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I owe this man my life. Again. When we get out of this mess I put us in, I have some serious thinking to do. Right along with some serious groveling and a massive show of appreciation.
Once I’m around the corner, I can’t see Eric anymore and I hate it. His presence calms me and helps me to not be as terrified as I would be if I were alone. Sucking in a deep breath, fingernails digging into brick, I turn my head to see what I’m facing.
The brick wall extends all the way down the width of the hotel and looks about a million miles long. But my eyes lock on another option—there’s a maintenance ladder just within my reach. Sliding over a little more, repeating my “don’t look down” mantra, I grasp the metal bar and pull myself onto the ladder.
I can’t believe I’m about to go up higher, but my options are severely limited right now. At this point, moving up is far better than falling down.So here goes nothing,I think, and begin to climb.
Once I reach the top, it hits me damn hard that I just screwed up.Big time.Instead of stepping onto a flat rooftop, I’m looking at the upper part of the restaurant which is made up of endless glass panes.
There’s nowhere to go.
I suppose there is the terrifying possibility of climbing up onto the wrought iron ledge at the bottom of the slanted glass and making my way over.No, thank you.I don’t think it leads anywhere except to the edge and a massive drop to the street below.
As I’m about to turn around and start climbing back down, Eric appears, coming around the corner and looking up at me. He quickly grabs hold of the ladder and starts up.
“Eric, wait!” I call down. “There’s nowhere—” My voice trails off when he reaches the top in less than three seconds. “—to go.”
Bullets start peppering the air around us, pinging off the metal rungs and hitting the brick wall and we both duck.
“Go! Onto the glass!” Eric yells, shoving me forward.
Oh, hell.Heart thundering in terror, I lean back and let my butt hit the sloping glass behind me. My hands are slick with sweat and they slide over the smooth surface, searching for a place to grip, but there’s nothing.
“We gotta move, sweetness,” Eric urges me. “Flip onto your belly and keep making your way over, okay?”
But there aren’t any handholds!I want to scream. “Eric—”
“Give me your hand. I’ll help you turn.”
I extend my shaking hand and he helps me flip over. Now, I’m face down on the slanted glass, staring three floors down into the restaurant below. I’m up on my tippy toes, balancing on a ledge that’s maybe three inches wide, my palms flat and slippery, my thumping heart caught in my throat.
This is the scariest moment of my life. One wrong step and I’ll slip and go right over the edge.
Nope, can’t do it.I’d rather get shot. That way, I’ll already be dead before I plummet thirty-five floors to the hard concrete below.
My entire body freezes up, limbs locking up, and I’m on the verge of hyperventilating when Eric sidesteps over. Amidst the loud pops, he wraps his long fingers around my wrist and leans closer, saying, “C’mon, Ivy in the Sky. You’ve got this. Just move your feet. We’re going to sidestep and make our way over.”
“Over where?” I exclaim.
“You have to trust me.”
His steady, calm voice is full of a confidence I don’t feel. But, somehow, it reassures me and I release the breath I’m holding and manage to scoot over a bit. “Okay,” I whisper.
“That’s it. Good girl. Keep going. Just a little faster, okay?”
When a bullet cracks the glass near my face, I let out a squeal and freeze up again.
Eric’s hand tightens around my wrist. “I’ve got you,but you have to hurry. Move, Ivy!” he orders, voice now loud and commanding.
Huffing out a breath, a sudden determination fills me to get my ass moving. I can’t let Eric die up here. Can’t let him down. Not after I ditched him and he came to make sure I was safe anyway. And especially not after the night we shared together.
Because the truth is, I’m falling for him. At the speed of freaking light. And it’s scary as hell. Nothing like hanging off the side of a building with someone to open my eyes to what I’m missing in my life. There’s no sense in denying it or pretending I’m not attracted to him. No more avoiding the glaringly obvious truth: I’m falling in love with Flyboy and it feels exhilarating.
I imagine this is a similar feeling to being up in an airplane right before you step out into nothingness and go skydiving. Once we get off this damn glass rooftop and my feet are safely back down on solid ground, I’m going to take a leap of faith with Eric.
And I’m going to hope like hell my parachute opens, catches in the air currents, and allows us to float safely back down to Earth together.
Fortified by thoughts of the future and determined to see it happen, I make my way over as fast as I dare. When I reach the end, I take a deep breath, grateful and a little shocked I haven’t fallen or gotten a bullet in my back. Finally turning my face to look at Eric, I see he’s right with me. Who I don’t see any sign of are the thugs following us, and I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or a bad one. Because now we have no idea where they are.
