Vows of Graphite and Guilt
In his hands, he held a shortened Heckler & Koch MP5, the barrel pointed directly at Julian’s chest.
"The Architect," the man said, his voice distorted and metallic through the respirator. He spoke with a heavy, thick French accent. "The syndicate sends its regards, Mr. Vance. You should have left the ledger in the vault."
The gunman tightened his finger on the trigger.
Clara didn't think. She didn't analyze the load distribution or calculate the stress points. Her hand closed around the heavy, solid brass antique key she was still holding.
With a wild, feral scream born of pure survival, she lunged upward from beneath Julian’s torso. She drove the jagged, metallic end of the brass key s