Page 106 of Beneath the Hood

I close my eyes.

“Blakely.” Lennox’s voice is a deep rasp.

I lift my hand, stopping him from speaking as I work on slowing down my heart rate, trying to regulate my breathing.

One. Two. Three.

Opening my eyes, I walk over to Kayla, my hand coming up and whipping across her face, the sharp sting of my palm satisfying every single cell in my body. Her head rolls to the side, a surprised gasp leaving her lips.

“What thefuck?” she squeals, her hand covering her cheek.

I point at her. “That’s for making me think you were someone I could trust.”

I turn around, shouldering past Lennox, and slam the door behind me.

48

Jackson

I’m dropping Lee off when my phone rings. Blakely’s name flashes across the screen and a spike of concern shoots through me. It’s odd for her to call when she’s supposed to be working the rest of the night. My car is idling on the curb in front of the hotel, and I hold up a finger to Lee so I can answer.

“Hey, princess.” It’s silent on the line and I pull the phone away from my ear, checking to make sure it’s connected. “Hello?”

“Jackson.” Her voice is strained—a pained whimper that has me sitting up straighter in my seat.

Lee looks over, lips turning down when she sees my shift in position.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I just—I need...”

She pants into the line, and my heart surges at her shortness of breath.

She hasn’t had a panic attack in over a month. At least, not any that I’ve seen, and the sound of it happening when I’m so far away is a sledgehammer to my insides, making me feel as though, once again, I’m not with the people I love when they need me the most.

“What do you need, baby? Are you okay?”

“I ne-need you to come get me.” She hesitates. “Please.”

“On my way. I’ll be there in about twenty minutes. Do you need to stay on the phone with me?”

“No, I just... I can’t be here anymore.” Her voice breaks and my heart cracks along with it, wishing I could fly there instead of having to depend on four tires and a road.

“Okay. Deep breaths, yeah?”

She breathes deeply in and out on the other end of the line. I hang up, suddenly desperate to say my goodbyes to Lee and make my way to where Blakely is. To take her back to my house and hold her in my arms until she works her way through her panic.

“Is everything alright?” Lee asks.

Shaking my head, I snap my hairband off my wrist, using it to throw up my hair. “No. Blakely needs me. She...” I trail off, not wanting to spill all her issues into the open. Even though it’s Lee, and I know secrets are safe with her, it still feels wrong.

It’s Blakely’s story to tell, when and if she chooses to tell it.

“Say no more.” Lee smiles, her eyes shimmering. “She’s amazin’, you know? Young.” She laughs. “But amazin’. You did good, Teeth.”

My chest inflates with happiness. Lee always told me when I fell in love she’d be front row, cheering me on the hardest.

“Leave it to you to fall for a girl who lives her life in the spotlight. If you ain’t careful, Hollywood’s gonna try and snatch that pretty smile right off your face.” Lee grins, reaching out and pinching my cheek.

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