Outside on the sidewalk, I take a hard right. An alley that runs through the center of the block. It’s myfastest path to the street behind the building. I turn into the alley and bear down, solely focused on the
light at the other end—
When something slams into my shins.
The pain is blinding, but as I fall forward, I manage to tuck into a roll over my right shoulder. I pop upon my feet, facing the way I just came, though my shinbones are screaming at me.
The man across the alley snarls at me. He has the Battiato crest tattooed on his neck. It stands outagainst his pale skin, which is growing paler by the second. He clearly didn’t expect me to recover asquickly as I did.
I cross the distance between us in two strides and throw a punch before he can even raise his arm
