Page 143 of Over the Edge

But she managed to keep her balance—until the toe of her shoe caught in a loose piece of grating and she stumbled.

The next instant, Dr. Oliver grabbed her arm.

“Anthony! Push her over! Be done with this!”

At Heidi’s cold, callous words, anger swelled inside Lindsey.

She hadn’t come this close to escaping to fail. If someone was destined to be pitched over the side, it wasn’t going to be her.

Swinging around, she went into attack mode.

She pummeled Dr. Oliver with her free fist. Dodged his blows. Writhed in his grasp after he latched onto her other arm. She fought him with every ounce of her strength as they bounced back and forth between the side railings on the ramp suspended high above the unforgiving concrete floor of the warehouse.

“Stop resisting ... Lindsey.” He panted the command, clearly winded by the exertion. “I’m stronger ... than you are.”

Maybe when he wasn’t sick.

But his skin was burning up.

And he also had an Achilles’ heel.

She latched onto the arm with the tattoo. The exact spot that had caused him to yowl in pain earlier when she’d touched him there.

It had the same effect this time, and he jerked free, raining curses on her.

Blocking out his vile obscenities, she prepared to bolt and take her chances with Heidi’s gun. It held a limited number of bullets, and unless the not-so-grieving widow had a superb aim, shooting in the dark would only waste ammunition.

But Dr. Oliver lunged at her before she could swivel around.

Somehow she managed to sidestep a full body slam on the narrow platform. But as she angled sideways to avoid him, he connected with her shoulder, tipping her off-balance.

A second later, he crashed into the railing headfirst, knocking a section of the rusted metal out as he fell to the ramp and lay unmoving, one limp arm hanging into the abyss.

Tremors ricocheted through the walkway from the impact, and Lindsey tottered. Tried to latch onto something. Anything.

Failed.

She pitched toward the gap in the railing, groping in empty air for a handhold as she fell toward the blackness, her scream echoing like a death knell in the silent, tomb-like warehouse.

THE WOMAN’S SCREAMchanged everything.

“Scrap the previous plan. We’re going in fast.” Heart pounding, Jack opened the door and dashed into the warehouse ahead of the two officers who’d accompanied him.

It was hard to see much in the darkness, but blindly sweeping flashlight beams around would pinpoint their location and put a bull’s-eye on them.

Fortunately, the click of rapid footsteps on metal helped him home in on the action.

A person was running up the steps to the catwalk. Too tall to be Lindsey, too thin to be Oliver.

It must be Heidi.

He scanned the length of the walkway suspended high above the floor of the warehouse, squinting at the metal structure as he tried to—

His lungs froze.

Lindsey was hanging from the edge of the ramp. Holding tight for the moment, but she wouldn’t be able to maintain her grip long if she was injured.

Above her, someone lay motionless. Had to be Oliver.

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