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LILY
I’m in a nightmare.The elevator falling so fast, weightless, and all I can do is grip the side railing and scream.
Beside me, the site foreman is holding on for dear life too, and the terror on his face makes me panic even more.
He thinks we’re going to die.
Oh God. My stomach is in my throat. The elevator is whistling towards the ground like a speeding bullet, and fear makes my heart pound wildly against my ribcage.
This can’t be the end.
I haven’t even started loving him yet.
As soon as that thought crosses my mind, something grinds into place and the elevator jerks to a halt. The motion is so violent, we slam into the floor. I land hard on my shoulder and hip as the breath is knocked out of my lungs, as the elevator platform swings wildly.
Just fifteen feet above the ground.
I peer over the edge, reeling. Just a couple more seconds, and we would have smashed into the concrete.
Just a couple more seconds, and I would be dead.
“Get that damn thing down!”
I hear Nero’s yell, and relief floods me. Seconds later, the elevator makes its jerky descent, the final few feet.
I stumble out, desperate to get away from the thing. I fall into Nero’s arms, shaking.
“Are you OK?” he demands, eyes wild with panic. “Lily, talk to me!”
“I… I’m OK,” I manage, clinging onto him. He holds me close. I feel something trickle down my forehead and swipe at it, only to come away with blood on my hand. I wince when I find a cut near my hairline. It must have happened when I was slammed into the floor of the elevator.
“Someone find out what the hell happened,” he barks out, not releasing me. “Andy, you good?”
“I’ll live,” the foreman replies, looking just as shaken up.
“I want a full safety check, every damn rig in this place,” Nero demands furiously. “And for fuck’s sake, don’t let anyone else near those things.”
The men go to work checking out the elevator while Nero leads me away from the construction. I pull large gasps of air into my lungs. I’m so freaked out that I feel lightheaded, my legs numb.
“Here, sit,” he places me on a stack of lumber, holding my face gently in his hands as he turns my head one way and then another. “Did you hit your head? Are you dizzy?”
I swallow, shaking. “I… don’t know.”
“Fuck, Lily…” Nero trails off, looking grim. “I thought…”
“Me too.” I focus on my breathing, and holding Nero tightly, and slowly, I begin to feel more stable again.
One of the construction workers approaches. “Boss?” he asks, looking nervous.
“What is it?” Nero snaps, his gaze never leaving me.
“I, uh, checked the elevator. The main cable failed. Luckily, the safety backup kicked in time.”
“The cable failed?” Nero’s head snaps up. “How does that happen?”
The poor guy coughs. “It, uh, looks like it was cut.”
As I’m processing it, the foreman joins us, looking more collected. “This wasn’t an accident,” he confirms, showing Nero a picture on his phone. “If it had frayed naturally, there’d be ragged fibers. But look, sliced clean through.”
