It was easy enough to convince him to come along with me. He recognized me as soon as I cornered him inside of the convenience store.
"You again," he said, backing up a little. He ran out of space, bumping into the magazine racks behind him.
"Again. We've got some important things to talk about, Partain," I began. "I can't have you leaving like you did the last time, either." I pulled my coat to the side, revealing the holstered handgun on my hip to him. He checked the pistol, and then looked back up into my eyes. I glared at him.
"We can't exactly talk about things in here," he pointed out.
"You're right," I agreed. "Good thing the bar's a short walk away. Let's go."
He hesitated a moment, possibly evaluating how serious I was about bringing him along with me. Before he could challenge me, I grabbed his arm.
"I don't have anything to lose," I said, gripping his arm as hard as I could, hoping to not only let him know exactly how serious I was, but also to leave a bruise.
He didn't answer, but he started moving towards the door.