Page 58 of Relentless

Devin chuckles. “Thinking pretty highly of yourself there, Goldilocks.”

My teeth grind at the new nickname. Maybe Rapunzel wasn’t so bad.

“He asked us to stop in once we were back from our job,” Ezra confesses.

“What job?” I ask, already knowing they won’t give me anything.

“Not much. Just hiding your husband.”

“What?” I blurt. “He’s downstairs, isn’t he? I saw him. Him and Reid were— Oh my God. Tell me Reid didn’t—”

“Whoa,” Ezra says, standing in front of me, gripping my upper arms in his hands as I start to lose control of my lungs. “It’s okay. He didn’t mean literally.”

He says the words, but I don’t hear them. The only thing I can focus on is the blind panic the thought of either of them hurting Mav brings on.

My heart races and my lungs fight for air. I suck in heaving breaths but nothing happens.

“Shit. She’s having a panic attack, you idiot.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Why did you have to say it like that?” Ezra snaps.

“Because it’s funny. I didn’t think she’d actually take it seriously.”

“Fucking moron,” Ezra mutters as he pushes me back onto the couch beside Devin and drops to his haunches in front of me. “Look at me, Alana.”

His voice and words float around me as I fight to catch my breath. I hear them, but I also don’t at the same time.

“Alana?” he snaps, shaking my knees, giving me little choice but to look up. “Breathe with me, yeah?” He nods as if it’ll help me agree before he begins breathing deep and slow. “In. Out. In. Out. That’s it,” he encourages before shooting over his shoulder, “if he comes back and there is a single thing wrong with her, he’ll—”

“Honey, we’re home,” a familiar voice calls before the front door slams and two heavy sets of feet pound this way.

“What have you done?” Reid demands the second he marches into the room and surveys the scene.

“Dove.” JD gasps before his shadow falls over me and Ezra is physically shoved aside. “What’s wrong?” he asks, his voice rough and tormented as his palms slide up the outside of my thighs.

“Panic attack,” Ezra says as I’m engulfed by Reid’s darkness.

“Why?” he barks.

Ezra sighs. “Because of this idiot, obviously.”

“The fuck did you say?”

“Jeez, it was just a fucking joke. Why does everyone have to take everything so seriously?”

The brothers continue to bicker around us, but my focus is on JD and the warmth of his hands on my legs. I quickly find myself lost in his electric blue eyes.They’re lighter than I remember from yesterday, less haunted.

“Breathe with me, Dove. In.” He does as he says, pinching his lips together before releasing the breath. “Out.”

I follow his instruction, allowing deep gulps of air to fill my lungs.

“I’m okay,” I whisper after a minute or two, feeling stronger.

“Shit, Dove. You gotta stop scaring me like that,” he murmurs, as if speaking any louder will scare me. Lifting his hand, he gently cups my cheek before leaning forward and resting his brow against mine.

I’m so lost to him that I don’t realize everyone else has stopped arguing. Or at least until Reid’s intrigued stare makes one side of my face burn up.

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