If the Russian hadn’t sneered, Winter would have been dead on the spot. But the sneer took half a second, and half a second was all Winter needed: that’s how fast he was. Even taken completely by surprise, he was able to slam the door into the gunman’s arm, hard. It hit his wrist. The pistol went flying from his hand even as it fired almost silently, a muted snap. The bullet passed inches to the right of Winter’s face.
