In front of me the scene continued to play out and I tried to remain invisible; less than a background piece and certainly not a witness.

The three thin members of the Two Bones stared at the hulking form of the Bloody Thumbs and he returned it impassively. Neither side appeared to be impressed by the other- the Two Bones weren’t bothered by the Bloody Thumbs size and he wasn’t concerned by their numbers.

Lips curling back to expose stained teeth, the Two Bones spat noisily on to the floor of the bar. Brownish sludge splatted near my foot. My stomach roiled at the stench of rancid tobacco but he didn’t appear to notice me. Mouth free, the leader of the Two Bones spoke, “You should leave, fat boy. This is our bar.”

“You three think you can make me leave?” The Bloody Thumbs chuckled, ignoring the slight. “I go where I please and no man tells me different. Besides, I ain’t going anywhere without him.”

A beefy arm swung out and came to rest with a sausage finger point directly at me.

My luck had run out.