took hold of John’s arm, pulling him back onto the curb and down a narrow passageway, scuffing his shoulder painfully on the brick. They stopped halfway and stood facing each other in the loose dark. The passage led out onto the Theobalds Road, from where came a low thunder of traffic and a haze of amber light. The rapid movement had made John breathless with surprise. “This is what you want, isn’t it,” Frank said quietly. John had begun to nod, even though it wasn’t spoken like a question, when Frank roughly took hold of his lapels with both hands. John couldn’t help it—he started back, even
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