"Quiet," he whispered into her ear. "As much as I'd like to kill you, I won't."
His breath tickled, and she shivered. Her body roared to life at the scent of his dark spices while she fought the urge to break down into hysterics. Wrapped in his warm body, she couldn't move if she wanted to. A side of her really didn't want to, even knowing he'd killed her boyfriend.
Twice.
His heartbeat was strong and steady, the thick arm wrapped around her as it had been when he held her after they'd made love for the last time before falling asleep. The sense of being protected, safe, floated through her. She fought it. She was his next target. She wanted to go down on her own terms, not lured into a false sense of safety before he chopped off her head.
The sounds of pursuit grew fainter. When they fell silent, Gabriel moved, his grip loosening around her.
"Stay here," he ordered. Deidre stayed in place long enough for him to put some distance between them. He faded in and out of shadows, as if he was part of them, the heavy trench coat making him look like some sort of sinister Batman.
She inched towards the edge of the building. It was fifty meters away, far enough he could catch her, if she wasn't careful. Easing to the edge of the swamp cooler, she eyed the distance and drew a deep breath.
He'd guessed right. She was a jumper. She hadn't planned on jumping off her building, but the events of this night made the idea more appealing than having her head severed from her body or ending up a pile of bones in a bathtub. Deidre squared off against the waist high wall between her and her destiny.
She sprinted. She passed the halfway point and forced herself to keep going. If she gave herself a second to think, she'd stop and sob, until someone else came by and killed her. She passed the three quarters point, and tears filled her gaze.
"Deidre!" Gabriel's shout was closer than she expected.
She ran as fast as she could, knowing it was her only chance. Reaching the wall, Deidre ignored the scrape of concrete against her hands and knees as she clambered on top. She paused, gazing down at the street lights thirty stories down. Wind whipped up the building and tossed her hair.
Either I'm already dead, and nothing happens. Or, I'm alive and about to be dead.
With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and jumped.
The sensations of freefalling made her stomach turn. She panicked as she fell. This felt too real for her to be dead. Air roared by her ears. She opened her eyes, forbidding herself from screaming as the pavement below grew closer. She seemed to be moving so slowly, crisply aware of every sensation, every thought.