“You okay,” Derrick asked, encircling her waist with his arms.
She afforded him an unconvincing nod, gulping in the process, her hands sweating. She knew she didn’t have to hold on, but the instructor had told her to be careful that no part of her skin touched the line. So what if her hand slipped out of the glove?
The guide stepped in front of her. “It’s no different than the others, Mrs. Ashton. Just let the harness do all the work. Lean back in the cannonball position we showed you, point your toes downward, and have fun.”
Kris gave another nod and stepped forward, but then turned to Derrick. “Maybe you should do this one first?” she suggested.
Derrick pressed his hand to her cheek. “You’ll be fine, love. Just keep your eyes forward. Focus on Mount Washington.” He gave her a wink. “Pretend you’re gazing out at the trees from our suite.”
She smiled and huffed out a breath. “Maybe I’ll just rappel down. I handled the rappelling okay.”
“But how would you get to the next platform?” Derrick suggested.
“You go first,” she insisted again. “That way you can catch me if I fall—I mean, come in too quickly.”
The guide laughed, so obviously he thought nothing of her blunder. Of course, who would imagine that her husband was capable of jumping off a building and saving her?
Derrick stepped toward the front of the platform. “Okay, Kristina.” He chuckled along with the guide. “I’ll be waiting to catch you.”
The guide checked Derrick’s straps, and using the carabiner, hooked his harness onto the line. After getting an “all clear” from the guide on the opposite platform, Derrick whooshed over the expanse of trees, letting out a thrilled whoop for her benefit she assumed.
After a few minutes, the other guide’s voice came through the radio, signaling it was safe to send her down. Even though her heart pounded in her chest and her hands were still sweaty, Kris took a deep breath and let it out and then said through gritted teeth. “Okay. I’m ready.”
The guide didn’t respond. She turned, but saw nothing as a cloth covered her entire face. Unable to control her need to take a breath, she inhaled the ether-like odor, a sweet taste prickling her tongue. She tried to pull the glove-covered hand away, but to no avail. Obviously, this was the rogue. The world seemed to wobble before her eyes, and her legs felt non-existent. For a second, she wondered if she was even standing. Then the trees whooshed by her, but she heard no sound as if she’d gone deaf. Was she falling? Had the rogue just dropped her? She tried to scream for Derrick, but nothing left her throat, at least she didn’t think so, remembering she hadn’t heard the trees that jumped over her either.
Now the entire forest bobbed up and down, and she just wanted it to stop. Dizzy and feeling sick, she closed her eyes and just waited to hit the forest floor and die. Unfortunately, Derrick would not be able to save her this time.
Derrick. Tears burned her eyes, or maybe it was the chemical on the rag. Her husband would be alone forever. She attempted to lift her head, tried to fight, but it seemed her body wouldn’t obey. Then the sun flickered off and on, as if it were the fluorescent bulb in her kitchen. Dampness spread over her entire body, or was she drowning? The icy, dark water engulfed her.
That’s right, she remembered. She’d jumped off the Tobin Bridge, and she would die. It had all been a dream. None of it had been real. Derrick… his name… her Dark Angel had a name. He was real. Derrick, she repeated. Though again, she wasn’t sure if the word escaped her lips. She had to believe; she had to hold on for Derrick.
Chapter Thirty-four
Michael called Victoria, but she didn’t answer. Next he called Jonas, ready to confront him. He didn’t have a problem with him being back, but they needed to make a decision. He had no intention of fighting with his best friend over Victoria’s affection. And Ry, well, he could just give it up. He was too young anyway. And Vic thought nothing of him but a kid brother. Hell, she probably thought of Michael as a brother too, but he could remedy that.
Jonas’ cell phone went to voicemail as well. “Damn!” He hated thinking what that might mean. He searched his phone contacts and found Ry’s number and touched the name.
“Yo, what’s up, Mike?” Ryan answered. “I was just in the middle of something.”
Michael heard Ry’s car door slam. “Have you seen your brother?”
“Nah. Not since last night. We pulling same shifts tonight?”
“Yeah,” Michael answered. “How about Vic? I can’t reach her either.”
Ry laughed through the phone line. “Oh, I get it. You think they’re together. That maybe Jonas is comforting her after telling her where the newlyweds went.”
Michael stopped walking toward his vehicle. “How do you know where they went?”
“We overheard them yesterday after the meeting. I think since Derrick is with a human, he forgets that we can hear him.”
Continuing his tread to the car, Michael hopped in, irritated. “Hey, you want to go out tonight, Ry? I have one thing I have to handle, but then I can meet you downtown around ten-ish.”
“What about watching?”
“I don’t think we’ll see any action tonight, but come dressed though.”
Ry clucked his tongue. “I’m in the middle of something. I’ll call you later this afternoon if I have time.”
“Sounds good,” Michael told him. “As I said, I won’t be available until ten-ish anyway.” Michael looked at the time on his phone. One-thirty, he had just enough time.
At ten o’clock, Michael turned his phone on. He had several missed calls from Derrick and his father, but he wasn’t in the mood. It’d been a long day. He tried again to reach Ry, Vic, or Jonas. What the hell were they doing, he wondered. He needed company, preferably of the female persuasion. He lifted his phone and searched through the contacts again, Rebecca would do well. She was fun, cute, and she generally wanted to be with him.
The thought that Victoria could be off with Jonas somewhere burned his insides. He thought he could just let her go if Jonas wanted her, but now he felt otherwise. The current situation he was in allowed no time for screwing around, he knew, but if he didn’t act quickly, he could lose her forever.
Would jealousy work? he wondered. Jonas had told her last night of both their interests, so maybe…
Rebecca picked up on the first ring. “I was hoping you’d call,” she drawled. He wasn’t certain where she’d picked up her slight southern drawl, but he had to admit, he liked it.
“Hey, Rebecca,” he chirped back. “You still up for that drink?”
“Sure,” she answered without hesitation. Too hastily. No challenge. He sighed inwardly, wondering why he needed a challenge.
“Meet me at the pub at ten-thirty.”
“I’ll be there.”
As soon as he hung up, he clicked Victoria’s number again. No answer, of course. Maybe she and Jonas had skipped town together. “Hey. Meet me at the pub round ten-thirty, so we can discuss this evening’s route.” He clicked end, ran his vehicle through a car wash, and then headed to meet Rebecca. He hated even the slightest bit of dust on his Charger. She was his baby, the one woman who could do no wrong.
Chapter Thirty-five
Vic sat across from Jonas, thinking how good he looked, wondering why she couldn’t fall. They sure gave it a good shot. And it’s not to say that she could never fall for him, but evidently, she had to get her head screwed on straight first. Still, she did appreciate what a good-looking man he was. She hated to think it was true, but after her attraction to Derrick, and Ry’s confession, she had to believe that their heritage is what drew her to them, even though a human man had never turned her on. She could never be attracted to a man who was weaker than she was.