Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63842 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 319(@200wpm)___ 255(@250wpm)___ 213(@300wpm)
My arms trembled, struggling to hold up my weight. My T-shirt clung to me where I’d broken out in a sweat. Each breath came in a shallow, painful gasp that did nothing to satisfy my screaming lungs. Black spots danced across my vision. I was going to pass out here in the grass.
A shadow fell across me, and panic shot through my body like electricity. I tried to scramble backward, but my limbs wouldn’t cooperate.
“Jade.” The voice wasn’t Eric’s. It was lower, rougher, but somehow steadier. “I’m going to sit down over here. I won’t get too close. I just want to have your back until you feel better.” I thought he sounded sincere but couldn’t really tell, too far into a waking nightmare I couldn’t seem to pull myself away from.
Through the blur of tears, I made out Rip’s broad silhouette as he lowered himself to the grass several feet away. His movements were slow and deliberate. He settled cross-legged, his back against the fountain’s edge, and simply waited.
I couldn’t speak. Couldn’t even nod an acknowledgment. But his presence registered, solid and unmoving.
I tried to concentrate on taking slow, deep breaths to get my panic under control, but a choked sob came out instead. Rip didn’t say anything but played the part of silent guardian while I got myself together. Took me a few minutes, but I found Rip’s solid, quiet presence helped me to pull myself out of the panic attack.
I had no idea how long I stayed there, kneeling in the grass. Once I felt like I could breathe again, I fell over onto my hip and laid my head on the cool stone of the fountain’s edge.
I sat in silence as my breathing gradually normalized. The grass beneath me felt cool but dry. I focused on that sensation, then the soft tinkling of the fountain as water streamed gently into the larger pool, then the warmth of sunlight on my back. Slowly, the world expanded beyond the tunnel of panic.
When I could finally lift my head without the courtyard spinning, Rip reached into a small cooler I hadn’t noticed before. He pulled out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and set it on the ground between us without moving closer.
“Drink when you can, Jade,” he said.
I reached for it with trembling hands, spilling a little as I brought it to my lips. The cold water shocked my system in a good way, clearing some of the fog from my brain. I still trembled as the adrenaline drop zapped all my remaining strength.
Rip produced a soft, heather-gray blanket and placed it within my reach on the stone. “The women say soft blankets and fuzzy socks help everything,” he said, his expression completely serious. The incongruity of this massive, tattooed man offering a blanket like it was standard emergency equipment almost made me laugh, except I didn’t have enough energy for that yet.
I took the blanket, wrapping it around my shoulders. It was ridiculous how much it helped, like being hugged without having actual human contact. I took a deep breath and held it for a couple of seconds before exhaling slowly.
“Knight’s got facial recognition running through all our cameras or some shit,” Rip said after I’d taken a few more sips of water. His sentences came out clipped but clear. “We’ll get the bastard on camera, and we’ll deal with him.”
“What if it’s --” I couldn’t bring myself to say Eric’s name out loud.
“Doesn’t matter who it is.” Rip’s eyes met mine, steady and certain. “Nobody gets to you. Not through us.”
I clutched the blanket tighter, focusing on the soft texture against my skin as I rubbed my cheek for comfort. “I’m sorry for…” I gestured vaguely at myself, at the whole pathetic scene.
“Don’t.” The single word held no judgment, just quiet authority. “Your body remembers the fear and pain, same as your mind.”
Rip didn’t ask questions or encourage me to talk about what triggered me. Just sat there, solid and steadfast, while I pieced myself back together. For the first time since I’d fled the meeting room, my breath came easily. I decided that maybe I could manage not to completely lose my mind. For another day at least.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Rip nodded once in acknowledgment. “Want to go back in?”
I shook my head. “Not yet. I should want to go back inside, but being indoors feels claustrophobic sometimes.”
“Then we sit here as long as you need.” He settled more comfortably against the fountain, his vigilant gaze sweeping the courtyard.
We sat in silence until the sun shifted enough to cast long shadows across the garden. Until my breathing and my pulse finally settled down to normal and I could function again. The blanket pooled around me like a child’s security object, and I didn’t care how ridiculous I looked clutching it. My panic had receded enough to feel embarrassment creeping in at the edges, hot and uncomfortable across my skin. Rip’s presence remained steady, his eyes scanning the perimeter and not focused on the broken woman in a garden.