a lake in the distance. There was a stone boathouse beside it and I fisted Niall’s shirt in my hand as I wheeled him around to point it out.
“We could head there,” I said. “We’re not getting out of the city now until they lose our trail.” I pointed to the trees that ran nearly all the way up to it through the park. “We can stay under cover.”
The helicopter circled somewhere behind us and we quickly pressed back against the wall. The balcony was covered by a plastic roof, but it wasn’t worth taking any chances in being seen.
“Alright,” Niall conceded. “We’ll do your plan with a sprinkling of my idea.”
“And what’s your idea?” I asked nervously as he shifted his grip on the sledgehammer.
“I’m gonna cause a distraction and you’re gonna run to that boathouse like the little piggy who went home,” he said gruffly.
“That’s a bad idea,” I growled.
“Why? You just have to go weeee weeeee weeeee all the way-”
I thumped his arm and his eyes widened in surprise. “No, we’re not splitting up. If they see you, you’re fucked.”
“The army are gonna be crawling all over this place in minutes, lass,” Niall reasoned. “There ain’t time for grand plans.”
I eyed the few people out walking in the park with their faces covered by masks and knew what we had to do.
“Okay, can you tie that woman up and gag her to stop her from giving us away?” I asked and Niall beamed.
“Just call me Christian Grey on speed.” He took a zip tie from his belt and strode back inside.
I followed him, focusing on what I had to do as ran into the woman’s bedroom and tried not to feel too guilty when she started screaming again. I rifled through her closet, grabbing a couple of large men’s coats, a hat and some face masks. I ran back to Niall, finding the woman hogtied on the couch with a potato stuffed in her mouth.
“That’s a bloody work of art,” he announced, taking his phone out to snap a photo. He reached into her handbag on the floor, taking out her purse and reading the name on her I.D. “Telisha Collins, hmm, don’t move now, lass. Let’s see how long you can balance this on your noggin for.” He placed her I.D. on her head then threw her purse back in her bag.
“Come on,” I hissed impatiently, grabbing his arm.
“This is the Sequoia State Hades Defence Squadron, please evacuate this building immediately,” a voice sounded through a megaphone somewhere in the apartment block and my breathing quickened. We were running out of time. And I was not gonna be caught.
We raced to the balcony and I tossed Niall a black coat and a mask as I pulled on my own. I tucked my hair up into the black beanie and pointed at Niall’s sledgehammer. “You have to leave it.”
“But Mary.” He hugged it to his chest just as someone shouted an order back in the building.
“Niall,” I hissed. Did he seriously name that thing Mary?? “Dump it.”
He kissed the damn hammer, looking like he was leaving a beloved child behind as he placed it down and gave it a salute in goodbye. Then he swung over the side of the balcony, reaching for a drainpipe. “You wanna go on my back, lass?”
“I can manage,” I said firmly and he smirked like he was impressed as he started climbing down it. I made my way onto the pipe and followed him, the two of us reaching the ground and darting across the road toward the park without the helicopter making another appearance.
I tugged Niall’s sleeve to slow him down as we walked through the gate side by side, his hand suddenly looping through mine like he was a gentleman escorting a lady. Which was about as convincing as a horse escorting a pigeon, but whatever.
The sound of a heavy truck rolling along the road behind me made me turn and my tongue felt leaden as more soldiers spilled out of it, hunting the area. We slipped into the trees, walking along a woodchip track towards the boathouse as my body hummed with adrenaline. This might have been crazy, but I couldn’t deny I was thriving on the wildness of it.
“She was a good girl. Ten kills to her name,” Niall said, his voice wistful and I realised he was talking about the sledgehammer.
“You can get another one,” I breathed, fighting the urge to look back again as more