Page 7 of Lethal Danger

Jazz. Even her name was perfect. Though she’d probably never agree to let him use that in print, too. But either way, he’d just met the heroine of his next bestselling thriller novels.

A groan screeched his excitement to a halt.

The injured man’s hand moved as he moaned.

He was waking up.

Two

“Hurry. Lift him.” Jazz paused with the rope by the victim as the security guard took her cue and raised the passenger’s shoulders a few inches above the beams. Jazz quickly fed the rope under the man’s torso.

The security guard grabbed the other end as he lowered the victim.

“Wha—” The injured man’s head flailed side to side, his eyes widening.

“Sir, we need you to stay calm.” Jazz kept her voice steady while the security guard tied the rope around the victim’s chest.

The passenger let out a sound between a yelp and a groan. “My leg. It hurts!”

She glanced down at the left leg she’d noticed was at an odd angle when she’d approached. Probably broken.

She put her hand on the man’s chest, hoping to keep him in place. “I know you’re in pain. My name is Jazz, and this,” she glanced at the distractingly cute guard, “is a security guard.” She swung her gaze back to the panicked look on the victim’s face. “We’re here to help you and get you down.”

“Down? I’m still on this—” Expletives spilled from the man’s lips as he twisted his head and shoulders to see below. “Ahh!” The yell exploded from him as he recoiled and tried to plant his elbows behind him on the beams.

“Sir. Please hold still.” The security guard paired his gentle command with two hands planted on the passenger’s shoulders. “We will help you down as soon as we stabilize your leg and other injuries.”

Which would require a splint, bandages, stokes basket, and other equipment they didn’t have. The rescue squad would bring those items up when they arrived. But would the guy sit still that long?

“I can’t stay up here.” Fear tightened the passenger’s voice. “I’m getting down. Now.” He tried to twist from the guard’s hold.

The guard clamped down, muscles in his tanned arms cording as he pushed the man’s shoulders with enough force to make him lie down again. “It’d be better for you to lie still, sir. You have a head injury, and your leg may be broken.”

“I don’t care!” The passenger thrashed, straining to see below as he shrieked. “Gotta get off! Help!”

The guard leaned his body into the passenger’s torso, struggling to keep him from falling. The guard’s eyes flicked up to Jazz. A startling electric blue. No, maybe more of a teal color. Though this was hardly the time to be admiring the guy’s eyes.

She rallied her focus enough to realize the message those eyes were communicating. They had to get the man off the Ferris wheel now. Before he fell off. And maybe took one of them with him.

“Okay. I understand, sir.” She tried a sympathetic tone to reach the passenger through his panic. “We’ll get you down right now.”

The man kept twisting and struggling.

“Sir.” Jazz shifted closer. A risk, given the man’s arms flailing out from his body. “Sir.” She reached over the guard’s shoulder to touch the passenger’s frightened, twitching face. She placed her palm gently on his cheek.

He stopped. His widened brown eyes shifted to her face, holding steady as surprise pushed out some of the terror.

She smiled. “What’s your name?”

“Wienke. Bob.”

“Nice to meet you, Bob. I’m Jazz.” She figured he hadn’t heard a word she’d said earlier. “Would you like to see your wife and family now?” Just a guess, but maybe the woman who’d screamed when he had jumped was his wife.

Bob nodded under her hand.

“Good. I’m sure she wants to see you. I’m going to help you get off the ride right now so you can see your wife, okay?”

A flicker of fear reignited in his eyes.

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