Chapter 35

35

GENESIS

I try to keep my fear off my face, but it's hard when I see the state she's in. Her arm's hanging limply at her side, and her shirt's torn, showing the lace of her bra underneath. Blood oozes from a cut on her temple, and the whole left side of her face is scraped from where she must have slammed into the cliff wall as she grabbed the rope.

Seeing her go over the edge like that will haunt me for the rest of my life. It's a damn miracle fueled only by her sheer determination that she's still holding on when anyone else would be dead.

"I know this is hard, but you're the expert here. Tell me what I need to do." I'm used to taking control, but this is her area of expertise, not mine.. If I want to get her out of here, I'm going to need to listen to what she says.

"I need a glove. Keep the one for your right hand. That's your dominant one, right?"

I nod. "Wait, you're right-handed too."

"Not today, I'm not," she grimaces, glancing briefly at her injured arm.

"Shit, Amity." I look up to see how far we have to go, and I want to roar when I see the distance.

"I can do this, G. I just need your help."

"Anything."

She licks her lips, and her face scrunches up with what she's about to say. I brace, knowing I won't like it.

"I'm balancing on a cam, but they're not fall-proof. I need to let go of the rope to put the glove on, but if the cam slips, I'll fall."

"I'll keep you pressed against the wall."

She nods. "You need to hold my wrist. Use your body to keep me in place, but your hand needs to be around my wrist. If I slip, you're the only one who can stop me from falling and hold me until I can grab the rope."

I look at the rope as I piece together what she isn't saying. To grab the rope, she needs to use her good hand. The same hand she needs to glove.

"You want me to grab your bad arm? Jesus, Amity, if I yank that, I'll fuck your shoulder up for good. I can see it's dislocated from here."

"G, baby, I need you to listen to me, okay? I know you don't want to hurt me, but hurt is better than dead. My shoulder can be fixed. My wrist can be fixed. My skull hitting the ground can't be."

"Your wrist? What's wrong with your wrist?"

Her eyes slip closed for a moment. "I'm pretty sure it's broken."

"Amity—"

"My other hand's hurt too, G," she admits quietly.

Panic claws away at my insides. How the fuck am I supposed to get her out of here? "How bad?"

"It's a rope burn, so not great. But it'll heal. The glove will protect it."

"Okay, let's do this. Because if I think about it any more, I'll lose my shit."

"I'm ready. Take the glove off first."

I do as she asks, using my teeth to help. I grip it in my hand and wait for her nod.

She leans back against the cliff and raises her bad arm, whimpering as she does. "Give me the glove."

I hand it to her, hoping she has enough grip to keep hold of it.

"Okay, I'm ready."

I lift my leg and press my body against hers like we're lying in bed together. I gently ease my hand around her wrist. I don't apply pressure, but if she falls, instinct will kick in. I can't think about the pain I'm causing her; I just need to focus on saving her.

She lets go of the rope and grits her teeth as she maneuvers her hand into the glove. I catch sight of her palm and grimace. She's taken a layer of skin off, making it look like hamburger meat. No point in commenting on it. Nothing I say now will help.

"Okay, it's on. I'm going to reach for the rope now."

"Go ahead, I've got you."

I focus on the position of her body, not her outstretched arm.

"I've got it."

I let out a relieved breath, but I keep hold of her as she maneuvers herself into a better position.

"Alright, that's good," she says, taking a deep breath. "Now for the hard part."

"Hate to break this to you, Amity, but this is just one long, hard part."

"We're alive, though, right?"

"Can't argue with that. Okay, so what's next?"

"When I placed the cams, I did it with myself in mind. That means they're spaced pretty close together. And thank fuck, I added extras knowing I'd be doing this without a harness. I wanted backups in place in case any failed. That means there are enough foot and hand holds for both of us."

"That's good, right?"

"It is. I placed them where I needed them for free climbing. The rope was just for safety."

"And thank God it was."

"I know, but the rope's in the wrong spot for me to use it to climb, especially without the right equipment. I'll have to let go and free climb like I planned. But having an injured arm is going to make it harder. You're gonna have to help me. And G, just so you know, it's going to hurt like a motherfucker. I'll cry and curse and maybe even hate you a little, but you've gotta do it anyway."

I swallow down the bile in my throat and nod. She's right, and I hate it.

"Everything okay down there?" Havoc calls down.

I want to answer but don't trust myself to speak right now.

"We're okay. We're coming up," Amity calls, sounding far calmer than I feel.

"You go first. I'll shadow you. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"I need you to focus on yourself, alright? Watch your steps and take your time. One wrong move, and it's game over."

"I know. I'll be careful."

She closes her eyes for a moment, drawing strength from fuck knows where before she lets go of the rope. It's still within reach, but the sight of it slipping from her hands has terror spiking through me.

She looks around before she reaches for the closest handhold. I stay where I am for a moment, keeping an eye on her. She lifts her foot onto the next cam before steadying herself. The next handhold is one she would reach for with her bad arm. I move up onto the cam she just left, so I'm right behind her.

"I thought I might be able to swing across with my good arm, but it's too far."

I look above her and see the next hold she can grab with her good hand. It's farther than she can reach.

"I'm going to grab the rope and use it to take some of my weight, but I'll need a boost. You have to keep hold of your rope while you do it."

I move until I'm in a slightly better position, then give her the okay.

She grabs the rope, gripping it tightly. "Now."

I use my rope for balance and shove my hand under her ass. Having no other way of doing it, I lift her as high as I can without losing my balance. It feels like forever until I feel her weight disappear, but it's only seconds.

