Page 68 of Secrets Beneath the Waves

At that moment, the second man appeared around the corner. He took one look at her, then the dead man lying on the ground, and pulled his gun.

Ellie lunged for the trash bins. Her foot landed on the edge of one as she propelled herself upward. Her fingertips brushed the bottom rung of the fire escape ladder, and she fell back to the ground.

She gritted her teeth and jumped again. This time, she caught the rung and hauled herself up with a strength she had developed over years of training forced upon her by her insistent mother.

Her muscles burned as she hauled herself up the rungs as fast as she could, the rough metal biting into her palms. Thefire escape was hot from the sun and felt like hot pokers on her hands.

A shot rang out below, ricocheting off the wall near her foot.

She let out a muted scream as her grip faltered for a moment before she forced herself upward, her chest heaving with exertion.

Her legs trembled as she pulled herself onto the rooftop, where she collapsed briefly onto the rough tar surface. She jumped up immediately as the hot roof burned her in several places. Her breath came in short, ragged bursts, the metallic tang of adrenaline now sharp in her mouth.

Stay calm,she ordered herself, the echo of her mother’s voice spurred her on.

Below her, the man cursed in Arabic.

She leaned over the edge and saw him check on his friend. Shooting him was an option.

He was distracted. That also provided a good opportunity for her to get out of there.

Instead, she took off running and jumped from one building to the next. When she reached the edge of the second building, she skidded to a stop, and her heart slammed against her ribs.

Second thoughts had jolted her mind to stop running. Maybe she should go back and kill him. Two of them dead would leave only one threat to deal with. While she was concerned about the fallout, she was more concerned about getting another opportunity to kill the man.

She dared to glance over the side of the roof again to see what he was doing. He had his phone to his ear and spoke rapidly into it. He was too far away to get a shot off.

She backtracked. Before she could get close enough to shoot him, one of the sedans pulled into the alley. They loaded the dead man into the car and sped off.

She assessed her situation.

Was she out of danger?

It seemed like it, but she needed to disappear. The roof didn’t have access to the building. The only choice was to go back the way she came or to continue on and jump over to another roof.

Going back didn’t seem like a good option. Her hands still felt raw from the burning metal. Her legs stung from landing on the hot tar roof.

Going forward wasn’t ideal either. The problem was that the gap between the next rooftop was wider than the first. Still wasn’t far, but her legs felt like lead, her body sluggish from the chase.

She took a deep breath, bending her knees.No time to hesitate.

She pushed off with a running start, and the wind rushed past her face as she soared over the gap. Her stomach dropped, and for a heart-stopping moment, she felt weightless, the ground far below.

She had misjudged the distance. Her fingers barely scraped the edge of the next rooftop. Her arms strained as she held on by her fingertips and willed herself up. She cried out as her burned palms against the edge of the building sent searing waves of pain through her.

She desperately tried to save her grip.

Mustering all her strength, she somehow managed to pull herself up. Once on the safety of the rooftop, her knees scraped against the side of the building, causing her to cry out again.

Sweat dripped into her eyes, and she blinked it away, her vision swimming.

Her entire body shook. She pulled out her gun and her fingers gripped it like a lifeline as she searched the roof and the street below for any threats.

She fought to slow her breathing, to steady her racing heart.

Assessing the situation, she spotted her next move. The rooftop pool deck of a nearby hotel bustled with tourists. Her legs protested, but she pushed through the fatigue, her focus razor-sharp.

She moved quickly but cautiously, making her way toward the hotel. When she reached the edge of the building, she dropped down onto a lower roof, then climbed a service ladder leading to the pool deck. Her burned hands cried out in disapproval.