Freelancers: Falcon & Phoenix Read Online Free

he jumps over. If people are put in his way, he does his best to avoid running into them. Unfortunately not everyone is lucky enough to avoid an impact and some innocent bystanders are knocked to the ground.
    “Stupid Anglo!” a man yells as he rises back to his feet after Falcon slams into him, forcing him to the ground.
    Falcon watches Slim Jim dart down an alley way. He takes one look back toward the main street to see if Phoenix is behind him. She isn’t. He sees only a sea of people moving up and down the street.
    Facing forward, he follows his quarry into the dim alley and stops just at the edge of the two buildings creating the narrow space. A few people sit or lean against the walls. Some of them shift in their spaces but none of them make any moves toward or away from Falcon. And none of them are Slim Jim.
    A metal sound bangs from above. Falcon looks up to see Jim almost to the top of a ladder. The wiry man scrambles up it and over the edge, disappearing on the roof of the building.
    “Dammit.” Falcon runs for the ladder and leaps to the second rung.

    P hoenix finally pushes past the crowd and onto the side street. She squints her eyes to see if she recognizes anyone. She doesn’t. No one chasing after anyone. And no one being chased. Just more buyers and sellers moving forward to add themselves to the crowd now behind her.
    “Great.” She holsters her gun and walks briskly down the middle of the street. She turns her head down the alley and sees only the same, barely moving people. A few vendors smile and wave at her. She replies in kind, though her demeanor is less authentic. Phoenix turns from the alley and back to the street then to the alley again, trying to decide which way to go. She decides on the street and runs to the next intersection.

    “ W rong move , Jim!” Falcon yells as his feet clomp along the roof of the building. “You should have stayed in the crowd.”
    “I know my town, Freelancer.” Slim Jim jumps over the wall dividing the adjoining buildings. He heads back in the direction of the market street.
    “There’s nowhere else to go.” Falcon jumps over the dividing wall as Jim makes a wide turn back toward the alley. “You won’t make it. It’s too far.”
    Jim’s foot hits the raised edge of the building and he launches himself into the empty air. Falcon watches as he disappears below his line of sight before running to the edge.
    On the building across the alley, Jim scrambles up a steel balcony . “Too bad for you. No pay day for the Freelancer.” Slim Jim slaps his own chest in praise of himself.
    Falcon stares at him then down at the concrete below. It’s only two stories up but a fall from this height will probably break something if he lands wrong. Even if he lands right, a sprain or twist is almost guaranteed. If nothing else, the impact shock will put him on his butt. Either way, Slim Jim gets away and getting away from Phoenix will prove nearly impossible. Of course, if he doesn’t try, Slim Jim still gets away. Falcon looks at the steel scaffold Jim stands on. He turns around and walks to the opposite side of the building.
    “That’s right. Go back home. The Asian Empire’s not good for you,” Jim yells as he watches Falcon disappear on the roof.
    Falcon stops at the other side of the building and turns to face the alley. He swings his arms in front of him, readying himself. “He did it. You can do it,” he says under his breath. Falcon inhales, deeply, and holds it for a moment. Narrowing his eyes, he exhales and bursts forward, sprinting for the alley.
    Slim Jim Soon starts to make his way down the fire escape when he hears the sound of scraping concrete. He looks up just in time to see Falcon leaping over the gap between the buildings. Jim’s eyes grow wide as the man gets closer to him.
    Falcon grunts as he collides with the balcony railing just below Jim. His fingers grip the steel, preventing him from falling. In a panic, Jim switches directions