The stairwell echoed furiously with our hastened footsteps as we descended to the ground level, while my heart pounded relentlessly all the way down. The thought of the hitman, Jack's brother, remaining dangerously still within my mind.

  As we came upon the hollow into the main floor, I went to cross the precipice into the main hall underneath the tower, but Jack threw his arm up across my chest, grazing me, with slight delight, if I was being honest, and stopping me in my tracks. I looked up to him with raised brows, questioning his thoughts as he raised his gun hand quietly.

  In an instant, Jack whipped out into the open, firing several shots to his right, while strafing towards a pillar at his left.

  “Ugh!” A masculine voice sounded from the right, before I heard a body slump hard to the floor and the clacking of a gun beside him.

  Jack quickly rounded the pillar and fired off a few more shots, delivering a resolute ending to another individual who fell just as hard, while Jack held quiet for a moment longer, scanning the area.

  He quickly closed back on me, reloading his gun, and held out his hand, nodding in the direction behind him. “It’s clear, c’mon.”

  I nodded, bobbling my head wildly, as we continued on out of the building and into a busy street.

  Panicked citizens ran past us, bumping into me and almost knocking me down, as they screamed, fleeing in terror.

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  BANG! BANG!

  Gunshots fired off down the street. Jack turned to the direction others were running and pulled me along in the same direction, before slipping us down a side street.

  I hadn't been running for long, before I felt chest palpitations, and quite winded, as everything burned inside me. I definitely needed to get in better shape!

  Curving, we swept down another alleyway, navigating trash cans and random debris along the way.

  Jack turned into me as we hit the end of the alleyway and found a main street. Police officers raced past the opening, guns at the ready, trying to get to the main action further down.

  After a moment, Jack twisted and peered out from behind the walls, before shooting me a nod to continue on.

  We ran across a bustling street, with only foot traffic passing us by, as crowds of people tripped and fell, stumbling frantically away from the town center.

  Suddenly, a revved up motorcycle hurtled past us. The rider, blood streaming from his shoulder, was Angus. He noticed us as he passed silently.

  I shot Jack a look, before he grabbed my hand and crossed us into another alleyway. “We’ll meet him at the rendezvous.”

  We passed into a shadowed area and continued on, looking for our own getaway.

  Finally, we came upon a black tarp over something in the alleyway. Jack approached it, and yanked it off, tossing it to the ground.

  A pristine motorcycle sat underneath it. “Someone took our helmets,” he growled. “Gonna have to make do.”

  Hopping on, Jack whipped out a key and revved up the engine, angling for me to pop on the back. I leaped on and wrapped my hands around him.

  Skirting out of the alleyways, we found our way to one of the main roads. “We should be good now,” Jack said, guiding the motorcycle away from other fleeing denizens.

  I looked behind us, my hair whipping in and out of my eyes, and felt a chill.

  Natalya, riding a motorcycle of her own, was tailing us, her braided her tightly cropped to her head, bearing a cold expression across her face as she pursued.

  I tugged on tighter to Jack and yelled into his ear. “Don’t be so sure of that!”