Exposing the Bad Boy (21 page)

As the helicopter jostled from the angry wind outside, the two men struggled in front of us. It was so strange to see—this wasn't how I pictured my day going.

Grunting, Corbin started to pull away. I thought he was reaching for his pocket, but I couldn't be sure. The next seconds came too fast, a flicker in my mind. Manny had risen, his fist wrapped in Corbin's jacket. He had the clear upper hand.

A single, sharp wrench of the chopper changed that.

Everything rocked, our momentum shifting. Manny lost his footing, slamming backwards into a metal divider with Corbin's weight on top of him. The sickening crunch of his skull filled the room.

“Oh god!” Ellie shouted, scrambling to get around me. I went to stop her, but she was already kneeling at Manny's side. Cradling his head, she went pale. “He's alive, but unconscious. We need to land and get him help.”

Corbin had moved away, half bent in the middle of the chopper. Tucking his hand into his pocket, he turned from Ellie, to me. The whites of his eyes were too bright—his cheeks flushed, his mouth a pinched wrinkle. “No. This jump is happening.”

“It can't!” she hissed, teeth bared. “Manny is
unconscious!
Don't you understand how serious this is?”

“I do,” Corbin said, slipping the gun he held into the light. “But I don't think either of you does. Maybe you will, now.”

Freezing where I was, I eyed the pistol in disbelief. “You fucking bastard.”

Corbin clicked the safety off. “Put on Manny's wingsuit and helmet, Ellie.”

I sounded like I'd been eating glass. “No! She isn't doing that!”

She sat there, looking from Manny, to Corbin—then finally to me. “I... I can't. Even if I wanted to.”

Lifting the gun barrel, he aimed it my way. The glint in his twisted glare said he'd figured something out. “Oh, you're going to do it.”

“Don't,” I breathed.

“Get changed,” he said calmly, “Or I'll shoot your lover over here. I was right all along, wasn't I, Ellie? That's the only reason you'd be doing half the dumb shit you were. You
care
about this guy.” Laughing, he sighed in pretend empathy. “Get changed, or this ends right now.”

Hanging her chin low, Ellie unzipped the suit. Manny moaned, but he didn't stir as she removed the brightly colored gear. It was slightly too big for her, but none of that would matter. This jump was flawed beyond what a proper wingsuit could fix.

I felt a small comfort when she hooked the chute on. You'd think a parachute would be an instant life saver. In this case, it wasn't. The scenarios I had played in my mind since thinking about the wind had told me as much.

If we jumped out of the chopper and plummeted down, simply yanking our chutes open, the wind would throw us so hard into the rock walls, our organs would be stabbed by busted bones.

I knew what the human body could live through.

I also knew what could destroy it.

On that fateful day, I'd watched my father as the wind proved the winner. He hadn't survived the cliff-side. How could we? Living through this was going to take skill I wasn't sure
I
even had.

What the hell was Ellie going to do?

Facing away, she fiddled with the helmet, then clicked it onto her skull. Tugging the strap of the goggles, she faced Corbin with a new, determined set to her stance. This wonderful woman... even if she was scared, she wasn't going to back down or fret. Not openly, not so he could see.

“There,” he said, using his gun to motion me towards Ellie. “That's better. I'm getting this footage one way or the other. Face away from me, towards the door, and make sure you're recording.”

“You're a fucking bastard,” she growled.

“No,” he corrected her, cocking the gun. “I'm a business man.”

Through the shield of her goggles, the hatred was tangible. I could have scooped it up and tasted the bitterness she was swelling with.

Flicking my attention between the gun and her fists, I was paranoid that she might do something irrational. Picturing a bullet puncturing her body was too much for me. Our situation was dire, but I knew, slim or not, we had a chance with the sky.

In this helicopter, there was only death.

My hand closed on Ellie's. “Everything will be okay.” Somehow, through all the tragedy and chaos, I was managing to smile. I
had
to. It was the only way to get her to look me in the eye and believe every single word I said. “Trust me.”

Metal yawned, gears announcing the helicopter's door splitting wide.

“Press the record button,” Corbin reminded us.

Clicking the nob, I glanced at Ellie. Had she turned hers on?

