Read Twincy Quinn and the Eye of Horus Part One for Free Online

though. A wide-eyed
look of surprise on his face, he took several steps back.
    Then he took a
sharp one forward.
    His eyes
narrowed. Yet for a second, a fleeting, far-too-quick second, I
fancied they flickered with concern.
    Then they
narrowed again in suspicion. ‘What is going on here?’ He growled.
He had a deep, low, baritone voice, and the accent embedded in it
suggested he came from the far North. With the thick brogue of a
Scotsman, it made his voice rumble all the more.
    Tall and
handsome by modern standards, he had a well-kept sandy brown
moustache, startlingly pale brown eyes, and a thick jaw. He was in
a sturdy jacket, and visible below were well-pressed pants and
well-shined shoes.
    In other
words, he didn't belong in this section of town. He was too clean,
too smart, and from the look in his eyes, it was clear he knew
that.
    He took a
sharp step forward.
    It broke me
out of whatever reverie I had entered, and I turned on my foot, my
black hair furling out behind me like a cape in the wind.
    ‘ Stop,’ he roared, his voice ringing out sharply with
authority.
    I didn't
stop.
    I pushed
myself across the street. Slow at first, I soon reached a sprint,
not bothering to pick up my skirt. Just concentrating on getting
away.
    I made it over
to the other end of the street, then turned down an alleyway that
was usually abandoned. Today it wasn't. Cursing to myself under my
breath, I simultaneously scanned the four or five men milling
around and looked for a way up.
    However he was
hot on my heels. The man with the pale brown eyes was right behind
me. For whatever reason, he was following, and unfortunately he was
fast. I could hear his measured, controlled breath coming out in
pants. I could also hear the sound of his footfall, neat and even,
his steps were quick and his movements snapped.
    ‘ Stop her,’ he said again.
    Yet this time
he had added one little word. Her.
    As I had
passed the men milling about in the alleyway, I had assessed them
all. It was a habit. A skill Doctor Esquire had taught me. I
instinctively knew how much they weighed, how tall they were, if
they had any weaknesses in the way they moved and would therefore
fight. If it came to it, I could dispatch them easily, quietly, and
without getting up a sweat.
    The method
behind my design.
    As the man
behind me bellowed out, the men turned.
    There were
still two in front of me, and they now lurched forward.
    I did not have
time for this. As one made a grab for me, I pirouetted lightly on
my feet, jumping past him in an elegant move that saw my skirts
flare. I also turned, just as I landed, lifting up my heel, my leg
appearing from under the volume of my skirt, and I kicked at a
rubbish bin. The lid scooted off, clanging against the wall, and
the bin itself fell over, the contents quickly piling up over the
road.
    I didn't
stop.
    Somebody said
something, another man grunted, and yet another one lunged my
way.
    ‘ Stop her,’ the man with the pale eyes and the Scottish brogue
hollered again.
    It was a
testament to this city that he was after me. He did not know me. I
had never clapped eyes on him before. Yet he had seen me sprint
from an alleyway, run from him, and he took that as sufficient
reason to pursue me.
    If he caught
me, he would take me kicking and screaming to the police. It didn't
matter that I had committed no crime, I knew what he would do. One
look into those pale eyes had told me all I needed to know of the
man. Well-to-do, a toff, I offended him by merely existing.
    ‘ Stop her,’ he yelled again.
    No matter how
loud he shouted, and no matter how often he compelled the men
around to catch me, it wasn't going to work. As another one put on
a burst of speed, his broad shoulders pumping from underneath his
simple white, hand woven cotton shirt, I planted a foot into the
wall, used it as traction, and forced myself into a dive roll over
yet another bin. This section of town was littered with them,
because this section of town was