Page 2 of Dangerous Devotion

I stared into Dante’s face, watched the corner of his mouth lift slightly.

He knew exactly what I was—completely freaked out.

But how could they all be so cool when we literally just vaulted off a building…in a helicopter?

And left Vince and the guys behind.

Dante let go of me and settled back in his seat.

Hawk’s guy turned around, and I met his gaze. His eyes conveyed the same empathy and understanding as Dante’s. “I’m Goofy,” he said and gave me a nod as if we’d just met for afternoon coffee.

These guys were definitely built differently.

I nodded at him, and once he’d turned back around, I stared out the window as the city receded beneath us, my mind racing.

Who were those men? Were they sent by whoever had bought my identity? Or were they after Vince, and my presence was just a coincidence?

Either way, I’d never experienced danger so up close and personal. And why did it take so long for us to turn back around?

“How long until we’re back on the roof?” I said into the headset. What would we do when we arrived? Would Vince still be there? Would he still be fighting?

“Jemma?” Dante’s voice cut through my spiraling thoughts. I felt his hand on mine, warm and reassuring.

“I’m fine,” I replied, unable to meet his gaze.

Because I was not fine.

Not at all.

“If you keep on breathing like that, you’ll pass out,” Dante said, and suddenly, I realized how fast and shallow my breathing was.

“Hey, Dante,” Hawk’s voice sounded deep and authoritative through my headset. “Had any chance to get some flight time in recently?”

Dante chuckled. “I’m able to kick your ass every day. Want me to take over?”

Hawk nodded at the guy in front—Goofy, his name was Goofy—then pulled off his headset, unhooked himself, and maneuvered out of the seat and back.

Dante did the same in reverse, and before I realized it, they’d switched seats, and Hawk was the one sitting beside me.

He strapped himself in, took the headset, then turned to me.

I stared back at him, and whatever he saw in my eyes made his darken. He laid his hand on my neck, squeezed, then leaned in. “Breathe with me, Little One.”

I focused on his exaggerated breathing, and with some effort, I managed to slow my breathing and match his rhythm.

The world around me faded away, and even the roar of the helicopter blades became a distant background noise.

Hawk kept his dark eyes locked on mine. “Better?” he murmured, his thumb tracing my jawline.

I nodded, unable to form words. The fear was still there, just beneath the surface, but Hawk’s presence had pushed it back, at least for now.

“Good,” he said, his voice low and gravelly. “Now, tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

I swallowed hard, glancing around at the others. They were occupied with operating the helicopter, but there wasn’t any privacy in the cramped space of the helicopter, and they could hear every word through the intercom anyway.

“Why are we not going back?” I whispered.

Hawk inhaled, and his eyes conveyed so much empathy, I couldn’t hold back the tears spilling over.

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