She judged me silently, considering, perhaps, all the things I had done since we had met; my flaws, my cocky aura, my damaged soul and my fragmented heart. On that precipice we hovered, her face upturned, the open door demanding we throw ourselves at the mercy of the sky.

Ellie locked her fingers with mine.

The sensation fused us, poured energy into my bones so that I could find the strength I needed. Nothing about this was easy. I wanted to live... but that was no longer up to me.

In one simple motion, I pulled us both out of the plane.

Ellie

––––––––

I
was going to die.

There's something surreal about knowing that fact. This wasn't how I'd pictured it, this wasn't fair or justified. I was going to slam face first into a jagged lump of rocks. Would I even feel the pain, I wondered?

The parachute!
Of course, if I deployed it, I would survive. Closing my eyes, enduring the roll of turbulence, I lifted my arm towards my chest. Another force, stronger than me, led me away—squeezed my fingers.

Looking over, I remembered that Pike was floating beside me. In my terror, I'd forgotten I wasn't alone.

He motioned at me, shaking his head.
He doesn't want me to open the chute.
I didn't get it, but I did know that Pike understood our situation. Did he have a plan? What did he know that I didn't?

The wind screeched at me, a banshee that left me dazzled. Another squeeze from Pike, and I focused. Through his goggles, I recognized the intensity of his blue eyes.
He asked me to trust him.

Recalling how we'd fallen together in the past, how he'd comforted me then and shown me not to be afraid... I understood. Here, with nothing around us but sharp cliffs and cruel gravity, trust was all we had.

Tensing my lips, I nodded at him, trying to say I was listening. Pike's smile was one crafted from relief. Making sure I was watching, he lifted his arms, spreading them. The hand of mine that he held went up with him; I lifted my other arm to match.

Wind curled beneath me, filling the strips of fabric running from my wrist to my ankle. This was what the suits were designed for. Suddenly we weren't comets crashing downwards. No, in a simple flex of muscles, we'd become birds.

Our descent shifted, bodies gliding forward instead of purely vertical. When I laughed, it was out of terrified surprise. Pike glanced at me, mimicking my expression. What we were doing was impossible.

Maybe death wasn't our fate today.

Soaring together, Pike struggled to control our angle. I became aware of his tension, and it only grew as we sank further in the canyon. Around us, the walls shrank. The danger of crashing into a boulder, unable to dodge it at our wild speeds, became evident.

I could hardly breathe. I was paranoid that any extra motion I made would ruin our trajectory. On my right, I heard the 'whoosh' of a rock passing near my ear. Fear swelled in my veins, my mouth tasting like rust.

Blue sky spread in front of us. It was abrupt, the canyon ending and spitting us out over a section of sand and stone. I thought Pike shouted something; when I looked over, he was pointing frantically at his chest.

Taking the hint, I gripped my cord and yanked it, my chute bursting free. He did the same, the two of us bouncing towards the clouds. For a moment, I imagined that the sky was trying to call us back. That we'd somehow proven we were meant for more than walking on the earth. We'd shown we had wings.

Wasn't the sky our home, now?

“Ah!” I grunted, tumbling over the sand, remembering to lift my legs at the last second. I still hit hard, sliding to a halt with red dust blocking my vision. Coughing, I rolled to my knees, hurrying to stand.
I need to find Pike!

Waving the blinding particles away, I scanned nearby. The bright blue of Pike's wingsuit was easy to spot. “Pike!” I shouted, legs pumping with my distress. Skidding to a halt, I grabbed his shoulders, helping him stand. “Pike, are you okay?”

Standing slowly, he yanked his helmet off of his head. I hurried to do the same, breathing in deep until my ribs argued. Together we stood there, surrounding by nothing but the memory of what we'd just done.

Dropping his helmet, he snatched me up, his mouth claiming mine. Shutting my eyes, I went limp. It was so easy to drift away, lost in his lips and his existence. Through our wingsuits, I languished in the rhythm of his lifeblood.

This was the music of life. We were
alive.

Pulling free with a raw gasp, Pike looked down on me. The flecks of silver in his eyes were melting, a frenzy creeping into his long, raspy breaths. Nothing about this moment could get better.

It was funny how I thought that... how certain I was.

