“Move!”
I ran after her out the door. On the landing the spirit was agitated; moving across the small space felt like pushing through freezing-cold water. Patience took a moment, closed her eyes, and let out a long breath, as though she was praying.
I heard the sound of heavy boots on the wooden stairs.
Climbing toward us was a man.
Jeans, black boots, motorcycle jacket, helmet under one arm. Scowling, but gorgeous.
“Sailor!” I exclaimed. “Did they drop the charges?”
Patience swore a blue streak as she grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs, away from Sailor.
“Lily, comeon!”
“But what—? Sailor?” I said again, but he didn’t respond to me.
His eyes were cold, empty. A chill ran through me.
Chapter 16
It wasn’t Sailor. Not Sailor.
We ran up the stairs to get away from him.
NotSailor paused on the landing, as though having trouble getting past the spirit. It gave us a few precious moments as a head start.
Up the next set of stairs, and then the next. At the top of the four-story building, the door to the roof was closed and locked.
“Dammit!” Patience said, slapping her hand against it. It wasn’t fancy, merely a simple door with a knob lock. “Where’s your Hand thingie?”
“I left it in the apartment.”
We heard the boots on the stairs again. Faster this time, coming closer.
Patience whipped a bobby pin out of her hair and jammed it into the doorknob. She opened it quickly.
We rushed through and slammed the door behind us, but had no way to lock it. A pile of dilapidated wooden crates gave me an idea.
“Grab a piece of wood,” I said, planting my feet on the roof and leaning against the door.
“What, those old things? They won’t hold the door.”
“Not a whole crate, just a piece of one to use as a shim.”
Patience ran over to one of the crates and stomped on it. The crate splintered, and she grabbed several of the smaller pieces.
“Jam them in the space beneath the door,” I said. “Like a doorstop.”
Patience shoved the small pieces of wood between the bottom of the door and the sill.
“That should slow him down,” I said. “But it won’t hold him long. I’m guessing that’s not actually Sailor.”
He started banging at the door.
“Of course not.” She shook her head. “Don’t you feel that?”
“What?”
