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A clanging noise and a curse, then Ryder was next to me, running again. We rounded the corner, and my heart sang in relief. Zee was holding the door to the fire escape stairs open for us.
Our salvation.
We stumbled through, and I whirled around, going for the door. The security guard rounded the corner, gun raised again.
“Get down,” I screamed. With all the force I possessed, I shoved at the door, slamming it shut.
The same bangs, this time four in a row, reverberated in the small space. Even through the steel of the door, they were loud enough to set my ears ringing. I blinked and shook my head, trying to clear the instant headache.
Vibrations rippled through the door, the steel absorbing the force of each of the bullets. My hands shook, the tremor travelling up my arms.
My heart leaped into my throat.
I couldn’t get enough air. My gasps were fast and shallow.
Adrenaline shot through me, the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end.
My legs nearly gave out. I hunched over, propping myself up against the door.
That had been too close.
Waytoo close.
This was beyond the pale now. We weren’t just in danger of being arrested, we were running for our lives.
Ry wedged a steel rod under the handle of the door. “It won’t hold long. We need to go,” he urged. “Are you hurt?”
“No, just freaking out.” I sucked in a breath and held it, trying to calm down again. “But I’ll be okay.”
Zee was a few steps ahead of us as we sprinted down the stairs. I couldn’t believe she could do it. She’d break an ankle if she twisted her foot in those heels, but she was running as if they were sneakers and she an Olympic athlete.
Flight, landing, flight, landing, over and over again until we reached the ground floor lobby.
“No,” I called out, breathless, when Zee grasped the handle. “Go down one more level. There’s always a separate fire stair in the basement that exits onto the street.”
Zee went down one more level. We shot out, still at a run. The door banged, echoing through the basement car park. I winced. Shit—we shouldn’t have announced our arrival to everyone in here.
But it was silent.
White vans and utes with company logos plastered on their sides surrounded us, blocking our view but also giving us some cover. No one was in them.
We crept between the parked cars, moving as quickly and quietly as we could. It wouldn’t be long before the security guard found us.
“There.” Ry pointed, the green exit sign illuminating the concrete walls like a rescue beacon.
Relief swamped me, but I held my breath. This wasn’t over by a long shot. We still had to get to the car, then out of here.
Legs carrying us as fast as we could run, we hit the stairs. But we were stealthier when we reached the top, easing the door open and using the wall of the building as shelter until we got nearer to the Audi.
Ry already had the doors unlocked as we made the short dash to it.
Police sirens sounded in the distance. Workers spilled out onto the street, some unimpressed and others unperturbed by the distraction.
“Hey, that’s them,” one shouted as I yanked open the car door. I pushed Zee in, using myself to shield her.
I didn’t even have the door closed behind me when Ry revved the engine hard and hit the accelerator.
The car shot backward, launching out of the loading zone and onto the street. I gripped Ry’s seat, holding on while I scrambled to shut the door.
