Page 79 of Being Bold
The mirror-like finish on the glass building meant Bo could watch himself plummeting to his death. As he fell, the wind roared in his ears, tore at his clothes, and bit at his face. Even if his comms had been working, there was no way the team could’ve heard him over the powerful rushing noise.
He’d first noticed the damned thing wasn’t transmitting, only receiving, after screaming at Selene not to get in the elevator with those two men, and no one responded. He’d nearly ruined the op before it really began by breaking his cover until Herc intervened and squeezed in with her. As if not being next to Selene hadn’t been hard enough, the added comms issue had nearly sent him over the edge.
Things went downhill after that—literally, if you counted his current predicament. A laugh burst from his lips only to choke him as air rushed in.
Focus, Bo.
He wrestled against the wind, tugging off the suit jacket he’d borrowed when he’d taken out the mercenary who’d rough-handled Selene. As a SEAL, he’d learned to be prepared for anything. That was why he worked to free the parachute container strapped to his back.
While he struggled, his thoughts raced to how he could’ve done things differently. The outcomes burned in his gut. He’d followed Dao into the penthouse without a clear plan, waiting for an opportunity to get rid of the bastard. He hadn’t wanted to chance taking out Dao in the living room and having the rest of the men in the apartment coming after him and Selene. Notbefore he could get her out of there and the rest of his team arrived.
He couldn’t risk it with her in the crossfire, but he’d screwed up not taking the chance when he’d had it. He’d been ready to lock her on the terrace while he took care of business, but then the whole thing became a goatfuck.
Because now, she was up there alone with that sociopath, and he had no way to tell TOP. Someone better get their ass in there and fast. He trusted his team, but worrying they wouldn’t make it to her in time almost made him lose focus.
Dao won’t kill her.
Bo soothed himself by repeating it. As long as Dao thought she had a file with information on Sentient Shadow hidden somewhere, he’d keep her alive to find it.
When he was out of the jacket, he let the wind rip it from his hands. Bo blinked watery eyes. The objects on the ground were starting to look bigger. With a curse, he pulled his BASE-jumping chute and braced himself as it jerked, slowing his descent.
The whole process had taken a matter of seconds, but he’d had precious few left before he would’ve become a splatter on the ground. Where a month ago he might’ve hoped his parachute didn’t open, now, all he could think about was staying alive—for Selene.
Gritting his teeth, Bo fought to steer against the power of the wind. When he nearly smacked into the side of the building, he let out a slew of curses worthy of a sailor.
“This isn’t how it ends for you.”
Bo blinked to find Nugg floating down next to him, dressed in a wingsuit. Despite not having his chute open, he fell at the same rate.
“I fucking hope not,” Bo muttered.
Nugg sighed. “But you gotta let me go, man. Go live the life you deserve. Hell, go live it for the both of us.”
The words resonated through Bo, making something powerful shift in his chest. Maybe it was the fall, but he felt as light as a leaf spiraling in an air current. “I know.” He smiled sadly at Nugg. “Catch you on the flipside.”
Nugg grinned back. “She’s worth it, man.”
Before he could respond, Nugg pulled his parachute and disappeared. Bo knew Selene was worth facing his demons for, and if he lived through this, he’d make sure she knew that he knew it, too.
He’d beg her for another chance because there was no way in hell he’d be able to walk away from her. Thinking he could was not only stupid, it was cowardly.
She’d risked her life for him. He might have wanted to strangle her for it, but if he needed a sign that what they had was worth living for, that was it. He wouldn’t throw it away. Not if he could help it.
He might not deserve her, but he would damn well spend the rest of his life trying to. If she let him, he’d spend every day working to be worthy, to be a better version of himself, for her. He’d even see a counselor if that was what she wanted. Anything to help him cope with his past so he could have a future with her.
He loved her enough to try.
No. To hope.
That he could heal.
Glancing past his feet, Bo aimed for the avenue between the buildings. Thankfully, there weren’t any trees on this side. There were a lot of people, though, crowded around what he could only assume was the body of the man who’d fallen off the roof with him. At least the crowd had stopped traffic.
Bo’s boots hit asphalt, and he stumbled to a rough stop that shot pain up his left leg before the wind grabbed the chute, face-planting him hard enough to knock the breath from his lungs.
Fucking A!
Car horns and sirens blared around him as he rolled to his back, trying to get air in. The blue and yellow colors of the parachute ballooned above his face, filtering the afternoon sunlight. When he could breathe, he took stock of his body. He didn’t think he’d broken anything.
