Page 71 of Faith Among Monsters

The lapdog moves fast. His gun swings up, barrel locking on me. “Don’t get any funny ideas, Dax.”

The inmate, his gun is on Faith.

Fucking Faith.

“Lower your weapon,” Trip says, his voice calm. Controlled. Like we aren’t a breath away from absolute war.

And then…

Everything happens at once.

Fast-forward. Slow-motion.

Gunfire.

Preston lunges.

I fire.

Faith moves.

Trip yanks at the ignition.

A scream.

Then pain.

White-hot. Burning. My shoulder yanks back.

I’m hit.

But it doesn’t register, not until I feel air.

Not until the dock vanishes.

Not until the sky is in front of me instead of above me.

Not until I realize I’m falling.

Fuck.

Cold.

The ocean swallows me whole.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Faith

Preston lunges.

I see it, but not fast enough.

The inmate’s gun swings toward Dax.

No.

I throw myself at him, ramming my shoulder into his ribs. We hit the deck hard, his skull cracking against the metal. His arm jerks, finger tightening on the trigger.

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