Page 22 of Hero Mine

But Joy didn’t see it that way.

The second the man’s fingers brushed against her sleeve, she jerked back as if she’d been burned. The tray in her hand clattered to the floor, silverware and glasses crashing against the wood with a deafening smash. The entire restaurant seemed to freeze.

Fuck.

Joy staggered back, her chest heaving, her wild, terrified eyes locked on the man in front of her. Her breath came in sharp, shallow bursts, her fingers curled like she was ready to strike, to claw, to fight. Joy’s mind was definitely not in the Eagle’s Nest anymore.

Bear was already moving from his stool before his brain fully registered it.

The man took a step forward, hands up, eyes wide. “Whoa there, sweetheart, I didn’t mean?—”

Joy snapped.

“Don’t touch me!” Her voice was sharp, ragged, wrong. Panic twisted through it like barbed wire. She shoved the man hard, catching him off guard. He stumbled back into his buddy, who barely caught him before he hit the table.

“Hey! What the hell—” the man started, his surprise shifting quickly to anger.

Hudson beat Bear over there, stepping between them, his hands up in a calm-the-hell-down gesture. “All right, that’s enough,” Hudson said, voice steady but firm. “Everyone just take a breath.”

But Bear could tell Joy wasn’t hearing Hudson.

She wasn’t here.

She was trapped—back in that night, in that house.

Bear ignored the man and reached for Joy. He didn’t touch her—not yet—but he stepped into her space, blocking out the rest of the room. “Bug.” His voice was low, steady. “Look at me.”

She didn’t. He didn’t think she could.

Her breaths were too fast, her body shaking violently. Her arms were wrapped tight around herself, like she was trying to hold herself together. A thin sheen of sweat had broken out across her forehead, and her pupils were so dilated her green eyes looked almost black.

“Joy,” he said softer this time, but with an edge to see if he could cut through her haze. “You’re safe.”

Her eyes finally snapped to his, wide and lost.

“There you are,” he murmured, keeping his stance loose, open. “You’re okay. You’re not there. You’re here. With me.”

She blinked rapidly, as if trying to pull herself out of the nightmare clawing at her mind.

Behind them, Hudson was ushering the out-of-towners toward the door, muttering apologies. Someone had started sweeping up the broken glass. The murmur of conversation gradually resumed, though Bear felt the weight of curious glances.

But he didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not while Joy looked seconds away from shattering completely.

Her breath hitched, her fingers digging into her arms so hard he knew she’d leave bruises.

“You’re okay,” he said again, gentler now. “Just breathe, Bug.”

Her chest rose and fell erratically, and then—finally—she sucked in a shaky breath. Then another. The distant look in her eyes began to fade, awareness returning like she was surfacing from underwater.

But the second her shoulders started to lower, shame flooded her face.

“I—I need to—” Her voice cracked, her entire body trembling. She turned abruptly and shoved through the swinging door, disappearing into the kitchen area.

Bear exhaled slowly, shoving a hand through his hair. He was definitely going to follow her, but he needed a minute first.

Because watching her shatter like that? Watching her break? It was killing him.

“She needs help,” Mrs. Fuller murmured as she passed, touching Bear’s arm lightly.

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