Lucius stepped off the old steamer with a sense of hope for his new life. Surrounding him, families bustle past carrying what belongings they had kept on the perilous journey across the great Atlantic. His eyes scan the area looking for his cousin who wrote that his wife and himself would be present to greet him. He walks towards land from the dock being greeted by peddlers and hawkers. He pulls a gold coin from his pouch and purchases a new hat. The brim crisp and proper, settling on his head he felt like a new man. He acquires his pocket watch to check the time. Muttering to himself he proclaims, "Well its half past two, I assumed they would be here. Perhaps a nice cup of tea will do me well as I wait." 

 Walking towards the building he notices a young man running past a group of people, snatching a woman's purse from her nimble hands. Lucius takes off at full speed pushing past people and the now screaming lady for the coppers. His tall build sending himself faster than the woman's husband and into an alley that the young man had disappeared to. He hears a rustling behind a large dumpster that seemed to cut off into a narrow side alley. There the young man was rifling through the purse and pulling out all sorts of shiny trinkets and coins. Lucius pulls his straight razor from his pocket and brandishes it menacingly. 

 "Now young man. I'll be taking that there purse and the belongings inside of it. No funny business or I'll make ya smile from ear to ear."

A gasp leaves the young mans throat and his hands begun to tremble. His eyes darting back and forth from Lucius's face to the sparkling blade. He almost hesitates but throws the items on the ground and darts through the alley and back on to the street. Lucius bends over picking up the belongings and pocketing the valuables. He turns about and throws the remnants of the woman's items into the dumpster and is greeted by a stout man smoking a cigarette. They seemed harmless but were watching him with unnerving interest. He begins to walk slowly, the hair pricking up on his neck and arms. As he is exiting the narrow alley he hears a loud thud and the shuddering of his body as he falls to the ground. His hands gripping the gravel and struggling to breathe. A loud grunt comes from deep inside him as he is kicked in the ribs by another man that had appeared from a passageway, his hat being crumpled by his aggressors. 

"You wanna threaten one of our lads and think you can get away with it? You are gonna pay for this sonny."

 Just as those words escaped the man's mouth a gurgling could be heard as his throat was sliced open and blood oozed from the cut. Lucius saw his cousin standing behind the man and pushes the now bleeding Irishman to the ground as he helps his kin up. The other man had ditched his cigarette and was in a fetal position in a corner of the dark alley. Lucius looks him up and down and produces his shaver. He looks at his cousin and gives a bright smile. 

"Took you long enough! I was wondering when you would appear. Let me finish this one off and we can get some tea."

 Lucius moves towards the man, kicking him in the head. He holds his head up and takes the blade across the crying man's throat and cuts him open. After the deed is done he rummages the pockets of the deceased and cleans the blade on the man's jacket. Lucius gives a wicked grin to his cousin and they disappear off towards the tea shop. 

To be continued..