Page 10 of Forged in Flames (Made of Steel 2)

One of the men banged on the door a little louder.

I closed the window as silently as possible and started sprinting up the rickety fire escape. I tried not to look down. The warm wind made my hair flutter around my face. I heard a clanging noise, but I kept my eyes on the steps in front of me, refusing to look down.

I jumped onto the roof of the building.

The vigilante was standing there, his gloved hands on the ledge. "Shit." He was staring down the fire escape. "They're following you."

"Who is they?"

"We have to go." He turned around and starting sprinting across the roof.

Where the hell was he going? The only way down was the fire escape. I ran after him and watched him leap off the edge of the building. No. No way in hell am I doing that. I stopped at the edge and stared down at him. He was on the top of another building. But it was at last five feet away. I looked down. Shit, I shouldn't have looked down!

"Sadie, you have to jump!"

I shook my head.

"You have to!"

Damn it. I knew I had to. There was no other way. I backed up and started running again. I ran all the way to the edge and skidded to a stop once again. Shit!

"Jump, Sadie!"

"I can't!" I wasn't ready to die. My heart was beating out of my chest. I wasn't him. I couldn't make that jump.

"You can. Remember what I told you? You can do this. You're made of steel."

I was pretty sure I had proven that I wasn't made of steel last night. But his believing in me gave me a surge of confidence.

"I'm right here to catch you if you fall." His voice seemed to echo across the expanse.

I locked eyes with him. He'd catch me. How could I argue with that? I backed up from the ledge again and looked down at my Converses.

I held my breath for one second. If he could do this, so could I.

For two seconds. I was fucking made of steel, damn it!

For three seconds. I ran as fast as I could.

For four seconds. And I jumped into the air. It felt like I was flying. It felt like I was finally living again.

For five seconds. Until I realized I wasn't going to make it. My body slammed again the wall below the rooftop, several feet beneath the ledge. I took in a huge gulp of air as my hands made contact with sleek brick. I screamed at the top of my lungs as I slid down the building, searching for any crevice to lodge my fingertips in.

He promised he'd catch me. He promised! My life was going to end in a blink of an eye.

I felt something hit my back and I ducked my head as I went crashing through an open window in the side of the building.

It felt like all the wind was knocked out of me when something heavy landed on top of me. The familiar sweet scent of his cologne filled my nose. He caught me. Kind of. Barely.

"Were you trying to get me killed?!" I yelled.

"I'm not the one trying to kill you."

"You're fucking crazy!"

He put his hand over my mouth. "Jesus, just be quiet for one second," he hissed. He sat up but he was still on top of me, straddling me, holding me in place. He looked around the apartment.

Get off me! My heart was beating out of my chest. Tears started to prickle in my eyes. I couldn't move. Stop touching me! I tried to scream against his hand, but it came out as a muffled sob.

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