“Why are you doing this?” She had never been so mad in her life. How dare this guy do this to her? How dare God allow it!
“How many times do I have to tell you? To show you your God doesn’t exist. To prove you aren’t as saintly as you think. And…” He kicked Aaron again for good measure. More blood oozed from Aaron’s mouth and onto the collar of his white dress shirt. “Because you ruined my life!”
For the first time, Boyd yelled, and Sloan saw her time on earth ending. “You used me. You set me up. And you made everyone hate me. When I woke up in the ICU, I knew you had to pay. I knew it! I didn’t know how until I saw a television show with a waterfall, and I knew it was perfect for you. Saint Sloan, the fallen angel. A nice ring, no?”
“No.” She shook her head. “You think I’m a saint. I’m far from it. I’ve never pretended to be perfect.”
Boyd rolled his eyes and pointed the gun at Aaron’s head. “I’m so tired of this. Either jump or don’t. Your choice.
“You won’t let him live anyway. If I jump or not.”
He shrugged. “You willing to take that chance?”
Sloan didn’t have to answer. Headlights speeding down the road got her attention. Boyd’s as well. They were coming straight for him and Aaron. Sloan ran and pulled Aaron out of the way before the car hit Boyd and threw him back against the wooden fence.
Sloan recognized that car. It was hers.
Ray jumped out and ran to Sloan and Aaron. “You okay? I knew something was up at prom so I followed you.”
He’d been in the car behind them. Who knew?
“Fine. Don’t let him up. He has a gun,” Aaron ordered. Sloan got behind his back and began untying him. The rope wasn’t the easiest thing to undo, but Sloan loosened it enough for Aaron to help her untie it.
Ray didn’t flinch before running toward Boyd, who lay motionless against the fence in a lump. When he got a few feet from him, Boyd rose up, pointed the gun, and shot. Ray’s head snapped back, and he fell to the ground.
“No!” Sloan screamed. She scrambled from Aaron’s side over to Ray. Aaron yelled at her to stop, but she didn’t listen. Ray couldn’t be dead. He couldn’t be.
When she reached him, he was unconscious. Looking at him closer, she saw the bullet had only grazed his forehead. “Thank you, God. Thank you, God.” She whispered the prayer, nearly out of breath. He would be fine. He’d be fine. He had to be.
Her happiness didn’t last long, as Boyd grabbed her arm and yanked her toward the wooden fence. Blood poured from a gash on his head, and he limped from being hit by her car. She wished Ray had hit him harder. “See. You killed Ray. Aaron’s going to die. How many people have to die to protect you, Sloan? Huh!” He pushed her hard into the fence. Her back rammed into the post, nearly taking her breath away.
Boyd hovered over her. “Goodbye, Sloan Tell God ‘hi’ for me.”
Boyd yanked her up, and her feet dangled off the ground. This was it. He was going to throw her over the fence and into the river below. She yelled a silent prayer to God in her mind as she shut her eyes and expected to feel Boyd toss her like a ragdoll.
Instead, Sloan felt a thud, and she fell hard on the fence, losing her breath again. As she gasped for air, she saw Boyd go over the cliff. Aaron followed.
Everything else felt like it happened in slow motion.
Aaron clung to the cliff and tried to pull himself up. He’d been the thud. He’d rammed Boyd and knocked him over the cliff.
“Hold on!” she yelled. She crawled under the fence and grabbed Aaron’s hand. “I’ll pull you up.” She pulled as hard as she could, and he pushed up with his other hand. “Come on!” She strained.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Ray still unconscious. It would have been nice for him to be able to help her.
“God, give me strength. God, give me strength.” She repeated the prayer over and over.
Aaron grunted as he pushed up and got his stomach on the grass. Sloan could have wept. He’d done it. He was safe.
She laughed, happy it was over. Finally, this time.
Aaron dug his fingers into the ground to pull the rest of him up. When he did, he slid backward off the cliff. Sloan grabbed his hand to keep him from sliding further and peered over the side.
Smiley, bloody Boyd had Aaron’s leg in his hands. “Told you someone would fall, didn’t I, Sloan?”
Aaron’s eyes met hers. He knew. Just like that, he knew time was up. “I love you,” he said quickly. “Tell Ray…”
“Kick him!” Sloan ordered. This was not how it was going to end!
Aaron slid farther down, his fingertips barely gripping the grass. “Tell Ray…”
With a sneer on his lips, Boyd let go of the rock he’d been holding onto and put all of his weight on Aaron’s leg. Aaron yelled as his hands gave way. They slid from Sloan’s grasp, and she scooted to catch his wrist again. She wasn’t going to let him go over the cliff.
Before she could grab his hand, Aaron gave her one last smile and moved his hand out of the way.