That was all well and good, but…
“I don’t think I have ten minutes, Christian. And Brody’s—”
“King can handle himself. Right now, I need you to focus on getting your ass out of that house. You said you’re in his bedroom, right?”
“What?” That damn alarm was making itsohard to hear anything. “Yeah. Brody told me to lock the door and wait for him here.”
“Change of plans. I need you to go to the window.”
She spun around and looked. “Which one?”
Brody had two windows in his bedroom. One facing the back yard, the other offering a view of the next door neighbor’s house several yards—and two privacy fences—away.
“The one in the back. Over the patio.”
Understanding began to sink in. “I can’t leave Brody.”
“Damn it, Aurora! Brody would tell you the exact same thing I am. Now don’t fucking argue with me, just go!”
She hesitated two seconds longer before springing into action. Running over to the window in question, Ro used her left shoulder to hold the phone to her ear. A flash of pain came from the wound in her arm, but she ignored it and pushed open the window.
“Ro?”
“I’m still…here.” Her voice was strained as she worked the screen up the frame’s narrow track next. “Okay.” She blew out a breath. “Window’s open.”
Looking down, her heart nearly beat straight out of her chest. She was going to have to jump. With an injured arm…and without panties.
“Good girl.” Christian’s deep voice cut through once more. “Now I want you to carefully climb out the window and lower yourself down onto the patio roof. Then you run as fast as you can to the nearest neighbor and wait for help. Can you do that?”
Could she? Absolutely. Did she want to…
“I can do it.” She was already bending and twisting herself through the open window.
The fact that she didn’t have anything on under Brody’s extra-large t-shirt came back to the forefront of her mind. Luckily the need to survive overshadowed whatever modesty she may have been feeling.
The window’s frame scraped and pinched the bare skin covering her thighs, but Ro ignored the tiny pricks of pain—and the renewed throbbing in her bandaged arm—and continued making her escape.
“Christian, I can’t do this and hold the phone. I’m going to put it in my mouth while I climb down.”
“Do what you’ve got to do, sweetheart. Rocky should be there in five. Maybe less.”
Five minutes.
What had forever seemed like a blip on the scales of time suddenly felt like an eternity. So yes…less would definitely be best.
“I’ll let you know when I make it to the bottom.”
Keeping the phone call active, Ro shoved her cell phone between her lips and gripped the sill as if her life depended on it. Because, well…it did.
The sharp edge of the frame’s metal track dug into her palms, but Ro didn’t dare loosen her hold. Sending up a quick prayer that she wasn’t about to break something—or, you know…fall to her death—she began to lower herself down.
Son of a bitch, that hurts!
Her injured arm screamed in protest, and Ro was pretty sure the growing warmth there meant she’d re-opened her wound. But she’d deal with that later. Assuming therewasa later.
Stretched as far as she could go, Ro looked down to see how close she’d come.Damn it.There were still at least three feet between her dangling toes and the roof below.
A three-foot drop or face an intruder that probably wants you dead. Hmmm…let me think.