Chapter 18 #4
Monica heard Baker talking to the pilot, directing him to come lower.
As soon as the rope was within reach, Baker slowly lowered her feet to the rocky ground.
She managed to hold back a wince when her already bruised and probably bleeding feet touched down.
Baker kept one arm around her, holding her steady as he grabbed the rope and, without a word, looped it over her head and under her arms. He wrapped her palms around the coarse rope and said, “No matter what, do not let go, understand?”
Monica wanted to roll her eyes. There was no way she was letting go of that rope.
“The ride won’t be that comfortable, but Pid’ll have you inside with him in a blink.”
Then he stepped back, waved his hand in a circle, and Monica felt tension on the rope. Suddenly her feet were off the ground and she was airborne.
Gasping in shock as the rope tightened uncomfortably around her back and under her arms, she did her best not to completely panic.
Still, looking down, she realized how precarious their situation was for the first time.
The light that Shane had brought with him was no longer in sight, having been swallowed by the same lava that had burned him alive.
But she didn’t need the light to know Baker was in deep shit.
The lava was slowly but surely closing in on him.
It seemed to be bubbling more aggressively than it had when she and Shane arrived.
Monica wasn’t sure why; maybe another vent had opened nearby?
Or the entire ground under them was about to open up?
She didn’t know. She only knew there was nowhere for Baker to go because he was surrounded by the deadly lava.
If Stuart didn’t get her into the helicopter quickly and lower the rope for his friend, Baker would certainly suffer the same fate as his ex-teammate.
Deciding looking up was preferable to watching the lava creep closer to Baker, Monica tilted her chin.
The chopper looked so far away, but she was indeed being pulled upward at an extremely fast rate.
Pid had to be tired after climbing up himself, but she’d never have guessed.
She felt the rapid jerks of the rope every time he pulled.
Before she knew it, she was approaching the skids.
Just when she thought she was going to hit her head on them, she stopped.
Her body was being buffeted back and forth from the power of the blades, and as she spun in a circle, she wondered how in the hell she was going to get inside the cabin of the chopper.
Then she nearly had a heart attack when Stuart climbed from the cabin and straddled one of the skids. She couldn’t see any safety harness around him either. He leaned down, keeping a firm grip on the doorjamb and held his other hand out to her.
Their gazes met, and Monica saw nothing but confidence in his.
He seemed to know exactly what he was doing.
Even though they were who-the-hell-knew-how-far above an active lava field, his friend was minutes away from burning to death, and Stuart was literally straddling a freaking helicopter skid bar, he looked calm and composed.
For a split second, a familiar memory flashed through Monica’s mind yet again.
Struggling to climb that wall when she was little, her dad impatiently waiting for her at the top.
She’d asked for help and he’d lowered his hand, just as Stuart was doing now.
What followed was the most pain she’d ever experienced in her life.
Even now, her left hand tingled as if in warning.
Trust no one but yourself.
Her father’s words echoed in her head. Monica froze as she stared at the fingers reaching for her. Then her gaze moved up the hand, up the arm, and locked onto his face once more.
This wasn’t her father.
It was Stuart. A man who’d proven time and time again that he wouldn’t hurt her. That she could trust him. And she did trust him. With her life.
And if she didn’t make a move right this second, Baker would die. She wasn’t going to let that happen.
Without another thought, Monica let go of the rope with her right hand and reached upward. Within seconds, she felt Stuart’s strong fingers around hers.
“I’ve got you!” he yelled.
And he did.
Stuart pulled her up using nothing but brute strength. Once she was kneeling on the skid, he maneuvered himself back up inside the cabin of the helicopter, without once letting go of her hand. Then she was inside too, in his arms, holding onto him and never wanting to let go.
But she had to. Baker was still in danger. She couldn’t be all needy when he was about to be swallowed by lava.
Monica forced herself to let go of Stuart. He stared at her for a split second with a look she couldn’t interpret, then quickly and efficiently removed the rope from around her. He turned back to the open door and dropped it once more.
Monica scooted backward until she was clear of the door. The last thing she wanted was to get in the way of Baker being able to get inside. She felt the chopper move, and panicked for a second because Baker wasn’t inside yet.
Stuart, as if feeling her apprehension, turned to her and yelled, “He’s on the rope, we just have to move because of the heat!”
Monica nodded and took a deep breath. She was safe. They were all safe.
She felt the difference when they were no longer over the lava field, the temperature in the air dropping considerably.
Within seconds, Baker’s head appeared in the doorway.
He climbed inside and moved forward on his hands and knees.
He nodded at Stuart, who shut the door. Immediately, the noise inside the cabin dropped by half.
It was still too loud to have any kind of conversation, but talking wasn’t high on her list of things to do right now.
As soon as the door was secured, Stuart came toward her. He dropped on his ass next to her and Monica immediately snuggled into him. As he pulled her onto his lap, she closed her eyes, sighing in contentment, every bone in her body relaxed. She was safe now. Stuart had her.