My fingers had tightened around the serving tray until the metal edge bit into my palms.
I wanted to speak, but my throat seemed to have closed.
Deke looked Abel up and down.
The stranger’s size clearly unsettled him.
But there were fifty miners watching, and Deke had spent years making certain nobody in Red Dog saw him retreat.
So instead of lowering his hand, he laughed.
“Well, look what crawled down from the mountains.”
Nobody joined him.
That seemed to bother Deke more than Abel’s presence.
He glanced toward his companions.
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