Break, p.23
Break, page 23
Looking at him incredulously, Vince huffs at him. “How the hell would you know?”
He checks to ensure she’s not watching us from where she sits inside the cab. “She’s just processing. Leave her be.”
There’s not much more I can say, but I agree with him. I think she is processing, and I don’t think I need to fix anything. Well, not from this morning, at least. There are still things I need to make amends for from our past, though.
Hopping into the truck and double-checking that she’s buckled up, I remind myself there’s no changing the past. But I can definitely work on changing the future. Our future.
Chapter 31
There She Is…
Vincent
Mina is sitting in the middle of the boat, knees tucked under her chin with strands of hair blowing over her face from the soft breeze. She ignores the way it brushes over her eyes, completely engrossed in watching the water lap against the side of the boat. There’s a soft smile on her face, and every time the boat rocks a little harder, that smile grows a bit more.
She looks… at peace.
We’ve been out here for close to two hours now. The first thirty minutes were spent showing her how to bait her hook, then practicing how to cast and reel. Her first few tries were frustrating for her because every time she failed, those adorable wrinkles deepened between her brows. She struggled with timing her release, so the line would just thunk into the water only a few feet away. We tried to show her and have her mimic our movements, but it wasn’t clicking for her. Not until Ethan stood up behind her and wrapped his hands around hers to show her.
It was comical how nervous she was at first with his body so close, but once they were able to send the line out smoothly a few times in a row, her body relaxed as she gained confidence. There was a moment while watching them that I wanted to tease Ethan for getting to ‘hold the girl’, but I bit my tongue knowing that Mina may not understand it for the innocent ribbing it was.
Now, our easy conversation has slowed down as we each become distracted by watching her. Every sound has her twisting her head around to see if she can see what the source was. Every gust of wind has her breathing in deeply to scent the air. Each time the sun peeks out from behind the clouds, she tilts her head back and closes her eyes to feel it on her skin.
She’s absolutely breathtaking, and she’s the only one who’s actually fishing. We’re just slightly pathetic, drooling observers.
Suddenly, Mina sits straight up, dropping her feet to the bed of the boat and she tightens her hands on her pole that was balanced between her legs. Then I hear it - the soft zippering sound of the line being pulled out.
Holy shit, she’s fucking caught something.
All three of us sit up straighter with her, waiting to see if she remembers the instructions we gave her earlier on what to do when this happens.
Her breathing picks up in excitement and she looks at us with wide eyes, blanking on what she should do next.
I don’t want to shout and jar her into dropping the pole, so I speak softly. “Did you set your bail?”
She runs her finger over the button and then nods her head quickly. “Y-Yes.”
“So, the next step is to relax and let the drag and rod do the work. Keep the tip angled up about halfway to the sky and point towards where you think the fish is.”
Mina nods continuously as Max instructs her, stumbling to her feet, and focusing on angling her rod correctly.
“A little higher… Okay, there you go,” he encourages. “Now, when you feel the line start to slacken, the tip of the rod will straighten out. When this happens, you’ll want to reel it in slowly. Cycle back and forth between letting the fish drag and then reeling when it stops moving.”
“Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh,” she chants over and over as she does exactly what Max tells her to do. “One… One of you should do this!” The line lets up and her hands are violently shaking as she tries to spin the handle to pull the line in.
Her breaths are coming quickly, like she’s on the verge of panicking, and her eyes are glistening with tears. I look at Max where he’s standing behind her, holding his hands out, ready to grab hold of her and give her his strength. He seems concerned, but isn’t quite ready to step in yet.
I stay low, sliding next to her on my knees and wait for her to stop spinning the reel and allow the fish to drag again. Reaching up, I settle my hand over hers to put pressure on her shaking fingers and give them a squeeze. “You can do this, sweetheart. You’re doing perfect right now, everything you’re supposed to do. Just keep working. Slow and steady catches the fish. That’s the saying, right?”
