"No, no." The man cringes back, and Mike can tell that at least half the cringing is an act. Here, you either seem twice as big and tough as you are, or you seem twice as small and even more insignificant. No threat and not worth hurting. "I never saw 'em before, I swear. I dunno who they were. The van was..." He squeezes his eyes shut, either trying to remember or making a good show of it. "I think maybe it was grey."

Which is as good a guess as any. Almost everything here is grey.

"Which way did they go?" he hisses, grabbing the man's collar and shoving him back against the wall, eliciting a yelp of protest.

"Jesus, watch it! West! West, I'm pretty sure!"