Zane right outside her front door. Watching as Zane fell to the
ground, doing his best to hold his own against his attackers while she lay
bruised and bloodied on the ground after one of Jake’s friends pushed her away. She couldn’t save him. Couldn’t stop them. Helpless and cold. So cold.
“Dammit,
V! Talk to me,” Zane’s deep, booming voice penetrated her thoughts, and when he
pulled her against him, V didn’t try to fight. She let him wrap his strong arms
around her, holding her as she tried to soak up some of his warmth.
“That’s
it!” Zane exclaimed, grabbing her purse from the floor at her feet while still
holding her close and once again moving out onto the front porch. V’s panic
intensified as she stood there with him, her eyes roaming the area surrounding
her house as she waited for the horror to rain down on them once again.
What
was that shadow? Was it Jake? Or one of his friends? What were they going to
do? Please no!
The
next thing she knew, V was back in Zane’s Jeep, but she had no idea how she got
there. He carried her if she had to guess because even then she couldn’t feel
her legs.
“Where
are we going?” she asked when she finally found her voice. She was sucking in air
like she’d just run a marathon.
“My
house,” he responded, but said nothing more.
V
watched as he rapidly shifted gears, pushing the Jeeps engine past the red line
as he drove, the deep rumble eerily similar to the anger she could detect in
his voice. She couldn’t imagine why he was mad at her, but having gone back to
her house, she couldn’t necessarily blame him. Every time she went home, she
felt the overwhelming panic ignite like a flame in her belly, tightening her
chest and making her bones ache from the chill.
By
the time they reached Zane’s house, V was feeling remotely better. The trembling
had subsided, but now she just felt tired. And cold.
“Come
on,” he said when he opened her door for her, grabbing her purse from the
floorboard and gripping her elbow gently.
“I
shouldn’t be here, Zane,” she said halfheartedly as he all but dragged her up
the steps to his porch. “I need to go home.”
“The
fuck you do,” he growled and pushed open his front door, waiting for her to
precede him into the house.
By
the time V was sitting on Zane’s couch, a bottle of water in her hand and a big,
growling man sitting beside her, she was beginning to feel normal, not to
mention, embarrassed.
“I’m
sorry,” she said when the silence began closing in on her.
“For
what?”
Zane
clearly wanted her to explain what had just happened, and she knew she should
tell him. Tell someone. Only she didn’t want to explain it. He shouldn’t have
to worry about her or her apparent mental issues. He had enough to worry about.
Like his new job at the resort.
“Are
you really going to manage one of the clubs at AI?” Her voice still sounded a
little distant. It was clear she was trying to change the subject.
“Not
talking about that right now. I want to know what the hell just happened to
you, V,” he argued.
Damn
it. She did not want to talk about this. She had issues, and she had no idea what
they were, but seriously, it wasn’t any of his business.
“I
need to go,” she said, standing to her feet abruptly.
“Sit
down, V,” Zane ordered, not moving from where he was sitting.
V
plopped back down on the couch, resting her butt on the edge of the cushion,
still holding the damn water bottle that she didn’t want.
Chapter Seven
♂♀
“How
long have you been having panic attacks?” Zane questioned as he moved to sit
closer to V. He almost couldn’t believe what he witnessed just a short while
ago at V’s house. With everything that had happened, it appeared no one thought
to check on V during the last few months. Did Zoey know about these anxiety
attacks? Was anyone worried about how she was holding up? Or did V manage to
keep everyone in the dark all this time?
Sitting
close
ground, doing his best to hold his own against his attackers while she lay
bruised and bloodied on the ground after one of Jake’s friends pushed her away. She couldn’t save him. Couldn’t stop them. Helpless and cold. So cold.
“Dammit,
V! Talk to me,” Zane’s deep, booming voice penetrated her thoughts, and when he
pulled her against him, V didn’t try to fight. She let him wrap his strong arms
around her, holding her as she tried to soak up some of his warmth.
“That’s
it!” Zane exclaimed, grabbing her purse from the floor at her feet while still
holding her close and once again moving out onto the front porch. V’s panic
intensified as she stood there with him, her eyes roaming the area surrounding
her house as she waited for the horror to rain down on them once again.
What
was that shadow? Was it Jake? Or one of his friends? What were they going to
do? Please no!
The
next thing she knew, V was back in Zane’s Jeep, but she had no idea how she got
there. He carried her if she had to guess because even then she couldn’t feel
her legs.
“Where
are we going?” she asked when she finally found her voice. She was sucking in air
like she’d just run a marathon.
“My
house,” he responded, but said nothing more.
V
watched as he rapidly shifted gears, pushing the Jeeps engine past the red line
as he drove, the deep rumble eerily similar to the anger she could detect in
his voice. She couldn’t imagine why he was mad at her, but having gone back to
her house, she couldn’t necessarily blame him. Every time she went home, she
felt the overwhelming panic ignite like a flame in her belly, tightening her
chest and making her bones ache from the chill.
By
the time they reached Zane’s house, V was feeling remotely better. The trembling
had subsided, but now she just felt tired. And cold.
“Come
on,” he said when he opened her door for her, grabbing her purse from the
floorboard and gripping her elbow gently.
“I
shouldn’t be here, Zane,” she said halfheartedly as he all but dragged her up
the steps to his porch. “I need to go home.”
“The
fuck you do,” he growled and pushed open his front door, waiting for her to
precede him into the house.
By
the time V was sitting on Zane’s couch, a bottle of water in her hand and a big,
growling man sitting beside her, she was beginning to feel normal, not to
mention, embarrassed.
“I’m
sorry,” she said when the silence began closing in on her.
“For
what?”
Zane
clearly wanted her to explain what had just happened, and she knew she should
tell him. Tell someone. Only she didn’t want to explain it. He shouldn’t have
to worry about her or her apparent mental issues. He had enough to worry about.
Like his new job at the resort.
“Are
you really going to manage one of the clubs at AI?” Her voice still sounded a
little distant. It was clear she was trying to change the subject.
“Not
talking about that right now. I want to know what the hell just happened to
you, V,” he argued.
Damn
it. She did not want to talk about this. She had issues, and she had no idea what
they were, but seriously, it wasn’t any of his business.
“I
need to go,” she said, standing to her feet abruptly.
“Sit
down, V,” Zane ordered, not moving from where he was sitting.
V
plopped back down on the couch, resting her butt on the edge of the cushion,
still holding the damn water bottle that she didn’t want.
Chapter Seven
♂♀
“How
long have you been having panic attacks?” Zane questioned as he moved to sit
closer to V. He almost couldn’t believe what he witnessed just a short while
ago at V’s house. With everything that had happened, it appeared no one thought
to check on V during the last few months. Did Zoey know about these anxiety
attacks? Was anyone worried about how she was holding up? Or did V manage to
keep everyone in the dark all this time?
Sitting
close
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