Chapter 4

“Give me my money.”

“I

will, just not right now. I have to go, don’t you understand? I have an

appointment. This is my career at stake!” Eduardo glanced around wildly. He was

at the end of Gerrard Street—the wrongend, from his point of view—and

no nearer his destination than when he started. There was a Chinese grocer’s

across the road, and a group of young men crowded the doorway. They were

staring directly at him, grins on their faces, avidly watching the altercation

without any attempt at discretion. For once, hope overrode Eduardo’s fear of

public embarrassment. “Hello!” he called to them. “Hello!” If he could

distract his stalker for long enough, he could lose him in the crowds. He’d

assumed he could run faster than this hulk of a man, but now he wasn’t so sure.

A head start was sorely needed. But now those guys in the shop would help him

out, and there’d be customers and staff as witnesses to his abuse, maybe

someone would even call the police, and then—