Vance stares at the detonator, his eyes widening in horror. He presses the trigger frantically. Nothing happens.
The flaw in the math.
I don't hesitate. I raise my shotgun, aiming directly at Vance’s right kneecap.
I pull the trigger.
The heavy slug strikes Vance in the knee. The bone shatters with a sickening crack. Vance screams, a high, piercing sound of pure agony, and collapses to the floor, the useless detonator clattering from his hand.
Kade is there instantly. He drops his thermal blade, his right hand grabbing Vance by the collar of his tailored suit, and slams him face-first into the cold steel floor. He twists Vance’s arm behind his back, pinning him to the ground with his massive, human weight.
"You're done, Vance," Kade growls, his physical voice a deep, lethal rumble. "
