Page 36 of On the Chase
“What?”
“That… Okay, this is stupid.” She didn’t even know what her initial question had been anymore. There were more important things to discuss, anyway. “Now that you know all is well, and no drugs were found, can we go before someone catches us up here?”
“You’re with the police. What are they going to do if they do catch us? Call the… Hang on.” He grinned at her. His gaze turned to the street below, and the grin slipped away. “Uh-oh.”
“Uh-oh?” That wasn’t reassuring. “Why uh-oh? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing serious.”
Not believing that for a second, she followed his gaze to see Theo glaring directly at them. She froze, feeling like a teenager caught sneaking out by her parents. The cop that Theo had been talking to started to turn, as if to see what caught Theo’s attention, just as Hugh grabbed her by the arm and hauled her away from the edge.
“Time to move,” he said.
As Grace started to turn, she saw someone else was looking at them. “Hugh,” she said.
“What?”
“One of the bikers is staring at us.”
He stepped behind her, looking over her shoulder at the crowd beneath them. “The ugly ginger guy?”
“No.” Not wanting to point, she put her hand on his chin to direct his gaze. The light scratch of his stubbled cheek made her insides tighten in a too-pleasant way. “The ugly bald guy.”
“Huh.” Although Hugh’s voice stayed casual, she could feel tension radiating from him. “Don’t know him. That’s another good reason to leave.” Turning, he ushered her toward the back side of the building.
Grace snuck a final look at the biker, but he’d disappeared. “Where’d he go?”
Hugh turned to look, and his frown deepened. “Let’s go.” He slid feetfirst over the edge of the roof.
“What are you doing?”
“Making an ice-cream sundae.” He grunted as he dangled for a moment before letting go, falling about four feet before his feet hit the ground. “What does it…oof…look like I’m doing?” As he landed, his right leg crumpled beneath him. He stumbled, then regained his balance and stayed on his feet. Once he was steady, he looked up at her with his usual smirk in place, but a slightly green cast to his skin gave him away.
Peering over the edge of the roof, she frowned. “Faker. How badly does your leg hurt right now?”
“I’m fine. It takes more than jumping off a roof to slow me down. Lexi, here.”
With total trust, Lexi jumped off the edge of the roof, and Hugh caught her with outward ease. If she hadn’t been looking for it, Grace wouldn’t have noticed his wince, since it disappeared so quickly. He bent to place Lexi on the ground before moving closer to the wall.
“Your turn. Turn onto your stomach and slide over the edge. I’ll help you the rest of the way.”
She did, her shoes scuffing against the brick wall as she lowered her body over the edge of the roof. There was a second when she dangled from her hands, hanging in empty space, and panic roared through her. Her fingers tightened painfully, and she kicked out, her feet trying to find purchase on the wall.
“Ow!” Hugh yelped, right before he wrapped his arms around her thighs. “Not the face!”
Now that he was gripping her, holding her steady, her fear faded. Grace felt a little sheepish. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You didn’t make actual contact.” He sounded amused, so she couldn’t have damaged him too much. “If you had, it would’ve been karma in action. I’m sure I’ve done something to deserve being kicked in the face.”
“Yeah, you have. There was that time you—”
“You can let go now,” he interrupted.
She released her grip on the roof edge, and his arms immediately tightened, lowering her to the ground.
Lexi gave a low growl. Grace looked at the dog and saw that the hair was raised over Lexi’s neck and shoulders as the dog stared at the corner of the print shop. Tugging Grace behind him, Hugh started backing toward the opposite corner.
“Should we call for help?” Grace whispered.
