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She touched his arm in acknowledgment.
He took a step forward.
She was engulfed by fear for him; it was like a wave almost suffocating her.
His right hand moved under his jacket, then came up. His answering shot was as loud and jarring as if it had come from her own hand. The gun was inches away from her.
“Keep back!” he whispered.
They were moving on now, slowly, very carefully.
Silence.
Aiden put his left arm out and grasped her, pulling her closer to him, and foot by foot, they came to the corner.
“Stop,” he whispered. He bent down and picked up a pebble and threw it ahead of him.
There was no answering sound, no movement she could hear. “Has he gone?” Elena asked.
“No. He has to get me. He won’t stop until one of us is dead.”
“Dead?”
“Or wounded badly.”
“Would you leave him alive?” she asked.
He did not answer.
Silence.
Elena could hear her own heart beating.
Then there was a sound, like a tiny stone rolling, but she could not tell in which direction. Somewhere to the left?
Aiden froze.
Seconds ticked by.
Another stone rolled somewhere else, further away.
Elena looked at Aiden’s face. Already the sun was lower, the light a deeper gold, catching the dust in the air like the patina of an old painting. She had an artist’s moment of regret that she could not photograph it.
“Get behind me.” Aiden did little more than breathe the order, but his hand on her arm was hard.
She obeyed.
He moved in front of her, one step forward, then another. They were very near the corner now.
Elena’s heart was beating even more violently, making her feel as if her whole body were shuddering. What could she do to help him? Her mind was whirling, grasping at ideas, and none of them made sense.
There was another shot, then another, and more chips flew off the wall, but lower down, closer to them. Whoever was shooting at them knew exactly where they were. Where could they move to without breaking into the open?
Aiden turned, pulling Elena back, then swiveled around. They began to run along the pavement as fast as they could go. She could barely keep up with him, and was almost pulled off her feet. They swung around the corner and along the next street, back toward the place the shot had come from. Elena had to watch the street, the uneven stones, the broken curb, trying not to fall while keeping hold of the travel bag.
Then Aiden stopped. “Stay here,” he commanded. “As close as you can get to the wall.” He did not hesitate to see if she obeyed. He froze. For a moment, Elena froze, too. Then, as Aiden
stepped forward, another shot rang out. This one struck the cobblestones ahead of them.
