Chapter 129: The Weight of a Fall

Damon’s POV

I had maybe fifteen seconds. That was it.

The moment my eyes locked onto that massive bundle of green industrial netting tucked behind the rusted wheelbarrow, my brain clicked into survival mode. I didn’t care about the sharp, stabbing ache in my bruised ribs. I didn’t care about the dust tearing into my expensive tailored clothes. None of that meant a damn thing.

Micah was about to fall, and if I didn’t move right now, he was going to die.

I lunged across the concrete, dropped hard onto my knees, and grabbed the thick nylon mesh with both hands. It was heavy, stiff, and tangled, but I hauled it forward toward the edge of the second-floor scaffolding platform.

Above my head, on the third floor, I could hear Noah’s icy voice cutting through the wind. I could hear that psycho kidnapper laughing like a lunatic, screaming about dying together and having nothing left to lose.

"Move, damn it, move!" I cursed under my breath, my fingers frantically working the knots.

Attached to the corners of the netting were four heavy-duty steel carabiners. I dragged the first two clips over to the thick scaffolding pipes bolted to the second-floor concrete. I snapped the first steel lock shut with a violent CLICK. I scrambled three feet to the right, dragged the second cable, and slammed the second carabiner around the vertical steel support rod.

Two anchor points locked.

I grabbed the outer edge of the net, shoved myself to the absolute edge of the second-floor slab, and hurled the bulk of the heavy mesh outward into the open air. The green nylon unfurled, hanging directly beneath the open gap of the third floor like a wide, suspended hammock.

I grabbed the third steel hook, throwing my weight against the rusted pipe to secure it.

Right at that exact second, a wild, bloodcurdling roar erupted directly above me.

"We’ll just die together then!"

I looked up through the gap in the concrete floor.

My heart completely stopped.

The kidnapper shoved both of his hands violently into Micah’s chest.

Micah’s body flew backward off the edge of the third floor.

A high-pitched, terrified scream ripped out of Micah’s throat.

He was in freefall.

His wrists were still tied tightly behind his back. His legs were kicking uselessly against empty air. He couldn’t balance himself. He couldn’t grab onto anything. He was plummeting straight toward the jagged rocks and the rusted iron spikes waiting on the ground below.

I threw myself flat onto my stomach, my chest slamming hard against the cold, rough edge of the second-floor concrete. I thrust both arms over the ledge, grabbing the main load-bearing ropes of the suspended net with everything I had.

SLAM!

Micah’s body hit the center of the green mesh with brutal, violent force.

The kinetic impact jerked the ropes so violently that my upper body was almost ripped clean off the floor!

"FUCK!" I roared, the coarse nylon biting and tearing into the skin of my palms like hot fire.

The scaffolding pipes above me groaned under the sudden tension.

SNAP!

The third anchor clip tore off its rusted bracket with the deafening crack of a gunshot!

The net tilted dangerously to the left.

"AAGHH!" Micah shrieked in terror, the breath knocked completely out of his lungs.

Because his arms were pinned securely behind his back, he couldn’t stabilize his weight. The moment the corner gave way, Micah began sliding across the angled nylon toward the open edge—straight toward the thirty-foot drop.

Panic exploded through my veins like molten lead.

"Micah! Don’t move!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

I didn’t think twice. I shoved my upper body further out over the ledge. I reached down into the empty space, my fingers clawing through the air until my hand grabbed a fistful of Micah’s oversized sweater.

My other hand snapped around the thick rope binding his wrists.

"I’ve got you!" I yelled, my voice cracking from the strain. "I’ve got you, Micah! Look at me!"

Micah was sobbing hysterically, his eyes squeezed shut, his entire body trembling so violently that every muscle in his frame was locked in terror.

"D-Damon?!" he choked out, gasping for air.

"Open your eyes and look at me, darling!" I commanded, digging my boots hard into the floor behind me. "You’re not falling! I have you!"

Micah opened his eyes, blinking through a flood of tears. When he saw my face hovering just above him, holding him by the ropes, a choked, broken sound escaped his throat.

The pain in my ribs exploded. It felt like a knife was being twisted directly into my side, tearing through tissue and bone. Sweat poured down my forehead, stinging my eyes, but I refused to let go. I would have let my arms tear out of their sockets before I released that rope.

"Hold on to me," I grunted through clenched teeth, my jaw muscles locking tight.

I pulled.

I used every single ounce of strength left in my body, dragging the heavy netting and Micah’s weight upward. I hauled him toward the ledge. The coarse concrete scraped against his knees, but I kept pulling until I could hook my arm under his chest.

With one final, desperate heave, I dragged Micah completely over the edge of the second floor.

We both tumbled backward, collapsing together onto the hard, dusty floor away from the ledge.

I hit the floor flat on my back, panting heavily, my lungs burning as if I had swallowed glass. Beside me, Micah curled into a tight, trembling ball.

He was hyperventilating, his chest heaving rapidly as he stared blankly up at the exposed ceiling slabs. He looked like someone who had just stepped back from the edge of the grave.

"Da... Damon..." Micah muttered, his fragile voice trembling so hard he could barely form the syllables.

He didn’t wait. Still on his knees, Micah scrambled across the concrete toward me. He threw his upper body against my chest, burying his pale, tear-soaked face directly into the crook of my neck. His forehead pressed hard against my collarbone, his bound hands trapped awkwardly between our chests as he broke down into violent, uncontrollable sobs.

The relief radiating off him was overwhelming.