Her eyes flick down to mine, and she blinks away the tears. “Slow but steady wins the race, not the person who wants to climb the whole stairs in one stride.”
Grinning at her, I chuckle. “Ahh, that’s how it goes. Same idea though. So, slow… and steady.”
Sucking in a shaky breath, she stiffens her spine, refocusing on her task.
“Relax, honey.” Ethan’s gentle, but firm order, has her loosening her shoulders.
The three of us are hovering behind and around her. We’re ready to grab her if she loses her footing, since she’s not looking anywhere except where the line disappears into the water. She’s shaking like a damn leaf, but her grip is firm.
It takes another fifteen minutes before the first splash of a tail breaks the surface of the water about ten feet from the boat. Breathing out a sigh of relief, I whisper, “There she is…”
The line goes taut, and I feel the boat rock as Mina’s whole body jerks forward with the force of the tug. She cries out in surprise but doesn’t drop the pole. Instead, she grips it tighter until it slows down again.
Max steps closer to Mina, settling his hands lightly on her hips, and bends down to speak to her. “Don’t change up anything you’re doing. It’s getting tired. Once you’ve got it alongside the boat, one of us will help bring it up with the net for you.”
“I’m… I’m starting… to get… tired…” she pants out. Her arms are shaking, the muscles twisting and flexing as she pulls the heavy weight closer to the boat. There’s a sheen of sweat glistening on her forehead as she battles the fish that doesn’t want to give up yet.
“Almost there,” Ethan encourages her.
All of us are whispering and murmuring words of encouragement until I finally see a ripple in the water only a foot from us. Looking over the side, I see it swim close to the surface before dipping back down into the murky water. “Damn, sweet girl. That thing is huge!”
Ethan squats down with the net, ready to grab it from the water.
“When you see it on the surface again, hold it up for as long as you can so Ethan can get the net under it,” Max tells her.
Mina gives him a sharp nod, not looking away as she keeps her eyes zeroed on the surface of the lake. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the fish comes into view again.
This time, I can’t contain my excitement for her when I yell, “Hold it, Mina!”
Her eyes squeeze shut as she grunts, using every last ounce of strength to keep the fish up. Ethan quickly dips the net into the water and, with both hands, hauls it out of the water, dropping it to the bottom of the boat.
With the immediate loss of weight, she stumbles back into Max, who’s quick to grab her and help her balance until she’s got her feet back under her. He’s laughing and congratulating her while Ethan untangles it from the net as it flops on its side, fighting to return to the water.
I’m still on my knees, now in front of her, and I look up into her fascinated and unbelieving eyes as she stares at her well-earned trophy. The smile on her face is fucking radiant, and I can feel the desire for her clogging my throat.
“You did so fucking good, sweetness!” I can’t help but praise her and tell her how proud of her I am. “So fucking good. Look at this thing! It’s almost a full-sized largemouth. What do you think, Ethan? That’s got to be close to ten-pounds, right?”
I poke at the fish as it starts to fight less where it lays. “Let me weigh it,” he says as he grabs the hook attached to a scale and slips the end into the mouth, quickly reading off the weight. “Nine pounds, fourteen ounces.”
“Damn, Mina. That’s a beautiful bass you got yourself right here,” Max says, smiling proudly.
She hasn’t said anything as she stares down at it, breathing harshly with tears running down her cheeks. We all give her a minute, but my happiness for her turns to worry as her smile fades away. The sides of her lips turn down as she watches it struggle to breathe.
The tears of joy begin to flow faster as her face scrunches up and she tries and fails to hold back a sob that breaks free. Dropping to her knees, her hands hover over it, afraid to touch the twitching body. “It’s… It’s dying right now, isn’t it?” Her choked question comes out filled with pain and sympathy.
My mouth opens and closes, unsure of what to say. It is dying, but there’s still time to release it. Grabbing her hands, I hold them tightly in mine until her glassy eyes look up at mine; the tears nowhere near stemmed as they continue to fall in rivers down her cheeks. “Oh, sweet, sweet girl. We can release it if you want.”
