ered around the room and dragged them to the wall, directly und
ough her left leg, echoing the trauma of the car crash. She
ing a shaky, unstable staircase. She pressed her wei
e boy was still huddled in the
held out her hand. "Come here," she said, her voice
into Harley's eyes. He saw no pity, no anger-just a fierce determinatio
up. The heat radiating off his small bod
oaned under their combined weight. Leo whimpered, burying his face i
down," Harle
was now standing precariously near the ceiling. She bala
ouvers of the vent grate. She pulled hard. The rust cracked, and tdust-filled tu
o up toward the opening. "You go first
turned around, lying on his stomach in the dust. He reached his ss, preparing to jump
AC
ntered and gave way. The ent
nked Harle
Harley
p metal lip of the ventilation duct. Her body slamme
ft shoulder-the exact shoulder that had been c
ey let out a choked scream. Her vision went black at thed forward and grabbed the collar of Harley's sports br
reckage of her Ford sedan. The smell of blood. The absolute, crushing lone
ought. I am not d
lder. Using every ounce of core strength she had developed as a stunt double, she swungrd into the duct,
eeply across her exposed stomach and waist. Warmr chest heaving. She didn't look at the cut. Sh
hick. Leo started to cough
wore under her sports bra. She wrapped it gently around
metal was freezing. Every movement pulled at the fresh
ke hours, though it was only ten minutes. Final
opened up over the alley behind the
the exit. It popped out easily. She stuck
and held him against her chest.
reath and pushed her
ensuring her back faced the ground. She slammed hard into a p
lungs. Her internal organs felt like they had been
t, landing safely on a
lying flat on the garbage, her face deathly pale, her
all, trembling hand. With the sleeve of his expensive suit
yelids and looked at the boy. The corners of her m
e now," she
oulder, her bleeding waist, and her old leg injury h
and pointed toward the end of
Her eyes rolled back, and the dark
/1/113146/coverbig.jpg?v=6cf5dba9622430aab252f585b4a8518e&imageMogr2/format/webp)