Read Online Sneaking Suspicions (The Tharon Trace Mysteries Book 1) by Jan Hinds - Free Book Online Page B

breath and held as still as a statue.
    Tharon felt the cord slice like butter against the sharp blade.  “Are you okay?  Did I cut you?
    “No.  I’m okay.  Thanks,” Helm said.
    She felt as if she were smothering.  She had to hold it together till she cut Kaid loose.  Holding out her left hand she said, “Kaid, where are you?”
    “I’m here.”  Kaid’s voice was close and to her left.
    She felt into the darkness until she touched a jacket sleeve.  “Is that you?”
    “Yeah, I hope that’s you, too.”
    She softly punched his arm. “Funny.”  Then she felt down to his hands and cut him loose.
    “Thanks.  I’m sure glad they didn’t take time to search us.” Kaid sighed with relief.
    Helm kept a hand on Tharon’s shoulder to keep track of her in the dark.  “They were too busy arguing about whether to kill us or not.”
    Tharon closed the blade. “Helm, here’s your knife.”  His touch on her shoulder calmed her but she still struggled with the panic welling inside her.
    Helm moved his hand from her shoulder and slid it down to her palm.  In the darkness she pressed the closed knife into his hand.  He broke contact with her to pocket the knife.
    Without his reassuring touch her senses heightened.  Something skittered up her pant leg.  She tried to stifle a scream and batted at her legs and arms. “Something’s crawling on me!”
    Hands grabbed her shoulders in the darkness.  Helms voice sounded close to her ear.  “Shh.  It’s okay.”
    Her breathing was rapid and shallow, blackness pressed in on her as she shook her arms and legs.
    Helm unzipped his jacket and wrapped it around her as he put his arms about her and pulled her head to his chest.  His hands rubbed her back, shoulders and smoothed over her head.  “Is it gone now?”
    She sucked in quick breaths of air, unable to speak, and nodded her head against his chest.
    Helm spoke softly, his lips close to her ear, “Just try to breathe with me.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Close your eyes and imagine you’re in a bright room but the darkness is only from having your eyes closed.”
    His soft voice soothed her.  She closed her eyes and felt his chest rise and fall.  She heard his heartbeat and got lost in its rhythm.  At first her breathing was ragged but soon it became steady.  She wrapped her arms around him too.  Kaid’s hand rested on the small of her back and she felt anchored to them both.
    She didn’t know how long they stayed like that but was grateful for the steady, calming strength she felt from them both.  “Thanks,” she whispered.  Standing on her tiptoes, she reached up to kiss Helm on the cheek but his head was turned and she kissed him on the mouth.  He kissed her back, just a little longer than the peck she’d intended and when she eased down again with her head against his chest, she heard his heart racing.
    Kaid asked, “Are you okay now?”
    “Yeah, there was something crawling on me and I freaked out.  Sorry about being such a baby.”
    Tharon stepped a little away from Helm but still held his waist with both hands, “Thanks.  How did you know how to help me?”
    “My mom falls asleep on the couch and gets nightmares sometimes,” Helm held her shoulders.  “That’s how my dad calms her down.  I’m glad it worked for you too.”
    She became disoriented in the darkness and no longer knew which way the door was.  She took another deep breath and felt her way to hold hands with both of them.  “We need to stay together and find the door.”
    Kaid led the way, feeling along with his feet and free hand.  When he came to the wall they all three flattened along it but found no door.  Kaid led them to the left as they inched along the wall.
    Tharon counted the corners and the steps for each wall.  When she counted the fourth corner and thought of the number of steps on the opposite wall, she moaned.  “Are you kidding me?  We just went around the entire room.  We started out