Page 28 of Dublin Debacle

“Emily!” Jack’s voice shouted above her. “Sweet Jesus,” he muttered, “Hang on.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, her voice strained. “I hope.” What else could she do?

Then, slowly and painfully, the sheet jerked upward, inch by agonizing inch.

Emily could do nothing to help but remain as still as possible.

Jack had to be using brute force to reel her in, and that, after straining to keep the stranger from crashing to her death.

Emily worried that the jerking motion would cause the sheet to further unwind. She braced her hands against the wrap around her belly, not that it would do any good if the fabric broke free. She had no way of turning around to hold on.

By the time he raised her to the base of the balcony, her midsection hurt, and she was getting lightheaded from shallow breathing.

“Can you reach anything to hold on?” Jack called out.

“Maybe.” Emily carefully swung around until she could see the balcony railing just above her head. When she reached out, her hand wrapped around the wrought iron, and she was able to maneuver around to grab another rail with her other hand.

Jack and the woman he’d pulled to safety held onto the sheet, leaning their combined weight back to keep Emily suspended where she was.

“I’ve got a good grip on the rail,” Emily said.

“Hang on tight while we secure the sheet,” Jack said.

Emily moved her feet around and got a toehold on the brick base of the balcony. “I’ve got my foot on something.” She pushed upward and wrapped her arm around the rail. When she felt confident she could hold herself up, she nodded. “Do it.”

Jack stood, quickly tied the sheet around another rail and secured the length before he bent over, hooked his hands beneath Emily’s arms and dragged her over the top of the rail and into his embrace.

It wasn’t until her feet were safely beneath her and she was wrapped in Jack’s strong arms that Emily gave in to the realization that she had almost died.

She started trembling, and soon she shook all over to the point her teeth rattled.

Jack leaned back and stared into her eyes, his forehead creased in a fierce frown, his face pale. “Don’t. Ever. Do. That. Again,” he gritted between clamped teeth. Then he crushed her to him, holding her so tightly, she could barely breathe.

She didn’t care. His arms were strong, the muscles solid and she’d never felt safer.

But the breathing part was still difficult.

Then she remembered the sheet still wrapped too tightly around her middle.

Emily leaned back. “Must get out of...this,” she said, struggling to release the binding.

Jack helped her. Between the two of them, they worked the fabric free and let it fall to the floor.

Emily filled her lungs and looked around. “The girl. Where did she go?”

A door slammed closed in the flat behind her, making Emily spin toward the sound. “She’s getting away.”

Jack pushed past her and ran after the woman.

Still shaky, Emily raced after him.

Footsteps pounded on the staircase, heading downward.

Jack took the steps two at a time, leaping past the bottom four to each landing.

Emily followed a lot slower, still weak from oxygen deprivation.

By the time she reached ground level, Jack had already left the building.

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