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The chopper shudders as Fiero activates the onboard artillery system, sending a hail of bullets toward Rafaele's aircraft. Smoke plumes from one of the plane's engines. The aircraft veers dangerously close to the rocks jutting out from the shoreline below.
"Can't you just shoot him down?" I ask, my voice trembling with fear.
"Too risky," Fiero replies, his jaw clenched. "He’s a little too far, and if we miss, he could come back. There’s limited artillery on board to protect ourselves with.”
I watch as the damaged plane struggles and pray he crashes. Thoughts of the diamond and our rekindled romance are completely wiped from my consciousness, replaced by a primal need for survival. My mind spirals down a dark path, envisioning what would happen if we crash.
"Romola!" Fiero's voice cuts through my thoughts like a knife. "He’s getting back control. He’s gaining altitude.”
His words bring me back to the present, and I realize that our reckless dance with danger is far from over. With each passing second, the line between life and death grows thinner.
“We have to go there,” Fiero points at some jagged rocks on the shoreline just a few hundred meters below us. “Right there, on that flat rock, you see?”
I peer through the rain-smeared glass, squinting to make out the spot Fiero is indicating. I see it: there’s a large 15-by-15-foot landing space, a naturally occurring limestone boulder. I look around and see cave openings and grottos filled with water and stone. The chopper rattles fiercely as we descend closer to the treacherous rocks.
But before we can land, something hits the chopper.
“Fuck,” Fiero roars, panicking for the first time. “If we crash on the rocks, we’ll never survive.”
He banks hard, forcing the helicopter back over the water.
“What the hell are you doing?” I shriek in protest.
“If he forces us to crash on the rocks, we’ll never survive! I need to double back and take him out,” he shouts over at me.
The helicopter picks up altitude as it turns back towards the mainland. From the corner of my eye, I catch the sheen of metal in the moonlight, and my heart stops. “He’s onto us!” I stare in horror as the biplane heads directly for us. Only a few more meters…
And then a deafening bang fills the air. The helicopter wobbles, rotor blades stuttering, sending me reeling into Fiero's side. Sparks ignite the night. “He’s hit the fuel tank, god damn it,” Fiero screams, holding on to me so neither of us topple over in the lurching chopper. “We’re going down!”
The helicopter spins, flames licking its sides as it descends towards the water. I’ve never felt more afraid in my life.
"Parachute?" I gasp out, my eyes wide with terror.
"Damn it!" Fiero curses as he fumbles the lifejackets from under our seats and proceeds to pull one over my head.
I can't help but imagine what awaits us below: the unforgiving rocks, the icy embrace of the sea, and the inescapable darkness of death. My stomach contents threaten to come up my throat, and I force myself to focus on Fiero's face—this beautiful, handsome face. If this is the last face I see before death, at least I will die a happy one.
Tears run down my face. "Romola, listen to me," he says urgently, holding my cheeks. "We have to jump when we’re close to the water. Don’t jump before, if we’re too high up we could severely hurt or kill ourselves. Hold on to my hand, and whatever happens, don't let go."
"Okay," I whisper, tears streaming down my cheeks as I cling to him. My body shakes with fear, but I’ll do whatever he says, even jump to our deaths, and there’s no greater honor than doing it together.
"Promise me, Romola," he says once again over the howling wind, forcing me to look at him. Promise me you won't let go."
"I promise," I manage through my constricted throat.
Together, we step out onto the edge of the chopper, bracing ourselves against its plummeting frame. The wind whips violently around us, tearing at our clothes and stinging our faces.
Fiero’s grip on my hand tightened with each passing second. "Ready?"
"Ready," I respond, though my entire body trembles with terror.
Just as we’re thinking of jumping, the helicopter sways, and my wrist twists in a sharp jerk from where I hold on to the handrail, pain shooting up my arm. I think I feel a crunch, and the harrowing pain makes me lightheaded.
But there's no time to tell Fiero as the water rushes up to meet us with terrifying speed.
"Jump, now!" Fiero yells, and we both leap away from the helicopter, the force of the fall propelling us through the air. We hit the water hard, the impact jolting through every limb. My feet radiate stabbing pains up my body, like a thousand needles pricking into me.
The waves are so large and rough, and we are submerged deep in the quiet of the sea. The violent waters force our hands apart, and I pry my eyes open in its dark depths, trying to find him, but it’s too dark, and my eyes burn, and I can’t fucking breathe.
