Chapter 30
Maya
That wasn’t supposed to happen.
The terrifying Giant was supposed to get knocked out, yes.
But not—
“Soren!” I race to the edge of the balcony, pain and fear consuming my lungs, coating my stomach, threatening to choke me. “Please, no.” I plead with the night sky as I search for him. What if he’s—
“Miss me?” He’s twelve feet down, hanging treacherously by the rope that’s wrapped around his foot, but despite that, he still beams up at me with that familiar smirk.
“What were you thinking?” I scream, aware it’s the wrong reaction for the moment.
He grunts as he reaches up to grab the rope wrapped around his foot, the only thing keeping him from falling to his death. But his fingers are still a few inches away. Oh gosh, what if it doesn’t hold him until he can grab it and pull himself up?
“Grab the rope!” I yell.
“I’m trying!”
I glance around for something to save the man I love. I can’t pause and evaluate that emotion because his life is literally hanging in the balance, but it’s true. I love him. Over and over, again and again, I love him.
He reaches for the rope at his foot and misses. “Why are my nails pink?” he asks.
“Bella.”
“It’s not bad.”
“She did some of her best work.” My mouth is moving; words are coming out.
Words that don’t make any sense because how are we joking about nails at a time like this?
That’s the funny thing about the end: time slows and little things seem to matter far more than they should.
I love the way he’s always protected me.
How weird he is about his nose being touched.
How he’d give the shirt off his back to anyone, but also might steal a shirt right off someone else.
“I can’t find anything,” Bella says, yanking me back to the harsh reality.
She runs up to me, grabbing onto the rail like she’s going to spider monkey her way to save him.
I hold on to her so she can’t, but more so to keep myself in place, too.
My heart is no longer in my chest; it’s down there, swinging dangerously around with him.
“Hold on, we are going to find something…”
“You can’t pull me up.” His words come out with more struggle.
“Yes, we will.” Tears slip down my cheeks without warning. “Because I love you.”
“Really?” Bella looks up at me in disbelief. “You’re doing this now? Read the room, girl.”
Soren laughs, but the sound is weird, almost gone from the pressure of extra blood to his brain. And what about his cut? How badly is he bleeding? Is he going to bleed out? I have to keep him with me.
“Do you hear me? I love you, Soren Stapely!” I shout.
“I hear you, sweetheart.” His voice is a terrifying whisper that feels like it’s drifting away.
“I thought his name was Derek,” Bella says.
“Hold on.” Tears clog my throat as I plead with him to stay. “Do not leave me again.”
“I… won’t…”
Wind whips my face, trying to steal the tears from my cheeks. I reach out to him as if I can stretch that far.
I never should have given the Giant the painting. Or maybe I should have given it to him sooner, when he first captured me. Whatever decision that would have kept Soren from this fate is what I should have done.
Soren swings back and fort—
Wait.
The swing.
I rush inside, tripping over the threshold, and again on the stairs as I race up the length of them.
My fingers tremble as I work the carabiner off the rope and around the pole, but I finally get it untangled.
I follow the swing down, running with it as fast as I can, not caring if I smash expensive things on my way out.
“Hurry!” Bella yells, and I pick up speed, careful not to slip on the slick surface.
“I got it,” I yell as I reach the balcony. I loop the rope around the pole, securing it with the carabiner, and drop the swing down.
“Ouch.”
Oh no. “Soren!” I yell, looking over the edge.
“I’m good,” he wheezes, but he’s now holding his head. He lets go to grab the disk, pulling his upper body onto it as much as he can. But that’s as far as he makes it.
My legs shake as I watch him struggle, unable to help him. “You have to climb.” My voice cracks. “I can’t pull you.”
“I will,” he says, “in a sec… just… lightheaded.” I watch in agony as he dangles precariously. His knuckles are white as he holds on for dear life. His eyes are closed, and his face is oddly relaxed. He looks like he’s going to pass out.
“Come on, Soren!” My voice seems to snap him awake, and he reaches one hand higher. He presses his feet against the building, using the angle to get himself high enough to plant his feet on the disk.
“I’m okay,” he says. “Just… need to rest… My arm hurts.”
The wind picks up, and I worry that one big gust may whip Soren away from the building. From me.
“Look!” Bella yells, trying to drag my attention away from Soren.
But I can’t. I can’t watch the love of my life fall to his death. He’s still too far down. I can’t grab him; I can’t help him. I can only watch and pray that each movement brings him closer to me.
“You can do this.” But my words are sucked out by the wind that’s grown increasingly stronger. My body feels like it’s on the verge of shutting down, unable to restart until he’s safe.
He reaches up again and seems to get a burst of energy because he doesn’t stop this time. He climbs higher and higher. The entire penthouse buzzes to life as I watch him climb higher. The buzzing grows louder and louder…
“He’s going to make it,” I whisper.
“Need a hand?” A very loud British voice pierces through the swirling night air.
I jump away from the railing, the gusts of wind nearly knocking me over. A helicopter? This close to the building? Is the man insane?
This must be Liam.
“Now he comes.” Soren lets out a chuckle as he nears the bottom of the balcony. He won’t be able to get over the high railing easily, but just as I think that, Soren uses the two inches of balcony outside the glass rail to jump, grab the top of the rail and pull himself up and over.
“What a showoff.” The man in the helicopter cackles.
Soren’s legs collapse, and he falls to the concrete in an exhausted heap. I drop to the ground beside him, and Bella beside me. Our weird little dysfunctional Christmas family. We survived… mostly.
Soren is breathing hard, and there’s a pool of blood seeping through his shirt at the shoulder. I pull up his shirt, trying not to cry when I see the deep, sickening gash.
