Page 64 of Scrape the Barrel
“Let me go!” she screamed, but Reed didn’t pay her demands any mind as he hauled her away.
“Are you okay?” I asked Sage. Her eyes were frantically searching the bar, so lost in her head that she didn’t hear me. “Sage.”
Lettie and Oakley were already backed away from the fight, Bailey and Lennon now pulling Beckham off the man. Beck had him on the ground, sending punches to his jaw.
Sage’s chest was rising and falling like she’d run a mile. I needed to get her out of here. The signs of a panic attack were clear to me, and she was on the verge.
I reached for her hand and she ripped it away, eyes flaring up to mine. “It’s okay, Sage. I’m going to get you out of here, okay?”
She blinked, clearing whatever fog she was stuck in, and nodded quickly. I gently grabbed her hand, her trembling fingers folding around mine. Leading her toward the door with the trust that Bailey and Lennon would take care of the rest, we exited the bar.
As soon as the music was muffled by the door closing, I could hear her rapid breaths. Stopping in my tracks, I turned, quickly scanning her for injuries, and then cupped her cheeks.
“Breathe with me, baby. Okay? In and out.”
She nodded, the movement frantic. I inhaled deeply through my nose, then out through my mouth, watching her the entire time. Her chest was still heaving, pressing against mine with each rise. Tucking her hair behind her ears, I tilted her head up toward me.
“Sage, look at me.”
Her eyes found mine, the green in them glossed over from tears threatening to fall.
I spoke slowly to be sure she heard every word. “You’re okay. You’re safe. Slow breaths, in and out. Can you do that for me?”
She nodded again, her body still wracked with tremors. I inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, repeating the action until she was doing the same.
My hands smoothed over her hair, resting back on her cheeks. “Good. That’s good. How was work today?”
“Bad.”
My thumb brushed a tear that fell down her cheek. “Why’s that?”
“I burnt the pastries.”
“That’s okay. Things like that happen. How was Avery’s first day of school?” She’d texted me last night that Avery was jumping all over her bed, excited to see her friends.
“Good. I called her after your mom picked her up.”
“I’m sure she had a lot of fun seeing her friends. Probably told them all about the horses, too.”
Sage nodded, the movement slow. Her eyes were too damn far away, lost in whatever spiral the fight sent her into.
“Did he touch you?”
“No,” she said quietly. Her throat worked on a swallow, and I knew her mouth was dry from the panic.
The urge to storm back in there and beat the shit out of the guy with Beckham eased the slightest bit.
“Come with me.” I grabbed her hand again and led her over to the passenger side of my truck. I opened the door and reached in, all while keeping her hand in mine.
After blindly feeling around, I turned to her, letting go of her hand to twist the cap off the water bottle. “Here.”
She grabbed it gently, taking a few deep gulps.
“Thank you,” she said, handing the water back to me.
I set it in the cupholder, then faced her again. I had a million questions about what the fuck happened in there, but mostly, I was kicking myself for not keeping a closer eye on them. On her. I should’ve been watching. Hell, I should have gone with.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
