A hiss, the safety bar digging into my stomach as our momentum shifted, and?—
Whoosh!
Oh, God. It was like we were shoved straight back down out of the sky. The mountainside blurred into the platform, and then the earth dropped away.
We were hanging over the canyon, feet dangling straight out in front of us.
Oh.
I clutched at the hydraulic lap bar, suddenly aware that it was the only thing keeping me in my seat; there was no backup safety harness or seatbelt, just—pressure? How did these things even work? Surely, they wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t safe, but…
I didn’t know if I trusted it quite this much.
Then we were swinging back the other way, the rush so intense I could’ve sworn I left my stomach behind. The ground flashed beneath our feet, and then it was gone. All I could see was the sky and a few puffy clouds, the height dizzying.
Dear God, we were practically upside-down.
I squeezed my eyes shut. “Ohmygod, oh f-fudge. No. No. No.” I was only vaguely aware that I was chanting, half-whimpering in fear.
Noah grabbed my hand and squeezed it. “You’ve got this, Faraday.”
I let out a little moan, unable to form rational thought, clinging to him for dear life.
We swung back over the cliffside again, the force pressing me into the bar, my breath catching as I was launched into the open air.
“Eeek!”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “Come on, open your eyes.”
I cracked one open.
The world stretched out beneath us, the canyon bathed in deep blue shadows, the last streaks of sunset painting the horizon. It was?—
Okay, fine.
It was breathtaking.
And also terrifying.
I exhaled, my grip loosening just a little.
Noah turned his head slightly, close enough that I could see the slant of his smirk. “Told you it’d be fun.”
“Well,” I said. “If there’s no risk, it’s just existing.”
LONG DAY…
By the time the gondola clicked into its dock at the base of the mountain, the park was closed, and the sun had dipped behind the trees.
And that’s when it hit me.
I had no idea where to go.
The spa group would be long gone. My itinerary? Stuffed somewhere in my suitcase—on the bus. Along with my charger, my snacks, and, apparently, my entire sense of direction.
I wasn’t panicking yet, but I would’ve gotten there eventually if Noah hadn’t steered me toward the curb. “Our ride’s here.”
Wait, what?
