“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay.” He sounded breathless now and I thought I heard his car engine in the background.
“I love you,” I blurted out.
“No, no. You are not saying that to me now,” he bit out harshly. “Not now. You’ll tell me later. Okay? You’ll tell me later.”
“Jared.”
“No. I’m coming for you.”
“Okay.” I sucked back a whimper, trying to focus past the terror.
“I have to call the emergency services. But I will phone you right back.”
Rationally, I knew Jared needed to do that. Even if the thought of letting go of his voice right now made me crumple inside. “Okay.”
“I’ll call you right back.”
When his voice disappeared, there was nothing but the wind whistling through the car, the gentle creak of it as it balanced precariously against what I could only assume was a rock jutting out of the hill. And the sea below might have been crashing gently against the hillside, but it would also gently kill me if the car fell in. I’d drown. A slow, tormenting way to go.
Panic tightened my chest and I forced my head away from the water. My door was obviously caught against the rock andif I tried to climb out of the window, the Wrangler would tip and take me with it. Turning to look out the opposite window, I saw the shadowy ascent of the hillside toward the road. My headlights cast a little glow at this angle, and I could see that it was a steep climb up. But maybe if I was fast enough, I could climb over the middle console and passenger seat and get out of the passenger side door before the Wrangler toppled?
It was too risky, wasn’t it?
But if I didn’t do something, if I just sat there, maybe that was riskier than anything.
Thirty-Seven
Jared
Iknew I would never forget the sound of terror in my wife’s voice. The threat of powerlessness nearly took me out at the knees. Was I really back here again? With the life of someone I loved hanging in the balance and me powerless to stop it?
But you’re not powerless, I snarled at myself as I gazed down at the Wrangler.
I’d just hung up on the emergency services after giving them the location.
My heart raced. I couldn’t wait.
Even in the dim moonlight, I could see how precarious Allegra’s position was. I fumbled with my phone.
Ironside picked up on the third ring. “Walker,” he clipped.
As quickly and concisely as I could, I explained the situation. “I’ve got rope and I’m going to tie it to the Defender and climb down there myself. I need you to get here as soon as possible … just in case something happens to me.”
“You should wait for help.”
“Would you? If it were Sloane?” I was already unraveling the rope that was attached to a hook with a locking mechanism I could snap onto a tow loop beneath the tailgate.
“Point taken. Send me your location.” He hung up.
I quickly shot him a text. Once the rope was locked to the SUV, I tied it around my waist. I grabbed the headlamp from my glove compartment. It lit up my path as I made my first steps down the steep hillside. Even my sturdy work boots skidded on rocks as I tried to ground myself. If Allegra knew I was there because of the light, I couldn’t tell. I couldn’t hear anything but the sea below and the pounding of my fucking heart.
I couldn’t think about her fear or how close I was to losing her.
I forced myself to focus on getting to my wife because it was the only thing stopping me from losing my fucking mind.
Halfway down the hillside, sweat lashed my back and my palms burned from the rope, but I could see her. The light from my headlamp washed over the Wrangler with my movements, and I caught glimpses of Allegra’s terrified expression.
It only made me more focused.
