Chapter 16

16

" I can't believe you hooked up," Rory whispered a couple of hours later while we stood at the end of the line at the ski lift. Chilly, but I had a warm robe belted over my flimsy costume. I'd been held up in hair since they'd added a few more intricate braids, while Rory had a wardrobe malfunction that needed fixing. Jabril was going to be pissed off. All this after the windstorm already pushed us back a day and a half. Today we were shooting at the top of Smudge Run. "Was he amazing? Did you guys—"

"Not that far. And, yes, he blew my mind." And my dick. I kept that to myself.

We were almost to the lift when the coin fell from my sleeve, and I made a grab for it. Missed. It landed raven side up.

Both Rory and I stared.

"What do you think that means?" he asked.

"You don't believe it's really magic, do you?" I scoffed, even as I scanned the area for threats. Other times it had been a little too accurate. No ravens in sight. And now that the storm had passed, the sun peeked out behind puffy clouds and a mild breeze brought slightly warmer temperatures.

"Never hurts to be cautious." Rory elbowed me.

Couldn't fault his logic. Then again, this coin thing had gone on too long. Let someone else have it.

"You're gonna leave it?"

"Yeah." I prodded him toward the next chairlift before he could scoop it up.

"Hope you know what you're doing," he said.

"You actors are so superstitious." And if my stomach fluttered with unease, that was just because I really wasn't looking forward to riding the lift. Nothing to do with that coin.

We sat, reached up, and pulled the bar over us. Rising into the air, our feet dangled. I gripped the pullover bar tight because not a fan of heights. Rory didn't bother. Show off. At least it wasn't snowing, and we didn't have skis to contend with. The ski slopes here were surprisingly steep, with several black diamond hills. Not that I'd ever been downhill skiing, but I'd talked with enough crew who loved to ski and had explained the basics to me.

I did my best not to look down.

"You all right?" Rory angled himself sideways, making our chair sway.

"I will be if you stop that." My palms felt clammy around the bar, and I tried to keep my breathing even.

"If it makes you feel better, they have an amazing safety record." He leaned an elbow on the bar. "I checked."

"Right. I know. I just don't like it." The ground was waaay beneath us now. I squeezed my eyes shut. "Tell me when we're getting close."

We coasted along, when a sound caught my attention. Or, rather, a lack of one. Everything had gone eerily quiet and still. Just like in the woods that night.

A raven squawked in the distance, the call echoing. And then the sound of a locomotive. Faint, but gathering steam.

"Did you hear that?" My eyes flew open. "Something's coming."

"What?" Rory looked around.

I pointed. A swath of trees on the north face groaned and bent like a giant stepped on them, the crack of wood splintering as they fell. The locomotive grew in volume until it drowned out all other sounds.

"What the hell is that?" Rory clapped his hands over his ears.

"I don't—"

The pullover bar shot up as a gust of icy wind slammed against our chair. We swayed precariously on the rail, the whine of the tension wires being pulled taut loud in our ears. My hands stayed glued to the bar, trying to pull it back down. It had locked in the upright position.

Rory was thrown against the chairback, then rebounded with the rocking. He had nothing to hold on to. Flailing, he began to topple.

No!

"Rory!" I didn't think, just moved. My legs shot out and wrapped around his torso as he pitched into open air.

" Fuuuck !" He yelled, but gripped a leg and held on, his face buried in my knee as he dangled. My arms strained from his weight, and I slid off into empty air, my shoulders burning as the chair continued to pitch like mad. I couldn't get a solid hold on him, my ankles barely crossed, and my feet screaming in pain from the pressure of holding that position.

"Don't let go! Oh, God, please, T, don't let go." Rory's terrified voice broke me.

Let go? Not in this lifetime. Though it was only his grip on my thigh that kept him from plummeting. No way in this position I had the leverage to support his entire weight.

"I've got you," I kept repeating. Sweat made my palms slick on the bar, but I hung on. "Just don't let go."

The lift continued moving at a steady pace, the wind dying out as suddenly as it struck. We dangled in the air, the drop not one we could possibly survive. I still couldn't see the mountain top, and my muscles screamed in agony.

"I can't hold on much longer." Rory's grip slipped lower. "Save yourself."

"Don't you dare! We'll get through this together. I'm not losing you. Hold on." Desperation had me swinging my body out from our position like a trapeze artist about to hand off my partner to another.

"Oh, fuck, what are you doing?" He slipped a little more.

"Get ready to fly!" If this didn't work, I'd lose my best friend. Not thinking about that now. I'd gathered speed and instead of keeping my body straight, I jackknifed at the last second, swinging my knees to the side. "Now!"

Rory let go and shot toward the chair. I released the bar with one hand and used it to shove him against the seat. He grabbed the back and scrambled until he sat in the lift, his breathing heavy.

I tried to reach back to the bar, but I'd used what strength I had left to help him. I couldn't hold myself one-handed, my fingers slipping as I was seconds from plummeting.

Rory snagged my robe and yanked. I slammed down into the seat and flailed, looking for something to grab to steady myself. The pullover bar released and snapped down in front of us like a guillotine.

We both panted, our bodies shaking. Gripping the bar firmly, we pressed our shoulders together.

"That was the scariest moment of my life," Rory said between wheezes. "You saved me, T."

I tried to chuckle. It came out more like a sob. "You returned the favor, so it's all good."

The lift continued on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened. When we reached the top ten minutes later, we had barely hopped off, our legs unsteady, when Jabril rushed over to us.

"Goddammit, McMahon, you're needed in the next scene! Savage has been in place for a half hour. Move your ass. Do you think this is some sort of vacation?"

He gripped Rory's arm and dragged him away while I stared after them.

A crew member asked, "Did you guys see that straight line wind take down those trees? Pretty awesome, huh? We get those a lot where I grew up, though they're almost always accompanied by rain. Must be an aftereffect of the storm."

I nodded, feeling numb. I didn't know what straight line winds were, but one thing was for sure, I wouldn't be taking any more ski lifts.

I let a production assistant lead me over to the waiting area where Poppy and Alistair chatted in full regalia.

"Hey, cupcake, you're looking a little pale today." Ali's reptilian contacts gave him a sinister air as he took in my appearance. "You upset about the photos? Whoever took those is an asshole."

"A gaping one," Poppy added, giving me a quick squeeze.

Photos? Oh, right. Was that just this morning? Never let it be said I couldn't pack a lot into a day.

"Kade and I are cool, so that's all that matters." And it was true. As long as he didn't hate me, I didn't care what a bunch of internet strangers thought. I'd weathered worse.

"Then why so jittery? Didn't enjoy the ski lift, pumpkin? Don't tell me you're afraid of heights."

"More so now." I attempted a grin, though it must have failed miserably when concern lit up both Poppy's and Ali's features. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my robe to still them and felt something cool against the back of my fingers.

The coin.

I didn't even need to look.

Just what the hell was going on?