Rogue Ranger

Chapter 1 Set in Motion

Everything began to go black. Laura felt like she was going to faint and that was a bad idea since she was stuck on a tiny ledge outside the sixth floor of a condemned building. Her fear of heights had peaked to a new record and a deathly panic came over her. Her breath came out harsh and suffocated and she could barely see through her tears. Screaming was pointless since her throat was dry from all that panting; plus, there was no one around for a good few blocks. To add to her troubles, her hands were still tied up. She had been bound that way for hours. And now she was left on a ledge with no way out, alone, to die.

"LAURA!" a voice called out, a voice too far to be real and yet it rang with crystal clarity. Shaking with fear, she risked peeking down to the ground which felt like miles below her. There he stood, the dark clothed figure of the man her heart ached for, watching her with desperation in his face – and something more. Something that squeezed her heart. A wave of relief washed over her. He was here. Despite her fear of him putting himself at risk, he was here. He had come for her.

"Ji Hoon!" she uttered weakly in relief. Her head spun as the blood swirled in her brain and she leaned back against the wall of the building trying to focus her eyes.

"Hold on, I'm coming to get you! Don't be afraid Laura, I'm coming!" The comforting words barely registered in her ears as he shouted up to her but his voice was enough. Laura swallowed, unable to speak since her throat had dried with the chill dusky air. He was coming for her; that thought helped her control her breathing.

Laura closed her eyes counting the seconds. Soon, her Ji Hoon would be with her. She pressed her head on the wall and waited with labored breaths.

"Listen to my voice Laura, don't think of anything else. Focus on my voice." Ji Hoon's voice was closer; it soothed her fears. She opened her eyes and looked to her right. Just below was another ledge and Ji Hoon stood on it, looking up at her.

"It's okay Laura, I'm here. Everything's gonna be alright. I won't let you fall, I promise." He said with unshakable confidence as he began to climb up to the ledge she was on. He moved with such adroitness that she had no fear of him falling. She trusted his skill with her life. She watched him swing himself up to the ledge she was on and in a second he was standing right in front of her, blocking the terrifying view of the ground with his dazzling face.

"Ji Hoon, I can't... I'm so frightened... I can't move..." she stammered.

"Shh, it's okay, you're safe now. I'm here." he whispered gently in a way that sent butterflies through her stomach. The fear began to ebb away as he quickly cut the ropes from her hands. Finally able to move them, she lifted them up to wrap around his neck, clinging tight.

"Oh Ji Hoon! I'm so glad! I thought I was going to die without seeing you ever again! I was so afraid..." she sobbed into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her in a lock tight embrace, his hand cradling the back of her head to his chest.

"Shh, Laura, that can never happen. Didn't I promise you I'd never leave your side? I will never let anything happen to you as long as I'm alive." He whispered into her ear. She raised her head to look at him, her hands sliding to his chest. She clenched his shirt hard with her nails as though he might disappear from her grasp.

"Ji Hoon..." she cried, tears running down her cheeks. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have left like that! I thought I would never see you again..."

He let go of her waist and brought his hands to her face in a gentle yet loving touch, a finger covering her lips. He wiped away the tears from her face with his thumbs, his dark eyes fixed with laser sharp focus on hers. He leaned his forehead on hers and breathed warm steady breaths on her iced lips.