Page 21 of Pretty Little Kitty

Cesar stared out the passenger window, while Miguel adjusted his position, turning his head away from them.

The tension was stifling. Kia had no intention of sitting there, waiting for a mob-style execution. He reached for the door handle but couldn’t find it. His gaze flicked to Jared, who was quietly running his hand over the driver’s side panel as if he had the same thought.

“We’re here,” Jared said with an uneasy laugh. “You can let us out now.”

“Not yet, guepardo,” Cesar replied.

Kia’s limited Spanish told him that meant cheetah.

The truck’s interior grew warmer, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead. He wiped them away with the back of his hand as the mingling scents of wolf and cat grew overpowering.

“Is there a reason we’re just sitting here?” he asked while picturing Miguel and Cesar pulling out guns.

Don’t panic. They’re not really going to kill you. Suero wouldn’t have let you ride with them if he didn’t trust these men.

Kia kept quietly reassuring himself, but the longer they sat there, the more his anxiety grew.

A shout escaped when the side door suddenly swung open, convinced he was about to be dragged out and killed.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Suero gently grasped Kia’s sides and helped him out of the back seat. Jared scrambled out so quickly he almost knocked Kia over.

“Fresh air,” he gasped, inhaling deeply.

“What was that all about?” Kia demanded. “Why were we sitting in a murder truck?”

Jared leaned over, hands on his knees, still catching his breath.

Kia quickly went to him and rubbed his cousin’s back. “How are we doing, hon?”

Miguel got out of the driver’s seat, worry evident in his deep brown eyes. “Are you okay?”

“What the hell was that about?” Jared shouted, jabbing his finger toward the pickup truck. “You drive us into an alley, shut off the engine, and then keep us trapped inside!”

Miguel glanced at Kia, confusion creasing his brows. “Suero told me to keep you two in the truck until he got here.”

“You could’ve told us that!” Jared looked on the verge of tears, his hand shaking as he ran it through his hair.

Miguel glanced at Kia again.

Kia shook his head, signaling that Jared’s panic attack wasn’t open for discussion. He gently squeezed his cousin’s upper arms. “There are no walls around you,” he whispered. “Breathe in the fresh air that oddly smells like chicken.”

He was trying to use humor to help ground Jared. When his cousin became anxious like this, it was sometimes challenging to calm him down.

Jared’s eyes were skittish, unable to focus, his body still trembling slightly.

“Stretch out your arms. Feel the open space around you. Move your legs and notice you can extend them.”

Even Suero and Cesar watched Jared closely, concern in their eyes.

Gradually, Jared began to extend his arms and lift his legs. His breathing started to steady, and he finally met Kia’s gaze.

“You back with us?” He rubbed Jared’s arms in gentle, slow strokes.

“Yeah.” He pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead, eyes closed. “It just… happened.”

“You don’t have to explain,” Kia assured him. “Just acknowledge the setback. Okay?”

Talking to his cousin always helped. He knew Jared might feel embarrassed, so he tried to reassure him that these things happened.

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