Page 37 of Their Reluctant Catch

The blood. The unnatural silence. The wail of sirens.

A hand clamps down on my wrist. “Whoa, whoa—where did you go?” Todd’s voice yanks me back. “What happened?”

I wrench away my gaze. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Tough.” Colton says firmly, which does even more to me than Todd’s gentler coaxing. “You’re going to talk, darling.”

My head is spinning. These two are going to give me a whiplash for sure. “What’s with all the damn endearments? Why am I even in bed with you two?”

“We’ll talk about that in a minute,” Colton says.

Oh. So, the silent brother is even more dominant than the lighthearted one. Swell.

I might be able to handle one of them, but together?

I don’t like it.

I do.

My submissive side wars with my tenacious one, but stubbornness wins out.For now.“Why should I answer your questions if you refuse to answer mine?”

Colton grabs my shoulder. His hold is firm without being harsh, and I jerk my head back to him.

“We will answer all your questions, but first, let me be clear—we didn’t take advantage of you last night.” His words are granite. “We would never do that to any woman. You weren’t in a state to object or consent.”

“Then why am I half naked?”

His pupils flare with heat and probably annoyance, making his eyes look almost black. He tightens his grip on my shoulder.

“We weren’t going to put you in bed in dirty, wet clothes,” he says. “You still have your underwear. We put you in my shirt.”

Todd moves in, his expression unreadable. “Believe me, starling?—”

The nickname again. My stomach flutters.

“—the next time you’re in our bed you won’t be wearing anything.”

My breath stalls.

I bounce my gaze between them.

“What he said,” Colton murmurs. “Now, tell us what happened on the trail.”

I exhale shakily, my fight draining out of me.

It’s time to tell them.

I lace my fingers together and squeeze until my knuckles hurt. I can do this.

I start slowly, unraveling the memories as best as I can—walking the trail, admiring the woods, feeling… good. For the first time in weeks, I was at peace with myself and the world.

Until I heard the crack.

And suddenly, I wasn’t in the woods anymore. I was in Miami.

I was in the garage. Watching two men die. One I loved like the brother I never had. The other the man who took a chance on a mouthy, young girl with more guts than skills. Fuck

I clear my throat. “Mitch gave me a shot when no one else would. I didn’t have the right certifications, no fancy degree. Just a girl who grew up around cars, who spent more time under a hood than in a classroom. He saw that. He cared about what I could do, not what a piece of paper said I could do.”

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