“Don’t think about it, May.Breathe, in, out.Hear me?Breathe, baby.”
I breathed.
It wasn’t working.
I tried again.
It still wasn’t working.
“Baby,” he whispered, “Breathe for me.”
I tried again.
And I breathed.
I kept doing it as we made his house.
We dashed in as we’d dashed out of mine, with Hutch pointing at the locked front door and grunting, “Guard!”to Hannibal, who stood at attention, staring at it.
Hutch guided me to a chair.“Sit.”
I didn’t sit.He pressed me into the chair.
He walked out of the room, the rifle back over his shoulder, and I sat cuddling my cat, Tonks sitting beside me.I was still totally freaking, but at least I was breathing.
I could see, technically.
But in my mind’s eye, all I could see was her reaching out to me.
Hutch came back with a glass of something liquid and brown.
He handed it to me.“Drink.”
“I don’t drink bourbon.”
“Baby, sip it.For me.”
I sipped.
Okay, smooth.Good bourbon.Still kinda yuck.
God help me.
I looked up at him.“Hutch?—”
“I need you calm right now, May.Okay?”
His rifle wasn’t over his shoulder anymore.
It was in his hands.
Oh God!
“You think they might come here?” I screeched.
“I think, if they do, I’m gonna be ready.Can you calm for me?”
I nodded.
