The tourist fights back, throwing his weight back in Duke’s direction, and then Duke is on the floor, and the other dude is on the floor, and they’re not throwing punches, exactly, they’re more scuffling, grabbing at each other’s hair and groaning a lot. And before Duke really knows what’s happening, the tourist gets leverage and manages to throw one almighty punch that lands square in his jaw, and just as suddenly as it all started his mates pull him away and Duke is sat there, already feeling the blood trickle. He looks up for somebody to help him – for anyone to help him – and yet they’re all just staring. Some people have pulled out their phones, videoing what’s happening.

Duke looks from face to face to face, searching for someone familiar, someone to pull him up, and that’s when he sees her. But instead of helping him, instead of checking he’s all right, Katerina is photographing the whole bloody thing too.

35

Duke

‘Not to sound unkind,’ Malcolm, one of the producers says to Duke when he lays eyes on him back at the hotel. ‘But that face could cost me a lot of money if the swelling hasn’t gone down by morning. Let’s go to the on-site medic, buddy.’

Getting half-pummelled certainly went a long way to sobering Duke up, but he’s not fully there yet.

‘I just need some sleep, okay?’ he says, and Malcolm raises his eyebrows. ‘Maybe some ice. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?’ Duke asks, but Malcolm doesn’t answer, simply sets his mouth into a muted line and hands Duke an ice pack the concierge has procured.

Duke is definitely in trouble.

‘Duke!’ Evie cries, leaping up as she spots him across the lobby. ‘Jesus, what happened? Are you okay?’ She turns to the producer. ‘What happened to him? Oh my God.’

Her voice is loud, panicked, and Duke is embarrassed.

‘What are you doing here?’ he asks. Isn’t it the middle of the night?

‘One of my late-night walks,’ she says. ‘I couldn’t sleep. Now seriously, what happened?’