m fine, so you can go.” She gave my chest a shove when I got too close. “Go.”

“No.” There was no fucking way I was leaving her alone. Not now. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She shoved me again. “Go. Now!” She shoved me once more.

I grabbed her wrists and pulled her so close I felt her heart racing against my chest. “I’m not going anywhere.” I hooked a hand around the back of her neck and tilted her backwards before my mouth collided with hers.

There was this one moment where time was suspended between us. Our lips touched, our bodies mashed together as heat and chaos swirled around us, but that was it. For just a moment.

And then Sinclair moaned. She fisted her hands in my hair and growled before she attacked my mouth. She kissed mewith the same intensity I felt, like she couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss before everything went to shit.

Our mouths fucked hard and dirty, and so fucking intense I couldn’t breathe. And I didn’t give a damn. Who needed air when I had this beautiful as fuck, sweet as pie woman clinging to me like I was everything good in this world? I held her close, one hand cupping her face while the other speared through her hair to keep her exactly how I needed her.

Slowly we separated, and Sinclair looked at me with an expression that mirrored exactly what I was feeling. It was a blend of ‘what the fuck just happened’ and ‘when can we do it again’. She put her hands flat on my chest and gave me a shove.

Our gazes connected. Held for several long, intense moments.

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