illumination. Her heart thrummed with excitement as soon as she registered they were behind the bar. The bar butted against another building, leaving a narrow alleyway shrouded in shadows at night. Not even moonlight fully bathed the alley. Her mind nudged with memories. Miranda's face flared with an excited blush and her stomach clenched, but she didn't have time to reminisce.
Tyler continued to lead her down the alleyway. At the back of his head, memories shook off a decade of dust. It was here, somewhere. He had used it plenty of times to get away from cops or other pursuers.
Miranda was beginning to wonder the point to this excursion. After all, a lot of time had passed since Tyler last wandered the streets of Legacy. Some things changed. Then again, it was possible he had already brought another woman out here. Miranda waved that sour possibility away, displeasure tainting her excitement. “Tyler?”
His eyes lit on the fire escape hanging off the other building that flanked the alley. A grin curled at his lips. Tyler released Miranda's hand as he sprinted toward the brick wall. He brought his foot up, managing the correct trajectory to rebound up and snag the hanging ladder to the fire escape.
Metal clattered as the ladder rolled down. He landed a few feet from her, a grin curling over his lips. He bowed slightly, motioning to the ladder. “This way, if you please.”
“Is it safe?” Miranda cocked an eyebrow and glanced at Tyler. She raised her hand to the ladder, and gingerly touched it, as if worried it would shatter under her palm.
“Only one way to find out.” Tyler's eyes glittered with a challenge. He leaned closer to Miranda, with narrowed eyes and a teasing smirk. “Unless you're too afraid, Mir.”
She shot him a glare, indignity flaring in her thoughts. Before Tyler could harass her any further, she hoisted herself onto the ladder. It shuddered under her weight, but didn't creak. Slowly, Miranda made her way up, trying to ignore the feeling of Tyler's gaze on her. Despite the blush that burned along her cheeks, she didn't mind his leering.
As he watched her ascend up the fire escape, desire coiled across his thoughts. His gaze slid over the curve of her back, her ass, and her legs. Pleasant heat simmered in his gut as his imagination brought her under him, her lips close, her breasts heaving, his name laced into her moans. Tyler shook the thoughts off as Miranda's boots climbed up before his eyes. He scrabbled after her, hope suspended in his thoughts
Once the two arrived at the roof, they took a moment to drink in the sight. The roof, bathed in pale moonlight, contrasted against the dark sky and the stretch of sparse vegetation that lay just behind the building. Miranda stared down the landscape, over the shrubs and trees. She thought she could hear far-off creatures rustle and sidle along the brush. Stars, barely noticeable thanks to air pollution, speckled the blue-black velvet of the sky.
She took a deep breath, glad to be away from the bar and the people. Tension oozed from her limbs and, for the first time in a long time, she felt completely at ease. A smile curled over her lips.
“You still have that look.” Tyler's voice cut through her captivation.
Her gaze snapped to Tyler's face. Her smile didn't falter, though her eyebrows dipped in uncertainty. “What?”
“It's this look you always got when we snuck off in the middle of the night,” Tyler's grin grew, though his ears reddened. He averted his gaze, unused to relaying fond memories. Rubbing the back of his neck, he muttered, “When we were pretty much in the clear, you would always stop and look around and smile, then take a big breath. Like you were enjoying freedom for the first time.”
Miranda's head listed to the side, surprise filtering through her thoughts. She definitely remembered feeling free with Tyler. It didn't matter where or how, whether they were just