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Suddenly, I’m a fish in a barrel. I’m also approaching the final rung.
A bullet pings off the metal rung near my hand and I scream.
Yeah, I definitely didn’t think this through very well.
Chapter Eleven: Finn
I’m staring down at the asshole I just knocked out cold when I hear Ivy’s piercing scream. A sound that punctures my very soul.Shit!
Dread pours through me as I run over to the incomplete elevator shaft on the opposite side of where I was. The other thug is shooting down into the narrow opening and a fear like I’ve never known before engulfs me.
And I’ve been in some damn scary, life-threatening situations. This trumps them all, though.Fucker.He’s so focused on killing my woman that he doesn’t hear me sneak up behind him. I wrap my forearm around his throat and tighten. The fucker twists and kicks out, trying to escape, but that isn’t going to happen. After a minute of struggling, he passes out and I let go.
“IVY!” I yell and look down, terrified I’m going to see her broken body lying at the bottom, seven floors below. But, no, she’s there, hanging onto the end of a metal ladder for dear life.Thank Christ that asshole’s aim was for shit.
Her blonde head tilts back and her frightened eyes meet mine. Relief floods me and I comprehend the fact that she must’ve jumped across the wide gap. I could kill her for taking such a risk, but I’m also so damn proud of her.
“Hang on, I’m coming!” I race over to the elevator and yank the cage shut. When it stops at the third floor, I open it back up and run like hell over to the other shaft. Peering into the gloomy space, I see Ivy clinging to the end of the ladder. “Take my hand.”
I lean into the shaft, stretch my hand out to her and she reaches for it. Wrapping my fingers in a firm hold around her wrist, I tell her to step off the ladder.
“I’ve got you,” I promise. “Just swing over to me.”
Ivy doesn’t even hesitate, just lets go, and I pull her right into my arms. She starts shaking and I tighten my grip when she buries her face against my chest.
“You’re so damn brave,” I tell her, stroking a hand up and down her back. “I can’t believe you jumped over to that ladder.” The fact that I almost lost her hits me in the gut like a sucker punch.
“Me neither,” she admits. “Just like he does inDie Hard.”
A smile curves my mouth and I press a kiss against her blonde head. “Yeah, but please don’t do that again, okay?”
“Okay,” she murmurs.
I know we have to get out of here, so I pull back, lace my fingers through hers and guide her over to the working elevator. “We need to hurry.”
Once we’re back down on the ground floor, we make our way out of the construction site. A part of me is tempted to steal their damn plane, but they’d be able to track it down and I don’t want them knowing where I land. I also don’t have the heart to leave my Norton laying on the side of the road.
We cut back through the cornfield and come out the other side with no one following us. Not yet, at least. I pick my bike up and it looks like the paint’s a little scraped, but that’s nothing too major. An easy fix. After slipping my helmet on, I shrug out of my brown leather jacket. “It’s getting cool,” I say and slip it over her shoulders.
“Thank you,” she murmurs and pulls it on. It’s way too big, but it’ll keep her warm. I also like the way it looks on her. I like it a whole helluva lot.
While she puts her helmet on, I throw a long leg over my bike then kick-start it. After several attempts, the engine catches and I help Ivy slide on behind me. Her arms wrap around my waist and she presses up against me.
During the ride back to my place, it hits me hard that Ivy almost died. I almost lost her. And I can’t fucking lose her. I refuse. The second we’re safely back at the bungalow, I’m pulling her into my arms and I’m not letting go. And she’s just going to have to deal with it.
Turns out, Ivy is on the same page because the moment I shut and lock the door behind us, she’s throwing herself against my chest, pulling my face down to hers and frantically kissing me like I’m the last man in the world.
I take control of the kiss, slowing it down, and slide my fingers through her windblown hair. “Easy, sweetness,” I murmur between kisses.
She gasps, sucking in a breath, and when she pulls back, I see the tears spiking her eyelashes. “I almost died. And I would’ve never been able to kiss you again.”
A part of the wall around my heart crumbles and turns to dust. “You can kiss me whenever you want, Ivy. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Take me to bed, Eric.”
The moment stands still. I want that more than anything. But I refuse to take advantage of her during a moment of weakness. “Ivy—”
“I want you to fuck me. Now.”
