Page 13 of Allegiance

Bunny.

That was all him.

He lost his wife here, and he knew he couldn’t possibly be lucky enough to find love here too.

He was toxic.

He was destructive.

He was a mess.

At his age, he wasn’t a prize or a gift to anyone. He was a burden someone would have to carry until they went insane from being near him.

That was legitimately how he felt.

Each day.

He’d lost control of The Hunters, allowing it to spiral out of control.

The only choice had been to hand it off to Maura Armstrong.

He’d lost control of his wife, allowing her to cross every line imaginable.

The only choice was to let the family hunt her down.

God.

His life…

Dakota knew that he couldn’t lose control of anything else, and he certainly couldn’t start something with a woman who was more damaged as a Snake.

Adder was dangerous.

And so was love.

He’d learned that firsthand.

Only, now, he was running again, and no matter how fast he moved, how quickly he tried to get away, she was chasing him.

God.

He wanted her to catch him.

Dakota wanted her to come back.

If you find me, Dakota, I’ll be yours, that singsong voice whispered through his dream.

It made his heart race.

Just take a walk, Dakota. You’ll see me, and we can celebrate what we made.

Tears filled his eyes as he wished and prayed he’d get a second chance.

Honestly, he wanted to find her.

He wanted to beg.

Dakota Rakin had made a mistake.