should I know you?”
“You have seen me before. My name is Max Raffifi.”
“Raffifi? I once knew a man named Raffifi. His name was Gabriel Raffifi.”
“That was my father.”
Colonel Zinfandel smiled. “So, you’re the son of Gabriel Raffifi. And what do you want with me?”
“To kill you,” said Max. “Just like you killed my father.”
“Your father was a fool,” said Colonel Zinfandel. “And I can see that you are too.”
That was enough for Max. He didn’t need to say another word. He knew what he had to do. In a single, swift, sudden movement, he pointed the knife at Colonel Zinfandel’s heart and hurled himself forward.
A loud shriek pierced the air.
“No!”
Max recognized his sister’s voice.
He paused. Only for a moment. But that was enough.
Colonel Zinfandel jabbed with his right fist and knocked the knife from Max’s hand. The blade spun through the air and clattered to the floor.
There was a moment of stillness.
No one moved and no one spoke.
And then everyone moved at once. Colonel Zinfandel’s bodyguards reached for their weapons. Some diners screamed. Others shouted. And Max ran.
Max was brave, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew he wasn’t any match for Colonel Zinfandel and his bodyguards. He sprinted toward his sister, grabbed her by the shoulder and, pulling her after him, charged toward the door.
Tim sprang out of his chair and went after them.
Grk ran too. He didn’t know what was happening, but if Tim and Natascha and Max were running, he wanted to run with them.
A waiter was standing in the middle of the restaurant, carrying two plates on a silver tray. There was a baked fish on one plate and a hot steak on the other.
Tim darted one way round the waiter.
Natascha went the other.
The waiter swerved, trying to avoid them. His arm dipped. The tray tipped over. Plates went flying. The steak soared through the air. The fish flipped and flapped as if it was still alive. And then with a
SQUELCH!
and a
SPLAT!
the steak landed on the floor, swiftly followed by the fish.
Grk whirled round and stared at the thick, juicy steak. Then he turned his head and stared at Tim, Natascha and Max. They had reached the door and were just about to leave the restaurant.
Grk wavered. He didn’t know what to do.
There was nothing that he liked more than steak. The scent filled his nostrils. It would only take a moment to nip back into the restaurant and grab it in his mouth and sink his teeth into that warm delicious meat and …
“Grk!”
Natascha yelled at him from the doorway.
Grk tore his eyes away from the steak and galloped to join the others.
Before anyone had a chance to grab them or stop them or trip them up or even realize what was really happening, they reached the door and ran out of the restaurant.
The door swung shut behind them.
Chapter 20
If you spend a large sum of money when you visit a restaurant, you are entitled to expect certain things. Superb food, of course. And fine wine. And discreet, attentive service.
But you would not expect to see a boy attacking a man with a knife.
None of the diners in the restaurant knew what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to them before. Were they watching a show? Or a scene from a movie? They sat in their chairs, blinking and staring, wondering what was going on.
The waiters were just as shocked as the diners. They stood still, their mouths open and their brains whirring, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Only one person reacted quickly. That was Colonel Zinfandel. He turned to his bodyguards and snarled at them in a low, angry voice. “What are you doing?”
The bodyguards stared stupidly at him as if they couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“What are you waiting for?” said Colonel Zinfandel.
Still none of them answered. None of them dared speak.
“Are you just going to stand there like idiots?” said Colonel Zinfandel. “Or are you going to stop them?”
His six bodyguards
“You have seen me before. My name is Max Raffifi.”
“Raffifi? I once knew a man named Raffifi. His name was Gabriel Raffifi.”
“That was my father.”
Colonel Zinfandel smiled. “So, you’re the son of Gabriel Raffifi. And what do you want with me?”
“To kill you,” said Max. “Just like you killed my father.”
“Your father was a fool,” said Colonel Zinfandel. “And I can see that you are too.”
That was enough for Max. He didn’t need to say another word. He knew what he had to do. In a single, swift, sudden movement, he pointed the knife at Colonel Zinfandel’s heart and hurled himself forward.
A loud shriek pierced the air.
“No!”
Max recognized his sister’s voice.
He paused. Only for a moment. But that was enough.
Colonel Zinfandel jabbed with his right fist and knocked the knife from Max’s hand. The blade spun through the air and clattered to the floor.
There was a moment of stillness.
No one moved and no one spoke.
And then everyone moved at once. Colonel Zinfandel’s bodyguards reached for their weapons. Some diners screamed. Others shouted. And Max ran.
Max was brave, but he wasn’t a fool. He knew he wasn’t any match for Colonel Zinfandel and his bodyguards. He sprinted toward his sister, grabbed her by the shoulder and, pulling her after him, charged toward the door.
Tim sprang out of his chair and went after them.
Grk ran too. He didn’t know what was happening, but if Tim and Natascha and Max were running, he wanted to run with them.
A waiter was standing in the middle of the restaurant, carrying two plates on a silver tray. There was a baked fish on one plate and a hot steak on the other.
Tim darted one way round the waiter.
Natascha went the other.
The waiter swerved, trying to avoid them. His arm dipped. The tray tipped over. Plates went flying. The steak soared through the air. The fish flipped and flapped as if it was still alive. And then with a
SQUELCH!
and a
SPLAT!
the steak landed on the floor, swiftly followed by the fish.
Grk whirled round and stared at the thick, juicy steak. Then he turned his head and stared at Tim, Natascha and Max. They had reached the door and were just about to leave the restaurant.
Grk wavered. He didn’t know what to do.
There was nothing that he liked more than steak. The scent filled his nostrils. It would only take a moment to nip back into the restaurant and grab it in his mouth and sink his teeth into that warm delicious meat and …
“Grk!”
Natascha yelled at him from the doorway.
Grk tore his eyes away from the steak and galloped to join the others.
Before anyone had a chance to grab them or stop them or trip them up or even realize what was really happening, they reached the door and ran out of the restaurant.
The door swung shut behind them.
Chapter 20
If you spend a large sum of money when you visit a restaurant, you are entitled to expect certain things. Superb food, of course. And fine wine. And discreet, attentive service.
But you would not expect to see a boy attacking a man with a knife.
None of the diners in the restaurant knew what to do. Nothing like this had ever happened to them before. Were they watching a show? Or a scene from a movie? They sat in their chairs, blinking and staring, wondering what was going on.
The waiters were just as shocked as the diners. They stood still, their mouths open and their brains whirring, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Only one person reacted quickly. That was Colonel Zinfandel. He turned to his bodyguards and snarled at them in a low, angry voice. “What are you doing?”
The bodyguards stared stupidly at him as if they couldn’t understand what he was saying.
“What are you waiting for?” said Colonel Zinfandel.
Still none of them answered. None of them dared speak.
“Are you just going to stand there like idiots?” said Colonel Zinfandel. “Or are you going to stop them?”
His six bodyguards
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