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Then it all happened at once. Darren started to move--but then Ken grabbed him from behind and held him tight. It was too late for Darren to make a run for it.
People at the bar were starting to look at them. Nicky feared for a second that Darren was going to produce a gun--but then the other patrons turned back to their drinks, not wanting to get involved.
"Let's go," Nicky said. "Walk."
Darren twisted his arm until he broke free from Ken's grip. He went to run off, but Ken grabbed him by the arm again—only for Darren to elbow him in the face.
"Hey!" Nicky yelled.
But Darren had escaped. He dove through the strip club, dodging past people.
Game on.
Nicky dove after him. He was a lot faster than she had anticipated. She was just about to grab him by the collar when Darren turned around and kicked her right in the face.
Nicky stumbled backwards. She got her balance back and started to run. Darren was darting through the crowd. His head was literally bobbing up and down. He bumped into three people, who yelped and spilled their drinks.
But Darren didn't seem to care. He continued his mad dash across the club, darting for the staircase that led up to the second floor.
Ken was right behind him. He was yelling, "Federal agent! Stop, McMillan!"
Darren darted up the stairs. Nicky and Ken chased after, weaving between people the best they could. The music kept pounding Nicky's ears.
On the upper level, Nicky saw Darren run into a room. "There!" she shouted to Ken.
Both of them ran right in after him. But Darren was pulling open a window. He looked over his shoulder at them. There was no way he was going to jump, Nicky reasoned—but on his face was the look of a man who would do anything to escape.
"Don't even think about it," Nicky warned.
"No," Darren said. "No way. I'm not going to jail."
“Darren—”
He jumped out of the window.
For a second, Nicky was worried he’d killed himself just to escape. But she and Ken rushed over and looked down. Darren was inside of a dumpster, and hauling himself out of it, and Nicky’s resolve burned back to life.
"He's gonna get away!" Nicky shouted.
She couldn't let that happen. And Ken must have sensed her plan, because he said, "Lyons, don't you--"
Too late.
Nicky jumped out of the window. A rush of adrenaline surged through her chest, and she landed with a hard thud in the dumpster, surrounded by stinking filth. It hurt a bit, but she was fine.
She tore out of the dumpster and got herself back on the ground. Ken wasn't behind her, but she didn't care.
She darted after Darren.
He was sprinting along the alleyway, looking over his shoulder every so often to see if Nicky was following. She wouldn't let him go, her feet pounding the pavement below.
“Stop and put your hands up!” Nicky shouted.
Darren was at the end of the alley. There was a street up ahead. He wasn't getting away, and Nicky was closing in fast.
But then a car screeched down the street. Nicky reached out to grab Darren, but the car honked and blocked her way. The driver was a well-dressed asshole in a suit. He flipped her off.
"Damn it," Nicky said. She looked over at Darren, who was running down the street as fast as he could. She chased after him.
