
In a glittering future where medical science can halt aging but not death, a sleek bar becomes a stage for rivalry and danger. Gabriel Lockard, strikingly handsome and unapologetically confident, draws the eyes—and the ire—of everyone around him, humans and extraterrestrials alike. When a clumsy patron threatens to ruin his composure, a shadowy man in a gray suit steps in, offering a discreet but unsettling form of protection.
The gray‑suited stranger is more than a courteous bartender; his cryptic remarks hint at a long‑standing debt and a hidden past that still haunts Lockard. Their uneasy partnership, forged under the constant buzz of an unsafe world, raises the question of who is really watching whom. As the night deepens, the promise of a bodyguard becomes both a comfort and a looming warning.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (88K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
Jan 21, 2016
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1914–1996
A pioneering science-fiction editor and writer, he helped make Galaxy Science Fiction one of the genre’s most influential magazines. His sharp, socially aware stories—including “Trouble with Water” and “The Old Die Rich”—show the wit and imagination behind his editorial vision.
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