Chapter 29 · The Last Lock

The first Court sniper put a red dot on Julian's throat.

I saw it shake over his skin while he lay half in the black pool water, pale as paper, blood running from the torn hole above his heart.

"Down!" Sera screamed.

I dropped over him just as the shot cracked.

Stone exploded beside my head. Chips hit my cheek. Julian didn't even flinch.

That scared me worse than the gunfire.

"Nia," Sera snapped. "Move him. Now."

"He's bleeding out."

"Yeah, I noticed."

Another round punched into the marble lip of the pool. Water slapped my face. The whole front of Vesper Court had turned into a firing line. Lights burned in every tall window. Court agents crowded behind the glass in black uniforms, watching us like we were rats caught in a drain.

Maybe we were.

Evan floated three feet away, still trapped in that ugly harness rig from the vault. His head had rolled against the tile. Blood streaked one side of his face.

I reached for him.

Sera caught my arm hard enough to hurt. "I said move."

"My brother."

"I have him. You have Cross.