83.
Things tend to happen fast when people are trying to kill you.
Everyone in the room started moving at the same time, but here’s the slow-motion breakdown of what we were all doing.
Bishop was running straight at me, his gun whipping around for a headshot.
Elmo was acting very un-Leonidas-like by clawing at the remaining cuff in an effort to keep his crotch from spontaneously bursting into flames. The first cuff that he’d removed he’d thrown on the floor and it was now clanging across the orange tile.
Joleen started running toward Elmo. Or the loose cuff. Whichever was worth more money to her.
Mink was leaping at Joleen, arms outstretched like a linebacker about to make a crucial tackle.
Beefy Mike was watching everything with a puzzled expression. Apparently, he wasn’t a self-starter and only moved when given specific orders.
I was busy turning myself into a woman.
As I jumped up to grab the Winchester, I punched my forearm as hard as I could. The rush of adrenalin from Bishop’s gun aiming at my head already had me primed so the tattoo didn’t require much coaxing to pop up and await my command.
“Annie Oakley!” I yelled at the Winchester, reading her name from the placard.
Yes, I did have a very strict policy against conjuring girls due to the creep-me-out factor, but this was a desperate situation. I was in mid-leap when I felt Annie nudge into my brain. I could sense her joy at seeing the Winchester, like a kid whose runaway puppy has finally come home. When my hands plucked the Winchester from the mounts and cocked the lever to chamber a bullet, a silent calm took over my body. I’d never before felt this relaxed or confident. I shouldered the rifle without thought and swung it toward Bishop.