Nodding her head, she shudders and sobs again before sucking it back in. “Please! It’s suffering.”
Pulling her towards me, she falls into my chest, and I look at my friends as she sobs into my shirt, gripping it tightly in her hands. They are both looking on, tense and unsure if we’ve all fucked up by bringing her out here. We didn’t expect this kind of reaction from her.
Grabbing her face, I hold both of her cheeks and tip her face up to mine. Pressing a kiss to the space between her brows, I rest my forehead against hers and take a deep breath. “We have time to put him back in the water. Let’s take a picture of you holding it and then you can let him go.”
Her lips are trembling as she smiles up at me, happy with the plan. Leaning forward, she presses her lips against mine, salty from her tears. I freeze from the contact, then grip her a bit more tightly, softening mine to kiss her back. It’s not a long kiss, but it’s also not brief.
I feel her pull back, but only so far to leave her lips a hairsbreadth from mine. When she whispers a thank you, I breathe in her air and shudder as I feel a hint of her bottom lip brushing against mine.
Stroking her cheek with my thumb, I grin at her. “You did good, sweetpea.”
This time, her eyes fill with tears for a different reason as she soaks in my praise. She’s fucking proud of herself and it’s incredible to be witness to it. “It’s a big fish, isn’t it?”
Max barks out a laugh, breaking the moment between us, but I think it was good timing. “It’s a fucking monster.”
“Come on. Let’s take a picture and then you can toss it back,” I tell her as I pull her to her feet. Grabbing my phone, I turn on the camera and wait while Ethan picks it up and helps Mina grab hold, pinning it to her chest the way someone would hold a kitten.
I snicker and can’t help but think that only Mina would cuddle a damn fish like it’s the most precious thing in the world, and I fucking love it. Holding up my phone, I wave the guys away from her, then snap a dozen photos as she beams down at it like it’s the greatest thing she’s ever accomplished.
“Ready to toss it?” Ethan asks her, stepping up to her side and gripping her elbow to steady her.
Turning that beaming smile on him, I watch as his eyes crinkle, unable to hold back his own. “So ready.”
He helps her walk to the side of the boat and then holds her steady as she leans forward to drop it back into the water. It hangs around the surface for just a moment before flicking its tail and disappearing from our vision.
Clapping my hands together, I rub them furiously as I look between all three of them. “Well, since we aren’t eating fish, why don’t I take the truck out and grab some steaks or something to cook for dinner tonight?”
Everyone agrees, so we pack everything up and head back to land. Mina is sitting quietly in the boat with her head tilted back and eyes closed, still beaming over her success.
Max leans toward her and bumps her shoulder with his. “What’s going through your pretty head right now?”
She doesn’t open her eyes, but her teeth flash when her smile spreads. “I caught my very first fish, and it was… it was everything.” Then she releases a loud, satisfied sigh of pleasure.
I bite my tongue to stop from letting her know that I think she’s everything. By the looks on my friends’ faces, I know that they’re both thinking the same.
Chapter 32
Procedure
Ethan
“How long has she been in there?” Max asks me as he sits in the empty chair to my right.
Looking up from my phone where I’m playing one of those brain teaser puzzle games, I check the clock hanging on the wall behind the receptionist’s desk. “About forty-five minutes.”
I escorted Mina to her appointment with her divorce lawyer this morning. It’s Mina’s first time meeting with her. Although she was incredibly nervous, I could tell that she was eager to take these steps toward getting her life back.
Max was out in the field to check on a few of our other clients as well as check in with some of the staff who’ve essentially taken over so we can focus on Mina. Max wanted to ride over to the appointment with us but wasn’t able to make it home in time. We’re all on edge while being out in public when Danny is still nowhere to be found.
