And it would be dear life, I belatedly realized, because if the railing broke free from the building, then I would go over, too. Eighteen floors of screaming.
Fortunately, I didn’t have time to think too long about that. I’d barely nodded at Jake when he leaped with Ben in his arms.
I watched them as long as I could, and held tight as the railing jerked under their weight. But—thank God—it held. Jake and Ben swung down below me. I heard the clang as they hit the balcony one floor down. Or at least I thought I did. I couldn’t really see, because I was still bracing the railing. In my mind’s eye, I saw Ben climb to safety on the balcony below. And then, a moment later, Jake would be there, too. But the only way I knew for sure was that the weight on the blanket rope was suddenly gone.
I leaned over as much as I dared. Were they there? Were they safe? The blanket rope didn’t dangle down all the way. It disappeared onto the balcony.
“Jake!” I bellowed. “Jake!”
His head popped out a moment later, a big grin on his face. “Ellie!”
Alive. Safe.
I put my hand to my chest as if it would calm my racing heart.
He held up the untied end of the blanket. Right. He’d have freed Ben from the restraint. I smiled, too relieved that they were safe for me to do anything more than nod. But then Jake shouted something up at me and it took me a few moments before I understood what he was saying.
“Your turn!”
He held up the blanket and mimed me pulling up the thing and tying it around my waist.
I gaped at him. He couldn’t be serious. I was shaking my head, my heart in my throat. But he was smiling at me. Holding out his hands to me.
“I’ll catch… Trust me!”
He’d catch me? I wasn’t a freaking baseball. And we were eighteen stories up. My gaze went down to the street. I saw fire trucks and spotlights. I could wait—
The sliding door leading out to the balcony suddenly burst in an explosion of sound that dropped me to my knees. The only reason I survived the blast was because I was tucked to the side against the building. I’d been holding on to the railing, and now. Oh God. There was no more time.
I was on my knees, sobbing. I don’t know how long I crouched there, but I could hear Jake screaming my name, over and over.
“Ellie!”
Then I watched the blanket grow taut again. What the hell was he doing? The thought that he might be climbing up to me was both horrifying and reassuring. I wanted nothing more than to wait for him, but that was stupidly insane. He’d just have to climb down again. And we were eighteen stories up.
Why the hell did I keep repeating that number in my head?
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to grip the railing again. And once I felt the metal—searing hot—against my hand, I cried out and leaned over again.
Jake was there, looking up as he did something with the blanket. Damn it, he was going to try and climb up.
I shook my head. “You can’t! It’ll burn!”
With the railing growing hot, it was only a matter of time before Jake’s makeshift rope caught on fire. Sure it had been wet before, but that was done now. So…what could I do? I had no time left. The hotel room was completely engulfed. I had to go.
Death by burning alive? Or an eighteen-story plummet?
I picked the plummet. At least I’d be cool.
Without second-guessing myself, I grabbed the blanket rope and hauled hard on it. It came up easily, and pretty soon, I had enough to tie around my waist. There was no time for a fancy knot. I had to do this fast.
So I did.
My hands were shaking, my feet even more so, but the railing was painful against my skin, which helped force me to move.
So I did.
I climbed over the railing and shoved my feet into the space between the metal railing and the concrete balcony floor. I don’t think I would have let go of the metal if it hadn’t been burning my hands. Eventually it just became too hot. So I gripped the blanket instead. And then my feet slipped, and I screamed.
