She quieted her voice in hopes that he would be the only one who could hear her.
The heart that lived inside her chest was beating faster than she had ever experienced it beating.
"Are you alone really alone?" she asked.
She was surprised at the fact that she was reaching out to the man who was standing in front of her as if he were her friend.
"Of course, I am. That's what I told you, isn't it" he responded as if she had asked him a preposterous question.
Her mistrust was new because he wasn't used to dealing with anyone who didn't just listen to his words and believe them, and he was caught off guard by it.
Then, he began piecing together the fragments of their brief conversation with her sudden change in emotion.
Everything started falling in place.
The reason she thought he followed her, the comments she made about being chased, the real fear on her face, and the question that just left her lips.
They were in trouble, or at least she was, and it was his fault.
She appeared to be in immediate danger.
'Is that why she is at the edge of the waterfall? Not because of me at all' he thought.
"It's okay," he said, "I know. I can help you. I know why you are worried. Can I come to you slowly? I mean you no harm. I want to protect you. That is all I want to do right now. Let me fix my mistake. If you want, I will even jump with you to the bottom and be your shield when we land so you are safe" he told her in a hushed voice.
Ayla didn't know what to think.
She didn't know who this man was, but he seemed like he was a virtuous man.
Ayla sensed nothing about him that made her think he was anything but honest and wanting to help her.
The young woman also knew she was in danger.
That wasn't unusual.
What was unusual was that for once, she didn't feel alone.
"You can come to me; no need to be slow, or they will reach me first," she said as she pointed behind him.
They both realized they wasted too much time, and the other guests of the evening were close and not backing down.
There was more than one person on their way, and they weren't slowing down.
Whoever wanted her really wanted her, and they were apparently paying top dollar for her.
"I guess if we survive this, I should ask your name. That would be the fair thing to do" she said with a smile as he reached her and grabbed her hand.
Before anyone realized what was happening, the two of them leaped off the edge and down into the depths of darkness and water mist that gave them cover.
All she could imagine was how good it felt to have someone beside her for once as she ran for her life.
To have a companion to be by her side as she did whatever it took to ensure she got to safety for once was exhilarating.
Maybe it had a little to do with the jump, too.
Ayla felt amazing and soaked up every moment as the warmth of what awaited them below engulfed them and sucked them in.
Normally, she ran alone and was constantly petrified.
This time, she was not alone.
Did that mean she would no longer run alone?
Was she no longer planning on running?
She didn't have the answers to that while she let the warm, seductive water steal her away from the world.
Right then, in that moment, she was enjoying the hand that held hers firmly, and the warmth that surrounded hers as they sank deeper into the water at the bottom of the waterfall.
Shocked at what just transpired, several men were looking to one another in disbelief.
The person they had tried to capture many times before had just jumped off a cliff before their eyes.
All they could think of was how much trouble they would be in if anything happened to her.
What if he found out?
He hired them to find her and bring her home safe, and she just jumped off a freaking cliff with a man.
Was he with them?
Was he an enemy to them?
Who was he, and how did he get her to trust him?
Ayla didn't trust anyone.
They did their research for years and knew that she didn't talk to a single soul, never.
She lived a life of strict isolation, so they had challenges ahead of them.
How did that man do it?
What if she just died in front of them?
Would there, no, no, they didn't want to think about that.
They neeeeded to get to the bottom of the waterfall and see if she was alive and okay.
Some sort of proof of life was vital to their own survival.
Should they jump? If she were dead, they should all just go ahead and kill themselves because he would do it anyway.
Best case scenario, she was perfectly fine, and this stirred some sort of memory, and she would come with them willingly this time, worst case, well.
Three guys of large stature used unmarked paths to start making their way down the waterfall, deciding that jumping probably wasn't the smartest choice.
For men of their appearance, they didn't manage to walk very gracefully down, if it could be called walking.
The fear of unknown consequences kept creeping into their heads, and they needed to push it away and think clearly.
