Chapter 35
“Okay, I’m beginning to think this was a really bad idea,” Emily said.
“Don’t worry,” I assured. “We’ll get out of here.”
She nodded, trying to convince herself of that.
“I guess congratulations are in order,” I said.
She gave me a blank look, then realized. Emily splayed her fingers and admired the sparkly gem. Uncertainty crept into her gaze. “Yes. I’m a lucky woman,” she said, trying to convince herself again.
I bit my tongue. “When’s the big day?”
“I don’t know. This all happened so fast, my head is still spinning.”
"You seem uncertain."
Her brow knitted. "No. I'm not uncertain at all. In fact, I've never been more certain about anything in my entire life."
Anything I said, she was going to say the opposite.
Off my look, she said, "Don't start. He's a really great guy.”
I raised my hands innocently. "I'm sure."
"You don't like him.”
"I think you could do better."
She lifted a sassy eyebrow. “Like who? You?”
“You’re not my type.”
She scoffed.
“Smart, sexy, brave…” I shook my head. “I like ‘em dumb and ugly.”
She gave me a skeptical look. "You just haven't gotten to know him like I know him. Sure, he can come off a little possessive and arrogant. But he's really sweet and caring at heart.”
"Hey, you don't have to sell me. I'm not the one signing on for life."
"You make it sound like a death sentence."
"For some people, it is. Choose wisely."
"What's that supposed to mean?”
"Just make sure he's everything you think he is."
"Nobody's perfect. Everybody wears a mask.”
I couldn't disagree with that.
"It takes time to see the real person,” she continued. “We all put on our best face.”
"So, you think you’ve seen beyond his mask?"
She nodded. "I think so.”
I smirked. She had no idea. "What would you do if you caught him cheating?"
Her brow wrinkled. "Ashton wouldn't cheat. It's not in his nature.”
I could barely contain my reaction.
“We talked about it. Honesty and trust are paramount in our relationship. I don't think you can have a successful relationship without trust.”
"Trust is a fundamental component of any relationship.”
My phone buzzed with a call, interrupting the moment. I pulled the device from my pocket. Cell service had obviously been restored to the area. I swiped the screen and held the phone to my ear.
"You still alive?" the sheriff asked.
"I'm not quite sure how, but we survived. How about you?”
"The area was mostly clear during the blast. There were a couple of bystanders who got hit with some debris. But no fatalities. Not yet, at least. Hopefully, no one else was in that building. What about your person?”
"We are going to need a body bag.”
The sheriff groaned. "What about Emily?”
“She’s fine.”
He breathed a little easier. “Okay. Tango One will be in position shortly. They'll drop a harness down. Looks like that's the only way out.”
"Hurry up. I don't think this structure is too stable.”
I ended the call and told Emily about our planned method of extraction.
"This might be a good time to tell you about my fear of heights."
I chuckled.
"It's not funny."
"I’m sure it's not," I said, raising my hands in surrender. "But you don't have any other choice, unless you want to stay up here until the building collapses.”
"I think I'll pass on that.”
The thump of rotor blades drew near.
I stood up, walked to the window frame, and waited for them to lower the harness. They hovered overhead and dropped it down.
I grabbed onto the frame and leaned out the window to grab the rope and pull the harness in. I secured Emily in the harness first. Once I was sure it was snug, I escorted her to the window frame.
She cringed as she peered out over the ledge. "Oh hell no!"
"No choice.”
She winced, and terror twisted her face.
The building jittered and groaned again. A slight shift, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood tall.
We didn’t have long.
Emily closed her eyes and stepped into the abyss. She swung from the window frame, and the helicopter pulled away slightly. The wench engaged and pulled her up. Deputies waited for her and pulled her into the cargo area when she reached them.
Once she was safely aboard, they dropped the harness back down.
The building rumbled again. The floor shifted. Concrete snapped and cracked.
This thing was going down.