Page 214 of Wrecked
One rung at a time she climbed toward her future with the man of her dreams.
Prescott reached out, but she was too scared to let go, so she climbed another step. He grabbed her with both hands and yanked her into the craft. She landed with a thud, and Prescott whipped the door shut.
“Go!” he yelled.
KABOOM!!!!!!!!
The helicopter wobbled from the concussion, then started to rotate sideways.
“Hold on,” Hawk said through the headset. He gunned the craft and the bird rose. Glass from building windows rained down on the streets below.
While strapping herself in, Addison watched as the building grew smaller and smaller, her terrifying brush with death fading into the distance.
Prescott handed her a headset and she slipped it on.
Her heart was thumping hard and fast in her chest, adrenaline charging through her. She struggled to catch her breath and closed her eyes to focus on calming down.
Moments passed. Her heart rate slowed enough for her to take a full breath. Then, the reality of what she’d just done crashed down on her, and she started shaking. She hugged herself while continuing her slow, rhythmic breathing.
“What the fuck just happened?” Prescott murmured.
Despite her emotional trauma, she laughed.
“That was me throwing my woman a life line,” Hawk replied. “And she was brave enough to take it.”
Prescott clutched Addison’s shaking hand. “I got you.”
“Addison,” Hawk said. “Talk to me, babe.”
“I’m here,” she replied, “and I’m okay.”
More moments passed while the adrenaline rush subsided, and she started calming down.
“Thanks for the lift, boys,” she said when she’d stopped trembling.
“Anytime, babe,” Hawk said.
She could hear the smile in his voice. He’d believed so completely in her that he’d expected her to do the impossible… and succeed.
She would never have taken that leap if anyone else had been piloting the craft. She was running toward her future with Hawk, something she now knew she couldn’t live without.
As they touched down at ALPHA, she couldn’t wait to start her new life with him. Couldn’t wait to be his wife, to forge their own unbreakable bond. Her destiny had always been him… just like his had been with her.
They just had to jump over a lot of life-altering hurdles to get there.
28
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
On their drive home, Hawk called Z, put the call on speaker.
“I think I had my first heart attack when I found out you jumped off that building,” Z answered.
“I’m okay, Daddy,” Addison said. “It was all Hawk. He saved me.”
“I think youbothsaved you,” Z said. “Are you okay?”
“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” she replied. “But, yes, I’m okay.”
