‘Hey, no need to explain,’ smiled Stacy. ‘The new red hair’s hot, right? I knew it was a good idea!’

Kate nodded awkwardly. ‘Yeah, I like it. Thanks, Stacy.’

Stacy crossed to the table and checked the cup. ‘You took the serum then, Tom. How’re you feeling?’

‘Fine.’ He blinked, considered for a moment. ‘Actually, I feel great. Better than I have for ages.’

Stacy gave them a mischievous smile. ‘Sure that’s not young love talking?’

‘Eeuw,’ shuddered Kate, and they all laughed. ‘What’s this about taking serum?’

‘Later,’ Tom told her. ‘Stacy, do you know where Jasmine and Rico are?’

‘They split,’ she said, ‘headed back home.’

‘Then we can’t get hold of Polar and check,’ Tom realised. ‘I don’t have Jasmine’s cellphone number.’

Kate smiled sweetly. ‘What, you mean she hasn’t given it to you already?’ she said.

g

They got directions from Stacy for riding the subway out to Baychester, as well as a twenty-dollar bill for expenses. ‘Pay me back in blood samples,’ she’d joked. Then they’d headed off.

Kate had never seen Tom in such high spirits, cracking jokes, babbling away about all kinds of nonsense, leapfrogging over trash cans … She guessed that he was excited at the thought of maybe meeting the man who could save his life –before the worst happened to his family. She waved her new hair in his face to remind him that as far as this whole city was concerned they were wanted criminals; they should keep their profiles low.

‘The cops’ll never take me alive!’ he shouted in some ridiculous gangster voice as he passed through the subway turnstile, drawing a gun from his fingers and pretending to shoot passers-by.

‘OK, the infantile jerk thing is wearing a little thin now,’ Kate remarked. She was apprehensive; not just about what might be waiting for them in Baychester, but because of this change in Tom’s behaviour. What was happening with him? She’d been looking forward to spending a peaceful few hours together, just the two of them, before facing whatever lay ahead. But the new, hyper Tom apparently had no conception of quiet time. It had to be down to that serum stuff; he’d told her about taking it, and she’d scolded him for it: ‘There’s no saying how it might affect someone like you.’

‘There is no one like me,’ he’d said darkly. ‘Remember?’

But Tom calmed down a little once they got on the subway. There were about a million stops on the train. It was only five o’clock, but they’d figured if they got to the bridge early they might get the jump on anyone trying to spring a nasty surprise. Plus, looking at the map Stacy had loaned them, it might take that long to find a bus that would take them even close by.