Free Revenant's Kiss (Chronicles of the Afterlife) by Joyce Robles Page B

could over to Manson’s side. Instinct told her
to check for a pulse first, she reached for his neck to feel for the heart beat; as soon as she did his hand
was up to meet hers, pulling her hand away from him. "Jesus Christ Manson you scared the shit out of
me!"
    "Don’t let him get away," her mentor choked out on a raw throat.
    "There’s no time, between the seven dead and all our gun fire now, we can’t stay here, and if
he’s even got an ounce of smarts he took off over the roof." Jennifer moved to try and pull Manson to
his feet but he shoved her away. "Son of a bitch!" it was more for frustration that she cried out then
any pain he may have caused her with that one move. "I won’t leave you here like this Manny."
    "I can make it back to the van on my own, you just get your ass after him and finish this."
Manson ordered her as he struggled to his feet, there was no mistaking the pain that was etched into the
lines of his face or the stiffness of the movements. He had to spit blood out of his mouth before he
could speak again, "you’re still here."
    "Damn it Manny," Jennifer watched him with more concern then he probably wanted, but he
was hurt bad and telling her to leave him to fend for himself.
    "I’ll make it back to the van, just go before you piss me off Ryan." But still she hesitated, for
one because she didn’t think for a moment that she could handle this by herself and for two she thought
Manson had an even smaller chance if this thing circled back around and came back at him.
    "Right," in the end she conceded because this was what they did whether they could handle it
or not. She paused again long enough to help Manson pull the 44 magnum out and placed it in his right
hand. " Just in case, be careful you big dumb-ass."
    "Go," Manson ordered giving her a firm shove away from him.
    She headed away from Manson at a sprint even though the effort made her dizzy. As fast as
her monster was going she would probably never catch him, but she knew that she had to try. So she
kept her pace as she snatched the radio from her side, "Malcolm come back."
    " Jesus Christ Jennifer what the hell’s going on out there, we heard god knows how
many shots fired. The police scanner is going nuts, if you guys don’t hall ass we’ll be
surrounded soon enough. "
    "Malcolm, shut up for a minute and listen to me," she hollered into the radio. "Manson’s really
hurt, he said he would make his way back to the van so I need you to circle back and meet him there.
If he’s not at the entrance when you get there I need you to take the 9mm in the glove compartment
and go in to pull him out."
    " Where the hell are you? "
    "I’m going after this bastard on foot, get Manson to the emergency room as quick as you can.
I’ll do my best to meet everyone back at the office later tonight."
    " You’re going after him alone? "
    "No choice Malcolm," she turned the radio off, clipped it back on her belt and tried to speed
her pace. It didn’t seem possible, she was in too much pain to keep the pace she was at now for much
longer.
    ‘He’s taken to the roofs, a few meters ahead of you there’s a ladder that leads up to the
roof on your left. Take it.’  
    Jennifer stopped next to the ladder, exactly where the friendly voice in her head said it would
be. It was a fire escape ladder but it led to the roof and that was where she needed to be. She re-holstered the M9 and reached for the ladder, she had to hop to reach it to pull down. It was a pain in
the ass with all the aches and pains that she had right this moment, but she’d survive. When she was up
the ladder and on the fire escape stairs she brought the Beretta back into her hand and took the steps
two at a time.
     She just couldn’t understand why the heck the monster wasn’t miles from here by now. There
wasn’t any reason to stick around, more reason to run with her right behind him. He should be dead
now, she had stabbed him in the heart, that was usually enough that if it