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The blood that had seeped through the right back pocket of the Voice of Dooht Dried blood rabbed ahold of her heart and she squeezed her eyes shut Stark terror rose up, took her back to that night

“Do you understand these rights as I’ve read them?” The deputy’s voice sounded too loud to her ears

“I’m not an idiot, of course I understand, Officer Donut”

His snide tone triggered the ainst her closed eyelids A faht, she was scared and unable to protect the people she loved

She shivered and Jake tightened his ar frootten hiuard with benefits How could she have done that? How could she have been so selfish? Gritting her teeth, Claire choked back a sob

For forty-eight hours she’d lived on the precipice of disaster Through it all, she’d held on to her anger with an iron grasp and let it guide her actions She’d refused to sho scared she’d really been

The click of the handcuffs locking around the killer’s wrists exploded her tough-girl facade

Claire lost it Fat tears cascaded down her cheeks and her shoulders shook from her efforts to stifle her sobs

Jake turned her around in his arms and pressed her cheek to his chest His hands stroked her hair

“Let it go, Claire” His lips brushed the top of her head “Just let it go”

It poured out of her All the fear and frustration ran down her face in hot tears that dripped off her chin Jake rubbed her back in circular motions His touch anchored her to him Somehow she understood that he’d hold her until the tempest insider her ran its course

For a few minutes the world consisted of Jake and her, the deputies working around theled in deeper His responding sigh set off a fluttering in her stomach

Everything she needed in life rapped around her

The realization came to her crystal clear and fully formed, as if someone had spoken it aloud Suddenly, the war turned heavy as she sucked air in and out, unable to fill her lungs Her ar off a wave of dizziness, she pushed away from his chest

She promised herself after Brett that she’d never need so Jake scared her almost as much as the events of the past two days