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My head jerked up as Mylee’s body disappeared from view, her shocked, terrified face the last thing I saw as she plummeted from the third-story balcony and through the broken railing.
CHAPTER25
Mylee
Falling.
I’m falling.
My hands instinctively reached out to grab for leverage, panic threatening to consume me, but from the depth of my soul, I found my composure, a primal instinct taking hold. Losing it wasn’t going to help me now. I had to save myself.
My left hand curled onto something, stopping my fall as my body crashed against the side of the villa, my body scraping against the stucco. Loud yells overhead echoed through the air.
“MYLEE!”
I didn’t dare look up or down, my breathing erratic as I forced myself to think, to be calm, to maintain rationality.
Think. Breathe. Don’t move.
My manicured fingernails broke against the aged stone of the house, my boots slipping as Lincoln’s horrified voice cried down to me. “MYLEE!”
I couldn’t look up, and as much as I didn’t want to look down, a movement caught my eye on the ground. Through the thick of bushes, a tall, dark-haired man ducked through, his face triggering something in my memory.
Sergio? Why is he running off?
Panic threatened to seep in, to overtake me, particularly when more anguish enveloped me from below. There was nothing to break my fall but solid Italian ground.
“Hold on, Mylee!” Paxton ordered me, his voice strong and commanding. “Stay where you are! Don’t let go!”
“I-I’m trying not to,” I choked, but I didn’t know if he could hear me.
“What the fuck happened?!” Kai screamed, but no one responded to him.
I closed my eyes, praying silently. My fingers began to slip, and suddenly, I heard Paxton call up to me again.
Please, don’t let me go out like this. I’ll be good. I’ll be really good…
“Mylee! Let go.”
Opening my eyes, I looked down at him and gawked in disbelief. He and Kai had found a trampoline from somewhere, situating it directly below me. At first, I wasn’t sure if I was reading the situation properly or if I’d already plunged to my death.
“Let go! We’ll catch you!” Paxton promised.
“Are you kidding me?” I rasped, my hold faltering. “I’m not a Looney Tunes character!”
“You’ll be okay,” Paxton vowed, his blue eyes reassuring. “We’ll catch you. I promise.”
Shaking violently, I realized I had no choice and released my grasp, closing my eyes again. I bounced once as two sets of arms embraced me on the way up, Lincoln panting as he met up with us, his eyes wild and confused.
I lay in Kai and Paxton’s embrace, shaking violently as they rubbed my back and arms.
“You’re okay. You’re okay,” Kai repeated over and over.
“Oh, thank god,” Paxton gasped. “Are you hurt? I’ll send for a doctor!”
I shook my head, trying to stand, but Paxton picked me up to carry me as I kicked lightly.
“I’m okay,” I insisted, but Paxton refused to put me down.
