Page 29 of For Fear

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

They burst through the back door, emerging into a maze of narrow alleys that snaked behind the pawn shop. Trevino was already halfway down the alley, his feet pounding against the pavement as he ran.

Morgan and Derik surged forward, their hearts racing, adrenaline pumping through their veins. The alleys were a labyrinth, twisting and turning, lined with dumpsters and fire escapes. Trevino darted around a corner, and they followed, refusing to let him out of their sight.

He's fast,Morgan thought, her breath coming in short, sharp bursts.But we're faster.

They navigated the urban obstacle course, leaping over discarded boxes, dodging around corners, never losing sight of their target. Trevino was quick, desperation fueling his flight, but Morgan and Derik were relentless.

At one point, Trevino veered onto a busy street, dodging between moving cars as he sprinted across. Horns blared, tires screeched, but he didn't slow. Morgan and Derik followed, their badges glinting in the sunlight as they wove through the traffic.

"FBI! Move!" Derik shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos.

They reached the other side, plunging back into the alleys. Trevino was tiring, his pace beginning to falter. Morgan could see it in the hitch of his stride, the heaving of his shoulders.

Just a little further,she urged silently, pushing herself harder, faster.

Ahead, Trevino made a sharp turn, disappearing from view. Morgan and Derik rounded the corner, ready for anything.

Except the sudden dead end. Their target was gone. The blind alley stretched out in front of them, a towering brick wall looming at the end.

Morgan skidded to a halt, her eyes scanning the surroundings. "Where the hell--"

Above them, the rickety fire escape rattled, pieces of rusted metal clattering onto the pavement below.

"Up!" Derik pointed, already backing up for a running start. He jumped, his fingers closing over the lowest rung of the fire escape ladder. With a grunt of effort, he pulled himself up and began to ascend.

Morgan was on his heels in seconds, her prison-hardened muscles powering her upward with ease. Up they went, the rusty steps protesting under their weight.

She could see Trevino now, two stories above them, clambering onto the rooftop with the desperation of a cornered animal. His panic echoed hers from ten years ago, when she'd been trapped in a frame and left to rot in prison by an enemy she hadn’t even known she had.

With that thought fueling her determination, Morgan pushed herself harder.

Trevino reached the rooftop just as Derik hauled himself over the top rung of the ladder. He took off running again across the rooftop, but Derik was close behind.

Morgan reached the rooftop a few seconds later, her lungs burning as she broke into a sprint. The wind whipped against her face, whistling through the surrounding skyscrapers, the city stretching out below them in a dizzying panorama of steel and glass.

Derik was gaining on Trevino, his longer strides eating up the distance between them. Morgan followed, her gaze riveted on their fleeing quarry.

"There's nowhere to run!" Derik shouted, his voice carrying over the rush of the wind.

Trevino's desperation was palpable as he darted around an air vent, stumbling towards the edge of the rooftop. He skidded to a stop at the last moment, teetering on the brink as he looked down at the dizzying drop below.

"You're done running, Marcus," Morgan called out as she came up behind Derik. "We just want to talk."

She could see Trevino trembling from where she stood, his chest heaving as he wrestled with his options. There was a wild glint in his eyes that sent a jolt of apprehension through her.

"Marcus," Derik started slowly, inching forward with his hands outstretched in a placating gesture. "Don't do anything stupid."

Trevino's gaze flicked between Morgan and Derik, his brow drenched in sweat. "You don't understand," he said, his voice choked with fear, "They'll kill me."

"Who'll kill you, Marcus?" Morgan demanded, her voice sharp despite the swirling sense of unease threatening to unbalance her.

“T-the ones who sent you,” Trevino stammered.

“We’re FBI agents, Marcus,” Morgan said. “We don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, just come with us and we can get this all sorted out.”

Trevino's eyes narrowed, a mixture of paranoia and fear etched on his face. He watched as both Morgan and Derik took another step forward, the wind whipping around them. The all too familiar glow in their eyes- an unwavering determination to finish the chase mirrored his own resolve. But it wasn't the end he'd hoped for, no, not with his back against the edge.

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