Free Miranda Vaughn Mystery 01.00 - Chasing the Dollar by Ellie Ashe Page A

whispered.
    I didn 't ask questions, just did what he said. We made our way across the room, the smooth floor cool under my bare feet. At the door, he put a finger to his lips, and I nodded. He again paused, then quietly cracked the door and listened.
    In the distance, a door slammed, and he looked back at me.
    "How did you get up here?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
    " The elevator from the twenty-first floor," I answered, keeping my voice low.
    With a nod, he opened the door wider and taking my hand, pulled me into the hall. He closed the door quietly and keeping a grip on me, led us back toward the reception area. I pulled back, afraid to head toward the noise we 'd just heard.
    He shook his head. "Come on."
    The lobby was silent, and we crept past the empty reception desk, toward the elevator that had brought me to this eerie office. Then Jake pulled me past the elevators and the door to the staircase that led to the two other Patterson floors, and then down another hall. I barely breathed as we moved quickly toward a door that appeared to be the emergency exit.
    Jake put a hand on the doorknob, looked down at me and gave a quick nod toward the door. He pushed it open, and I cringed, waiting for a shrieking alarm. Nothing happened. He ushered me into the narrow staircase and closed the door quietly behind him. I barely heard the click as the metal door met the frame.
    Quickly, we started down the stairs to the twenty-second floor, then to the twenty-first floor. I paused, but he yanked my hand again, and we continued down. By the fifteenth floor, I was regretting my lax cardio regimen. Jake, though, seemed to handle the quick descent without any heavy breathing.
    At the tenth floor, I stopped and doubled over. "Wait," I gasped.
    " No."
    He reached for me, and before I could catch my breath, he swung me up and over his shoulder, and he continued down the steps.
    "Jesus! That's not what I meant," I said, as my head bounced off his rock-hard back.
    " I know," he said.
    " Just put me down!" This was more embarrassment than one person could take in an afternoon.
    " No, this is faster."
    Then he sped up, and we bounced the rest of the way down the steps to a set of double doors, where he finally put me on the ground. He opened the door and looked out and motioned for me. I was putting my shoes on and trying to regain my breath. Also, I was a bit dizzy from all the blood that rushed from my head.
    "Are you trying to get arrested?" he asked, yanking me out of the building and into an alley.
    I gasped and immediately regretted it. The alley smelled of exhaust and garbage that had been stored too long in the steamy, late-afternoon heat. Once outdoors, Jake headed away from the street, dragging me along with him. We ducked into another alley, rounded a corner, and he finally dropped my hand and turned to look at me. I took a deep breath and started to talk. I had a lot of telling-off to do.
    He held up a hand. "Stay here. Do not go anywhere."
    I shut my mouth, my brain still struggling to form words and thoughts after its recent jarring. He turned and ran down another alley, and I lost sight of him.
    "Well, that's just great."
    I had no idea what to do. Wait for Jake Barnes, who was almost certainly going to arrest me? Or take my chances with Patterson 's security guards?
    As I hesitated, I heard a familiar sound. I turned to look behind me and barely caught the helmet Jake Barnes threw my way as he pulled up on a gleaming black motorcycle.
    "Put it on, and get on," he said, sitting astride the bike.
    I shook my head and took a step back, but he grabbed my arm and looked into my eyes. His anger was evident, but he tamped it down when he saw my fear.
    "The people chasing us are going to take the elevator when they figure out we're no longer there. We need to leave now."
    " Who—?" I still struggled to form complete sentences, but he seemed to understand me.
    " Bad guys."
    I took a deep breath, handed Jake my purse. He