Page 149 of Rest In Pieces

She stares at me, and I see it in her eyes—she knows I won’t give in. She nods as I wait for them to tell me they’re ready.

“This is gonna get bumpy, but I promise if you don’t let go, I won’t let go.”

“I won’t let go,” she replies right away.

I reach up and grip her waist with one hand, needing to hold her. A moment of calm washes over me.

“All right, G. Get ready and give us a shout when you’re set,” Havoc shouts.

I look down at the inflating mat slowly taking shape and blow out a hard breath.

“Time for cuddles.”

She laughs, which is exactly what I wanted. I know she’s scared. Hell, I’m scared, too, but I vow to get her out of here. And when I do, I’m sliding a ring on her finger.

“Alright, grab your rope while I steady you so we can turn you.”

She does as I ask while I keep her pinned against the cliff.

“Okay, good. Now, as soon as you’re ready, I want you to wrap your arms and legs around me. Grab my collar if you need to. Choking is the least of my worries. I’m going to have to hold the rope with both hands. If you start to slip, shout for them to stop so I can readjust you, okay?”

She nods anxiously before reaching around and wrapping her arms around my neck. A second later, her legs are around my waist, and her ankles are crossed behind my back.

I grab the rope with both hands, bury my face in her neck for a moment, and breathe her in.

“Go, go, go!” I yell.

A second later, the rope is pulled. I lean back so my feet are against the cliff and walk up it as they pull us up. My arms are shaking, but my grip doesn’t falter. I can feel Amity trembling in my arms, but she doesn’t slip. I know it’s taking everything in her not to.

It feels like forever before hands are grabbing my arms and Amity, pulling us over the edge of the cliff to safety. I hit the ground on my back and stare up at the sky, dazed for a moment.

Blade looks down over me. “You did good, G. Real good.” He offers me his hand and helps me up.

I look for Amity and find her. Her head’s resting in Havoc’s lap as Hannibal checks her arm. I walk over to sit beside her, slapping Havoc on the shoulder as I do. “Thank you, brother.”

“I’d say anytime, but that’s a lie. If you ever do this to me again, I swear I’ll kill you. No wonder Blade quit,” he teases, making Amity laugh before she cries out in pain.

“Sorry, Amity. I can pop your shoulder back in, but I can’t do anything about your wrist. We need to get you to the hospital.”

“That’s okay. They have drugs. I like drugs,” she says, with a nod.

“Havoc, can you help her sit up? Sorry, honey, this is going to hurt like hell,” Hannibal warns.

“Not my first dislocated shoulder. It’s okay, Hannibal. Just do it.”

I squeeze her good hand as he works to get her shoulder back in place. I cringe when it pops, and she lets out a painful cry. She thanks him after, looking a little relieved.

“Let’s get you loaded into the truck.” Blade walks over and offers Amity a hand up like he did me. Once she’s on her feet,he gently wraps his arms around her. “You took ten years off my life.”

She rests her head against his chest for a minute. “I’m okay, Blade. Promise. G saved me.” She looks around at the club that turned up for her today, each of them coming over to hug her gently. “And you all saved us both. I don’t even have the words… you’re all my heroes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all more than you’ll ever know,” she says, her voice trembling and her eyes full of tears.

Crane waves a hand in front of his eyes, his voice choked. “Damn, I must’ve got smoke in my eyes.”

The brothers all laugh as I take Amity from Blade and lift her into my arms. “Thank you for holding on,” I murmur, pressing a kiss to her nose.

She buries her head under my jaw and whispers, “Thank you for not letting go.”

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