Page 43 of Dagger

I could tell that my girl could defend herself during my self-defense class. Still, I never imagined she was so capable. Never before had I come across a brighter or more caring woman. Maybe I was biased—I mean, she did come from me—but watching Sophie flip a two-hundred-and-fifty-pound man over her shoulder like he was light as a feather made me realize just how much strength my daughter possessed, both inside and out.

On the surface, Sophie and Atlas seemed like they didn’t have much in common, but watching them spar, it was easy to see they were matched perfectly. My girl was a wonderful ol’ lady, and one perfect for a man like Atlas. Sophie challenged him, mind, body, and spirit, and it was clear he worshipped the ground she and Belle walked on.

My throat heated because it suddenly hit me how little I knew about my daughter. She was a doctor, a mother, and well-respected, but I needed to dig deeper.

My head snapped to the right, and I caught John’s gaze. “Do you know much about her parents and what kind of childhood she had? Asking Sophie that stuff feels like I’m forcing things, and I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. Why did she learn this stuff? I need to understand, but more than anything, I need to be able to protect her from Robert.”

John touched my arm reassuringly. “Colt’s doin’ a deep dive now. He put together a file on her back when she first came around the club, but he thinks he can get more now we’ve got some background information and he has higher clearance levels. I’ll show you, but you won’t like some of what you read.”

Heat curled in my chest. “Did somebody hurt my daughter?”

“Only once,” he muttered. “Sophie was smart and got out immediately. Kennedy made it so he couldn’t hurt her again.”

My chest ached. “I’ve missed everything. There’s so much I don’t know about my girl. She’s my daughter; I should know her better than anybody. I’m so thankful I got her back, but I’m worried because what if I say or do something wrong? What if I screw everything up and lose her again?”

A pained expression morphed across John’s face. “Come to my office in thirty minutes. I’ll tell you everythin’ I know. It’s a fucked-up situation, but I think you’re handling it so fuckin’ well, Leesy. You may not feel comfortable yet, but you will. Soph loves the idea of you, and after everythin’ you did to protect her, you’ve got Atlas in your corner. It’ll all work out, I promise, baby.”

My gaze swept to my daughter, and I smiled when I saw she had her husband pinned to the floor and had straddled his chest. She leaned down and touched her mouth to his before they both burst out laughing.

Atlas sat up, tagged Soph’s waist, and hauled her over his shoulder as he maneuvered himself back on his feet. He gaveher ass a light tap and whispered something in Sophie’s ear that made her giggle joyfully.

The idea of somebody hurting my baby made me physically ache. Everything I’d done was to keep her safe. Discovering her life hadn’t been perfect sent a stab of pain through my chest, and for the first time since being reunited with my daughter, I felt a sense of doubt.

What if, after everything I’d done to protect Sophie, I’d still let her down?

I fought back tears, staring down at the photographs in the file John had just given me.

Sophie’s blackened eyes stared back at me; her expression vacant.

My stomach churned with nausea.

“When did this happen?” I demanded, unable to tear my gaze from the images.

“About six years ago,” he rasped. “Way before our girl came home.”

I turned the page to see a medical report alongside a charge sheet. “Domestic violence?” I breathed. “Her boyfriend did that to her?”

“Her husband and a cop,” John informed me quietly. “Her friends and family liked him; thought he was a decent dude. Fuck knows what happened, but over time he became more controllin’ and crazy jealous. She was in the process of leavin’ the asshole when he lost his shit and did that.”

Moisture welled in my eyes as I flicked through the images before scanning the police report. “How could he get away with a misdemeanor? Look at her face, John. He should’ve gotten a felony charge and gone to prison.”

“Kennedy made a deal,” John told me. “They didn’t go for the felony as long as he agreed to give Soph a quick divorce, waive the right to alimony, and go to anger management classes. He lost his job and eventually lost everything else, including his goddamned life. His body was discovered a while ago in some drug den. He’d overdosed.”

“I wish he was still alive,” I bit out. “Just so I could kill him again.”

“Don't worry, Leesy,” he retorted under his breath. “He met his maker. We made sure of it.”

My eyes widened as John’s words sunk in. “Did you kill him?”

He smirked. “Nope.”

My eyes narrowed on his expression. I always could tell when he was lying to me. “Sophie’s my daughter, too, John. You better tell me.”

He leaned forward, elbows to the desk, and steepled his fingers together, studying me intently.

“John!” I snapped again.

His mouth twisted slightly, and he sighed. “Let’s just say, when Atlas found out what happened to his ol’ lady, he wasn’t happy. I didn’t know she was mine then, but I still felt connected to her. Seeing that report made my mind up.”

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