Page 36 of Their Reluctant Catch

But the commanding edge in his tone roots me to the spot.

“Better.” He moves in, cupping my face with both hands, his touch firm but gentle. His dark gaze locks onto mine. “Slow down your breathing. In—hold. Out—hold.”

I follow his lead, dragging in a shaky inhalation, holding it for a count, then exhaling. The tremors wracking my limbs subside, but my mind still spins.

“Good girl.”

Something in me flutters, settles. I should hate the phrase, should snap at him for it, but I don’t. The positive affirmation settles me. I’m a sucker for dominant men with softer sides. It’s one of the reasons things never worked out between Danny and me.

Danny.

I blink when tears threaten to fall.

“You’re with us. And you are safe.” Todd’s hands remain on my cheeks, and he’s stroking lightly with his thumbs. “Do you remember what happened?”

For a second, my mind is blank before it stirs.

A frown tightens my forehead. I dart my gaze to Colton, who is sitting up beside me, watching with a quiet intensity.

“I…” My throat is dry. I swallow. “Did we…” I can’t finish the sentence.

Colton raises his brows. “Fuck? No.”

Todd huffs out a chuckle and shakes his head.

“I found you on Blueberry Ridge Trail,” Colton says. “Do you remember?”

I blink and crumple the sheets between my fingers. “No.”

Todd exhales. “Do you remember going there?”

I focus, sifting through the haze of memory. My body is clad in a massive T-shirt that clearly belongs to one of them, but my bra and underwear are still on. A sliver of relief makes my stiff shoulders relax slightly.

I nod. “Yeah. I remember going for a walk. The trail was… beautiful.”

A flicker of something warm ignites inside me as I recall the details—the scent of damp pine, the way the sunlight filtered through the branches, the hush of the woods around me. “I was comfortable in the borrowed clothes from Diana. Everything was lovely and dandy, until?—”

Crack.

A gunshot.

I’m back in the garage.

The oil and metal scent. The sharp slam of a door.

“Hands up! Nobody fucking move!”

Mitch’s voice, calm and steady. “Take what you want, just don’t hurt anyone.”

A gunshot.

Danny running.

“Dad!”

Another shot.

No, no, no.

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