In one stride, I close the distance between us and snatch the phone from his hand. “No. You’re not.” Then I wrench his arm behind his back, twisting it until he yelps. “You’re going to shut your mouth. Or I’ll do it for you.”
I flick a quick glance at Yara. She’s ghost-white. Her eyes are wide, and her pupils are almost completely dilated. Her chest rises and falls in quick, uneven breaths. She’s trembling all over.
A heavy boot slams into my chest.
A vise clamps around my heart and squeezes.
I’m struck by a feeling more intense than anything I can remember.
No. Not a feeling. A need. A compulsion.
I need to protect her. Comfort her. Find out whatever he did to Yara and somehow fix it.
“How dare you,” sputters Winthrop. “This is assault. Putting your hands?—”
I wrench his arm higher as I growl,“Quiet.”
Glancing back at Yara, I gentle my voice as much as I can given the rage pulsing through me. “What did he do to you? Can you tell me?”
In a tremulous voice that sounds nothing like her normal one, she replies, “He tried… to drug… me.” Her gaze shifts to the wine glass sitting on a nearby table. “The wine. But I didn’t. Drink it. I came… to teach him… a lesson…”
“Lies!” shouts Winthrop. “She’s lying!” He lunges in the direction of the table, but my grip is unforgiving. Immobile. “She’s lying!”
“Shut. Up,” I snarl. Then I lean down so my face is inches from his. “Or I’ll do it for you. And trust me. You donotwant that.”
“What the fuck is going on in here?” Rafe barks as he enters the room. He’s flanked by Webb on one side and Indy the other. He glances at me, his features hard and angry. “What did he do to her?”
“He drugged her wine,” I answer, angling my chin at the wine glass. “She said she didn’t drink it.”
Indy looks at Yara. “Tink. Did he hurt you?”
After a long silence, she shakes her head. “No. He… just…” Her gaze dips. “We came in here. And… he touched me. So… I punched him.”
“What?”I shove Winthrop against the wall. “Youtouchedher?” Only by sheer force of will do I keep myself from breaking every bone in his body.
But then I look at Yara again.
She still hasn’t moved from the bed.
And though she’s trying her best to hide it, I can tell she’s struggling through a panic attack. I recognize the symptoms because I’ve been through it myself.
Protect her,the voice in my head orders.Maybe she’s not physically injured, but she’s hurting, just the same.
Shoving Winthrop at Rafe, I say, “Take him.”
Once Rafe has a good hold on Winthrop, I hurry to Yara’s side. When she looks up at me, I can see the desperation in her eyes. She’s trying to hold herself together, but it’s only by a thread. I take her hand, wincing at how cold it is. “Come on,” I tell her. “Let’s get out of here.”
She obeys me wordlessly, which gives me another clue to just how shaken she is. As I lead her towards the door, I catch Rafe’s worried gaze. He doesn’t need an explanation. He just lifts his chin in silent understanding. Because of course he recognizes what Yara’s going through after helping his own wife through her panic attacks.
“Just hold him,” I say. “We’ll be right down the hall. Once the police come…”
Rafe nods. “Of course.” Then he flashes Winthrop a predatory smile. “We’ll just spend some quality time with this one.Chatting.”
“Here.” I pass Winthrop’s phone to Rafe. “Wonder what kind of stuff he has on there.”
The flash of terror in Winthrop’s eyes is all the confirmation I need.
But Yara’s trembling hand in mine is enough to distract me from thoughts of killing him.
