“I don’t think that’s any of your concern.”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter none, I reckon. But you saw something you shouldn’t have so that ties my hands. There’s only one way to go from here.”

“You know, I’m getting real sick of being threatened.” That would be the third time today. I could feel my cheeks starting to burn. “How about you tell me who you are and why you’re here since you’re feeling so damn chatty.” I get mouthy when I’m mad. It’s one of my better character flaws. I could see him mulling it over. “Why not? The name’s Henry McConnell. That there is Mike.” He pointed to the wiry goon nearest me, then gestured to the one behind him. “This here is Mario.”

His name struck a chord. “Henry McConnell, The Gray?”

He broke into a smile. “I don’t much go by that these days, but yeah, that’d be me.”

Things just kept getting better and better. The Gray had been one of Abraham’s earliest recruits. I’d never met him or even seen a picture, but I’d heard stories. None of them good. He was there when the pro-Armageddon forces went after DRAC the first time. From what I’d been told, he held his own. Pretty damn impressive, all things considered. Unfortunately, more so for me than him, he turned out to be an opportunist with little loyalty to anything but his own self-interest. When Abraham needed him the most, he hitched a ride out of town and disappeared. He’d picked an interesting time to reappear.

I kept my attitude in check, the best I could, while I weighed my options. Once again, I was way out of my league. That seemed to be an ongoing theme lately.

“Well, Henry, I’m not really looking for a fight, so if you don’t mind, I’ll be on my way.” I took a slow step backward, angling to keep as much of the shelves in the way as I could.

“Not so fast.” He matched my retreat with a step of his own.