Page 55 of Dagger

I sat back in my chair. “I know we’re not divorced yet, but I already think of Robert as my ex-husband. I can’t wait for the day it’s official.”

“I’ll rush it through as fast as I can,” she assured me. “You’ve both agreed to the divorce, so as soon as we’ve settled your alimony, I’ll file the papers.” She sat forward, resting her arms on the desk. “Have you thought about what you’re going to do when all this is over? You’ll be wealthy, and Henderson won’t be able to hold you back anymore.”

Good question.

“All I’ve dreamed for thirty years is getting away from him,” I admitted. “I always assumed he’d eventually get arrested and locked up, and I’d be free, but divorce works just as well. I’ll keep a base here—it’s where my family is—but I think I’ll travel. I’ve never seen Niagara Falls.”

“What about John?” she probed gently. “Is there a chance for you two?”

My heart tugged.

It was all I’d been thinking of for the last week.

“If you’d have asked me that question when I first came here, my answer would have been a resolute no. I let John go because he moved on. Watching him love somebody else marked me, and I swore I’d never let anyone that close again.”

“And now?” she asked.

“I’m changing,” I admitted. “I built walls to keep people out because it was safer for them and me. Being here brings back the girl I used to be, and that girl loved John with everything she had.”

“I can relate,” Kennedy stated quietly. “You’re not the only woman in this room to be fucked over by a Stone. I fell in love with Snow the first night I met him. We had a few days togetherbefore he left for his deployment, but it didn’t take long for everything to fall apart. He ended us for all the right reasons, but he communicated it badly. I thought Snow had been killed in action until we met again at Atlas and Sophie’s wedding.” She let out a humorless chuckle. “To say I was blindsided was an understatement.”

“Why do you call him Snow?” I asked curiously.

“It was his military handle. The night we met, he introduced himself as Snow. Since then, I’ve associated that side of him with that name. There’s the soldier, Snow; the biker, Breaker; and the father and husband, Kit. My man suffers from severe PTSD, but he’s worked hard to get it under control. Last year, he completed a program at a Vet Center in Grand Junction. His PTSD still comes out at times, but more as a protective instinct. My man has an edge, Elise. He’s not the young guy I fell for who wanted to save the world, but the man he is now would burn the world down for me and our kids. Snow, the soldier, scares some people, but I just see him as another side of my Kit. He makes me feel safe.”

“That’s a beautiful way of thinking about it. It’s a testament to your strength that you got over the hurt and made a go of your relationship.” I cocked my head. “Howdidyou get over it?”

“I didn’t at first,” Kennedy explained. “When he came back from Grand Junction, I was so angry and jealous, I couldn’t see straight. He didn't exactly keep his dick in his pants when we were apart, and although craving the high from sex is a symptom of PTSD. It didn’t stop me from being affected, and it took a while for it to stop eating away at me.” She placed her elbows on the desk and propped her chin in her hands. “One of the club girls tried to pin a pregnancy on him, too. Kit was so high at the time he believed the baby was his and almost made her his ol’ lady. When I found out, I could’ve killed him, but eventually, Iunderstood. Over time, I got to know Kit for the man he is now and fell in love with him all over again.”

My chest twisted painfully. “John got Adele pregnant and married her.”

“But you were already married to Robert,” she pointed out.

My throat clenched. “Yeah, I sent John away. Robert had just taken Constan—I mean, Sophie by then. I was terrified he’d hurt her. I would’ve done anything to keep her safe. I made a choice, and not long after, John did, too.”

“Do you think Dagger would’ve knocked Adele up back then if you were still single?” she asked.

My reply was emphatic. “No. He would’ve married me.”

“I bet you both felt very alone at the time,” she murmured sympathetically. “I know it doesn’t erase the pain or the trauma you went through, and I know you’ve been out of the loop for a long time, but you’re not alone now. Sophie would never let you down, and neither would Atlas. Could you draw a line under the John you knew as a girl and get to know the John he is now? Could you start with a friendship?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” I admitted. “What if John doesn’t like who I’ve become? What if he breaks my heart again?”

She shrugged. “I’m not telling you to rekindle. Play it by ear, and if you and John don’t gel anymore, say goodbye. If you love having a friendship with him, that’s okay, too. If you find yourself undressing him with your eyes and wondering exactly how hard and wide that chest of his is, then either jump his bones or go buy a vibrator. My only advice at this point is to stop putting so much pressure on yourself. You don’t have to have all the answers yet, so just let it unfold the way it’s meant to and enjoy the ride.”

“Do you think I should make another go of it with him?” I asked.

“I can’t answer that.” She smiled to take the sting out of her words. “Forcing a relationship you don’t even know you want is a recipe for disaster. You knew the young John Stone, so now get to know the man. He’s loyal, smart, and very handsome. It would be easy to fall back into him, but there’s stuff you need to work through before you even think about turning your relationship with him into something romantic. You both carry baggage, so unpack it, then see how you feel—”

Kennedy’s cell chimed loudly.

“That’s my email notification,” she murmured, pulling her chair in toward the desk. Her fingers flew over the keys of her laptop. “Robert’s lawyer has sent the finance report. I’ve got confirmation of the money from your parents' house sale, as well as the shares and money that Robert’s dad left you. Add it to the settlement he’s offered you, and it equates to just over six million dollars.”

My skin prickled. “What?”

“Bert Henderson invested a lot of money in a small tech company in 1980. The shares back then were around twenty dollars each. Now they’re worth ten times that. He left you and Henderson and his son a third each. Robert Junior passed, so his shares get split between you and your husband.” She turned the screen around to face me, pointing to a spot on the screen. “Look.”

I leaned forward, eyes widening as I read through the report. My mouth fell open when I saw the name of the tech company.

---