Steel had arrived at Hyde Park with plenty of time to spare. His military-style watch said it was ten-fifteen. Steel found a fast-food restaurant that was still open and ordered coffee. The place was full of teenagers and people who had just finished work and needed a quick fix before heading home. The server was a spotty teenager called Tom; his jet-black hair stuck out from under his cap, and his black-rimmed glasses kept sliding off of his nose due to sweat.
Steel paid for the coffee and put the change into the staff tips box. He found a seat that faced the door. An old habit he had picked up in the Army; that way so he could see what was coming so he could react to it. The coffee was strong, way too strong as if they had emptied a week’s worth of coffee packets into the machine. The s
