Allie took a fistful of Carter's shirt, with Margot pulling at his pants leg, and struggled desperately to keep him from being tossed over the edge.
As they fought, Allie heard a creaking, tearing noise, then the balcony railing broke out of the concrete due to all of the weight.
Allie lunged backward and hung onto Carter for dear life as the two brothers tumbled down. She didn't want to look, and she tried to ignore the sounds of sirens as she dragged Carter back from the ledge.
"My God," he said, blinking rapidly.
"Are you okay?" she asked him.
Carter nodded slowly. Blood streamed out of his nose.
"I have your laptop," he said.
"That's okay," Allie said soothingly.
"It was broken. I think my head's broken," Carter said, his voice nasally from the swelling on his face.
"You saved me," she told him, crying.
Margot licked at the wounds on his face.
They heard banging on the door to the condo.
"Police," they yelled. "Put your hand up!"
Allie held up her arms as the officers hurried into the master bedroom. Carter slumped against her.
"I don't feel so good," he murmured. "I think this is it for me."
The officers barked orders, but Allie could barely hear them over the ringing in her ears and the ache in her heart.
70
Carter
Carter drifted in and out of consciousness on the way to the hospital.
He was in so much pain. He didn't know you could bleed so much.
A few hours or days later, he wasn't sure, he woke up feeling more alert. His torso and head were tightly bandaged, and he was lying in a hospital bed.
His mother and Allie were talking.
"…notify her family," Nancy said.
"She doesn't really have family," Allie replied.
He didn't like Stacy, but he didn't want her to die. He felt sick about the whole business, and he drifted back to sleep, hoping to just forget.
"It wasn't your fault," the police detective said the next day when she came to talk to Carter. "Those men were there to kill someone. We have been able to recover her phone, and she was clearly colluding with them." The detective turned to the lawyers who were in the room as well.
"We aren't pressing any charges against your client."
When the lawyers left, Jack looked around, furious. His ire landed on Allie.
"This is your fault!" Jack snapped at her. "Carter could have died because you brought that horrible woman into our lives."
Harris looked sad. "Don't blame her. This tragedy is my fault. I take full responsibility."
