He had a second, smaller pistol hidden in the reinforced interior pocket of his jacket.

It was positioned for a quick, blind draw with his left hand if anyone tried to disarm him.

Aries stepped in front of me, leveling his own weapon at Killian.

“Drop the gun, Killian,” Aries said.

Killian smiled, his fingers tightening on his weapon, but his left hand began to drift toward his lapel.

My heart stopped.

The wool of his jacket stretched slightly under the weight of the hidden steel.

“Aries!” I screamed. “His left jacket pocket! He has a backup!”

Killian’s eyes snapped to me, wide with sudden rage.

His left hand plunged into his coat.

Aries reacted before Killian’s hand could clear the wet wool.

A single crack of gunfire shattered the silence of the shipyard.

The bullet tore through the left sleeve of Killian’s charcoal coat, spraying dark blood onto the wet gravel.

Killian screamed, dropping his primary weapon as his left arm went limp.

He stumbled backward, hard against a rusted shipping container.

Aries did not hesitate.

He stepped forward and kicked the fallen gun into the dark water of the slipway.