The woman pressed a g*n against his back and directed Derek further down the alley. Derek was unsure whether she’d had a g*n the whole time or if she had picked his, now empty, off the road, but either way he couldn’t escape. Not only had they tied his hands with a length of rope, but they might have the boy. Derek had asked Simon to help him find the woman and now he felt responsible for his safety. They walked deeper into the depths of London’s slums, the buildings getting closer together so that they almost blocked out the sun. There were people everywhere, lounging around drunkenly, hawking wares and selling their bodies. The sights and smells assaulted Derek’s senses and his stomach churned with the odor. The two men followed, the one who had not been shot, supporting the wounded man,
