“But where did he go? Did he believe them? I didn’t lie!” Tears dripped down her face. Everything was crashing down on her. What if he left her? Panic seized hold of her lungs. She couldn’t breathe. She flashed hot then cold, her entire body trembling.
“She’s having a panic attack,” a deep, accented voice said. “Sit her down. Breathe, Arianna. Calm down and breathe. In. Then out. You can do this. Just breathe.”
She tried to follow the voice. Breathe, Arianna.
“That’s it. Calm down. All will be well. Good girl.”
The black dots swimming in her vision faded away as she took in a deep breath then let it out. As she became more aware, she was shocked to find that it was Matek crouched in front of her. Who had been guiding her through the panic attack.
She met his gaze, noted the deep concern and something else. Something dark and tortured.
“In. Out. Good girl. In. Out. All will be well.”
“If he d-doesn’t believe me?” she whispered.
“Then he is a fool and I shall chop off his head.”
She gaped at the stern-looking man. Then he grinned. A couple of people gasped, and she wasn’t sure why. “Or just beat him up for you?”
She shook her head. “You never told me they were all crazy,” she said to Caleb without thinking.
Tavi and Aric laughed. Kassim smiled but Matek kept his stern gaze on hers.
“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean any disrespect.” She ran her hand over her face. What was she doing? These guys were princes and they were Caleb, Aleki and Wolfe’s employers.
“None taken, little one,” Kassim told her.
Dominic looked over at her. “Bain didn’t believe them, sweetheart. Not even for a second. He just wanted to speak with them.”
“What’s taking so long?” she whispered. She needed him. Needed him to reassure her that he knew they spouted bullshit. That he loved her. “Are you sure he doesn’t think I’m like his ex and lied to him?”
Dominic snorted. “No way would he ever think you were like that bitch. Bain knows exactly who you are. But he wanted to have a chat with your family. In private.”
Caleb made a rumbling noise of agreement. “Good.”
“Arianna,” Aleki said, getting her attention. “I need you to focus. Who had access to your laptop yesterday? Was there someone else in the apartment besides you, Dominic and Bain?”
She frowned. “No one else had access. Why?”
“Your sister was here,” Dominic said.
“Oh yes, I forgot she was here.”
“Was she left alone in here? At around quarter to three?”
“Yeah, it would have been that time,” Dominic said. “
“Bingo. Got you bitch,” Aleki said smugly.
“What are you saying? That my sister planted those letters on my laptop?” She shook her head. “How would she access it? Its password protected.”
“What’s your password, sweetheart?” Caleb asked dryly.
“Oh, umm, Soul and Heart, all one word.”
Tavi shook his head. “You used the name of your first album as your password?”
She blushed. “Okay, maybe not the smartest idea. But how did Gaby guess it? She wasn’t in here that long.”