Chapter 16 · Her head turned slowly

She drew a narrow key from inside her sleeve and slid it into the lock.

Kael caught her hand. "No."

Her head turned slowly. "No?"

"That lock is trapped."

"You’ve never seen it before."

"I don’t have to. The second tooth is too clean. Someone replaced it recently."

Sloane studied the lock, then glanced at him. "Can you open it?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Twenty seconds."

"You have ten."

"Then you open it."

"I don’t pick locks."

"You carry a gun and a badge. What do you do all day?"

"Interrogate people who talk too much."

"You must be very good at it."

She stepped close and pressed the tip of her pistol against his ribs. "Ten seconds, Kael."

He crouched by the lock. "Count slower."

"One."

"You’re enjoying this."

"Two."

He slid a pick into the first channel.

"Three."

The inner teeth shifted.

"Four."

A guard’s voice rose below them. "The upper platform!"

Sloane turned toward the stairs and fired once.

The shot cracked through the Archive. A metal railing burst beside the guard’s head. He dropped behind the shelf.

"Five," she said.

Kael glanced over his shoulder. "You count during gunfights?"

"Six."

"You’re insane."

"Seven.