Page 47 of Till Death

I’d never been the best at puzzles. And forget riddles. Those were the worst

Kay stared at me, uncertain. Struggling to breathe. “Jade?”

Oh yeah, that bullet was going straight through Amon whether it killed him or not. Just for my own personal pleasure. I might even get a giggle or two out of it.

“I’m trying to think,” I said. “Not to scare you, but I’m not really coming up with anything.”

“You will.” Worry creased her forehead regardless.

I sent Bertha away and dropped down to a knee, making sure to keep steady as I patted around the ever-tightening bottom line of rope. “Okay.” I blew out a breath. “Let’s see what we can do here.”

I didn’t expect it to be easy, but I definitely thought Amon would at least give me a fighting chance to save my friend instead of making it close to impossible.

The same way he told you that saving Cole was impossible.

Everything in me trembled as I began to pull at the ropes. Looking for a loose spot or any sort of weakness. Of course, unlike the ropes on the side of the bridge, these were probably made of some kind of iron ore: no budging.

Would demon fire do the trick? Honestly, if I had a way to harness some of Cole’s power, then I’d use it now to help Kay.

Kay glanced down at me. “Keep going. Whatever you’re doing, keep doing it. We’ll find a way out of here.”

I hated the breathless way she sounded.

“I’m trying.” I nodded meekly. But if the ropes were enchanted against any Heaven-made objects, and I was the only one allowed on the bridge…

How the fuck did I save Kay?

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Ihad no clue what to do. Of course, I kept the thought to myself, because I didn’t want Kay to panic any more than she already was. She had way too much misplaced faith in me.

Especially not when the bridge began to tremble beneath our feet.

Like a timer letting me know the clock was running out.

Great, so not only did I have to figure out a way to beat the impossible, but I had a time limit, too.

Perfect.

“Okay, I’ve got to think.” I rocked back on my heels and stared at her like it would somehow give me an idea on my next step. Our next step. I refused to leave her and I knew the shaking was a warning.

Just like in the Trial.

What was this, some kind of infernal version of Heaven’s Trials? If so, it was nothing but crap.

“We’re going to get through this,” I said out loud.

“Why am I having a hard time trusting you, here?” Her laugh sounded shaky and her smile even more so. “You don’t sound very convincing.”

“Because I’m not,” I said.

Moving carefully, I stood on jelly knees and took a step back. I had Lisa’s gun on me but there was no way I’d use it to shoot at the ropes. I stood too great a chance of injuring Kay in the process.

My gaze passed over her, seeing the combination of determination and fear painting her face. Rule number one once we got out of here: never see that look on Kay’s face again and do whatever it took to keep her happy. If it meant an all-expenses paid vacation for her and the family, with money I didn’t have, then so be it.

She had risked everything for me.

No way would I let her down now.

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