Chapter 29 - Gravity and Grace
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Andrew let out a shocked shriek as his legs were taken out from under him!
Both men crashed heavily onto the rain-slicked balcony floor, sliding violently across the wet stone toward the low carved balustrade!
Andrew's fire poker clattered over the edge, plunging into the dark, roaring abyss of the ocean three hundred feet below.
"Get off me!" Andrew screamed, clawing frantically at Ethan's face, his fingers leaving red scratches along Ethan's cheek.
Ethan didn't flinch. He pinned Andrew's arms to the floor, his massive frame overpowering the scientist, his grey eyes burning with absolute, terrifying dominance.
"You threatened her for the last time," Ethan growled, his voice deeper and darker than the thunder rolling across the sky.
With a final, violent surge, Ethan hauled Andrew up by his lapels and slammed him against the stone balcony railing!
Andrew looked over his shoulder, his eyes going wide with sudden, primal terror as he saw the black waves crashing against the sharp rocks far below. The realization hit him instantly—there was no escape, no clever plan, no blackmail scheme left to save him.
"Ethan, please!" Andrew begged, his voice high-pitched and pathetic, all his arrogance evaporating into the storm. "Don't do this! I'm a scientist! I can help you! I can give you everything!"
"You have nothing I want," Ethan said coldly.
Ethan drew his fist back, his bloody knuckles catching the flash of lightning, and landed a massive, final right hook straight to Andrew's jaw!
Andrew's head snapped back. His grip on the stone railing slipped.
With a pathetic scream that was instantly swallowed by the howling wind, Andrew Vaughn tumbled backward over the balustrade, disappearing into the dark, churning waters of the Atlantic Ocean below.
Silence descended over the balcony, save for the roar of the sea and the heavy patter of rain.
Ethan stood at the railing, his chest heaving, his dark hair plastered to his forehead. He slowly turned around to face me.
I ran to him.
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I threw my arms around his neck, burying my face in his wet shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. Ethan wrapped his arms tightly around my waist, lifting me slightly off my feet, pulling me against his body as if he would never let me go again.
"It's over, Ava," Ethan whispered into my hair, his body trembling with exhaustion and relief. "It's finally over."
