Suddenly terrified at the prospect of falling to my death, I closed my eyes and breathed until the fear waned.
When I opened them, my vision cleared, and I refocused on something in the distance. Two men arguing beneath the lemon tree, one I knew intimately and one I recognized only because of his likeness to his son.
Landon’s father grabbed his arm, hauling him forward so he was right in his face. I stepped without thinking, then locked my arms around the beam to hold myself steady. I needed to get my cypher and get down there. I searched around for any sign of Kingston, or even Max, but I didn’t see them anywhere.
On unsteady legs, I reached the altar on the final landing and found boxes inscribed with our names.
I pulled the scrap of paper out of the one marked with mine, added it to my collection in my crossbody, and used my inhaler again for good measure.
That probably wasn’t recommended, but since I’d used my daily one like a rescue inhaler for a year, I figured it couldn’t be worse than that. Plus, I was panicking.
And I didn’t know why.
Landon’s father, like Kingston’s, had been a question mark. An unseen threat who made Landon uneasy. Whatever his intentions with his son were, I didn’t trust them.
I wanted to be closer to him, even if I had no idea how I’d help him if he needed it.
When I turned around to start my climb back down, Landon’s father had Landon’s bicep gripped tightly, and he was pulling him away from the tree.
I watched helplessly as Landon wrenched his arm free, making it to the third landing without an issue before crossing paths with Angela and Vivian.
They both noticed my distraction, but Angela touched my arm. “Are you okay?”
Unable to do anything but croak out a weak yes, I moved around them and kept descending the structure. On the second landing, I checked again for a sign of Kingston or Max. Heck, I’d even take Morty if the universe offered him up to help Landon.
Relief rushed through me when Kingston and Max appeared at the tree line.
“Kingston!” I cried out, but it was too far, and I wasn’t sure he could hear me. “Landon!”
Murmurs from the crowd below assured me I drew attention to myself and him, but I didn’t care. I wanted them to pay attention. I wanted them to intervene.
One parent moved, but a harsh voice called out, and they froze in place. I scanned the crowd and spotted her.
Vivian’s mother.
She had one hand up, halting the would-be Good Samaritan in place. Her ice-blue eyes glinted in the sunlight, and she stared at the structure, searching until she found me.
I met her piercing stare with hatred burning in my chest.
That bitch had already come between me and Max.
Now, she was going to let Landon get dragged away by his father while I watched.
When her red lips curved into a cruel smirk, realization dawned on me. She wanted to get in my head, even if I had no idea why it mattered, I refused to give her the satisfaction.
Wind whipped my hair into my face, and I shoved it away.
I turned back to Landon.
He stood his ground in front of his father, and I forced myself to calm down. I wasn’t that far from the ground, and if I finished the course, I could get to him.
Plus, I’d been panicking for no reason.
Landon was fine.
“Breathe, Maiden.” I imagined his voice reminding me of that when I needed him, and I took a few breaths until my heart rate slowed. “He’s alright.”
Shaking my head, I let go of the beam a moment too soon.
