Targeted Risk (R.I.S.C. #7) - Anna Blakely Page 0,65

than it should’ve been, but she finally managed to get herself upright.

She took a step forward—toward Mike—right as Fuller’s limp body collapsed against her. She lost her balance, and though she tried desperately to find purchase, the snow was simply too slick.

Mike’s terror-stricken eyes grew as wide as saucers, and his screams of denial echoed through the mountains. But it was too late.

Juliet felt herself falling, and this time, there was no snowy ground below to stop her.

****

“No!”

Mike’s stomach dropped, his lungs seizing with fear as he watched Juliet disappear over the edge of the cliff.

Running as fast as his legs would take him, he slipped and nearly went down twice as he raced to save the woman he loved.

Please, God. Please, let her be okay!

The snow swirled in front of his face as it was carried by the freezing wind. The blizzard-like conditions made it almost impossible to see more than a few feet in front of him, which was why Mike had hesitated to shoot Fuller sooner than he had.

With Jules standing so close to him, he hadn’t wanted to risk hitting her. He hadn’t wanted to chance something happening and her going over the fucking edge.

Oh, God.

The idea that he may have just watched the woman that he loved die was enough to end him.

“Juliet!” His throat burned as he screamed for her. “Baby, talk to me!”

Refusing to believe she was gone, Mike dropped to his knees at the spot where he’d seen her go over. Praying for a miracle, he held his breath and leaned out over the edge.

“Mike!” Juliet’s voice reached him from below.

Tears of overwhelming relief flooded his eyes when he saw her. She was alive. His sweet, loving, incredible woman was alive. And hanging onto a broken branch.

Fuck! “Hang on, baby! I’ll get you up!”

“Hurry! M-my toes caught the edge of a r-rock, but its slick and I keep s-slipping.”

Jesus. Even from here, he could tell she was on the verge of becoming hypothermic. How she’d managed to grab the branch when she fell, let alone keep herself from tumbling to her death, was beyond him.

She could still fall.

Springing into action, Mike laid flat onto his belly. Ignoring the breathtaking cold, he scooted to the edge as far as he could without losing too much of the supportive ground below him.

Dangling his right arm over the edge, he dug the fingers of his other hand as deep into the frozen ground as he could.

“Here!” He reached for her. “Grab my wrist and hold on tight.”

“Won’t I p-pull you over?”

“No, baby. I’ve got this.”

She hesitated. “I’m scared. What if I c-can’t hold on to y-you?”

“It’s okay.” He looked into her terrified eyes and vowed, “I’ll hold on to you.”

Nodding, she’d just started to let go when one of her toes slipped from the jutting rock she’d been balanced on.

She screamed and Mike shouted her name, nearly going over the edge himself in an effort to save her. Miraculously, Juliet kept her grip on the branch and was able to regain what little footing she’d had before.

Mike closed his eyes and said a silent prayer of thanks before opening them back up and trying again.

“Come on, Jules. You can do this.”

“I’m g-going to f-fall.”

“No, you’re not. Now, grab hold of my wrist and let me pull you up.”

She lifted one hand off the branch, keeping herself in position with the other. With slow, careful movements, she wrapped her ice-cold fingers around his thick wrist and held on as tightly as she was able.

“Good girl.” He blew out a breath. “Now the other one.”

He could tell she was trying to talk herself into it, which was great except the colder she got, the worse her grip was going to become.

You need to get her ass up here. Fucking now!

In all the time they’d spent together, Mike had never said a cross word to her before. But desperate times called for doing whatever the fuck needed to be done. So...

“Goddamn it, Juliet,” he yelled. “Let go of the fucking branch and grab my fucking arm!”

She let go of the branch. She grabbed his arm. Mike started to pull her up.

“Don’t...let...go,” he shouted through clenched teeth.

The muscles in his right arm burned from the strain. Tendons stretched to their maximum potential, and his shoulder felt as if it were precariously close to popping out of place.

He didn’t even consider stopping.

Almost there. Just a little more...

Mike let out a loud roar, the animalistic sound filling the air around him