Page 5 of The Sniper

By the time he was finished, she was a vision. The crimson ropes framed her body in intricate patterns, accentuating the curve of her hips and the strength in her shoulders. Her arms were bound behind her back, her legs secured just enough to allow movement but not enough to give her control.

Daniels stepped back, his gaze sweeping over her. “How do you feel?”

“Like I’m floating,” she said, her voice softer than he’d ever heard it. There was no sarcasm, no bite. Just honesty.

“Not yet,” he replied, a faint smile tugging at his lips. He moved to the suspension rig, threading the ropes through the pulley system with practiced ease. “You’re going to have to trust me, Reyna.”

“I do,” she said, and for once, he believed her. “It’s not like I haven’t done this before.”

“I know,” he said patiently, “but it’s been a while. I just want to make sure.”

“You’re the fucking Dom; aren’t you supposed to know?”

The temptation to snarl back at her was strong, but if he gave her a chance to walk away, she would. He also knew that suspension was the easiest way for her to find subspace.

He slipped the flying harness on and attached it to her bonds, pulling the ropes slowly, lifting her feet off the ground inch by inch. Her body tilted forward slightly, suspended in the air like a delicate piece of art. Her breathing deepened, her head falling forward as the rigidity in her body melted away. Daniels tightened the ropes just enough to keep her secure, then stepped back to watch.

This was his favorite part. Not the act of tying or the satisfaction of a perfect suspension, but this moment, watching someone let go. Reyna’s defenses, the walls she carried likearmor, were slipping away with every passing second. Her lips parted, her eyes fluttering closed, and her body swayed gently in the air. She was finding it—the peace she didn’t even realize she was searching for.

“Good girl,” he murmured, almost to himself. The words weren’t meant to coax or encourage; they were an acknowledgment of what she was giving him. Trust. Surrender. Submission.

For several long moments, the room was silent, save for the faint creak of the ropes and the sound of her breathing. Daniels stayed close, his hands brushing against her ankles and thighs as he checked the resistance and balance.

She barely reacted to his touch, her head lolling slightly to the side. Subspace. He’d seen it a hundred times, but it was different with her. Watching her slide into that quiet, euphoric place hit him somewhere deep, somewhere he didn’t want to examine too closely.

“You’re beautiful like this,” he whispered, his hand resting on her shoulder for just a moment before he stepped back.

Eventually, he began lowering her, careful not to disrupt the fragile serenity she’d found. Her feet touched the ground, but she didn’t move. Her body leaned into the ropes and harness, her breathing slow and steady. Daniels disconnected the harness before untying her wrists, his fingers working quickly to free her from the intricate bindings.

When the last knot was undone, she took a step back, her legs trembling slightly. Daniels reached out instinctively to steady her, but she waved him off.

“I’m fine,” she said, her voice soft but firm. She glanced up at him, her lips curving into a lazy smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “So, is this the part where I blow you?”

“You don’t have to do that,” he said, frowning slightly. Something in her tone felt... off.

She tilted her head, studying him. “You want something, though. Doms always do.”

“Reyna,” he said, his voice steady but tinged with warning. “This isn’t a transaction.”

She stepped closer, her fingers brushing against the front of his shirt. Her eyes gleamed with a teasing challenge, but there was something hollow behind it. “I could make it one,” she said, her voice dropping into a sultry tone. “I’m pretty good with my mouth.”

The offer hung in the air between them, heavy and unmistakable. For a moment, Daniels couldn’t move, couldn’t think. Not because he wasn’t tempted, though—God help him, he was—but because he could see the cracks beneath her veneer. This wasn’t seduction. It was self-defense.

“No,” he said finally, his voice firm. “That’s not what this is.”

She raised an eyebrow, her lips curving into a faint, bitter smile. “Suit yourself.”

Without another word, she turned away, heading for her clothes. She moved with a casualness that bordered on indifference, like none of this had mattered. No aftercare, no vulnerability. Just a shrug and a wave goodbye.

Daniels watched her; he wanted to stop her, to tell her that this wasn’t how it was supposed to be. That she deserved more than whatever dark thoughts had led her to offer herself up like a bargaining chip. But he didn’t. He let her go, because deep down, he knew she wouldn’t have stayed anyway.

As the door clicked shut behind her, Daniels stood alone in the quiet room, the scent of her skin lingering in the air. He should have felt satisfied, proud of the trust she’d given him. Instead, he felt hollow, like she’d taken something from him when she walked out.

CHAPTER THREE

REYNA

The cold Chicago air bit at Reyna’s exposed face as she crouched behind the crumbling brick wall of an abandoned factory, her fingers flexing around the grip of her silenced pistol. The mission was supposed to be simple—get in, plant the listening devices, and get out without being seen. It was textbook Cerberus work, the kind of operation she could do in her sleep. Yet tonight, her instincts were firing on all cylinders, screaming at her to keep her guard up.

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