Page 102 of Four Fiances & I

I used to be a damn good climber. I often climbed in and out of our old house where we lived with Tommy. He would try and control me, so I would escape to get pissed, knowing how much he hated it. When I wasn’t in the ring, I would be at a climbing centre near there. It’s been a good few years, but I’m willing to try. “Sean, come with me,” I snap, heading to the house.

“What are you going to do?” Christian calls as we head away from them.

“Give me a second, will you!” I yell back. “He’s just worried I’ll work out how to get in without him,” I mutter under my breath.

“Pack it in. The last thing we need is you winding him up. He’s already stressed as it is,” Sean sighs beside me. Always the diplomat, looking to keep the peace. Sometimes, I wish he would just take my side without trying to keep everyone happy.

“Whatever,” I sigh, stopping at the back of the house. Taking a few steps back, I look at Shorty’s room and see the shutter pushing against something. “What the fuck is that?” I ask, trying to get a clear view of what is stopping it from closing.

“We don’t know. Layton tried to climb up to have a look, but he couldn’t get close enough,” Sean answers, looking up at the window. The light is still on, and we know she is safely in her panic room. I never thought I would be grateful for Christian insisting we had it installed. There is no way anyone can get into it. There again, they weren’t meant to be able to get near the house, but here we are.

Walking up to the wall, I check out the drainpipe, brickwork, and exterior cladding.

“Could you climb it using the cladding and the pipe?” Sean asks beside me.

“Maybe,” I answer trying to work out the best route. I know my upper body strength isn’t what it was when I climbed a few times a week. But the thought of my Shorty up there alone is enough to give me the push to attempt it.

Taking a few steps back, I look to the first area I plan on placing my hands and feet before taking a run and jump. I get a grip on the cladding and look to the next place to position my hands and feet to climb a little higher.

“What the fuck?” I hear Logan curse below, but I’m too busy concentrating to respond.

“For fuck’s sake, please don’t break anything, the house or yourself,” Jason sighs. I look down and flip him off before making my way up the wall a little further.

“Should we get something to break his fall, just in case?” Layton asks.

“He won’t fall. If anyone can get up the side of the house to Jasmine, it’s Maximus.”

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said about me in a while, Christian,” I call back as I adjust my grip and lift myself a little higher.

“Don’t make me take it back,” I hear him sigh as I laugh before cursing as I lose my grip for a second.

“Fuck.”

All humour is lost for a few minutes as I manage to get a little higher and closer to the window. It’s not easy-going, and there are times I’m literally hanging on by my fingertips. If I stop for too long, people below start shouting out where they can see a gap I can use. It pains me when I realise I need to move away from Jasmine's window and head to Jason's because the way isn’t safe to keep going straight up.

“You’ve got this, Maximus, just a few more meters,” I hear Terry call up.

“Easy for you to say; your feet are planted firmly on the ground, old man!” I call back at the exact moment as my left hand slips from the gap in the wall. I hear a few people cry out as I hang from the wall quite literally by the fingertips of one hand. Taking a deep breath, I swing myself up and grab on with both hands again.

I manage to get to a ledge I can rest on while working out a game plan. I probably should have done that before climbing up here, but all I could think about was getting to my girl.

“What’s the plan, Maximus?” Jason calls up.

“I’m thinking,” I yell back as I find my feet. Leaning back as far as I dare, I look at the shutter to see if I can determine why it didn’t close. When I look, a piece of fabric and two car jacks catch my eye.

“This wasn’t a malfunction,” I call back as I try to think of how to get in that room without the shutter slamming down on me. “It’s been propped open. But I can't see any sign that they got in.” Once I’m sure I’m safe from falling to my death, I look down at those below. “Are we sure there is no one inside?”

“I’ve managed to access the inside cameras; the place is clear. The puppy is in the conservatory; Jasmine and Mrs Brown are both in their panic rooms,” Logan calls up.

“Are you armed?” Christian calls. I reach behind my back, where I usually keep my gun and stop. Looking down, I realise I’m still in my gym gear.

“I only have my knife. My gun’s in the car.” I look over to the window and put a plan together. “In the garden shed, there should be a bucket. Grab that and put the gun, a couple of screwdrivers and a hammer into it. We can get it to me using a rope. I’m sure there’s one in the shed or somewhere.” I watch as people all rush off to grab what I asked for.

“Logan, are the doors inside unlocked yet?” I remember Shorty saying something about the code on her door not working.

“No, but I’ve almost managed to reset them so that you can use a new code for now, and I will change them all once the building is safe.” I hold up my thumb to show I heard him before looking to the window again. If I hit the corner of the glass, the whole thing should shatter, and I’ll be able to knock it out so I can get inside.

“Maximus, Jazzy is the only one who can unlock the panic room. It’s done from the inside,” Jason calls. “When you enter her room, stand in front of the camera, and she should see you.”

---