Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

circular tank where Stefan lost sight of him for just a moment. In that split second, Stefan realized Ivanov’s instincts had kicked in and he knew the tables had turned—that Stefan was aware of his presence and was now hunting him.
    At once he was up, leaping onto the fence surrounding the back of the building and running along it, careful to keep from tripping on the posts sticking up. The two-by-four was a slim runway in the dark. The wind sent another ferocious gust, dropping swirling leaves from the trees over his head and shoulders and he jumped to the slanted roof of the building connected to the fence. The structure was large with multileveled roofs. He landed on the lower one and nearly slipped on the slick buildup of green moss from the constant fog and mist coming off the ocean. Evidently the sun failed to reach this section of roof, making footing difficult.
    On the roof above him, Stefan heard the quick running of footsteps. The pitch on the higher roof was steeper, but Ivanov crossed it like a cat, with great long strides, well ahead of him, already leaping to the roof of the long, narrow, two-story gift shop. Stefan caught a glimpse of the assassin as he streaked over that surface.
    Stefan raced across the moss-covered roof and launched himself onto the next building. The roof had a good pitch, and he couldn’t follow Ivanov’s exact line from the angle he’d started and gain ground, so he was forced to run along the more sloped edge, requiring balance, although if his quarry thought that would slow him down, he was wrong. He streaked across the lower end of the roof in pursuit of Ivanov and launched himself over the small alleyway where the homeless man had wrapped himself in a blanket in preparation for a cold night.
    Stefan landed lightly onto the roof of the wine shop, trying to be as silent as a cat, although he doubted if, with the noise emanating from the shop from the small crowd, anyone would hear the chase. The last thing he wanted were witnesses such as Old Bill. Thomas Vincent would not be chasing killers over rooftops. He took four running steps and felt fire slicing along his cheek while an angry bee buzzed in his ear. He dropped flat and rolled toward the edge of the roof, grateful Ivanov’s expertise was not in long-distance killing—or shooting on the run. The assassin could shoot, but he wasn’t known for his skill on the run while all the Prakenskii brothers had that gift.
    Stefan slipped over the edge as the second shot kicked up a tile next to his shoulder. Fragments rained down on his face. Holding the weight of his body by his fingertips, he counted to ten and pulled himself back up. Ivanov would fear he would drop to the ground and follow his escape route from there. Clearly the exterminator had prepared for every possible scenario. They’d all been taught to do that so many years ago, back in the schools they’d attended, the ones shaping them into monsters.
    Stefan would have to be careful. Ivanov had made this run before, setting up his escape over the rooftops. He had probably practiced this exact route in the dead of night repeatedly—and he was armed with a silencer, which wasn’t unexpected. But the shots were. Ivanov wanted to get away, not draw more attention to himself. He wouldn’t want to give up on the idea of killing Lev, if that was why he’d come. Ivanov was nothing if not tenacious.
    The wine shop was a compact square and it was filled to capacity even with such a small group, the sounds bursting through windows and doors. It was difficult to hear the whisper of steps running over the roof with the noise coming from the crowded building. With great stealth, Stefan pulled himself up so that just his eyes were looking out over the roof. Ivanov appeared to have abandoned the rooftop, but just to be on the safe side, Stefan remained cautious as he pulled himself up. When no shot came, he was up and running, keeping low as he did so, building momentum to jump to the next rooftop.
    Stefan raced up the side of the art gallery roof, angling to cover as much ground as possible and yet position himself directly behind Ivanov, fighting the wind every step of the way. The exterminator had already managed to make it down the other side and was making the leap to a smaller gallery that sold hand carved furniture. The building was single story with a normal roof, but it was set well back from the street. That gave Stefan the chance to make up a little time as he