Page 93 of Due Dilligence (Takeover)
Chapter Twenty
Fazil stared at the gondola cars and the long, long,longcable that led up the side of the mountain. Usually it was his legs that itched and tingled unpleasantly when his phobia kicked in, but the needles crept up his back.Shit. He exhaled and tried not to look as terrified as his body wanted him to be.
Must not have worked, because Todd rubbed his shoulder. “This going to be all right?”
Stuck in a little moving box hanging from a wire for twelve minutes? “Yeah. Piece of cake.”
“You’re such a shitty liar.” Humor there, but it fled Todd immediately. “There are trail rides down here. We could always book one of those. They’re fun and you can still see Rainier from below, too. I think.”
He’d never been on a horse. Never been in a gondola, either. He tore his gaze away from the little boxes of hanging death. “Eli had a good time riding. I could compare notes when I get back.”
Todd nodded, but the skin between his brow furrowed deep. Still kicking himself for not thinking about the whole heights issue, no doubt.
Not Todd’s fault—it was Fazil’s damn phobia.
Another gondola car slid out of the station and headed up the mountain. Inside, Fazil spotted a young girl, faced pressed to the glass.Why can’t I do that?Obviously the system was safe. They wouldn’t run it otherwise. There were kids here with more courage than him.
“Should we do the trail ride, then?” Todd shuffled his feet against the walkway.
Fazil swallowed. “I want to try the gondola.”
“Z, you don’t have to.”
He curled his hands into fists. “Iwantto.” He took in Todd, his concern, his apprehension, and his love. Toddlovedhim. He didn’t know what todowith that. He’d leave him again because his life was elsewhere. Theleasthe could do was enjoy the day Todd had planned. “It’s twelve minutes. Kids manage. I need to get over this shit.” He straightened his back and headed toward the station. “Let’s go.”
Todd caught up with him and took his hand. “It’s worth the view. I promise.”
He spent the entire time in line shifting from one foot to the other in an effort to calm the pain in his legs. Todd gave him a questioning look, but Fazil ignored it.
When they loaded into the car, there was a boy, maybe eight or nine, who balked at the door, his face pale and eyes wide. Everything Fazil felt was carved into that child.
“Kev, it’ll be fine. It’s safe,” his mom said, but the boy just shook his head and walked alongside the slowly moving car.
Fazil crouched down. “Hey. You scared?”
Kev nodded.
“Me too.” He looked up at the car. “Really scared.” When he looked back at Kev, the fear had been replaced with confusion.Yeah, kid, adults can be afraid, too.“But I’m gonna ride this thing. Wanna help me be brave?”
He took one step, then another, then walked inside the car before it cleared the platform. Fazil rose, and Kev plopped himself down next to Fazil on the bench.
Todd chuckled and put his arm around Fazil. “You’ve made a friend.”
“So it seems.”
Kev beamed up at him.
From the other side of the gondola, relief covered Kev’s mom like a blanket, her eyes almost as wide as her son’s. “Thank yousomuch.”
An older girl, the daughter, he guessed, rolled her eyes.
The car lurched, swung out into the air, and Fazil’s heart fell beneath the seat. “Don’t mention it.” His voice was thin. “I know how he feels.”
The view from the windowwaspretty, if you ignored the vast quantity of air between the car and the ground. But the pinpricks subsided. Sitting helped, and the ride was surprisingly smooth. The car did rock each time they transitioned over a tower, and Kev flinched. So did Fazil, for that matter.
But after a few minutes, his tension melted. They were in this box, and it hadn’t fallen. While the view was nice, it was missingonething. “I thought you said we’d see the mountain?”
Todd grinned like a cat. “Wait for it.”
