The Pleasures of Spring by Evie Hunter Read Free Book Online

descended. This she knew. She swung herself up, and climbed on top of the ancient red brick wall. Once upright, she balanced herself and ran along the top, jumping over the barbed wire separating this yard from the next, then on to the next one. And there, at the end of that wall, was the pot of gold – a fire escape leading up onto the roof.
    Roz sometimes felt that she was part cat. There was something about being high up that reassured her. When in trouble, her instinct was always to go for the high ground. And up on the rooftops of London, she was at home.
    A quick glance behind her was enough to show her that Hall had managed to figure out where she had gone, and he was already in pursuit. She felt an unexpected flicker of guilt and prayed that he hadn’t hurt anyone. She had allowed herself to stay too long here, had made friends, and it may have cost them dearly.
    Hall, damn him, was moving over the crumbling walls with amazing speed for such a large man.
    She loved parkour. It had started with running away from the cops or irate marks when she was younger, but had evolved into a full-scale love affair. There was something about the freedom of the run, the unpredictability of the terrain, the adrenaline rush, the punishing workout which left her shaking afterwards. She had never been interested in doing it officially or entering competitions, but she had studied the best free runners online and learnt from their technique.
    Parkour had always been an escape from her problems. Now it might save her life.
    The light was fading. She hoped that would make it harder for Hall to see her in the gloom. Her jeans were dark but the multi-coloured sweater Stella had knitted for her stood out. She hated to do it, but she had no choice.
    She stripped off the gorgeous jumper, leaving her in a black T-shirt. The movement cost her precious seconds, and Hall was closer. A quick glance behind revealed the soulless determination in his eyes.
    Roz picked up speed. She couldn’t let him catch her. The approaching night made it harder to judge distances between buildings, and impossible to see small obstacles in her path. She had to keep a sense of where she was going.
    London from the rooftops was completely different from the streets, and it was essential that she didn’t get trapped by a main road. She could leap across alleys but not a two-lane high street.
    From the sound of his footsteps, she knew that Hall was close behind her. How did he do it? Roz knew she was one of the fastest runners in the area, and he waskeeping up with her. Guess the SEALs really were supermen. She’d have to do better.
    She raced across a glass roof she would usually have avoided, trusting that her lighter frame wouldn’t smash it. Hall must be close to seventeen stone, all pure muscle. She gained a couple of seconds when he went around it.
    The next roof was too far away to risk a jump. She swung over the edge, using the tiny niches between the red bricks as finger and toe holds until she could grab at a balcony. A startled yelp from a lady watching television morphed into a scream, but she didn’t have time to do anything about it. She shuffled along the ledge to the next corner, where there was an easy jump to safety.
    Roz scrambled across the roof, trying to keep her footing on the slippery slates. She couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Yelling for help wasn’t likely to do her much good in London; everyone thought it was someone else’s business.
    The main road loomed up ahead, busy with traffic and pedestrians. A double-decker bus accelerated away from the traffic lights.
    Hall was thirty yards behind her. Okay, no choice.
    Roz leapt for the moving bus, and landed on its roof with a thump. She crouched, desperately, trying to absorb the shock and keep her balance, wedging her fingers into a tiny row of rivets. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to help her hold on while the bus rounded the corner and moved out of Hall’s