Shadow hadn't been paying much attention to the shouting they could hear during their conversation. People were always yelling and having a good time during barbecues, children playing games... adults playing games; and anyway it was all the way on the other side of the lawn.

But as he opened his mouth to reply to the man he glanced away from Bast and Crowley and across the tables and crowd of people and saw two red-haired women who were quite clearly in the middle of something much worse than your ordinary catfight. He started to move just as he saw the older woman bring her arm on the other down with a sickening crack. The girl went down with a cry.

Shadow dodged tables and people with plates, spotting Adam coming from another direction as he did so.