Page 140 of What We Break
He's not fighting him. He's just taken complete control. The man can't move. Can't threaten anyone else.
Who the hell are you?
"Stay down." Blake's voice is gravel and command. A voice I've never heard from him.
The man thrashes, screaming. Blake doesn't budge.
"Check your fire!" Blake yells, right in the guy's ear. "Check your fire, Marine! You are in a safe zone!"
This time, the military words seem to cut through the haze. The man stops thrashing. Still panting, but listening now.
"We are green," Blake says. His voice drops lower. Rhythmic. "Perimeter is secure. You're stateside. You're safe."
Reid appears beside me. He hasn't tried to help Blake. Hasn't interfered at all. He's just watching as he tugs me into his arms.
"Is he—" My voice catches. "He's hurting him."
"No." Reid's voice is quiet. "He's holding him together. Watch."
I look back. The man is sobbing now, his face pressed into the dirt. And Blake... shifts. He loosens his grip. He doesn't get up—he stays down there with him. Moves his hand from the guy's twisted arm to his shoulder.
He's not restraining him anymore. He's just... holding on.
"I know," Blake says. Barely audible over the highway noise above us. "I know, brother. You're okay. Just breathe."
Carol is shaking in Danny's arms, but she's okay. The immediate danger is over.
But I can't stop staring at Blake. At the way he's murmuring to this crying stranger in the dirt like nothing else exists.
Reid was the shield. Loud, bright, drawing attention.
But Blake—Blake is something else entirely.
He looks up then, scanning the area. His eyes find mine.
Just a quick assessment.
Is she safe? Yes. Reid's got her.
Then he looks away.
29
REID
My hands are still shaking.
Not trembling, not a little unsteady. Actually shaking, like I've got too much adrenaline and nowhere to put it. I grip the steering wheel tighter, hoping Laine doesn't notice.
She notices.
"You okay?" she asks from the passenger seat. "You're quiet."
"Me? I'm great. Fantastic. Just had my cardio for the week." I try for a grin but it sits wrong on my face, like wearing someone else's shoes. "That guy was big, right? Like, unreasonably big. He definitely ate his Wheaties. All of them. Every box. The factory had to shut down."
Laine's studying me. That assessing look. She sees right through me.
"Reid."