I freeze when I hear her cry out and watch helplessly as she grips the holder for a split second with her bad arm. Then she lets go of the rope and grabs with her good hand, pressing herself to the cliff wall while tears stream down her face. Dear God, I feel my own eyes start to sting.

There's no way this is going to work—not like this. I'm about to shout up to Havoc to get help when I hear a motorcycle. No— motorcycles.

"The cavalry has arrived," Havoc calls down. My legs almost give out with relief.

I climb up behind Amity, who's shifted slightly, and press into her.

"I'm sorry," she sobs.

"Jesus, baby, you're killing me."

"I really want to go home with you, but I don't think I can do this."

"Hey, no. Didn't you hear? The cavalry has arrived."

She turns her head to look down at me, her face red and streaked with tears. "Oh my God."

I look down. Two large trucks have pulled up, and people are jumping out. A couple are running over to Jack, but the others are doing something at the back of the other truck.

"It's an inflatable crash-landing pad," she tells me.

Relief courses through me, but I don't relax, feeling how tense Amity still is.

"It takes time to inflate," she says, biting her lip, leaving the rest unsaid. She doesn't think she'll be able to hold on long enough for them to set it up.

"They're not the only ones here, Amity. You think my brothers are going to let us fall? Not a fucking chance."

"Amity!" She looks up at the sound of Blade's voice. "Tell me the truth. Can you climb up?"

"No. I tried. I swear I did."

"Hey, none of that. You're givin' some of us guys a chance to be heroes here."

A chorus of hollas makes her smile.

"Can you hold on to G? I know it's gonna be hard, but if you hold on to him, we'll pull you both up."

She looks at me, determination written all over her face. "Yeah. I can."

"Atta girl," Blade says to Amity, before looking at me. "I won't lie, G. This is going to be rough. You'll have to help where you can, but we'll get you out of there."

They move back from the edge for a moment. Only Havoc remains, still holding the rope. "Amity?" he calls down.

"Yeah?"

"No matter what, you don't let go of G. I don't care if it hurts. I don't care if you're scared. You will not let go."

"Okay, Prez," she calls back, making him laugh.

"Do I get on your back?" she asks me.

I look at her bum arm and shake my head. "Can't catch you if you slip. I need you wrapped around my front so I can hold you tight."

"That's going to make it really hard for you?—"

"Then it'll be really hard, but it'll still be the easiest decision I ever made."

She stares at me, and I see it in her eyes—she knows I won't give in. She nods as I wait for them to tell me they're ready.

"This is gonna get bumpy, but I promise if you don't let go, I won't let go."

"I won't let go," she replies right away.

I reach up and grip her waist with one hand, needing to hold her. A moment of calm washes over me.

"All right, G. Get ready and give us a shout when you're set," Havoc shouts.

I look down at the inflating mat slowly taking shape and blow out a hard breath.

"Time for cuddles."

She laughs, which is exactly what I wanted. I know she's scared. Hell, I'm scared, too, but I vow to get her out of here. And when I do, I'm sliding a ring on her finger.

"Alright, grab your rope while I steady you so we can turn you."

She does as I ask while I keep her pinned against the cliff.

"Okay, good. Now, as soon as you're ready, I want you to wrap your arms and legs around me. Grab my collar if you need to. Choking is the least of my worries. I'm going to have to hold the rope with both hands. If you start to slip, shout for them to stop so I can readjust you, okay?"

She nods anxiously before reaching around and wrapping her arms around my neck. A second later, her legs are around my waist, and her ankles are crossed behind my back.

I grab the rope with both hands, bury my face in her neck for a moment, and breathe her in.

"Go, go, go!" I yell.

A second later, the rope is pulled. I lean back so my feet are against the cliff and walk up it as they pull us up. My arms are shaking, but my grip doesn't falter. I can feel Amity trembling in my arms, but she doesn't slip. I know it's taking everything in her not to.

It feels like forever before hands are grabbing my arms and Amity, pulling us over the edge of the cliff to safety. I hit the ground on my back and stare up at the sky, dazed for a moment.

Blade looks down over me. "You did good, G. Real good." He offers me his hand and helps me up.

I look for Amity and find her. Her head's resting in Havoc's lap as Hannibal checks her arm. I walk over to sit beside her, slapping Havoc on the shoulder as I do. "Thank you, brother."

"I'd say anytime, but that's a lie. If you ever do this to me again, I swear I'll kill you. No wonder Blade quit," he teases, making Amity laugh before she cries out in pain.

"Sorry, Amity. I can pop your shoulder back in, but I can't do anything about your wrist. We need to get you to the hospital."

"That's okay. They have drugs. I like drugs," she says, with a nod.

"Havoc, can you help her sit up? Sorry, honey, this is going to hurt like hell," Hannibal warns.

"Not my first dislocated shoulder. It's okay, Hannibal. Just do it."

I squeeze her good hand as he works to get her shoulder back in place. I cringe when it pops, and she lets out a painful cry. She thanks him after, looking a little relieved.

"Let's get you loaded into the truck." Blade walks over and offers Amity a hand up like he did me. Once she's on her feet, he gently wraps his arms around her. "You took ten years off my life."

She rests her head against his chest for a minute. "I'm okay, Blade. Promise. G saved me." She looks around at the club that turned up for her today, each of them coming over to hug her gently. "And you all saved us both. I don't even have the words… you're all my heroes. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I love you all more than you'll ever know," she says, her voice trembling and her eyes full of tears.

Crane waves a hand in front of his eyes, his voice choked. "Damn, I must've got smoke in my eyes."

The brothers all laugh as I take Amity from Blade and lift her into my arms. "Thank you for holding on," I murmur, pressing a kiss to her nose.

She buries her head under my jaw and whispers, "Thank you for not letting go."