Page 20 of Red Zone Awakened

“Something like that.”He shuffled a few inches closer.“You need to take another step, baby.”

Honestly, even if he told her they were going back through the window and abandoning this suicidal plan, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to move her feet.

“I’ll try,” she said out loud, tasting the lie in her words.

Her limbs had locked in place, kept there by the fear of falling to her death.All it would take was one wrong step.A stumble.A slight loss of balance…

Mace rubbed his thumb on her back, making her aware of the firm, wide hand holding her in place, comforting her with its strength.“I won’t let you fall.Concentrate on taking one step at a time.That’s all you need to do.Stare at the wall and take one step to the left.You don’t even need to lift your foot.Just slide it along.There’s nothing on the ledge for you to trip over.”

She rested her forehead against the cool wall.“How are you so calm?”

“I’m calm because I know we’re gonna be fine.Take the step, princess.I’m here.I’ll keep you safe.Take the step.”

“I must be mad,” Keiko muttered, but her foot slid to the side, and they moved one step along the ledge.

“That’s it,” he said, sounding proud.“You can totally do this.”

A barrage of gunfire blasted from the other side of the building, where the terrace was located.The sound made her quake.Was Abigail okay?Had she been injured?She wished her friend were with her—perhaps not out on the ledge, though.Far beneath them, sirens blared, announcing the arrival of Territory Enforcement.How long until they dealt with Freedom?Would she still be alive when they were done?

“I can’t stop thinking about falling.”Keiko glanced over at him.He hadn’t even broken out in a sweat.“The more I think about it, the more I’m sure it’ll happen.”

“Think about something else.But slide that foot over while you do it.”

“Just like that, think about something else.”But she took the step, shaking as she did so.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…lied the voice in her head.

“Tell me something you’ve always wanted to do.Bet it isn’t walking on a ledge sixty-seven floors up.”His smile was teasing.

“How can you joke right now?”

“Life is cruel.You gotta take your fun where you can get it.Now tell me something you want to do.”

There was no dealing with the man.And even though her voice was barely a whisper and her words trembled, she gave him what he asked for.“I’ve always wanted to go deep-sea diving.”

“Okay.Not what I was expecting, but that’s fine.It’s about as far from this situation as possible.Good call.”

As she took another step, the wind whipped up around them and then ease just as fast.A breeze.Not a storm.Just a breeze.She took a moment to calm her breathing back down.Counting each breath in and out, she pressed her forehead to the wall.In—one, two three.Out—one, two, three.It was just a breeze.No need to panic.

And then Keiko slid her foot to the left.

“You’re doing great,” Mace said.“Only a few more steps until the corner.And then maybe another five until we hit the window.Tell me something else you plan on doing after this is all over.”

“Other than kiss the ground?”I can do this, I can do this…the chant continued, blocking out the other thoughts that told her death was only a step away.

He chuckled.“Other than that.”

“French cooking lessons,” she found herself saying.

Mace pressed his hand to her back, keeping her flush against the wall and firmly on the ledge.“Never had any interest in cooking.I make one thing—chili.A couple more steps to the corner.Is that your whole list?”

She didn’t answer for a minute as she concentrated on taking those steps.

“That’s it.Slow and easy.Not far to go.You can reach out and hold the corner now.”

She made the mistake of turning her head, very slowly and carefully, to see what he meant.All she saw was black, empty night sky and lights blinking far, far beneath them.They were so high up.With nothing between them and the ground but air.

A wave of pure, unadulterated terror rushed through her, and suddenly it felt like the ledge beneath her feet was made of shifting sand.Her toes curled into it, trying to keep her in place, but it didn’t make any difference.It still felt like it was moving, ready to toss her off and into the darkness.

“There’s nothing there.”She fought to get the words past her tightening throat.“I’m going to die.I’m going to step out into nothing.Because.There.Is.Nothing.There.”

Her voice had faded to a strained whisper.Small whimpering noises escaped as her red fingernails scratched at the wall, desperate for purchase.If she’d been thinking straight, her behavior would have embarrassed her.As it was, she was too focused on the nothingness in front of her to care.In the back of her mind, a calm realization settled, and she knew she was about ten seconds away from a full-blown panic attack.One that would take them both over the edge, straight to their deaths, but there was nothing she could do to stop it.

“You’re safe,” Mace said over the frenzied screaming in her head.“I’ve got you.You won’t fall.”His even voice sounded like it was coming from very far away.

With her eyes scrunched shut and her lips a hair’s breadth from the wall, her chant changed: “I can’t, I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…”

The words drowned out everything else.Everything except the sure knowledge that the ledge was about to slip out from under her, and she was going to fall.