I toss onto my back the backpack that has my tent rolled up and clipped to it. Then, I grab Lorelei’s from her, which has a cooking pot attached to it, and slip my arms through it so that it’s on my chest. I finagle the bags around and lean in as close as I can to her and say, “I’m going to climb up with our stuff, and then I will come back down for you. We’ve got this. Everything will be okay. If Gabriel and Anders are doing this, it’s for a reason. I trust them.”
She begins to say something else, but I need to be quick, so I reach for the rope, the end of it dangling right at my kneecaps. I climb, my stomach dipping at the swaying motion. The closer I get to the helicopter, the harder it is to climb. The rope sways even more as I push through the force of the wind the blades are creating. I reach the top, and Gabriel and Anders help hoist me onto the helicopter. It’s impossible to talk without a headset, so Anders holds up his phone, and I scroll through articles stating that I was out here hiking and camping that leaked this morning. Then, Anders types that people are hiking out here to meet me and that others are gathered around my car in the lot at the head of the trail.
Curses rip through my head as I chunk the bags off me. How did this happen? Only a handful of people knew we were coming here. I’ve gone a few months without being noticed here in Mississippi. Why now? What changed? Karin? Is this her doing somehow?
Breathe, Finley. Let’s get out of here first.
I take Anders’ phone from him and type that I need to go back for Lorelei and I need a headset for her. He hands one over to me,and as I go to step down the ladder, I notice Lorelei is mid-way hanging on for dear life, a look of unadulterated terror covering her face. Cursing once more, I quickly climb down, moving around to the opposite side of the rope ladder. Once I reach her, our faces across from each other through one of the rung spaces, I loop one arm through the ladder and take the headset off, using one hand to place it over her ears. Which is as difficult as you can imagine it would be. Her hair is a disaster once I finally get both earpieces on her.
Her knuckles are white against the rope. I motion upward, telling her she has to climb. She shakes her head with enough force to swing the rope. Her eyes bulge with fear. I mouth, “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”
She tilts her head in confusion, but I look up where Anders and Gabriel are poking their heads out the door. I signal for them to pull the rope, and they give me the okay sign.
Making sure my feet and hands are secure, I move around the ladder so that I’m pressing against Lorelei’s back, forming a cage around her. I place my hands over hers and tuck my knees into the dip of her legs, creating a seat of sorts for her. At that moment, the rope is jerked. Lorelei goes still underneath me, and I wish I could whisper in her ear that I have her. I hope she feels every ounce of me pressed against her right now. She’s safe. Even if she let go, she’d fall against me.
The rope jerks again and again as we are hauled up. Once we reach the top, I force Lorelei’s fingers to free the rope as my PPOs reach for her. She takes their hands and they lift her onto the helicopter before they grab me.
Once we are both on safely, I face Lorelei, whose face is abnormally pale, tears springing in her eyes as she breathes erratically. I open my arms for her, and she topples onto me, her arms wrapping around my waist and squeezing as if she’s still on the rope and may fall. She sobs into my chest, and I press one hand into her mid back while the other tangles into her hair. We stand there for a moment before Gabriel gently places a hand on my shoulder, indicating that we should get going.
Desperate to know the answer, I pull out my phone and type out the words: Why did you climb?
She looks at me through watering, hazel eyes as she takes my phone and types underneath my question: I couldn’t stand the thought of not pulling my weight to help out your heavy load.
My heart simultaneously leaps and sinks. She was thinking of me. Thinking of helping me. Even though the sound was deafening, she braved it. She took a step. She started the climb for me.
Little does she know that I would haul her anywhere, though. That I would climb a million rope ladders to keep her safe and at peace.
I love her, and by her actions today, I think—
I think she might love me, too, even if she can’t admit it yet.
She climbed the ladder…
Finding too much meaning within the clouds, I strap Lorelei into a seat, then I sit next to her and hold her hand the entire time on the ride back to Juniper Grove.
Lorelei opts to have her communication capabilities silenced in her headset, so I communicate with Gabriel and Anders through our headsets as they fill me in on the totality of the situation.Someone leaked that I was here, they haven’t found the source yet, we will come back for my car the moment everyone clears, Lorelei’s face is in the tabloids as the woman I am dating, Mamma is livid, Karin has nothing to do with this one, and Father is wanting me to come back home until things blow over.
And he wants me to bring Lorelei.
Chapter Twenty
Finley
Igrit my teeth as I read Lucy’s text.
Reporters are outside the apartment again. I’m going out as Lorelei with Karoline by my side while Hadley escorts my sister to work. She is refusing to stay home again.
This is all my fault.
Though, I technically know it isn’t. It’s been three days, and we still haven’t figured out who leaked the information. After questioning our friends, which we didn't suspect at all but still needed to be sure, we turned it over to my capable PPOs to do the digging. At this point, I think I need to ask the local police to step in to keep reporters off Lorelei and Lucy’s doorstep.
Meanwhile, I’m now tucked away in Mason’s vacation home. I asked the twins if they’d like to move in here for a little while, but Lorelei said no, even at Lucy’s nudging. It would be too much of a routine change for her right now when she needs her routines themost. Karoline and Hadley have been on rotation making sure the girls are safe; Braxton, Mason and I are stepping in when needed. Well, I’m stepping in because Lorelei is my girlfriend, and I dare anyone to try and attack her or get pictures of her without her permission.
Watch out, world. Angry Prince of Hearts is coming out to play.
I’m so grateful for Lucy. She’s been generous with her time and energy, pretending to be her sister to distract reporters. I’ll definitely have to do something to help her with her writing career after this.
My phone buzzes; Father is calling.
