figures in black chasing her.
“I see them.” Bane's voice was like a balm to her, even though this was the most danger she'd been in since the night she'd escaped.
Just having someone on her side made all the difference.
“Go right,” he told her.
She turned right, down a narrow alley, and slowed because she couldn't see anything.
“Move faster,” Bane ordered.
“I can't see,” she whispered back.
“Oh. Put your hand out, touch the wall, and move as fast as you can until you get to the steps. Then go up them.”
She did as he asked, the wall smooth under her fingers, but the sound of footsteps at the entrance to the alley made her freeze.
“Keep going.”
She started again cautiously, quiet as she could, and then heard the footsteps stop.
She stopped again, straining to hear over the whistle of the wind.
“We see you. We don't mean to hurt you. We just need to get you out of sight for a while.” The officer who called to her from the entrance to the alleyway tried to sound sincere.
If she'd been in less danger, she'd have snorted out a laugh.
And why would they think being put 'out of sight' was in any way okay with her?
She began to move again, slow and smooth.
She hadn't realized the steps Bane told her about were so close, and almost cried out in relief when she bumped into them.
She swallowed the sound and started up them.
“You sure she's down there?” A voice called down the alley from the main street.
“I think so.” The officer who'd tried to reassure her was a lot closer than he had been. He'd been moving forward faster than she had. He was almost at the bottom of the stairs.
“Door's open, push it.” The voice in her ear snapped her out of her panic, and she shoved at the door, but it didn't budge.
She slapped at it, looking for a handle, heard the sound of the officer right behind her, and turned it just as he grabbed her.
She cried out as she fell inside, with him landing on top of her.
Panicked, she kicked back, closing the door, so that she only had one to contend with.
“Lock it,” she shouted at Bane, and then twisted, drawing her legs up to her chest and kicking out.
She caught him by surprise, hitting him in the stomach, and it was enough to shove him off her.
He grunted as he fell back, and she scrambled up on her knees, leaning over him as she tried to snatch his weapon from his hand. When she couldn't, she grabbed his arm and banged it against the floor.
The weapon slid away.
He bucked against her. He was taller than she was, but she had muscle and bone density in her favor.
She swung her elbow at his face and whimpered at the pain when it connected, but it had connected.
She edged back and felt a surge of satisfaction when she realized he was stunned.
“What's happening?” Bane's question was panicked.
“He's down. But he'll be back up soon.”
“Go through that door to your right,” Bane said, his voice more monotone again.
She jogged to it and stepped through into a dark stairwell that lit up as soon as the door closed behind her.
“Take the stairs down. It's a pedestrian passageway to the main street, so the tenants don't have to fight the weather in winter. There're a few exits before the square. I'll try to get my friend in the UC to meet you outside one of them.”
Lucy nodded, then realized he couldn't see her down here. “Okay. Thanks.”
She reached the bottom of the stairs and then leaned against the wall.
“Are you moving?” Bane asked.
“In a minute.” She leaned over, hands on knees, and squeezed her eyes shut.
“You don't have a minute, they're breaking through the alleyway door.”
The sound of his distress forced her upright, forced her to take a deep breath. She started jogging.
“I'm going to need to rest soon,” she whispered. Every muscle in her body hurt, and she could feel a bruise on her hip where the officer had landed on top of her.
“I'll look for somewhere for you,” Bane said.
And although he couldn't see her, she lifted her fingers to her lips and blew him a kiss.
Chapter 15
Dray looked down on the chaos in the square below him, and then glanced at Cossi.
She was leaning against the window, looking down herself.
“They sound as if they're getting louder,” Chep spoke from his place at the desk. He looked up from the screen. “Don't they have crowd