Free After the Execution by James Raven Page A

eventually shake the men who were pursuing me.
    Brightly lit pleasure barges cruised along the river, and families and couples sat at outside tables soaking up the atmosphere, unaware of thedrama that was unfolding around them.
    I continued to attract attention as the throng dispersed to let me through. After about a hundred yards I came to a small footbridge over the river. I veered onto it and as I crossed it I slowed to a fast walk so that I could look down along the route I’d come.
    I saw two dark suits cutting through the crowd of bright shirts and dresses. One of them looked up and pointed at me. That was my cue to break into another run.
    The other side of the river was just as busy and the bars, cafes and shops were doing a roaring trade.
    By now my breath was rasping in my throat and it felt like there were daggers in my lungs. I wasn’t sure how long I could keep up the pace. A decade on death row meant that I had very little stamina. It was proving to be a real struggle. Could I outrun them? I didn’t know. But I had to try. I had to push myself hard and fast.
    But I quickly felt myself slowing, and as my breath became more laboured my head started to spin with the effort of staying on my feet. Trauma and exhaustion were taking their toll. Then I suddenly collided with the edge of an outside table and stumbled. There was nothing to hold onto so I went over and ended up splayed out on the path.
    It caused a fair amount of commotion. People scattered, probably thinking I was drunk. A thought flashed in my mind.
Would I be recognised?
Surely that wasn’t possible. Or was it?
    ‘Are you all right, sir?’
    I rolled on my side, looked up. The voice belonged to a black girl in a skimpy summer dress. She was holding a pile of menus under one arm and standing outside a Mexican restaurant. Just as she extended her free hand to help me up she was elbowed out of the way by one of the suits who’d been chasing me.
    ‘OK folks,’ he shouted, holding up his badge. ‘No need to be alarmed. We’ve got this situation covered.’
    His partner stepped into view, a cellphone pressed to his ear. No doubt he was telling Special Agent Vance that they’d caught me.
    They hadn’t taken out their guns. Was that because they didn’t expect me to resist or they didn’t want to cause panic? As far as I was concerned it was a mistake on their part.
    I raised both arms, palms out, in a gesture of defeat. The two agents seized an arm each. They were both big guys with army-short haircuts. As they lifted me to my feet one of them leaned close and said, ‘Don’tmake a scene, pal. If you do you’ll get hurt.’
    I let them think I was resigned to my fate. But when I was standing up I went for it, catching both of them off guard. We were all just a few feet from the edge of the walkway. One of them had his back to the river and I took a deep breath and then pushed at him with my shoulder. As he teetered backwards I jerked my arm free and gave him another shove to send him splashing into the river.
    Then I twisted my body and drove my forehead straight into the other guy’s face. He let go of my arm and staggered backwards, blood spurting from a broken nose. I leapt forward, grabbed his jacket, and whirled him round so hard and fast that he couldn’t stop himself plunging into the river along with his partner. The river wasn’t deep at this point and when I looked over the side they were both standing up, with the water reaching their chests.
    A woman behind me screamed and there was shouting. Fear pulsed through me and my knees felt weak.
    Fresh panic sent me plunging ahead along the river bank. When I’d covered maybe sixty yards I slowed down and looked to see who was on my tail. I saw no one.
    The River Walk became less busy. I passed a couple of smart hotels and a few more restaurants. When I came to some steps I dashed up them. I found myself on a busy road. I heard a police siren in the distance , maybe a few streets