Page 17 of Emma's Element

“Joey. You can do this,” she encouraged him. “I’m not going to let you fall, and neither is my friend up top. You can trust me. I’ve done these rescues hundreds of times. I climb all the time and what you are going to do right now is fairly simple. All you have to do is sit back in the harness and hold on to the rope. The rest of the work will be done by my friend.” To calm his fear, she explained how he’d be secure in his harness to the rope while showing him a few of the intricate knots. He wasn’t going anywhere but up. Now, if she could just get him to let go of the staircase.

His wide eyes met hers, distress evident. “It will be okay. I know you’re scared, but you are safe with us. I do this for a living. Ever hear of the Nighthawks?” She could see recognition in his eyes now. “Yup. I’m one of them, you can trust me. Think of the story you’ll be able to tell your friends. But first, you have to let go and grab the rope. Think you can do that?”

He nodded and loosened one hand from its grip on the wood. He quickly grabbed the rope, the other hand following the first, his knuckles turned white with the force of his grip. Emma kept a hand on his back to steady him. “Ready?” When he nodded, she called up to Marcus, and the second teenager was slowly pulled to the top.

Sighing in relief as Joey was lifted over the edge to safety, she moved away from the crumbling staircase to make her way back up. No sooner had she moved when the earth gave up its hold on the stairs. Wood, dirt, and debris slid down to crash into the water; a tremendous reverberation echoed through the night.

Chapter seven

AfterMarcushadpulledthe first boy to the top and thrown the rope and harness back down to Emma, he sat him a safe distance from the edge. “You okay, kid?”

The teenager nodded then looked up at him, his eyes widening in shocked recognition. “Holy shit!”

Marcus chuckled. “Sit here. I’m going to help your friend up now.” The kid nodded in response, obviously in disbelief at seeing the famous Marcus Rayne. Marcus sighed.

He inched his way to the edge and listened for Emma’s call to pull the next boy up. The light faded while he waited. He knew that Emma was working fast, but it was taking longer than the first boy had. He could hear a few of Emma’s words drift towards him with the wind, and it sounded like she was trying to bolster the kid’s confidence. Her soothing tone would soon ease his fear. Finally, as the sun dipped behind the lake, Emma called for him to start pulling.

In no time, the second kid was up and sitting next to his friend, who whispered something to him. Then another ‘Holy shit.’ Shaking his head at the kids’ reaction to him, he made his way back to the edge as a sickening sound of crunching and crashing wood rent the air.

In a panic, Marcus threw the rope to help Emma up. He glanced over the edge but didn’t see her. “Emma?” he called frantically.

No response.

His heart rate increased as his gut churned. Where was she? Had she fallen with the collapse of the rest of the staircase? “Emma!” he tried again. The boys must have sensed his concern and came up behind him.Oh, God!If she’d fallen, he’d never be able to get to her quickly. The rope wasn’t long enough, and he wasn’t confident that he could free climb down to her with the rough terrain. He needed the rest of the Nighthawks; he had called Graham, but it would take too long for them to arrive.

An image of a broken and bloody Emma lying at the bottom ran through his brain.No!He screamed internally, his entire being rejecting that thought. She was okay. She had to be; he couldn’t bear thinking of any other outcome.

Just as he was about to throw caution to the wind and start the climb down, he heard sirens in the distance.About time!It felt like hours since he’d placed the call to 911. They couldn’t get here quickly enough for him, though. They needed to get to Emma. He had convinced himself she was hurt, and that was why she couldn’t answer him. It was so dark now he could barely make out the edge of the bluff. They’d need lights to search for her.

“Marcus?” Logan’s voice called to him from the darkness.Thank God.He forgot Logan lived nearby.

“Over here,” he called, not taking his eyes off the craggy precipice. When Logan reached him, Marcus explained the situation. Logan immediately threw his pack to the ground to pull out his equipment.

Trying to keep his panic and worry at bay, he called to her one last time. “Emma!”

“What?” she replied, mere feet from him. He virtually jumped out of his skin. Having been so focused on trying to spot her that he hadn’t noticed that she’d returned.

“Holy shit,” one of the boys said. That was an understatement, Marcus thought. “How’d you do that?”

“What?” she asked, clearly confused by their stunned reactions. Marcus stood there on wobbly legs; his eyes drifting closed as he breathed in a shuddery breath. He was unable to form a coherent thought as the relief set in.

“How’d you get back up here?” the second boy asked.

“I climbed,” she said simply as if people did it all the time.

“Holy shit,” the first boy said again. Then they both erupted in laughter, and Emma shook her head at them in exasperation. Logan smirked while he pulled the boys away from the edge.

Emma’s gaze darted to Marcus, a mix of confusion and worry in their dark depths as the first responders finally arrived. For his part, Marcus couldn’t think. The relief in knowing she was safe and not lying broken at the bottom of the cliff was overwhelming. He’d analyze why his reaction had been so visceral later. First, he had to get his emotions under control and face the barrage of questions and curious glances from the first responders and onlookers who’d come out of their homes to investigate the commotion.

But of course, Emma being Emma, had understood that he would dread the attention. “Stay here,” she whispered to him. She turned to join Logan as he led the boys away, but he caught her hand. Squeezing his hand, she sent him a soft smile over her shoulder. That small upturn of her lips shot straight to his heart. He tightened his hold briefly, then forced himself to let her go meet the first responders. She leaned in close to the kids, whispering something. Whatever it was, it seemed as if they agreed with her.

As Emma consulted with the first responders, he stood in the shadows. The boys, who now each had a set of parents hovering nearby, were checked over by EMS, but Marcus only had eyes for Emma. She was amazing. Confident. Strong. And protective. If he wasn’t careful, he could fall for her. Easily. Especially if his reaction when he’d thought he’d lost her was any indication.

Looking down at his shaking hands still holding the rope, a foreign sensation flooded through him, something he’d never felt and had no desire ever to feel again. He dropped the rope and placed a hand on a tree for support. He took a deep, shuddering breath, attempting to slow his still racing heart. He’d performed hundreds of his own stunts and had never once had a reaction to fear as he did in those few moments when he’d thought Emma had fallen. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew the risks her job could entail, but it was who she was. She’d never give that up, and he’d never ask her to. He never imagined how difficult it would be to watch someone he cared about put themselves at risk, no matter how capable they were.

But more importantly, even though it was dangerous, she was damn good at it. She’d proven tonight how competent she was, and he was in awe of her while at the same time scared out of his mind for her.

Finally, the first responders had packed up and left, and the onlookers had all returned to their homes. Logan also had left after a few words with Emma. She was making her way back to him, straining her eyes to spot him against the fading twilight. He straightened away from the tree he was leaning against and met her. Unable to help himself, he pulled her into his arms in a tight hug and breathed in her strawberry vanilla scent, reassuring himself that she was okay.

---