He turned.
I stepped up to him and belted him over his head with the gun barrel. I hit him as hard as I could. He slumped down on; his hands and knees, but he wasn’t out. He had the hardest head in the world. He squirmed round, grabbed at my legs. He nearly had me over. I kicked him off, hit him again with the butt of the gun. I hit him so hard the gun jumped out of my hand. He stretched out flat.
I cut the ropes that tied Brodey to the bed and sat him up. He fell off the bed before I could catch him. He was out.
As I stooped to pick him up, the door jerked open and Sansotta walked in. He stopped, gaped at me, at Bat; then his hand flashed to his hip pocket.
I let go of Brodey, flung myself at Sansotta’s legs. We went down in a squirming heap. He clubbed at my head with his fist, but I wriggled away, caught him a bang under his right eye. His head snapped back, but he was on his feet before I was on mine. He was as fast and as tricky as a lizard.
The Luger had vanished under the bed. Bat was stirring, trying to sit up. Brodey was lying like a dead man a few feet from me. Sansotta jumped me. I caught him round his waist, I dragged him down, belted him about the body.
He tried to fight me off, but my weight was too much for him. He gave a strangled yell, but I had him by the throat. I squeezed.
Green gaberdine trousers came into the room. I threw myself sideways, but I was too late.
Something that felt like the Empire State Building descended on my head.