Page 65 of Jackson

“Jax, stop. We just need to get him over here.” Mac grabbed my shoulder, trying to pull me back up. “Put on the rope, Ayen!”

“He can’tbreathe,” I snapped, jerking away from him.

“If we spend time looking for a breathing apparatus then he’s as good as dead. We need to get him up herenowbefore he passes out.”

I was inches away from tearing my fucking hair out. Both sides of my brain were screaming for two different things: jump down there and rescue him by hand or try to find him something to use to breathe into. Neither side was interested in following Mac’s orders, no matter how much sense they made.

My fear was making me act irrationally, to the detriment of Ayen.

“Ayen,” Mac called again. “Get the rope around you and we’ll pull you up.”

I crawled over to where the incline dropped off. “Ayen, just put it around your waist, sweetheart, and we’ll pull you up.”

His hand fisted in the dirt, slowly inching forward to where the rope was. Tears and sweat were pouring down his face to thepoint where he was having a hard time seeing where he was going. He patted around on the dirt, feeling for the rope.

“To your left... yes, right there,” I said. “Now, put it around you... that’s it.”

I stood quickly, grabbing at the slack and waiting until he finally was able to get it around him. Once he tugged it twice to get it snug around his waist, Mac and I yanked on the other end hard enough that I felt my shoulders strain.

If Mac couldn’t tell how desperate I was to get him up before, he certainly did now with how quickly he was having to change his hand-over-hand and toss the extra rope back away from his feet while I used both of my hands together for longer strokes to choke up on.

Ayen grabbed at the side of the incline, his hands digging down into the dead grass and dirt to help us haul him over the side. He collapsed instantly the second he was over, his legs still dangling off precariously.

I tossed the rope and dropped to my knees to grab him, scooping him up into my arms to drag him the rest of the way onto safer ground. He fell into me, becoming dead weight the moment I had my arms tightly secured around him.

I brushed my hands over his face, the grime from the smoke and dirt leaving streaks across his beautiful face. The relief at seeing him still alive and breathing was unmatched, overtaking me so hard and fast that it practically knocked the wind out of me.

When I’d first heard that distress call, my entire world felt like it’d suddenly caved inward. I hadn’t wanted to believe it, having only given him my radio as an overprotective safety precautionthat my stupid possessive self needed to fulfill in order to actually walk away.

I never thought he’d need to use it.

Never in a million years.

If I had, he would’ve never left my side today.

The fear that had completely stolen all other sense of rational thoughts from my mind was nothing like I’d ever experienced in my life. Not even when my father’s alcoholic rages resulted in Carter and I walking away with black eyes and bruised bodies.

I nevereverwanted to feel like that again. My heart was already outside of my body and being carried around by a man that I’d only know for a short time. And coming face to face with the reality of that fact was both startling and mind-boggling.

When Ayen’s eyes blinked open, they were unfocused. His mouth dropped open to try and suck in as much clean air as he could.

Finally, he mumbled, “Jax...”

“You’re okay.” Tears leaked from my eyes as I brushed more grime from his face. “You’re okay. I got you.”

And I’m never ever letting you go again.

CHAPTER 28

Ayen

A soft beepinghummed in the distance, just out of reach.

The dark, inky black of forever stared back at me—a void so cold and desolate that it made it hard to breathe or move anywhere that wasn’t right in front of me. I was bound to this place, unmoving and unfeeling aside from the deep searing pain of loneliness that consumed me from within.

I couldn’t remember anything before this.

Who was I?

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