Read On The Rocks for Free Online Page B

landed on the far side of the car.
    Brim crushed in her fist, it was off to the
races again. She bolted across the blacktop, legs driving hard,
heart going harder.
    “Hole!” she screamed at a group of onlookers
loaded down with shopping bags. Again with the statues, and her
attempt at civility fled. “Goddammit, move!”
    Maybe she should scream fire. Or shark.
People moved for shark. ‘Hole,’ not so much…
    “Stop! Thief!”
    Note to self: In post-9/11 New York, “thief”
trumps “fire” and “shark” tenfold.
    The effect was immediate. Hands snagged her
rucksack and jerked her to a halt. She spun and let her elbow fly.
It crunched into the chin those hands belonged to and the scuffle
was over before it had begun.
    Kizzie never saw the person she’d assaulted,
but the tangle slowed her down. Her thigh throbbed. A sharp ache
raced up into her hip and lanced like lightning back down to her
knee. And her ankle had a bit of a twinge.
    The footsteps behind her were closer.
Louder.
    Another risky peek. The man was gaining
fast.
    Sheesh, he shouldn’t be involved in whatever
nefarious scheme had him chasing her through downtown Harlem. Usain
Bolt here should be off training for the friggin’ Olympics!
    Grunting through the pain, Kizzie got her
boots going top speed again.
    Another cross street loomed half a block
ahead, much larger than the one she’d just catapulted over. She
approached it fast, but unless she was up for a game of Frogger,
staying straight wasn’t an option.
    Left or right at the corner?
    No doubt there were more crowds waiting on
either side, and crowds weren’t her friends at the moment.
    But that was her only out.
    No doubt her shadow knew that too. He’d be
waiting to make a move.
    Get to the corner.
    Boots clomping on the pavement, breath
thundering out her nose, she pushed the pace harder.
    The man huffed behind her, loud enough to
put him right on her heels.
    Quarter block to go.
    Go faster .
    Was that a breeze, or his breath on her
neck?
    She wouldn’t make it.
    Heart in her throat, Kizzie raced by a chain
link fence and did the only thing she could do.
    She broke left.
    Jammed the toe of her boot into the space
between the links and then did it again, and again, spidermonkeying
up and up until she was high enough to vault over the top rail. She
dropped to the ground in a crouch; let her knees absorb the
impact.
    Holy hell! Her thighs burned as she powered
herself upright.
    The gate clanged right behind her.
    Her shadow was with her so no need to look
back.
    She gunned down the darkened alley between
two buildings. At the far end of the throughway, a matching metal
barrier was there, but higher. Her energy was fading, legs turning
slower. No way she’d make it up and over before he reached her.
    Sharp breaths were in her ear. A presence at
her back. He was close enough to grab her backpack now. She could
feel it.
    Time to face facts. She was going to get
caught.
    He was bigger, he was stronger, and he was
faster.
    She was smarter.
    Kizzie clamped her teeth shut. One leg out
straight, she tucked the other under her butt and let her hips drop
to the ground.
    His legs clipped her back.
    And for the second time in five minutes,
momentum was king.
    “Shiiit!” The asshole cartwheeled over her
body and smacked the ground with an unholy thud.
    Kizzie chased him now, skidding over uneven
concrete and gravel. The spare gun in her waistband dug into her
quad and the skin of her palms stung. Still, a couple scrapes and
ripped jeans were a small price to pay for the desired result.
    They came to a halt a short distance away,
harsh breaths echoing between the brick walls around them.
    The man pushed himself up with wobbly arms.
Got one foot wedged under him as he tried to stand.
    Forcing herself to her feet, Kizzie ripped
the Beretta from the hidden holster at her low back. With a short
arc and a whole lot of strength, she slammed the butt of the gun
against his temple.
    “Oomph.” He crashed