“I’m okay,” he says, though I know it’s only to reassure me. He’s far from okay. He nearly died. He’s so weak from the exertion that he seems to fall asleep for a moment. I press my hands to the wound to staunch the flow.
“We could use some help down here!” I yell. Especially when the Giant wakes up. I can’t fight him again.
“I’m going to find somewhere to land,” Liam hollers. “Darling, would you take care of that mess on the ground?”
He better be referring to the Giant.
“It would be my pleasure,” a woman replies. A rope drops from the helicopter, and a woman climbs down, letting go halfway. She does a fancy little tuck and roll as she lands on the balcony.
“I told you to stop doing that!” Liam yells.
“It wasn’t even eight feet!” she hollers back.
“That’s like a hundred feet in your condition.”
Her condition? I’m utterly confused as the woman stands and brushes herself off.
No. I can’t be seeing that right. Is she pregnant? The bump is still small, but… come on!
“This is the coolest Christmas ever!” Bella cheers as the woman walks to where we are.
The helicopter finds a landing on the roof of the penthouse, and the engine cuts out, the night suddenly much too silent.
“You’re…” I can’t figure out which questions I want to ask first.
“With the FBI.” She stands to her impressive height and pulls her ponytail holder out of her hair, whipping it out like she’s some goddess in an old movie.
“Pregnant.” I finish my statement.
“Oh.” She looks down as if she forgot. “I am. Twin boys.”
This feels like a cosmic joke.
I was attempting to run from a thief wearing my fuzzy socks, and here she is—pregnant super agent. Life is utterly unfair.
I laugh because it must be a joke.
“Are you okay? Were you injured?” She narrows her eyes.
“Not today,” I say.
“Press this to the wound.” She passes me a wad of gauze, and I do as I’m told, not even questioning why she would have gauze with her. She’s the super agent. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started flying or disappeared into thin air next. “You all right, Soren?”
“I’ll survive.” He manages a thumbs-up. “Will you survive two more little Liams?”
“I’ve been asking myself that question ever since we found out.” She laughs, then steps over to the man lying on the ground. She taps his slime-and-flour-covered pants with her boot, staring at him intently. “What happened to him?”
“You don’t want to know.” I sigh. Mostly because I’m too exhausted and all I can do is hold Soren’s hand while he comes back to life. “Uh, thank you for saving us.”
She shrugs. “Looks like you had it mostly under control.”
She’s humble and kind, yet easily one of the most impressive women I have ever met. I love her.
“Can I help you arrest him?” Bella asks.
The woman purses her lips, then shrugs. “What the heck, it’s Christmas. Come on, kid. Wanna tell me what happened here?”
“Oh, do I have a story for you,” Bella says, latching onto the super agent. “But first, you’re going to want to arrest Mrs. Morrison.”
Bella got to watch Mrs. Morrison be arrested—through her telescope of course—and of all the things that have happened in the last two days, that made her giggle like the child she is.
For the next solid hour, Bella tells her story. In great detail. Leaving nothing out. Not even the kissing in the closet, which she saw via the security system.
Soren meets my eye, a smile in his even as Liam stitches his shoulder with a rudimentary kit that’s making me gag to watch. Bella, however, is enthralled, watching the entire operation with alarming intensity.
My leg bounces impatiently while I wait for a moment alone with Soren to discuss things.
Liam finishes, and Soren slips his shirt back on, to my utter disappointment. I will definitely have to find a way to get him out of that soon. Water, slime, baking ingredients… the options are limitless.
“You said the painting was for two girls?” Bella asks Soren, but it’s Liam who answers.
He washes his hands and then holds out his phone to her. On the screen is a picture of two little girls with long dark hair, hugging each other. “This is Lila and Lexi.”
Bella takes the phone, studying the picture as if she can see more there than the rest of us. “I hope they get some Christmas presents too.”
“I think they will be very happy,” Liam says gently. “Thank you for being brave and saving their painting.”
The little girl blushes. “I’m going to be an FBI agent when I grow up. Or a surgeon.”
“You’ll be utterly marvelous in whichever path you choose.”
The grin on her face is so big it’s almost scary. I’ve never seen her smile like that. And after last night, I feared I’d never see her smile again.
After today, I surely won’t, because I won’t be allowed anywhere near her. My stomach clenches with dread of what's to come.
“Well, we better get out of here,” Liam says with a yawn, picking up the painting next to Soren's seat. “Looks like I no longer need to pay you since I completed this job.”
“Funny.” Soren crosses his arms across his chest with a half scowl. “I was thinking I needed extra compensation for my troubles.”
“Seems like you got your bonus in the closet,” Liam says with a wink in my direction. “I’ve wondered when someone would finally catch up with him.”
My cheeks burn, and I bite down on my bottom lip.
Soren chuckles. “Sorry for bothering you on Christmas.”
“No bother. I got to take the new chopper for a spin. Worth it.” Liam grins and snakes an arm around his wife. “And now I’m going to treat this lady to the best day in the city she has ever had.”
“I used to live here,” she retorts. “There’s nothing I haven’t seen.”
“Fine. I’ll let you show me around then.” He looks at her with the real-life expression of heart eyes and presses a kiss to her cheek.
Bella sighs beside me. “He’s beautiful.”
Liam suppresses a smile and walks over to the little girl, reaching for her hand. She eagerly gives it to him, and he presses a kiss to her knuckles. “And so are you, darling.”
Bella falls into me, and I catch her.
Liam heads back to his wife, but I hear Bella whisper, “I love you.”
She's got it bad. Poor girl.
Liam and Serena head toward the stairs, and I find my voice after hours of remaining mute. “Liam, wait. I have somet—”
“What happened here?” The voice booms through the penthouse.
Oh goody, the Hartwells are home.