“Put me on speaker.”
I press the speaker button, and the sound of a car engine rumbles through the phone.
“Cain?” Kat asks.
“Hey, Kiddo,” Cain responds, and there’s something uneasy in his voice. “There’s really no easy way to ask this…” he trails off.
“Just say it, Cain. Please,” she replies, her hands wringing together in her lap as she flicks them impatiently.
“Do you know the Prez of the Iron Angels?”
Kat nods but doesn’t speak.
“We do,” I answer for her, my hand returning to her knee in an attempt to calm the thoughts I know are raging in her mind. Her skin feels cooler and somehow tenser.
“Michael managed to find him.”
My gaze snaps to Kat. Her eyes grow wide and gloss over.
“He’s been snooping around some bars and clubs in town. Michael killed one of his men a few weeks ago for dealing drugs in the city.”
The change in her is instant. Her breathing comes hard and fast now as her hands shake. Her skin drains of color beneath the dim light of the lamp.
“When was he last seen?” I ask slowly, my eyes not leaving her.
There’s a pause. Cain lets out a long breath before answering. “Four days ago on Ninth Street.”
Kat’s body vibrates beneath my hand. Her hands shake uncontrollably as tears fall silently from her face.Fuck.
“I’ll call you back,” I say quickly to Cain before hanging up.
I toss the phone to the side and round the bed, coming to a stop in front of Kat. She’s sucking in quick breaths, her body rigid beneath me. Her eyes stare through the room like she’s looking at something only she can see.
She’s not here. She’s there.
“Hey,” I say quietly as I cup her jaw. Her skin is ice cold. “Kat, stay with me.”
She shakes her head as her chest jerks with shallow breaths.
“Breathe with me,” I say softly. I place her hand against my chest and exaggerate my own breath so she can feel it against her palm. “In. Count to five.” I wait, watching her chest rise with mine. “Good. Hold it. Now out… slowly.”
Her breath stutters, but she follows mine.
“That’s it,” I murmur. “You’re here. You’re safe. Nothing’s touching you.”
Her breathing steadies, but her hands still tremble.
“What can you hear?”
She focuses her eyes on me before letting her head fall against my chest. “Your heartbeat,” she whispers.
“Good girl,” I say softly. “Now, what can you touch?”
Her hand comes up and grips my bicep, and my skin tingles at her cold touch. Her nails dig into my skin like she’s testing reality. Minutes pass before the shaking fades. Her breathing levels out shortly after, but I don’t let go. I keep herpressed against my chest, my thumb rubbing small circles on her wrist. Even though on the outside, she’s calmer, her pulse still hammers beneath my thumb.
“He’s here,” she whispers after a few moments.
“I will find him, Kat. That I promise you. You’re safe.”
