The Edge Read Free Page B

World Cup the year before: Oz Ellman.
    ‘Sorry, but we were just leaving,’ Oz said. ‘Weren’t we, fellas?’
    The others grunted in the affirmative. Jake shrugged. ‘No worries. But give me a call next time. I’m dying for a game. I’m in room fifteen B.’
    As he turned to go, he heard Oz say: ‘I’m sure Baby Bastin is used to getting his own way.’
    Jake stopped – his temper flared. He turned to face them. ‘I’m sorry. I didn’t catch that.’
    Oz’s face set into a sneer. ‘Listen, pom, don’t start throwing your weight around, expecting a free ride. We all got here on
merit.
Not because our daddies pulled strings.’
    ‘My dad had nothing to do with it,’ Jake said.
    This brought a round of guffaws from a couple of the other players. Most were silent, though, all eyes on Jake.
    ‘Yeah,’ Oz said. ‘You getting picked for the commercial was just a coincidence, I guess?’
    Jake didn’t have an answer for that. Maybe his name didhave something to do with it. He hadn’t even wanted to be in the commercial, but there was no point saying that now.
    ‘I could name about fifty guys who should be here instead of you,’ Oz added, throwing the ball hard at Jake’s chest.
    Jake caught the ball. It stung his chest, but he didn’t flinch. Part of him wanted to rush at Oz, fists flying, but he’d seen enough pointless fighting.
    ‘Leave it, Oz,’ said someone from the back, his voice French maybe.
    Jake felt a tingle of relief – not everyone here was a git.
    But Oz wasn’t leaving it. He was eyeballing Jake, looking for any kind of rise. Jake wasn’t going to give it to him. Instead, he dropped the football and kicked it back, over the Australian’s head and into the hockey goal. As he walked away, Jake grinned to himself. He’d show Oz Ellman that he was more than just a name.

4
    A fter a high-carb dinner in the canteen, Jake and Tan took advantage of the recreation time to get out of the complex. The whole atmosphere was tainted by Otto’s death. The afternoon’s festivities had been cancelled and everyone seemed to be at a loose end. Krantz reminded them of the strict curfew – if they weren’t back by ten, there’d be serious trouble. They signed out at the front gates and took the exit road out into town on foot. Tan was sipping a bottle of purple Olympic Edge called ‘Cloudburst’ as they hit the main street of Redford.
    ‘Why you no like this stuff?’ he said. ‘I think it really work.’ He held out the bottle. ‘Try some.’
    Jake sniffed the top of the bottle, and laughed. ‘And I think it’s all in your head. This stuff smells like toilet cleaner.’
    Palm trees lined the street, ruffled by a warm breeze even though the sun was setting. Jake had seen most ofthe town’s main drag on the way in. It wasn’t a big place, maybe three or four miles across, shunting up against the southern outskirts of Miami to the north. It had a central business district with small supermarkets and clothes shops, a hardware store and a dozen or so bars and cafés. The tallest buildings in the town were a couple of five-storey office blocks.
    Jake felt Tan tap his elbow. ‘Look over there,’ he said, nodding towards a bar called the Thirsty Alligator. The front door was guarded by a single bouncer, and some kind of Latin jazz music spilled out on to the pavement. Through the glass frontage, Jake saw what had got Tan’s attention.
    Dr Chow sat at a high table, a tall bottle in front of her, leaning close in conversation with a guy wearing a red baseball cap and sunglasses.
    ‘Must be her boyfriend,’ Jake said. ‘I had to listen to them flirting on the phone earlier.’
    ‘You think he works at Olympic Advantage also?’ Tan asked.
    Jake shrugged. ‘I haven’t seen him around.’
    Dr Chow stared down at the table, absently playing with her glass. If they were in a relationship, it looked as if they were having an uncomfortable discussion.
    ‘Come on,’ said Tan, ‘it bad if they