Page 38 of Nowhere to Hide

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The cop’s fingers tightened on mine. “Did you see a face?”

The darkness kept coming. No air.

“That’s enough, Stone.”

My eyes flew open. His voice.

The voice in the darkness.

“I agreed to let you come in here if you kept your damn mouth shut.”

Locke walked out of the shadows.

How had I not seen him?

Felt him?

The darkness threatened to roll over me. How could I ever feel safe again?

Where could I even think about going?

I couldn’t stay here forever.

Just go home like nothing happened?

Back to my place in Albany—with my plants for company?

“Hey.”

A voice came from the other side of my bed. It was rougher, almost like he hadn’t used it much in a long time.

I kept my eyes tightly shut.

“Just breathe.”

Wasn’t I breathing?

The black dots were getting bigger.

The light in the room was gone.

“Cilla.” The voice sharpened. “In for four.”

Four what?

There wasn’t four anything in me right then.

A calloused hand covered mine. “One.”

I couldn’t count right now, asshole.

“One. Two. Three. Four. Breathe in slow.”

My heart was racing so hard that I couldn’t possibly calm it.

His hand moved to my chest. Big. Warm. The pressure made me stiffen.

My eyes snapped open, and his face came through the dark.

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