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“I am not!” Not happening. She wasn’t a kid to be bossed around.
“Why didn’t you tell us that you took time off from your job?” Marcus asked.
“It wasn’t your business!”
“Instead of coming to one of us, you came here?” Spencer asked as if she hadn’t spoken. “Why?”
“Also none of your business.” She sucked in a deep breath. “Look, I appreciate you guys coming here to check on me. But this is where I want to be and I’m not going anywhere.”
“You’re not going back to work?” Sebastian asked.
“I’m on indefinite leave.”
“Why?” August asked. “What happened?”
She glanced away from his perceptive eyes. “I was working on a case that went wrong. I started getting panic attacks.”
Spencer sucked in a breath. “How the hell does a case go wrong when you sit behind a desk?”
“I can’t believe you all knew that Mother had me benched.”
They stared at her unapologetically.
“We will do whatever we have to in order to keep you safe, squirt,” August told her.
She rolled her eyes at him. “Stop calling me that. And I can take care of myself.”
“Clearly,” Spencer said sarcastically.
“It is not my fault I got kidnapped.”
“No, it’s not.” A deep voice said from the doorway. “And I don’t appreciate anyone trying to insinuate that it was.”
She gave Ed a grateful look. While she knew she was in for a whole lot of protective smothering once they got home, she was also thankful that he had her back with her family.
He moved forward and pulled her out of the seat then sat with her on his lap again. “Saber’s being booked. I’m recusing myself, so no one can say that there was a conflict of interest.”
Her brothers nodded although no one looked happy.
“Look, clearly losing your job has come as a shock to you,” August said, trying to smooth things over.
Gr
r. She didn’t lose her job.
“But don’t you think moving to the middle of nowhere and jumping into a relationship with a man you barely know is a bit insane? Can’t you see why we’re worried? This isn’t like you,” he added.
“I know. This isn’t like me.” She leaned back into Ed’s chest. “Which is why I did it. Because being me wasn’t working for me. I got shot on the job.”
“What?” Evan snapped.
“I’m fine. It was a flesh wound. But when I went back to work, I had a panic attack at the sound of a car backfiring. My nightmares were worse than ever. So I came here, because being here, with Ed, it was the last time I could remember being happy. I’d only been here a night when I went for a run and collapsed and ended up in the hospital.”
August started pacing “Why the fuck did no one tell me!” He glared at Ed.
“Because I didn’t need you all doing this. Acting like you know what’s best for me. Treating me like I’m a child. I know what I’m doing. This is what I want, to be here with Ed. I love him. I’m staying here so you all need to suck it up and be happy for me.”
“You love me?” Ed asked gruffly.
