FOR ALMOST A MINUTE after leaving the house Jez swore as he ran. He had known the cops were close when he pulled open the front door and hurried up the path, but it had come as an unpleasant surprise to see just how close they were. It wasn’t just the proximity of the police that made him swear, it was the number of people who were determined to put handcuffs on him - at least half a dozen, he saw in the one quick glance that was all he could afford to spare.
Eventually Jez was forced to stop swearing and conserve his breath, he simply couldn’t continue cursing and running, his lungs lacked the capacity to provide him with enough oxygen to do both. Silent, but for the sound of ragged breathing, and the pounding of his feet on the pavement, he pumped his arms to drive himself along.
His c
