Page 6 of The Prize

I hoped he had the wits to talk us out of this situation because right now the hounds of hell were circling.

“It’s actually a great view.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Eli looked angry.”

“I owe you an apology.”

I focused back on Tobias. “I insisted on coming with you.”

“Didn’t mean that.”

“You mean the first night I met you half-naked in The Otillie?”

“I was half-dressed.” He smiled. “Cute of you to remember me that way though.”

“What do you think Eli’s going to do?”

“Let’s implement plan C.”

No, there’d been no mention of what to do if we found ourselves stranded on a roof with sinister men surrounding us.

He gave my shoulder a squeeze. “You never asked what I was apologizing for.”

“This is not your fault.” I wanted to believe this.

“Forever the optimist, Leighton.”

From this angle, I caught Eli rushing out of the glass elevator and when he saw me he bullied his way to get to us.

Tobias stepped back. “I’m apologizing for this—”

A large blur appeared above my head and I strained my neck to see what it was, hearing excited yells from those around us who were seeing it too. An enormous drone was suspended directly above us.

“Jade,” snapped Tobias, “down five feet.”

“What the hell is that?” I ducked and shielded myself with my arm as it closed in.

“Open the door,” he ordered.

The dancers scattered backward to allow the pod’s descent toward us and the door flung open. Tobias spun me around, grabbed me, and hoisted me up into the floating aircraft and I grazed my knees on the way in as I scrambled forward on what felt like an unstable floor. Tobias gave my butt a shove and Etta’s vocals enhanced this crazy commotion as everything went into slow motion.

I pulled myself up onto the seat and groaned at being trapped in this precarious floating glass bubble. The door closed behind me. “No, Jade, we have to get Tobias in.” The drag of gravity rocked me off balance and I fell backward and hit my head with a loud smack on the glass dome as the pod ascended. Stunned, I was unable to exhale from the shock of speed with which I rose.

I slumped onto my knees, dazed and confused.

When I righted myself, I gawped at the harrowing view of the towering rooftop below and its view of dancers growing more distant. Vertigo shook me and nausea welled as I peered out aghast at the drop. I was going to plummet to my death. I crawled into a ball, too terrified to move and not wanting to comprehend what was happening.

This was worse than a damn elevator.

Tobias?

I braved to open my eyes and turned to stare out the back window—

Terror surged through me and I sprang up and clawed at the glass when I saw Tobias on the roof fighting for his life with two men in tuxedos. One of them threw a fierce punch to his stomach and Tobias bent double in pain. Another blow came to his jaw knocking him backward and he struggled to stay on his feet.

Eli was standing by watching the fray with a psychotic calmness. Tobias got away from the men but they quickly grabbed him again and the scrap continued as they yanked off his jacket. Tobias ripped at his own shirt like it was on fire.

Another blow to his face knocked him to the floor.