Page 10 of Tempting Tessa

Five

Tessa’s breath hitched as they sprinted across the scaly, black-pitch rooftop. Her arm throbbed where the bullet had grazed her, the wet warmth of blood trickling down to her elbow. She clamped her free hand over the wound and swallowed a curse, forcing her legs to move, the backpack slapping against her side.

Behind her, Tommy kept pace, his footfalls quick on the tar-covered flat expanse.

She ducked behind one of the enormous HVAC units, taking a moment to catch her breath. His face was full of worry as he bent down beside her. “We can’t stop here.”

“Is she still following?”

A crease formed between his brows. “She? “

She nodded. “The shooter is female.”

He looked like he wanted to question her about it, but there wasn’t time. “You’re hurt.”

“Just a scratch.” She shifted so she could peek around the unit. The rain had picked up, and she wiped at her eyes. There was no one in sight, no sounds of pursuit. “I think it’s clear.”

He peered around the metal box with her. No one shot at them. That was good. “Could be a trick. They could be waiting for us to move before they do, too.”

The muffled sounds of traffic filtered up from the street. She’d be happier if they could get to a more populated area. “Guess lunch was a bad idea.”

He drew her back into their hiding spot and examined her arm. “You’re sure it’s only a graze?”

“That’s the least of my worries at the moment, but yes, I’m fine.”

He’d lost the glasses and looked less like a professor. “You need a doctor.”

“No doctor. Come on.” He tried to pull her back down when she stood, but she yanked free of his grip and hustled for the fire escape. Her analysis was correct—the shooter hadn’t followed them onto the roof.

“They could be anywhere down there, waiting for us,” he said, catching up to her.

The sky spit ran in her face. “Then we have to be fast and outthink them.”

He shook his head as she hefted herself onto the metal steps. “Wait,” he ordered. “I go first.”

She started to argue but sensed it was pointless. What had just happened had scared him, and he needed to take control. She’d give him that for now. “Just don’t get shot, okay?”

The narrow steps forced him to turn sideways as he passed her. For a brief second, they were chest-to-chest, face-to-face. His intense gaze snagged hers, his makeover still something she had to get used to. She couldn’t decide if she liked him better with his curls or without. She regretted that she hadn’t been able to run her fingers through them before they’d been lobbed off.

The moment passed, and he descended the rickety metal staircase in leaps, leaving her behind. She hurried to catch up, annoyed that he was intentionally putting space between them in case the shooter was waiting in the alley or on the street. He was making himself a damn target, and she would take him to task for it later.

When she arrived at ground level, he was already in stealth mode, scanning the alley, checking around the corners to view the street, and lifting his gaze to the rooftop lines. “Clear,” he said. “At least, as far as I can tell.”

It was too soon to go pick up the passport, and she couldn’t exactly stroll around with blood dripping off the end of her fingers. She picked at the frayed hole in her jacket and sighed. “This was my favorite,” she complained under her breath.

Wiping blood off her hand and onto her jeans, she was thankful the pants were black so the red stains wouldn’t show as much. Then she laced her clean fingers through Tommy’s, startling him, and leaned against him like a lover. “I need to hide my wound while we make our way back to my place. Don’t want to call attention to us.”

He fished out a handkerchief and broke free from her hand long enough to wad it up and shove it inside her sleeve. He was none too gentle, but she didn’t mind, grateful that the fabric would soak up at least some of the oozing blood. Once he had it in place, his fingers brushed against her chest as he removed his hand. He zipped up her jacket and threaded his hand back through hers. Another of those intense moments passed between them as they stood together in the stinky alley. “Don’t pass out on me from loss of blood, got it?” he groused.

She used her other hand to pat his cheek. “Who’s giving the orders now?”

“This is not a joke, Tessa. Someone tried to kill you.”

She pushed away from the wall and tugged him forward, raising her hood. It did no good against the rain but would help disguise her. “I’m not so sure about that.”

They emerged on the busy street sidewalk, both of them keeping an eye out. “What do you mean?” he asked from the corner of his mouth. “You think they were shooting at me?”

She kept up the pretense of being his girlfriend, clinging to his arm as they skirted pedestrians with umbrellas going in the opposite direction. “I’m not sure who she was shooting at. Lousy shot if she was trying to actually kill either of us.”

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