Page 99 of What They'll Say About Us

Garrett was so close now, so happy. He was just going to wait it out. Wait until I couldn't hang on anymore. And then I'd fall to my death, and no one would ever know that he'd done it. He'd probably bury my body down below, get rid of my car, make it look like I'd gone to Hale's house. A million things ran through my mind, finally settling into one awful truth—I couldn't save myself. There was nothing I could do but hold on for as long as I could.

The silence sizzled with tension. I could hear the seconds ticking away in my head. I tried to cling to the moment, maybe the last moment of my life, and now I was thinking about my family, my friends, the mistakes I'd made, the lessons I'd learned, the future I very much wanted to have. I couldn't go down without a fight. But my arms and shoulders were screaming with pain. How long could I hang on?

The question had barely run through my head when one of my hands slipped off the post. I bit down on my lip as I tried to grab the post again, but I couldn't reach it. My body was dragging me down.

And then Sloane moved.

I couldn't believe it.

At first, I thought she was going to push me over, but she flung herself onto the ground on her stomach, reached for my dangling arm and grabbed it with both hands.

"You are not going to die," she told me forcefully. "I am not going to watch another person die."

"Sloane, let her go," Garrett commanded. "What the hell are you thinking? This is what needs to happen. She needs to fall. Our hands have to be clean."

"Our hands aren't clean, Garrett," Sloane said, not bothering to look back at him. "If she goes, I go. Are you going to let that happen?"

"Maybe I will," he said. "My daughter needs a mother who knows how to make the right choice."

"My daughter needs me, not you," Sloane said with defiance. "And I'm not letting Tessa go."

Despite her words, I was afraid neither one of us would be able to hang on for long.

And then, the back door to the house banged open. Colton ran into the yard, his weapon drawn. "Police. Put the gun down, Delano," he ordered.

Garrett turned his head in shock, the look of satisfaction slipping away, but he hadn't put his gun down. It was still pointed at me.

"It's over," Colton said. "We found the financial trail between you and Steven Williams, and then your man gave you up. We have everything we need to put you away."

Garrett looked stunned. "He wouldn't do that. I paid him a lot of money not to do that."

"Sometimes there's not enough money in the world. Put the gun down."

"You put your gun down, or I'll shoot her."

"Garrett, please," Sloane begged. "This has to stop." She paused. "Oh, God! I'm slipping, too."

Her panicked words drew Garrett's attention, and his hand wavered.

The blast of a gun shook the air, and for a moment, I almost thought Garrett had pulled the trigger. But he was on the ground now, clutching his right shoulder, the gun at his feet.

Colton ran toward me, kicking Garrett's gun out of reach, before grabbing my other arm. "Pull, Sloane," he said.

"I don't think I can," she said, gasping for breath, as she dug her feet into the ground.

"We're going to do it together," he told her. "One, two, three…pull."

At his command, they both pulled me forward, finally getting me up and over the edge of the bluff. When I was on solid ground, Sloane let go and let out a ragged breath.

Colton wrapped his arms around me as if he was still afraid I'd fall. "Are you okay?" he asked, searching my eyes for the truth.

"I am now."

He pulled out his phone to call for help. After identifying himself, he asked for police and medics. When that was done, he turned back to me. "Where do you hurt, Tessa?"

"All over," I said. "But I'm alive, thanks to you. That's all that matters."

"Didn't I tell you to stay put?" he said.