She spent that hour pacing her apartment, drinking coffee she didn't need, and trying her best not to think about last night. About Dante's hands on her skin. About the way he'd gazed at her like she mattered more than breathing.
About how she'd walked away because wanting him that much terrified her worse than any fight.
When she finally descended to the Silver Fang, dusk had settled over Hollow Oak. Snow fell in fat flakes past the windows, muffling sound and turning the world soft. She unlocked the back door and found Dante already inside, sitting at a table near the cold fireplace with papers spread around him like evidence at a crime scene.
His knuckles were split and bruising. Blood had dried dark under his nails.
"You've been fighting," she said.
"I've been investigating." He stood, gesturing to the papers. "Come look at this."
She moved closer, keeping the table between them. Close enough to see but not close enough to touch. Her body remembered touching too well, still aching in places that made heat flood her cheeks.
"What am I looking at?" she asked.
"Proof." He pushed a stack of papers toward her. "Shipping manifests from your suppliers. Dates and times of every delivery for the past three months. Someone's been tracking your business operations down to the minute."
Maeve picked up the top sheet, scanning it. Her supplier from Tennessee. Dates matched her records exactly. Times she'd signed for deliveries. Notes about which employee had helped unload.
"Where did you get this?"
"Hector's rogues have a cabin in the mountains. I tracked them there and searched it." He tapped another stack. "Found these too. Forged Council documents. Fake petitions claiming other business owners support his takeover. Manufactured evidence to make you look isolated."
Her hands tightened on the paper. "He's been planning this for months."
"Longer." Dante spread out more documents. "This isn't just about the Silver Fang. He's using you as a test case. If he can prove female-led businesses fail, he gets grounds to challenge other establishments. Other Council decisions. He wants to roll back everything Hollow Oak's built."
Maeve sank into a chair, legs suddenly unsteady. She'd known Hector was manipulating the situation. Had suspectedsabotage. But seeing it laid out like this, seeing the depth of his planning and the scope of his ambition, made her stomach turn.
"He wants to destroy the Council's balance," she said quietly.
"He wants power." Dante settled back into his chair, wincing slightly. "Wants to expand his pride's influence by proving traditional values work better than progressive policies. You're just the first target."
"Lucky me." She set the papers down, her mind racing. "Does Varric know?"
"Not yet. I photographed everything but haven't sent the evidence. Wanted you to see it first."
"Why?"
"Because this affects you more than anyone." His amber eyes held hers. "I'm done making decisions about your life without including you and you deserve to know what we're up against."
The admission settled into her chest, warm and uncomfortable. He was trusting her with information he'd kept secret.
"You broke protocol coming here first," she said.
"Yeah."
"Varric's going to be furious."
"Probably." He leaned back, shoulders relaxing slightly. "But some things matter more than following orders. You matter more."
Heat crept up her neck. She grabbed a stack of papers to avoid looking at him. "Don't make this about us."
"It's always been about us." His voice carried quiet conviction. "About me learning to choose right instead of choosing duty. About proving I've changed by trusting you to handle the truth."
"Pretty speech." But her hands shook slightly as she sorted through documents. "Doesn't change what happened this morning."
"No." He picked up a different paper, studying it. "But maybe working together to stop Hector will."
