“I’ve been trying your phone—”
“It’s gone. Along with my purse, keys, and credit cards.”
Her eyes opened wide as she gaped at me. “Oh—”
“But I’m alive. That’s a win in my book.”
She visibly swallowed. “Yeah. Yeah. But when I saw you climbing down that balcony, I thought I was going to die. What the hell were you thinking? You were eighteen floors up!”
“That I was going to burn to death.” Then I realized what she was saying. “What are you talking about, when you saw? How did you see?”
She stared at me, her eyes suddenly wide. “Um, you don’t know. Right. Because you probably had bigger things on your mind.”
“Like not burning to death. What don’t I know?”
“Um, well, we don’t have to—”
“Rachel!”
She held up her phone. “It’s on the news. And social media.” Right there, full screen on her phone, was me climbing down the balcony I was on, and Jake practically falling out of his as he caught me.
Wow. That was an awesome picture. I couldn’t help staring at it, wondering about the identity of the woman being so heroically rescued by Jake. It didn’t compute that it was me. That—
“Look, I know this is a lot,” Rachel said, “but there are journalists out in the hallway. So, um, before we leave, do you want to use some makeup? Or just keep with the smoky look?”
Chapter Nine
Jake
Sweat beaded between my shoulder blades, but my focus was crystal clear. Ellie was above me, her pert behind flexed as she climbed down the outside of the balcony railing. I stretched up, blinking as sweat burned in my eyes. I fought a cough, the smoke like acid in my lungs, but my whole attention was on her.
“Come on, Ellie! I’ve got you!”
And I did. My hands were stretched upward. Just a few more inches and I’d get her. Ben clung to my side, and I didn’t dislodge him. He was terrified. Besides, I had this. I could snatch Ellie out of the air, even though I was leaning dangerously far over the edge of our balcony. The railing would hold. I would catch her. Everything would be fine.
I saw her commit. She grabbed on to the rope, but she didn’t have the strength to hold herself.
No problem. I could do this. I was an elite athlete at the top of my game.
Ellie fumbled and slid, her scream echoing in my head.
I reached. I touched her.
And I fumbled.
There was no strength in my hands. I touched her. I held her. But I couldn’t keep her. I scrambled with hands, feet, hell, any part of my body that could hold on. But I grasped nothing. I felt nothing.
She slipped through my hands and fell. Her scream echoed over and over, and I bellowed her name.
“Ellie!”
I jolted forward, reaching desperately though I knew she was too far away. I saw her face though. Disgust. Horror. Fury.
And then I woke up.
I burst into consciousness as if I’d been kicked. And maybe I had been, because my ribs burned with a jagged pain made worse when I started coughing. I flopped back onto the sheets, my head aching as I realized the stiff cotton was wet from my sweat.
Nightmare. Just a nightmare.
