her. “Addy, we have to walk to the next apartment.”
“Walk?” Addison leaned on the windowsill as far as she dared. A small, decorative ledge jutted out from the side of the building. Her heart dropped to her feet before rising up to lodge in her throat. She ripped her hand from Jason’s. “No. No. No. I can’t.”
“We don’t have a choice.”
Panic welled as Addison’s fear of heights sent her head spinning. She could barely drive over multi-lane bridges. Zip-lining was out of the question. So was rock climbing. Her feet had to be firmly planted on the ground. “I’m sure someone has called the fire department. We can wait.”
Jason grabbed her shoulders. “No, we can’t. The fire is about to eat its way through the door.”
The crackle of the flames grew louder as the wooden bedroom door groaned and popped. Her knees weakened as the truth about their precarious situation hit home. Smoke cast a haze over the room. Sweat dripped down her back.
“I’m going to be with you, Addy. Every step. Holding your hand.” Jason dipped his head, forcing Addison to meet his gaze. “You’re the strongest woman I’ve ever met. You can do this.”
Her insides quivered. She had to do this. If she refused, Jason would stay, too, putting his own life at risk. Scaling the ledge to the next apartment’s window was their only chance of survival.
She gave a sharp nod of consent, not trusting her voice.
Jason pulled her back to the window. “I’ll go first.”
Addison held her breath as Jason put one leg out the window and then the other. Bile rose in the back of her throat and her body shook. She clenched her jaw to keep her teeth from rattling.
He eased across the ledge with grace before holding out a hand to her. “Okay, now you.”
It took everything inside Addison to reach across the distance and place her hand in Jason’s. “Lord, please give us strength. And steady steps.”
“Give us Your protection,” Jason said, taking up the prayer. He gently squeezed Addison’s hand. “We can do all things with Your help.”
Yes, they could do all things with the Lord’s help. Addison closed her eyes, gathering every ounce of courage within her. She wasn’t alone. She had the Lord. And Jason.
She could do this. She would do this.
Addison opened her eyes with a snap. She grabbed the window’s edge with trembling fingers and kicked off her high heels before swinging one leg over the edge. The concrete ledge was rough under her bare skin. Cold air cooled the sweat beaded on her brow and she shivered.
“Now, the other foot, Addy.” Jason kept his gaze locked on her. “You can do it.”
A fierce whoosh came from inside the apartment as the bedroom door gave way. Smoke and flames poured into the room. Addison quickly swung her other leg out. The fire singed her hair and intense heat burned her back.
Jason tugged on her hand. “Slide, Addy.”
She said another prayer, gripping Jason’s hand hard enough it was any wonder his bones didn’t snap, and eked to the side. The fabric of her jacket scraped against the brick. Wind ruffled her hair. She gripped the wall with her other hand, her nails searching for some kind of traction, and looked down.
The ground swam before her eyes. She imagined her body crashing into the cement and shattering into a thousand pieces. Her heart thundered against her rib cage. She couldn’t breathe.
“Look at me,” Jason ordered.
Her gaze snapped to his. The sunlight brightened the color of his eyes to a stunning shade of brown, reminiscent of melted chocolate. Some of Addison’s fear ebbed. She sucked in a deep breath and let it steady her nerves.
“Keep moving, Addison. Sliding toward me. That’s it.”
Her feet scraped against the concrete ledge. “If I make it to the other window, I’m buying an apple pie from Nelson’s Diner every week for the next two months.”
His mouth quirked. “You liked it that much, huh?”
“Are you kidding? It’s the best pie I’ve ever had.” Focusing on sweets and Jason was a lot better than thinking about how easy it would be to plunge to her death with one wrong move.
Jason kept the conversation going as they traversed the distance to the next window. He punched it with his fist. The sound of shattering glass had never been so sweet. Addison’s knees wanted to go weak with relief. She forced them to hold strong.
“Home stretch, Addy. You’re doing great.” Jason climbed in through the opening, his hand