Chapter 13: Grief

Callie couldn’t for the life of her, control her breathing. Panic attacks weren’t new to her, but panic attacks induced by nightmares were usually the worst. She thought she had outgrown the nightmares, but being involved with the mafia had opened fresh ones.

She heard the click of her door and then the quiet padding of feet on the soft carpeted floor. And through the tears and scratching pain in her throat, Callie latched onto the sound to ground herself.

“Breathe.” The voice was soft and low, urging Callie to breathe through her fear. “That’s it, deep breaths in… and out… Good girl.”

It took a few minutes, and Callie could be mistaken, but she could have sworn Vin had reached over to brush her hair away from her face. When most of her panic had passed, Callie watched Vin rise from her bedside to stride toward the window.

“Vin? Uhm… I—” She cleared her throat, wincing at how scratchy it felt. “W-Why are you here?”

Thanks to the moon illuminating the dark room, Callie saw with clarity