The Eternity Code (Artemis Fowl, #3)

by Eoin Colfer

Loafers felt a shadow fall across his back. He spun around to see a girl standing in the doorway. Another witness. Carla Frazetti would be getting the bill for all these sundries. This whole job had been misrepresented from the start. “Okay, miss,” said Loafers. “Go join the others. And don’t do anything stupid.” The girl at the door flicked her hair over one shoulder, blinking glittering green eyelids. “I don’t do stupid things,” she said. Then her hand flicked out, brushing against Loafer’s weapon. She grabbed the pistol’s slide and deftly twisted it from the stock. The gun was now completely useless, except for hammering nails. Loafers jerked backward. “Hey, hey. Watch it. I don’t want to wound you by accident. This gun could go off.” That’s what he thought. Loafers continued brandishing his piece of harmless metal. “Back off, little girl, I won’t say it again.” Juliet dangled the slide under his nose. “Or what? You’ll shoot me with this?” Loafers stared cross-eyed at the piece of metal. “Hey, that looks just like—” Then Juliet hit him in the chest so hard he crashed through the breakfast bar. Mulch stared over at the unconscious mobster, then at the girl in the doorway. “Hey, Butler. Just a shot in the dark here, but I’d say that’s your sister.”