“I am. I am.”
My hand rubs his back. I’m silently cursing Samson in the other room while waiting for Neo’s panic to subside. His recovery is faster than I thought it would be, only to start back up once the screams pierce the metal door.
I shake my head and mutter under my breath, lifting Neo andcarrying him up the stairs, where Harley is waiting with a steaming cup of ginger tea. Just like he promised. Wyatt is there too, sympathy shining in his eyes.
“Hate to say I told you so,” Harley says, helping me guide Neo to a chair, where he sits.
It takes him a few moments to wrap his hands around the cup Harley offers, and I have to steady it as he lifts it to his mouth.
“We all think we can stomach it,” Wyatt says, perching on the arm of the chair and patting Neo’s shoulder. “But we can’t. We’re not built the same way as the Buckinghams.”
“We weren’t abused the same way,” Neo says quietly, meeting my gaze. “No one should be able to stomach it.”
I kiss his temple. He’s not wrong. It’s why Harley sometimes prefers to sit out on these sessions as well. Says he has to be in the right mood for torture. Hell, even Matthias abhors violence. He’s only down there now because, like the rest of us, he’s taking this personally.
Wyatt was here when they broke in. That’s about as personal as it gets for him.
“I need to go back down. I need to know what those men were doing here,” I say, reluctant to go. I could leave it to the others, but I’m afraid they’ll make a mess of it all.
“Go ahead,” Neo wheezes. “I won’t be mad. I’m fine. Totally fine. Can’t feel my face now.”
“I’ve got him,” Harley says, but I don’t leave. How can I when Neo is struggling?
Instead, I crouch down in front of him and take his hands in mine. “It’s okay. Having a little freak-out is normal. What is it that’s bothering you the most?”
Is he scared of me?
Neo’s breath is ragged. “It’s just…I know what The Firm does, but…”
“Knowing and seeing it are two different things.” There’s a strange ache in my chest. What if this is the moment when Neo realizes hecan’t do this? What will I do then? “It’s part of our life. I don’t like it, but it’s necessary.”
“I know.” He gives me a weak smile. “It just…it scares me, ya know?”
The ache deepens as the monster growls. Harley and the others drift away, giving us the semblance of privacy. “Which part?”
“That you might get caught.” He exhales shakily. “Or worse. Hurt.”
I bite back a smile. “Careful, or I might start thinking you care.”
He scowls, and I have no hope of containing my smile. “Didn’t the vest give that away?”
I pretend to consider it. “Maybe. I might need to chase you again, just to be sure.”
He huffs, and relief rolls through me. There he is. My brat.
“You say I drive you crazy, but you like to do the same to me.”
I kiss the end of his nose. “True. Are you okay now?”
“Yes.” He gives me a lopsided grin. “You better go make sure they got the information we need before Samson kills them all.”
I straighten with a sigh. “He has no self-restraint. It’s no wonder he can’t dance.”
“Dance?”
Neo’s question is echoed by Wyatt. I sigh once more and hold my hands up. “Later. You can badger him about it later.”
Samson will probably kill me once he finds out I’ve spilled the beans. Unless I kill him first for not getting the information we need.