While they were fighting for their existence as they descended the waterfall, Ayla and the unknown man who jumped with her enjoyed the warmth of the water around them, below the water underneath it.
The pair forgot for a moment that they couldn't breathe unwater.
They had stayed down for an unnatural amount of time before they realized they needed to surface.
Ayla didn't want to, though.
She knew when she did, somewhere above the water, men were waiting for her.
In her mind, she felt like she should just stay under the water and let it take her.
The man beside her could tell she wanted to give up, and he had no intention of letting her do so.
He swiftly pulled the hand that he had previously grabbed and guided her a little way down the river.
When he felt like they were far enough away from the waterfall, they surfaced.
Neither of them realized just how long they were under the water for, but it was nearly forty-five minutes.
Once they were sure that none of the men were around, they could truly breathe.
"How long were we down there for" Ayla asked.
"I'm honestly not sure. I know it is long enough that I was able to get you away from them, and that is all that matters" he said with confidence.
It was clear that he had questions, but he didn't want to pry.
He wanted to be respectful to her by giving her the space she needed because she was clearly a private person, and he could tell that trust did not come easily to her.
"So much for not taking a literal leap of faith" she giggled.
Ayla couldn't help it as she looked his direction and remembered their conversation just before jumping.
He looked at her and started to shake his head.
"Obviously, I didn't expect you to jump, and I didn't expect to jump myself. I guess we were meant to jump together in blind faith" he said, while he too played the conversation back to himself in his head.
That is what made her look at him with a little more respect than she had before she jumped off the cliff with him.
She knew that he did it without knowing anything about her.
Ayla also knew he had questions, yet he didn't ask them.
This man, who knew nothing about her, respected her privacy.
He appeared to have no desire to push her or make her uncomfortable.
Actually, it seemed the opposite.
"How come you don't ask anything from me. It is dangerous to follow someone blindly. You know nothing about me" she said.
He looked at her, puzzled, "Then, we are on an even playing field, because you know nothing about me" he smiled.
She looked at him, a little amazed, "Ayla" she said shyly as they swam cautiously toward the shore.
He looked at her with bunched eyebrows.
"Now you know something about me" she smirked.
Something told her that this was just the beginning.
As they reached their destination, she continued, "and we should find some kind of shelter for the night, so they don't see us".
He was surprised by many things in that sentence, "Alexander, but you can call me Alex or whatever you what to. Did I hear you correct when you said 'we' should"?
She stopped him from moving forward, placing a hand on his chest.
Feeling her hand resting on his chest, he knew this would just be the beginning for them.
"Yes, we, because both of us jumped, and neither of us should be seen. If one survived, then both did. Besides, I'm curious about you, and I need someone to help me fight against them. I'm tired of running and fighting alone; it's hard. You seem capable and willing, or did I get that wrong" she asked, attempting to sound shy.
She did not get that wrong, not in the least bit.
He was still processing the 'we' thing, though.
Alexander found her highly attractive, and her name was like a song on his lips, and he was scared of nothing, until now.
This grown man was scared to be alone with this strong-minded female like Ayla.
Mentally, she could rip him to shreds. He wasn't sure what was happening to him.
How much of a man would he be if he admitted to Ayla that he was scared to be alone with her?
What kind of man was scared to be alone with a female, but she was scary, so he continued to follow her like a lost puppy, following an invisible leash.
Before the two of them knew it, they were off the riverbank and walking through the brush, before finding the entrance to a somewhat small but perfect cave.
It had everything they needed.
The cave was warm, dry, and covered perfectly by the surrounding nature so that they wouldn't be found.
Alexander had been covering their tracks along the way so that they wouldn't be followed.
For now, the two of them were hidden away in nature where nothing or no one would find them unless they wanted to be found.
As far as the other three men knew, she vanished without a trace, and that was clear.
They turned over every stone and leaf in the direct area to make sure.
Now, they were reluctantly going to their boss to give their report and receive their punishment.
They knew this time would be different. This time, everything was different.