“What is it?” Steph asked when I turned and ran back into the office.
I ripped the coffee out of her hands, spilling some across her dress. But I couldn’t worry about shit like that.
“He’s out front.”
“What? He?”
“Yeah, he. With the gun. Get your shoes on.”
Her eyes went to saucers, but she stood and slipped back into her heels.
“What do we do?”
The only exit out the back led to the front of the building.
“We go up.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Stephanie
My feet screamed the second I put my weight on them in the heels.
There was no time to harp on that, though, as Venezio grabbed my hand and pulled me back out of the office. This time, we turned to the left, going toward the back of the building.
There was a doorway, then a hallway up.
There was a small room above with no clear exit until Venezio reached up to pull down a set of stairs like you’d find for an attic.
“What are you doing?” I asked when he ducked down to gather up my skirt, then started to lift it.
“Getting the skirt out of your way. You gotta go up.”
There was a hint of desperation in his voice. And for someone who was always so laid-back, the sound had me taking the edge of my skirt and shoving it between my thighs, then keeping them clenched as I climbed up the six small steps.
“Push the cover up,” Venezio demanded.
I did just that.
I expected to exit into an attic or unfinished room.
But I was on the roof.
The air was cool enough to nip at me as Venezio’s jacket slipped off my shoulders and fell downward.
“Just keep going,” he said.
There was a pause, then I heard the steps below me creak and shift as Venezio followed me up.
I had no choice but to move onto all fours on the dirty rooftop for a moment before pushing up to my feet.
By the time I did, Venezio was there with me, offering me his jacket, but this time holding it open so I could slip my arms in.
Only after that did he reach down to grab the steps, pulling them back up, and putting the cover back down on them.
His gaze scanned the rooftops. Looking for what, I had no idea.
“How is he here?” I asked, my voice a shaky whisper. “He wasn’t on the train. How did he know where we were?”
