hapter 55

Chapter 55: Safe and Sound Is this how I am going to die? I can feel Zack’s grip gradually loosen and my body is falling backwards. A terrified scream escapes my lips as my entire life suddenly fast-

forwards in front of my eyes. I want to tell mom that I wish her a lifetime of happiness; I want to tell dad that I’ve forgiven him by now and he also deserves to be happy with his new girlfriend; I want to take a look at my friends again, Jenna, Alex, Katherine, and even Eddie…

But most importantly, I want Eason.

I want to hug him once more and let me him know my feelings. I love him. And I don’t care how the rest of the world sees us. I want to trade in everything I have to be with him. But…everything that I want seems like a luxury now. Yet right at this moment, the roar from the car fills the air. Zack suddenly reaches out and grabs me by the shoulder, pulling me back from the cliff. He murmurs in disbelief, “You hear that?”. I fall to the ground, too terrified to utter a single word.

Cold sweats soak my dress. I place my trembling hands on the solid ground and .. clench my fingers.

Only then do I realize that I just narrowly escaped death.

A black SUV appears from the bushes with its deafening engine and makes a sharp stop in front of us.

I recognize this car as Eason’s Benz G-300, one of his luxury collections.

The driver’s door flies open, and Eason jumps out of it.

He hasn’t changed out of his suit yet and appears extraordinarily out of place in this wilderness, with his black tie and wore back hairs. Yet he looks dashingly handsome still. He seems like 007. I thought to myself and then quickly realize how impropriate this thought is.

Eason slams the door shut and steps forward. His eyes fix on me as a gentle smile touches his lips.

“Hey babe,” he says in a low voice. “Are you alright?”

I feel my throat constricted. He’s finally here. “What took you so long?” I choke in a strangled voice. “Do you know I almost—” “Enough!”

Zack suddenly grabs my hairs and drags my head back, exposing my neck. A sharp blade appears in his hands, and he is pressing it against my throat. I swallow. The blade instantly cut open a thin layer of my skin. Blood quickly trickles down my neck.

Eason’s face darkens. He stares at Zack with a dangerous look on his face and threatens, “You better get that away from her now.” “Shut up!” Zack’s grip tightens as he snaps. “Where’s those things I asked for?!” Eason calmly takes out an envelope from his pocket and waves it at Zack, “Right here.”

I hold my breath involuntarily. No way…he really got the money.

Zack’s body tenses immediately. I can feel his hands shaking with excitement.“ Good, good! And…

where is my car?”

Eason nods at his Benz G-300, “you can take this if you like.”

Zack’s eyes range over the shiny SUV and then come to rest on Eason again. Then, he asks with a hesitant yet greedy-filled voice, “…it is a bit high-profile, isn’t it?”

Eason shrugs, “I simply took what you asked for. And this car is worth at least $ 150 thousands dollars.

But if you prefer a cheaper one—”

“No no!” Zack says quickly, breathing fast. “This will do. Now, bring the envelope and the car key to me!”

Eason narrows his eyes, “You bring Natalia to me first.”

“How do I know if I can trust you!” Zack barks. “OK. How about this then: let’s trade.” Eason takes the envelop and the car key in his hands and puts both of his hands in the air. He takes a careful step towards us, and then another one.

I stare at him, my heartbeat racing. I’ve never felt this nervous in my entire life.

The gap between us gradually closes and the tension is reaching its climax.

Eventually when Eason is a few feet away from us, Zack shouts out, “This is close enough! Now hand it over. No tricks! I warn you.” Eason nods calmly. My heart jumps to my throat when I see them trade. Eason’s left hand is reaching out to get me. Yet his fingertips barely touch my shoulder when, suddenly, I feel a hard yank at my back. “Goodbye bitch,” I hear Zack’s voice shaking with malicious pleasure. I slip, my body falling off the cliff. Everything is happening too fast. A horrified scream freezes in my throat.

BANG!

The next second, my body hits hard against the rock wall but it stops falling. Trembling, I open my eyes and realize that I’m hanging in the middle air, a deep dark chasm below my feet.

f Someone grabs me before I fell. Tears streams down my face. I raise my head and look above. Even with a blurry vision, I still recognize his face. His face slightly twists, and veins on his forehead are pulsing. He grabs me with all his might and starts pulling me upwards. But there are many small, slippery rubbles besides the cliff so both of us drop a few inches. I scream in horror and sob, “Ju-just let go!” “What!” he cries furiously. “Are you out of your fucking mind!!” My mind is blank, but I repeat myself, “let me go. Or…or you will end up falling with me!”

He can’t pull me up with how slippery the rock is; if we stay here like this, I’ll drag him down with me.

This is a dead end.

“Listen to me. You –you need to let go…I can’t take you down with me…” “Shut up!” he grits out. “If you think I can let you die, then you are fucking wrong!”

Tears keep falling. And I can’t even see his face clearly. If this is the end of my life, then I’m not wasting it on arguing with him.

“I-I love you,” I blurt out, sobbing uncontrollably.

He clenches his teeth, muscles on his arms bulging. “Fuck! Do you have to tell me this now???”

I shake my head, crying so hard that I can’t say another word. I need to let him know this now or I’ll regret this later…or maybe there isn’t a “later.” “Hey hey, babe. It’s alright,” he softens his tone. “Look at me. Everything is going to be fine. Just hang in there a few more seconds. Someone will come and help us.”

He is lying. I thought. He is just saying this to calm me down. But suddenly I hear quick footsteps approaching. Then a man’s voice comes down from above, “Sir! Are you alright?!” “Do I seem alright?”

Eason snaps. “Pull us up now!” Finally, I am pulled up with their help. The moment my knees touch the solid ground, I burry my head in his arms and start crying out loud. “Shh, it’s OK. You are safe now,” he pats my shoulders gently and smiles. “I . thought you’ve dried up your tears long before.” I look up with my watery eyes and find a few men in suit standing next to us. They seem like bodyguards. “So you brought someone?” I ask.

“Yeah, do you think I really came empty-handed? They were just waiting at a distance. The moment they saw my car leaving, they would come up right away.” I’m speechless. Then I suddenly remember my speech earlier: asking him to let go and saying I love him… God I’m such an idiot! He sees me blushing and then chuckles. “It’s good to know that you love me though.” 2 I’m too embarrassed to say a single word.

He places his hand on the back of my head and pulls me in for a quick kiss. Then he whispers to my ear, “But just so you know…if these guys hadn’t been here today, I wouldn’t have let go either.” My heart skips a beat. Does he mean that —

“I love you too,” he says, in a solemn tone.

He has told me this before. But now I know he really means it this time. I wrap my arms around his neck and hug him with all my might. He kisses my neck and hugs me hard too. 2 “Sir.” A bodyguard comes to our side, “we might need to go. Our men have eyes on the target.” Eason nods at him and helps me up. I take his hand and ask, “Target? Are you talking about Zack?”

Eason snorts, a dangerous gleam flits across his emerald green eyes. “Of course. How can I let him get away with this so easily?” he says quietly, sending a chill down my spine. “Come. Or we’ll miss the show.”

LI