Page 80 of Something Tangled Something True (Rosa Ranch #1)

PANIC CALLING

I’m vibrating with nervous energy as I approach the gate, my heart sinking to my toes when I see the electric gate hanging off its hinges.

Nugget shuffles around his seat, unable to sit still the entire ride back, his tongue hanging from his mouth as he pants, fogging up the window.

I drive through the gate, cataloging my surroundings as I go, looking for anything else that might be out of place. My phone pings with messages and missed calls, one after the other, the sound grating on my nerves.

Nothing prepares me for the sight before me as I make it further down the dirt path onto the ranch. The little blue house I once went to for morning coffee and game night is now surrounded by an ambulance, a fire truck, and no fewer than six police cars.

Flashing red-and-blue lights surround Mayte’s home, and my lungs cease to work.

My heart hammers in my chest, my breaths coming shallow as darkness clouds my vision. I throw my truck into park, unclip my seatbelt with unsteady hands, and toss myself out the door, my legs wobbling beneath me.

Fear. Unbridled fear fills every crevice of my soul as I fight through a panic attack that won’t wait much longer before it pulls me into its current, whether I’m ready or not .