HELD HOSTAGE

Then, he fell flat on his stomach and leaned towards the edge of the cliff. He used the hand which was tied with his tie to secure his hold on the cliff, while the other hand reached for Irina.

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, shaking with fear.

"Come on!" He shouted at her. There was equal terror in El Russo's eyes, and he could hear blood rush to his ears.

"Reach out to me, I'll grab you!" He said to her. The branch which Irina held onto was frail. It was quickly losing its resolve because of her weight.

"No." Irina whispered in tears when the first part of the branch broke.

"Come on!" El Russo shouted. "Let the branch go! Trust me!" He said to her

Irina looked into his eyes for a moment, and when she saw that he meant what he said, she decided to trust him.

She reached up to grab his hand, and just as her fingertips touched his, the branch lost its stability and broke. But El Russo was quick enough to catch her wrist before she fell with it.

Irina's screa