Page 149 of Silent Target

A shadow moves beyond the next shelf.

I pull Evie against me.

Walter’s pistol fires.

The bullet strikes the metal edge near her head.

I fire back.

My round tears through Walter’s jacket as he turns.

He staggers.

Not hit.

Close.

His gaze meets mine through the drifting paper.

The composure is gone.

His face is twisted with hatred.

“You should have stayed dead on that mountain.”

“You first.”

He runs.

I follow him into the final aisle.

His hand presses against a panel disguised as part of the wall.

A door opens.

Walter slips through.

The panel starts closing behind him.

I lunge, but a guard enters from the left.

He swings his rifle toward Evie.

I fire once.

The weapon drops from his hands.

By the time I reach the panel, the hidden door is sealed.

“Fathom!”

“Working on it.”

The fight behind us begins to fade.

The Inner Guard withdraws as quickly as it entered.

Not defeated.