AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“This is crazy,” I whisper.
Eric pauses. “Stay here,” he orders, then hops up on a big metal beam. I watch him walk along the narrow piece of steel, kicking up dust with his boots, then pull himself up to the next highest one.
“Do you see them?” I ask.
He squints, looking off into the distance, then curses.
“What’s wrong?”
“They’re landing.”
Oh, no.My stomach sinks and panic fills me. “What do we do?”
A determined look crosses his face. “We’re going up,” he announces and drops, boots landing with a thud on the ground beside me.
“Why is your answer always up?” I ask in a strained voice.
“Cause I’m good with heights, sweetness. Let’s go.”
“Oh, God,” I groan and follow him to the elevator. It’s more like an open cage and he hits the top level.Of course, he does.We jolt upward and I look over at the plane which has now landed. Two men get out of it and start across the lawn parallel to the corn field. I can’t miss the guns they’re carrying. “They’ve got guns and they’re heading over here. Do you have a gun?”
“No,” he replies, voice grim. “I don’t usually carry one around like everyone else, but now I’m second-guessing that decision.”
“Is there some sort of garbage chute up here that you know about?”Please, say yes.
“No, but I won’t let them hurt you, okay?”
I wish I could feel as confident as Eric looks right now. But I’m like a quivering bowl of jelly. My gaze dips down to his torn and bloody jeans and a wave of guilt consumes me. If these men are after me, he’s putting himself in danger and he got hurt trying to protect me. I feel terrible.
If things go south right now…
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, then meet his eyes. They look more gray right now, like a storm is brewing in the dark depths. A swirling green-gray tornado.
“This isn’t your fault,” he insists.
“That’s nice of you to say, but we know it probably is.”
The elevator lurches to a halt and Eric slides the metal gate open. Then he grabs my hand and squeezes. “Don’t worry, I have a plan. Sort of,” he adds with a smirk.
“Sort of?” I echo. “That doesn’t exactly make me feel better.”
“Do you trust me?” he asks, repeating his question for the third time.
And, for the first time, my answer is different. “Yes,” I say without hesitation.
He nods and then pulls me along. Steel beams and girders are stacked along the floor, waiting to be put in place for structural support, and rolls of cable, tools, bags of cement and large drum cylinders lay scattered all over the place. We weave in and out of all the hazards and suddenly Eric stops and grabs a length of rope.
“C’mere,” he orders, unraveling it. “Tie this around your waist.”
Even though I have questions, I don’t ask; I just do what he says and then let him tie some fancy knot to secure it. The crank of the elevator motor starts up and we both glance over to see it start moving back down.
“Shit,” he grumbles.
My pulse thunders madly like a stampede of wild horses are running through my veins and trying to break free. “What now?” I ask, fear rising within me and threatening to take over. I keep seeing the pistols in their hands and remembering how the plane’s machine gun nearly cut us down earlier.
“Now we go back down,” he states, leading me over to the edge.
I glance over the side and shudder. We’re at least ten floors up and there’s no chute to ride down. “I don’t suppose you have a parachute, do you?” I ask half-jokingly.
