Page 170 of Silent Target

Falcon’s injured arm is strapped tightly against his body, but he fires with his uninjured hand.

Fathom protects the evidence drives.

Evie moves behind the cabinet beside me.

An operator advances through the drifting dust.

She fires.

Her bullet strikes his thigh, taking him off his feet.

He reaches for his weapon.

Evie keeps her pistol trained on him.

“Don’t.”

The man looks from her to the rifle.

Then slowly raises his hands.

I glance at her.

“What?”

“You warned him.”

“He surrendered.”

“Proud of you.”

A smile flashes across her face.

“Very,” I add.

The Inner Guard begins withdrawing.

Not running.

Making space.

Rook sees it too.

“Cease fire.”

The final shots fade.

Silence settles over the ruined archive.

Falcon peers through the dust. “That’s new.”

“They’re repositioning,” Shark says.

“No,” Mac answers.

“They’re protecting something.”

He moves toward the black vault door exposed behind the fallen shelves.