Chapter 2

"Hurry. Lift him." Jazz paused with the rope by the victim as the security guard took her cue and raised the passenger's shoulders a few inches above the beams. Jazz quickly fed the rope under the man's torso.

The security guard grabbed the other end as he lowered the victim.

"Wha—" The injured man's head flailed side to side, his eyes widening.

"Sir, we need you to stay calm." Jazz kept her voice steady while the security guard tied the rope around the victim's chest.

The passenger let out a sound between a yelp and a groan. "My leg. It hurts!"

She glanced down at the left leg she'd noticed was at an odd angle when she'd approached. Probably broken.

She put her hand on the man's chest, hoping to keep him in place. "I know you're in pain. My name is Jazz, and this," she glanced at the distractingly cute guard, "is a security guard." She swung her gaze back to the panicked look on the victim's face. "We're here to help you and get you down."

"Down? I'm still on this—" Expletives spilled from the man's lips as he twisted his head and shoulders to see below. "Ahh!" The yell exploded from him as he recoiled and tried to plant his elbows behind him on the beams.

"Sir. Please hold still." The security guard paired his gentle command with two hands planted on the passenger's shoulders. "We will help you down as soon as we stabilize your leg and other injuries."

Which would require a splint, bandages, stokes basket, and other equipment they didn't have. The rescue squad would bring those items up when they arrived. But would the guy sit still that long?

"I can't stay up here." Fear tightened the passenger's voice. "I'm getting down. Now." He tried to twist from the guard's hold.

The guard clamped down, muscles in his tanned arms cording as he pushed the man's shoulders with enough force to make him lie down again. "It'd be better for you to lie still, sir. You have a head injury, and your leg may be broken."

"I don't care!" The passenger thrashed, straining to see below as he shrieked. "Gotta get off! Help!"

The guard leaned his body into the passenger's torso, struggling to keep him from falling. The guard's eyes flicked up to Jazz. A startling electric blue. No, maybe more of a teal color. Though this was hardly the time to be admiring the guy's eyes.

She rallied her focus enough to realize the message those eyes were communicating. They had to get the man off the Ferris wheel now. Before he fell off. And maybe took one of them with him.

"Okay. I understand, sir." She tried a sympathetic tone to reach the passenger through his panic. "We'll get you down right now."

The man kept twisting and struggling.

"Sir." Jazz shifted closer. A risk, given the man's arms flailing out from his body. "Sir." She reached over the guard's shoulder to touch the passenger's frightened, twitching face. She placed her palm gently on his cheek.

He stopped. His widened brown eyes shifted to her face, holding steady as surprise pushed out some of the terror.

She smiled. "What's your name?"

"Wienke. Bob."

"Nice to meet you, Bob. I'm Jazz." She figured he hadn't heard a word she'd said earlier. "Would you like to see your wife and family now?" Just a guess, but maybe the woman who'd screamed when he had jumped was his wife.

Bob nodded under her hand.

"Good. I'm sure she wants to see you. I'm going to help you get off the ride right now so you can see your wife, okay?"

A flicker of fear reignited in his eyes.

"My friend here is going to help me, and it'll be over in seconds." Or at least it would hopefully feel that fast to Bob.

His gaze jumped to the security guard who still held his shoulders.

"Trust me, Bob. You're perfectly safe."

Bob returned his attention to Jazz.

"Ready to see your wife?"

He gave a small nod.

Jazz pulled her hand away from his face. "Great." She glanced at the guard. "Tie him off?"

Something she couldn't read flickered in his teal eyes before he released Bob and grabbed the coiled rope she handed him.

Bob watched as the guard rapidly knotted the rope around one of the thick spokes.

Jazz stayed where she was, close enough to grab Bob if panic took over again. Or he looked down.

Which he suddenly did.

"Bob, look at me." She grabbed his shoulder, but the intervention was too late.

His gaze darted around, eyes wide as his breathing quickened, and he sat up again. "Get me down. I can't—" A strangled sound cut off his exclamation as he lurched past her, reaching for the spoke.

His hands slipped.

"Bob!" She reached for him as he fell with a scream.

Her hands caught rope. She winced as it seared her palms, but she clamped as hard as she could, trying to halt the heavy man's plummet.

The rope stalled in her hands with a jerk, stopped from behind.

She heard the guard's grunt before she felt that he stood behind her, probably a couple feet back. "Nice save." She glanced over her shoulder.

He gave her a stiff nod. "Happy to help. Let's let him down slower the rest of the way, huh?"

She grinned as she turned forward again. "Good idea." Bracing her feet carefully on the support beams, she kept her grip on the rope and peered below. "Looks like over fifty feet to go yet."

"Roger. One foot at a time." He started to feed her more rope, which she passed on to Bob below.

They created a smooth rhythm, working well as a team to make the rest of Bob's ride a smooth one.

People gathered under him as he neared the ground. Jazz couldn't be sure who they all were from that distance, but there was no missing Raksa, Sofia's German shepherd, and Flash.

"Slower." Jazz gripped the rope tighter as the people reached for Bob. Though she'd been able to tell the entire time that the guard didn't really need her help. Good thing, since her palms felt like they were on fire from that initial burning.

She watched as people laid Bob on the ground and removed the rope from his chest. "Okay. He's down."

She released the rope, turning toward the security guard who'd helped her save Bob's life. "Thanks for the assist."

The tall man let the loose end of rope drop to the crossbeams below them as he watched her. "Likewise." Splotches of sweat darkened his pale blue shirt, making it cling to his lean, muscled torso.

Wow. Broad shoulders, trim waist, and sculpted muscles on every inch of him as far as she could see. Topped with a face that could grace a magazine cover any day if they wanted to sell thousands of copies. And he was taller than her. Probably six foot two or more.

Now that she got a good look at him, she wasn't sure she wanted to stop looking. But the heat of a blush crawling up to her face told her she'd better.

Especially since he was watching her watch him. His head tilted slightly to one side as his teal eyes seemed to study her.

Probably wondering why she was staring at him. Or maybe he knew.

The thought sent a fresh burst of flame to her cheeks. She turned away, and her foot nearly slipped off the beam. Duh. Try to remember you're on a Ferris wheel and not on the ground, would you?

"Race you down?" The security guard's voice was closer behind her than it should be.

She twisted her head around to see him just a couple feet away, holding the rope out toward her.

A twinkle sparkled in his eyes above a mischievously angled mouth.

A surge of heat that had nothing to do with the summer temps lit up her insides. Was he flirting with her?

Two could definitely play that game.

She took the offered rope. "At a time like this?"

His mouth flattened as the spark left his eyes. "You're right." He moved his hands to his hips. "Sorry."

Jazz turned away to hide her smirk as she stepped onto the spoke at the far edge, bringing the rope between her legs and up over one shoulder. She spun toward him, clasping the rope above her body with one hand and gripping it past her back with the other. She sent him a grin. "Last one down has to buy dinner."

She only stayed long enough to catch a glimpse of his surprised smile—one that would've curled her toes if she wasn't busy rappelling eighty feet to the ground.