Ray
At the veryst second, no one could have predicted that someone would suddenly appear behind Frank
she had been hidden in the shadows, her slender figure concealed by the debris along the hallway. Using the clutter <b>as </b>cover, she had crept closer without being noticed.
It was Fellda.
Just as Frankloosened his grip to throw Sandra off the edge, two silver needles <b>shot </b>through the air, strildng him with plopoint uracy.
His movements froze, his body stiffening on the spot.
Realizing someone was behind him, he let out an enraged howl, straining with every ounce of strength to break free from the paralysis caused by the needles. But before he could move, Felicia smashed <b>a </b><b>brick </b>into his head with all her might.
The impact left him dazed, and Felicia took the opportunity to lunge forward, grabbing Sandra’s clothes,
Sandra had already been dangling precariously over the edge of the calling. To pull her back, Felicia had to lean so far out that half her body hung in mid–air beyond the railing.
What happened next waspletely unexpected..
Though paralyzed by the needles, Frank let out a feral par. In a final, desperate act, he leaned back <b>over </b>the <b>railing</b>, pulling himself and Felicia toward the edge in an attempt to drag her down with him.
It all happened in a heartbest.
As Frank’s body tipped over, Felicia had just enough time to fing Sandra upward with all her strength.
Mike, sprinting toward them, caught Sandra in mid–air in his arms.
But Felicia wasn’t so lucky. The momentum of Frank’s fall pulled her over the edge.
She plummeted from the second floor. novelbin
She thought that was the end of her life. Her mind nked except for the horrifying realization of the grinding machine below her. If she hit it, she would be gone In an instant, ground to nothing
“How pathetic<b>,</b>” she thought, squeezing her eyes shut.
In the chaos, she vaguely heard someone shout something from above, she couldn’t make out the words,
A powerful force <b>yanked </b>her out of freetall, pulling her sideways through the air.
s, but in that <b>instant</b>, she felt a tight grip around her waist
The iron grip was unyelding, like avice<b>, </b>and the scent that hit her was <b>sharp </b><b>and </b>clean–familiar<b>. </b>Someone shielded her before she could process it as they both tumbled to the ground, rolling several times before stopping.
<b>The </b>fall’s impact had been absorbed, leaving her shaken but not seriously hurt.
Opening her eyes, she wasn’t surprised to see Stephan’s face.
The two of them were tangled together, limbs intertwined <b>in </b><b>a </b>way that could easily be mistaken for something romantic–like star–crossed lovers risking it all. Hearing themotion, his men rushed inside and froze at the sight. Their expressions shifted awkwardly <b>as </b>if they wished they could turn invisible on the spot. Stephan stood up, <b>brushing </b>himself off as if nothing had happened. Without a <b>nce </b>at Felicia, he turned and walked away, <b>his </b>expression cold and expressionless.
Felicia climbed to her feet, wincing as she rubbed her sore lower back.
Mike camerashing down the stairs, relief flooding <b>his </b>tace when he saw both of them safe. “That was too close–way too close!” he eximed, still catching his breath
Felicia hadn’t seen what had happened during her <b>fall</b>, so she didn’t realize the extent of what Stephan had done to save her.
From Mike’s perspective, it had been termifying. At the speed she had fallen and the distance between them, Stephan hadunched himself recklessly, risking everything to grab her.
Mike’s heart was still racing <b>at </b>the memory. The scene had been etched into his mind–Stephan leaping into the air without hesitation <b>and </b>narrowly catching Felicia. Both of them had just been inches from being pulled into the deadly machine.
Words could not adequately describe the <b>danger </b>and sheer adrenaline–it was breathtaking and horrifying all at once.
Had Stephan miscalcted even slightly, he would have been the first one swallowed by the machine.