Alice was trembling faintly, her eyes closed tightly. The man's fingers moved so that they were around her throat instead of just her mouth, pressing hard into the soft space just under her jaw. She couldn't breathe, and she felt her fingernails scrabble against the guy's leather jacket in a vain attempt at a counterattack.

Then she heard the other voice. Someone's coming to my defense. In New York. Miracles really do happen. She chuckled to herself, the situation stressing her out to the point of mild hysteria. That, and the guy still wasn't letting go of her. Instead, the asshole moved her body so that she was in front of him like a shield.

"No," he spat, motioning wildly with the knife. "Fuck off, go somewhere else, we're busy."

Alice disagreed, but she didn't want to say so.