Before I could get my truck door open, Amy had sprinted around to the driver’s side. And the instant I put my boots on the gravel, she was in my arms, her body crashing into mine.
Fear hit me harder than she did.
“What’s wrong?” Panic clutched my chest, a painful constriction that made it difficult to breathe.
She didn’t respond, a sob the only sound she made.
“Amy.” I tried to pull back, tried to push her away, desperate to look at her face, but she was locked to me, her arms around my waist, her face buried in my chest. “Damn it, Amy. Talk to me.”
The sound of her crying nearly had my knees giving out, dread filling me, stealing at least ten years off my life.
“Amy!” I wasn’t known for panic attacks but the woman had me coming unraveled. I had no idea what was wrong, but it was something. Frantic to get answers, I tried to push her back again, wanting to look in her eyes. “Did something happen?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Are you hurt?”
Her face rubbed against me as she continued to shake her head.
Only then did some of the ball-shriveling fear deflate. With my ass leaning against my truck seat, I wrapped my arms around her, clutching her tightly. She was trembling, her shoulders shaking, her body heaving with every breath she took. There was no way she could miss how tense I was, yet she still didn’t let go. I rubbed her back, letting her cry.
As we stood there, I continued to slide my palm over her back as I reached for my phone. With one hand, I shot a text to Rhys.
Need you over at the shop. Now. This is personal business. About Amy.
I tucked my phone in my pocket and tried to stand upright. “Let’s go inside, baby.”
Amy inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, her hands releasing my T-shirt. It took some effort, but she finally let go. When she stood straight, she didn’t make eye contact. Her head hung low when I wrapped my arm over her shoulder and steered her toward the building. It took a minute for me to unlock the door and disengage the alarm. A little longer since I kept one arm around her, keeping her pressed up against my body.
My phone buzzed, but I didn’t check it. If Rhys could get away, I knew he would. If he couldn’t, then I would fill him in later. Right now, I could only focus on one thing, and that was getting Amy to tell me what happened.
I maneuvered her over to a chair and eased her into it. I squatted on my haunches in front of her, trying to get down on her level, wanting her to look at me.
“What’s goin’ on, Amy?”
She buried her face in her hands, but she’d stopped crying.
I waited as patiently as I could for her to pull herself together.
A few seconds later, Amy was wiping the tears from her face with the heels of her hands, her breath returning to normal.
With my hands on her thighs, I looked her over, trying to assure myself that she wasn’t hurt.
She finally lifted her head, her dark eyes meeting mine. “Can you call Rhys?”
The request had my heart slamming into my sternum. “In an official capacity?”
Another head shake. “No. I just…” She wiped another tear from her cheek and exhaled heavily. “I don’t want to tell this story twice.”
Oh, fuck.
As much as I needed to hear this, I wasn’t sure I was ready. More importantly, I wasn’t sure I'd be able to refrain from killing someone once I had.
Amy
I was tired, slightly hysterical, and a little on edge.
Okay, so the little part was the understatement of the century.
