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“I’m sorry,” I wheezed through a haggard cry, my hands in supplication as I stumbled the rest of the way across the street to the sidewalk on the other side.
I went right.
Drawn.
Fumbling through the mass that roamed the trendy street.
People shopping.
Browsing.
Laughing as they chatted.
Unaware that I was certain my life was slipping out from under me.
Anxiety hit me in a full-fledged attack, and I wheezed for air, for oxygen, choking over the sob that was stuck in the middle of my throat.
By the time I tore through the door, tears were streaming in hot waves down my cheeks.
The security system beeped, and one second later, River was towering in the opening of his station.
Dark, dark eyes a toiling storm. A protective rage instantly in his stance.
“Charleigh?”
And at the sound of my name, I dropped to my knees.
TWENTY-FIVE
RIVER
I felther before I heard her. Felt her in the way the air suddenly turned volatile right before the door blew open. I was on my feet and rushing to the opening of my station, my heart leaping from my fucking chest when I saw her come stumbling in.
“Charleigh?” Her name ripped off my tongue, and the second it hit the air, she crumpled to the floor.
Face full of tears and terror radiating from her being.
I tore off my gloves and tossed them to the floor as I raced to her. I had my arms around her in a flash, panic searing me through at the sight of her like this.
“What happened? What’s going on?”
Tried to make it soothing, but the words were shards as I tried to hold back the aggression that pounded through my veins.
I’d just texted her not five minutes before, and she’d been fine. Flirting with me the way we’d taken to doing.
And now she was falling apart in the middle of my shop.
Jagged, rasping cries ripped up her throat, and I curled my arms tighter around her as I pulled her against me. My mouth went to her temple. “It’s okay, Charleigh. It’s okay. I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
She heaved over a sob, and she pressed her face into my neck.
I curled around her like I could be her shelter when I murmured, “Tell me what happened. Need you to tell me what’s going on.”
“I…I thought…I saw…”
“What did you see?”
“I—” It cracked as she shook.