Parting his lips—swollen from our rough kiss—Pike spoke the words I had hoped for, but never dared to dream of. “I love you.” He smiled, stunned by his own admission. “I love you more than anything. More than jumping, more than the sky. You're everything to me.” Kissing my temple, he whispered, “This is true freedom. The fall doesn't even come close.”

My heart expanded, so big I worried I couldn't answer him.

In the distance, the beating of a helicopter rose. On its heels came the rumble and squeal of tires. Pike twisted away, staring out at the entourage that was rushing to meet us.

Frowning sharply, I clutched my helmet.
Corbin gets his way,
I thought bitterly. We'd done his jump, recorded footage for whatever selfish purpose he had planned. According to our contracts, he—Maximal—owned all of it.

Our baffling, insane brush with oblivion would be used to advertise drinks, or hats, or fucking sneakers.
He wins. He...
Blinking, I stared down at the camera-helmet in my hands.

No. Corbin wasn't going to win.

“I love you, too,” I said softly, straining upwards to connect my lips with his. Through my cells, I endured Pike's furious tremble. Adrenaline had given both of us heightened senses.

Ripping the camera free from my helmet, I sent wires and glass glittering through the sunlight. “What are you doing?” Pike asked, eyebrows flying high.

“Smash your tape!” I shouted, heart thumping madly.

He didn't hesitate, he didn't question. Pike dropped the helmet to the ground, stomping everything into gritty bits with his foot. The crunch was immensely satisfying.

Jamming the tape I held into my armpit, I worked my zipper down.
Do I have time?
I looked up as the chopper landed nearby. The news vans arrived next, people tumbling free, video cameras lifted so they could ask us a million things.

Corbin, though... he had only one question.

“
What the fuck are you doing!?”
he screamed, jogging over the dirt to meet us. When I saw that he was watching, I kicked my helmet into the nearest rock. It shattered beautifully. “You—how dare you!?” Breathing heavily, he tore at his own hair. I had a brief second of fear, thinking he might pull his gun out and shoot us with everyone watching. “That equipment belongs to Maximal! All the money we spent on the flight, on arranging this.. you just destroyed everything... everything!
Why!?
”

Narrowing my eyes, I shoved out of the wingsuit, enjoying the air on my bare arms again. Reporters were swarming; I knew we'd be on the news tonight.

Pointing at Corbin, I said loudly, “That man endangered our lives. He threatened to kill me, Pike Moss, and Manny Southern. He held us at gunpoint until we jumped from a helicopter in dangerous weather.” Clenching my jaw, I took a breath. “Maximal Energy Incorporated is a reckless company. If it isn't obvious... I quit. I refuse to support them any longer. We'll be taking action against them.”

Someone from the crowd approached Corbin, whispering in his ear. He shoved them away, calling out to me with a waver in his voice. “So that's how it's going to be. You want to sue us? Fine! We're going to
ruin
you, the both of you! You screwed up this whole event, your contract is void! You're getting nothing!”

The other man tried to speak to Corbin again, visibly shaken. I assumed he worked for Maximal—perhaps their public relations department.

Corbin spun on him, spit flying. “I know what I'm saying! I don't care what the reporters hear! Those two have no proof of anything, we'll get them on slander, on destruction, on everything!”

“You're wrong,” I said, cool as fresh snow. “I do have proof. When this is over, the world will know what kind of scum you are, Corbin Mathews.”

He whipped around to look at me. There was a rabid taint in his eyes.

Pike clasped my shoulder; I saw that he'd removed his gear, too. “Ellie, let's go. This is over.”

Touching his fingers, I began to nod. From the corner of my eye, I sensed movement. Spinning, I came face to face with the sweaty grimace of my former boss. Corbin's lips were pulled back, hands held high like claws.

I don't know what he was planning to do. I never found out.

Black ink and tan flesh exploded in front of me. I was close enough to see the way Corbin's cheek rippled, transforming from the impact of Pike's knuckles. Around us, the air flashed with the bulbs of cameras. Everyone was shouting, creating a whirl of noise that never ended.

Groaning, Corbin collapsed in the dirt, blood running down his chin. No one moved, shocked into inaction.

Turning to the crowd, Pike rolled his shoulders. They thought he was poised to speak, some grand announcement, because they hunched closer with their microphones raised.