Six of them.
Liam stood in the middle of the alley and counted them without moving his head. Chain on the left. Bat and wire on the right.
Three with sticks fanned out at the back.
And the one in front of him with the revolver who had been lying on wet pavement.
They had formed a loose circle around him at some point while he was doing his counting. Nobody had given an instruction.
They had just moved the way people moved when they had done this before and knew where to go without being told.
One of the stick guys leaned toward the one with the chain, his eyes still on Liam, and said from the side of his mouth, "Told you this would work."
Chain guy glanced at him sideways without turning his head. "Yeah alright. You were right."
"Said it from the start." Stick guy shifted his grip on the wood, adjusting and settling it.
"I said you were right." Chain guy swung the loose end of the chain once, slow, letting it arc.
"Just want to make sure we're clear."
"We're clear."
