51
- 51 -
Vanya forced herself to breathe. She kept her face blank as she looked down on the short man, on his ugly, beady eyes and his receding hairline. There was a slimy smear of sweat under his nose.
“Remove all your weapons,” the man said. “Place them on the floor, then raise your hands and get on your knees.”
Vanya sensed Arish’s eyes on her. She gave him a nod. They had no other option.
She unclipped her belt, threw it at the short man’s feet. The way he stepped back was a hollow victory. Arish let his belt land under the table.
Vanya glanced around the room, analysing. There was no way of using the space, and the position of the table, to her advantage, not when the Factory’s warriors had positioned themselves so well. They weren’t as untrained as she’d hoped. If she made any
