Instead of heading down the stairs, Marcus led her up.
He unlocked the rooftop door and pushed it open.
The roof was slick with rain, puddles catching the gray morning light.
Marcus crossed to the corner and looked out at the neighboring building, then glanced back at her over his shoulder.
“Can you jump this?”
Marie’s eyes went to the gap.
It wasn’t far — she could manage it.
She nodded, though the doubt hadn’t left her.
Why are we running?
Satisfied, Marcus turned back to the ledge.
He tied the pack holding their food and money tight, hurled it across to the other rooftop, and climbed up onto the railing.
“1… 2… 3—”
He launched himself across.
The landing barely cost him any effort — six feet, maybe less, nothing for someone his size.
He dropped down off the wall and turned to face her.
Marie hesitated, staring at the gap.
Should I jump too?
“Are you really sure you can do this?” he asked again.
She wasn’t sure, not really.
But there was nothing else to say.
When she glanced down at the street below, a cop car sat parked outside the building.
If they went down instead, they’d walk straight into it.
“Yes.”
She climbed onto the railing, but her legs were already shaking.
The gap between the two buildings looked so much wider from up here than it had a second ago.
“I can’t—”
Marcus, who was on the other side, looked at her, wondering if she was going to mess up or not.
But he pushed the thought aside and focused on her.
“Don’t look down, Marie. Just look at me and jump with everything you’ve got, alright?” He said it all in a voice so calm that, for a second, even she felt a little less scared. Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“On three, okay?”
Standing on the railing, Marie swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded, because she had no other option.
“1… 2—”
Before he could even say three, she had already jumped.
But as she lunged toward him—her foot slipped.
The wet roof gave her no grip at all.
Her jump fell short, and for one horrible second, she was falling instead of flying, the gap between the buildings opening up beneath her.
Marcus didn’t think.
He lunged forward and caught her wrist, his fingers closing hard over the sleeve of her jacket — over the fabric, nothing more.
Her full weight dropped instantly, yanking his arm straight and nearly pulling him over the ledge with her.
He locked his knees, dug his heels against the wet concrete, and held on.
“I’ve got you,” he grunted, his other hand shooting out to grab the railing for leverage.
“I’ve got you, don’t let go.”
Marie’s free hand scrambled against the brick, finding nothing to hold onto.
Below her, six stories of empty air waited.
With everything he had, Marcus hauled her up.
His shoulder screamed in protest, but he kept pulling, dragging her higher until she managed to get a knee up over the ledge.
A second later, he hauled her the rest of the way over, and they both collapsed backward onto the rooftop.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then Marcus pushed himself up, dragging a hand down his face.
“Well. That was dangerous.”
He crossed the roof, snatched up the bag of food and cash, and slung it over his shoulder.
“Come on, we need to keep moving.”
Marie tried to stand.
Her legs buckled almost immediately, still trembling from the adrenaline, and she had to catch herself against the low wall to keep from going right back down. Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
Marcus glanced back at her, taking in the shaking legs, the pale face.
“If you don’t mind,” he said, “how about I carry you? It’ll be faster.”
She hesitated, but there wasn’t really an argument to make — not with her legs the way they were, and not with however many cops now searching the building behind them.
“…Okay.”
He crouched down in front of her.
“Arms around my neck. And keep your hands off my skin — gloves stay on, sleeves stay down. Got it?”
Marie nodded, wrapping her arms carefully around his neck, making sure the leather of her jacket was the only thing making contact.
Marcus hooked an arm under her legs and stood, adjusting her weight against his chest.
“Hold on,” he said, and started moving across the rooftop toward the next building’s fire escape.
Marie tucked her face against his shoulder, arms tight around his neck, the leather sleeves keeping every inch of skin covered.
Marcus adjusted his grip and started down the metal stairs, moving as fast as he could without risking a slip on the wet rungs.
A soft chime rang out behind his eyes.
[Quest Complete: Extract Marie from immediate danger.]
[Reward: +100 Merit Points. Current Balance: 100.]
[Bond Influence increased. Trust Level: Rising.]
Marcus kept his expression flat, focused on the stairs beneath his boots.
The metal groaned under their combined weight with every step, but it held.
Halfway down, Marie’s grip around his neck tightened.
“Are we almost there?” she asked, voice small against his shoulder.
“Almost,” he said.
“Just keep still.”
They came down the last of the fire escape into a narrow alley, and Marcus kept moving until they’d put a few blocks between them and the apartment — cutting through a parking lot, ducking under an overpass, until the sound of sirens faded into the general noise of the city waking up.
Finally, he slowed to a stop behind a row of dumpsters, out of sight from the main street.
“Okay. Here’s fine,” he said, lowering her carefully until her feet touched the ground.
He kept a hand on her shoulder until he was sure her legs would hold her weight, then let go and straightened up, rolling his shoulder with a wince and stretching his back.
Marie wrapped her arms around herself, glancing back the way they’d come.
“Marcus. What happened back there? Why were the cops—”