Page 24 of Dagger's Target
“Swear I never touched her.”
I stare up at him, knowing what he says to be true. “I believe you. Only a pathetic person would say something like what she did to scare me off to get a chance with you.”
“That bitch doesn’t stand a chance in hell.” Dagger stops us, turns me to face him fully, and curls his arms tight around me. “No one compares to you, Katrina. Not a damn one of thoseclubwhores or any other woman for that matter shines brighter to me than you do.”
My heart races in my chest at his words. Tears threaten to spill down my cheeks.
“Thank you,” I whisper, burying my face against his chest. His heartbeat is steady, a rhythm I’ve come to rely on. “I needed to hear that.”
Dagger’s hand slides up my spine, trailing lightly until he cups the back of my head, tangling his fingers in my hair. “I’ll always tell you the truth, baby. Always.”
Always.
I like that he won’t lie to me. I didn’t have to question if he was lying to me or not. He’s protective, but open about it. For that, I’m grateful to him.
“Now, you ready to meet your dad and brother?” he asks and presses a kiss to the top of my head, giving me a squeeze.
I release a shuttered breath and nod. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
Loosening his arms, Dagger wraps an arm around my shoulders and tucks me back into my favorite spot. “I’ll be right there with you. Just breathe. It becomes too much, I swear, baby, I’ll get you out of there. You just say the word.”
I nod and lean into him as he guides me toward where people were crowded.
I notice the men who I hadn’t seen earlier talking with Hammer and Malice. I also see Chelsea is now curled up with a man who holds her close to him, similar to how Dagger does with me.It’s abundantly clear who he is to her. You’d have to be blind not to see that the man is hers just as she’s his. He’s tall with dark hair and intense eyes that scan the crowd protectively. His arm is wrapped around her waist, fingers splayed possessively across her hip.
My eyes drift to the other men. Two of them stand tall and look intimidating as can be. One is older, with salt-and-pepper hair and deep lines etched around his eyes. The other is younger, maybe in his thirties, with the same strong jaw and intense gaze. My heart stutters in my chest.
“That’s them,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
“Yeah, baby, that’s Grinder and Boxer.” Dagger’s arm tightens around me. “You want to do this now or wait a minute?”
“Now,” I say, though my legs feel like they might buckle. “Before I lose my nerve.”
We move through the crowd, and I feel every bit of my anxiety starting to peak. The closer we get to the group of people, the worse it gets, especially when Grinder’s eyes lock on me.
His jaw visibly twitches, and his hands clench into fists. He scans over me, there was no missing the slight swell of my stomach before his gaze moved to Dagger. “You knocked my sister up and didn’t even say anything?”
“Grinder,” Dagger says, and there’s no missing the warning in his voice.
“Son,” Boxer states, placing a hand on Grinder’s shoulder as he steps forward, eyes on me. “Katrina, I’m Boxer, and this,” he gestures to his son, “is Grinder, your brother. He can be hot-headed when it comes to those he protects.”
Hot-headed when it comes to those he protects?
“Umm, hi.” What else am I supposed to say? I’d thought of the words so many times, and still none will come to me when I need them most.
“You look just like my mother,” Boxer announces, grinning. “Got her eyes and the same shade of hair she had when she was young. She’d hate that she missed out on knowing you.”
“I was always told I looked like Rena.”
“You don’t look anything like that bitch,” Boxer growls, humor leaving his face. “Sorry, I don’t mean to get pissed withyou, I’m not. It’s not your fault. None of this is. You’re an innocent in this, just as your brother and myself. We didn’t know about you.”
“I didn’t even know your name. She never put it on my birth certificate.”
“Probably didn’t even know an actual name to put,” Grinder mutters and winces when I flinch. “Fuck. Sorry, Katrina, I didn’t mean it like that. I’m pissed and will say shit out of spite.”
“It’s okay.”
“Why don’t we sit down?” Dagger suggests. “I need to make Katrina a plate anyway so she can eat.”
