As he turned toward the stairs, one of Foster’s men emerged from an aisle beyond the metal door. The light from the phone in his left hand splashed over Jake, who slowed down, but only for a second, just long enough to grab a heavy book from the end of a shelf he was passing.

He flung the thick volume at the gunman as hard as he could.

The book struck the man’s gun hand and knocked it aside just as he pulled the trigger. The bullet whined off one of the metal shelves in the stacks.

Jake had charged right behind the thrown book. His outstretched left hand clamped around the gunman’s right wrist. Jake’s right fist rocketed up and crashed into the man’s jaw with enough force to slew his head far around to the side. He went limp.

- Chapter 33