Alaric lowered his body as far as he could, skimming along the last remaining side of the building. His breath mixed with a heartbeat that thudded harder against his ribs with every passing second. Each step felt like a wager, because he knew that a single lapse would snare him. The security system here was no joke, and the detection that had just popped up would have the guards on higher alert.
Outside, the heavy thud of footsteps alternated with the clipped chatter from the guards' handheld radios. Flashlights pierced the windows facing the street, sweeping left and right. Alaric forced himself to stay behind a fragile wooden post.
He waited until he could read the pattern of the guards' steps. When they all turned right at once, Alaric slipped left, broke into a low run, then stopped again when footsteps sounded nearby. He played with time and nerve, using the seconds when the guards' attention was elsewhere.
"Almost there, almost there," he murmured inwardly.
