Page 17 of Raul

“Gotcha,” she returned the standard response.

Wouldn’t she get tired in that braced position? She had Dario as backup, but Raul could tell the bodyguard wasn’t taking any of the load.Caray!The woman was a badass.

Raul shook out his arms and let them dangle loosely for a couple of minutes before he chalked his sweaty hands and found the ledge with his toes again. He couldn’t remember if there was a specific signal that he was ready to go again so he yelled, “Climbing.”

“Climb on,” Erica responded.

He caught the jut of rock he had been aiming for and eased himself into the chimney that was the next section of the climb. Erica had called this the easy part because he could use his legs more than his arms by bracing his feet on the opposing sides of the chimney.

His confidence began to return as he stemmed up the natural formation, his arms getting a little bit of a rest.

Then he hit the crux—the hardest part—of the route and paused to chalk his hands. It was like a chess game, always figuring several moves ahead. He would not fall this time.

Hand. Foot. Stretch. Cling. Pull. Toe. Hook.

His muscles shook, but he focused on the next ledge, the next pocket, the next flake.

And then he was reaching for the horn, the big, easy-to-grip jut of rock that marked the end of the crux.

“Eight more feet and you’ll send it,” Pascal called down to him from his position at the top of the cliff.

Somewhere inside himself, Raul found a reserve of energy and hurled himself up the final stretch of rock. Flattening his hands on the last ledge above him, he hauled himself up and over, rolling onto the top of the cliff to lie flat on his back, staring at the sky. He had made it. Triumph fizzed through him, and he gave a gasping whoop.

“Congratulations,Monseigneur.” Pascal’s face came into his field of vision. “You topped out.”

“That was incredible!” Raul said, knowing he was grinning like a fool.

“It feels good, doesn’t it?” The bodyguard offered his hand. Raul grasped it, and Pascal pulled him to his feet without seeming effort.

“I fell, though,” Raul said, remembering the moments of pure terror when he’d felt his fingers slip off the handhold. Not to mention having to be saved by Erica.

“Everyone falls.” Pascal handed him a bottle of water. “It means you’re challenging yourself, so that’s good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t need the rope.”

“I’m not going to fall the next time,” Raul said in a promise to himself before he took a long drink. His mouth was dry from exertion, chalk dust, and altitude. Handing the bottle back to Pascal, he said, “I’m doing it again.”

“Bien sûr,”Pascal said with a smile of understanding. “Of course. You’re hooked now.”

“Ready to lower!” Raul called down to Erica.

“Lowering,” she responded.

He swung out over the ledge, all his weight on the rope as he dangled a hundred feet in the air. A rush of nerves tightened his chest, but then he was moving downward in a slow, smooth glide. He glanced down to see Erica braced against the wall, her face turned up to him, her hands fisted around the rope as she controlled its slide through her grip. After about twenty feet, he could get his feet on the rock and walk down, which made him feel like he was helping ease the burden on her.

His feet touched the ground, and exhilaration flowed through him. “That wasestupendo!” He wanted to pick Erica up and spin her in circles.

However, she stood with her hands wrapped firmly around the rope, her expectant gaze on him.

“Oh, right. Off belay,” Raul said with a grin.

“Belay off,” she said, letting the rope go and giving him a smile in return. “Buen trabajo!You did great, especially for a gumby.”

“A gumby?”

“A beginner,” she said, her smile widening.

“Because my muscles feel like rubber?” he asked.

“I think it’s because a beginner’s climbing is a little awkward and clumsy like the character,” she said. “Yours wasn’t, though.”