Vincent ran into the station for a couple of hours to work on some backlogged paperwork and gather updates from Cooper and Harrow over Danny’s case. Hopefully, he’ll come back home with something we can fucking celebrate.
I turn my attention back to my game, my fingers tapping away at the screen as I try to solve the next puzzle. Max’s leg starts to bounce up and down beside me, making the chair shake slightly. I raise an eyebrow at him, silently asking him what’s wrong.
“Just anxious,” he admits, his eyes flicking up to the clock. “I hate this. Sitting here like waiting ducks for that fucker to maybe show up.”
I nod in agreement, but before I can say anything else, the door to the lawyer’s office opens and Mina steps out. She looks drained but manages a brittle smile for us.
Shoving my phone in my pocket, I stand up as she approaches. “Everything okay?” I want to know what happened in there but decide not to push her until she feels ready to share.
She nods, but it’s a weak action, and I can see the trembling in her hands. “Everything went fine, I guess. It’s just…” She trails off, biting her lip as she looks up at Max. “Can we just get out of here?”
Max and I both step toward her at the same time, and then pause as we realize we have the same intentions. I know I want to wrap her up and offer any comfort I can, but it’s clear when her body tenses that she may not be receptive yet.
“Yeah, we can get out of here. Let’s go outside. Maybe some fresh air will do us all some good.” Max steps in front of her to go out first to check and make sure there are no threats waiting for us as we follow.
I position myself between the street and Mina as Max leads us to the car, opening the front passenger seat for her and then locking her inside. Taking another look around, he says, “Get her home and I’ll follow. I’ll let Vincent know we’re heading home now and see if he’ll grab something for an early dinner, so none of us feel like they need to cook tonight.” He says it while nodding in Mina’s direction, showing that he’s referring to her, not wanting her to feel like she needs to cook.
Nodding, I walk around to my side and waste no time getting us home. Mina is quiet on the drive, most likely going through everything she learned from the lawyer. I know Vincent and Max will be anxious to learn what happened, so instead of trying to get her to open up now, I give her this time to herself.
We make it home without incident and she only spends a minute or two downstairs before quietly letting us know she was going to go upstairs and lay down for a bit. Her feet are heavy on the stairs as she drags herself up them, Walter close to her heels, ready to nap right alongside her.
Max moves next to me, watching her departure as I do. Leaning in so she doesn’t hear him, he attempts to lighten the somber mood. “I don’t think he’s my dog anymore.”
Huffing out a small laugh, I nod my head sharply. “Agreed.”
Vincent arrives home not much later, and we all just wait for Mina to come back downstairs. I sit and listen as he and Max chat about the fact that there’s still no sign of Danny around town. I use some of the bills from my wallet to practice folding the knife design that Mina taught us.
As we wait, we each take turns looking toward the stairs for her feet to show up. Vincent is growing more antsy the longer he sits on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV. I’m the first to notice Walter meander into the room, heading straight for the back door to be let outside, alerting Max with a low whine.
“She’s up!” Vincent whisper shouts, but I’m already watching her descend the stairs as she finishes braiding her hair. Her fingers are quick to wrap the band around the ends, and I briefly remind myself to learn how to do that. I want to do it for her the same way Vince does.
Mina doesn’t say anything as she enters the living room, her eyes flicking between each of us, but she does offer a smile in greeting. Apparently, the nap she took was much needed, and she looks more refreshed than she did a few hours ago.
“I’m going to let Walt out. You need anything from the kitchen?” Max asks her, standing up to head toward the dog still whining at the back door.
It seems like she’s getting more comfortable with all of us the longer she’s here, and that alleviates some worry I didn’t know I was holding.
Smiling up at him, she stays relaxed as she answers. “I’m good. I’ll grab something to drink in a minute but thank you.”
Max hesitates like he wants to say more but decides not to and takes Walt outside. Clearing off the cushion on the couch next to where I’m sitting, I pat it while looking at her. “Here,” I mumble, hoping she’ll oblige.
