She hooked her fingers into long, greasy hair, dragging the man’s head back and Nick concentrated on the other. He swung in, pushing the razor away from him and applied a wrist lock. The man screamed, dropping the razor, and Nick delivered an elbow strike at close quarters that produced a cry of agony.

The man fell backwards, got to his feet and stumbled away. Nick turned and found Lazer rolling in the flooded gutter, grappling with a man in an old trenchcoat. Jean was against the wall, struggling furiously.

Nick moved in fast, grabbed the man by the collar with both hands and sent him staggering into the fog. At the same moment, Lazer’s assailant rolled on top, got to his feet and went after his comrades fast.

There was silence. Only the rain hissing down, Jean struggling to catch her breath, a slight moan from the one who had carried the iron bar.

Lazer, sitting in the gutter, got to his feet with a queer, choking laugh. ‘What brought that little lot on?’

‘I think I must have hurt somebody’s feelings.’ Nick turned to Jean. ‘You all right?’

She laughed shakily. ‘You’re damned right I am. What on earth was it all about?’

‘I don’t know, Jean.’ He shook his head. ‘There’s more to this whole business than meets the eye. Much more.’

There was a slight noise behind them and as he swung round, the man who was lying face down on the pavement beside the car, reached for the iron bar and started to his feet. Lazer moved across quickly, pulled it easily from his grasp and slammed the man hard against the car.

‘Another move like that and I’ll bend this across your skull.’

The man hung there, hands clawing across the roof for support, head down and Nick took Jean by the arm and led her to the gate. ‘Mix yourself a stiff drink, you’ve earned it. Then go to bed.’

She looked up at him anxiously, her face pale in the lamplight. ‘What about you?’

‘I’ll take this character down to Central with me, not that I expect to get very much out of him. On the other hand we should be able to put him away for a couple of years, which is something.’

‘Can you get back later on?’

‘I’ll try, I really will.’ He took her hand and held it tightly for a moment. ‘You looked good in there.’

‘The Khyber Street brand goes clear to the bone,’ she said. ‘You can never quite get rid of it.’ She took a handkerchief from her pocket and reached up to dab the blood on his right cheek. ‘That’s a nasty cut. It needs looking at.’

He caught her wrist gently, pulled her close in his arms and kissed her and it was like nothing he had ever experienced before, touching something deep inside him, fierce yet gentle.