Page 73 of Tactical Revival

CHAPTER 20

Margot

How did everything get so messed up? How did I come out here to share a moment with a man I’m falling for and end up standing on a land mine? Or possibly standing on one. I don’t know. I can’t even focus. Jaxson’s still holding my hand as the bomb squad from a few towns over checks the sand beneath my feet.

They haven’t found another explosive device yet, but that doesn’t mean anything. It’s entirely possible there’s another one hidden somewhere. It makes me sick to think about it. How did this person know it would be us walking through here? How did they manage to place it in the exact spot we would be walking, given how much shoreline there is? A child could have stepped on it.

An innocent party who came down here for a quick stroll.

“You’re clean,” the officer tells me.

Jaxson releases my hand. “Get off the beach.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

“You need to be there for Matty.”

My gaze finds my son’s terrified one as he stands beside my dad just above the steps leading down to me. “I need you to be okay.”

“I’ll be fine. Who knows, maybe I’m not on one either.”

But we both know that’s not true. He wouldn’t have stopped moving if he hadn’t felt it. Right?

“Please, ma’am. We need to continue checking the area, and we can’t even consider defusing it if you’re in the area. We need this space clear.”

Tears burning in my eyes, I nod, then leave Jaxson behind as I walk the carefully marked path up the stairs.

“Mom!” Matty runs to me, wrapping his arms around me in a crushing hug. My mom envelops the both of us, then Michael joins in. My father reaches out and takes my hand, so I squeeze his in return.

“I’m okay, honey. It’s okay.” But is it? Jaxson’s still standing on a land mine. What if—no. I shove the fear out of my mind. He’s in God’s hands. And God will bring him through.

“Is Jaxson going to be okay?” Matty asks.

I turn to face the scene that might as well be straight out of a thriller show. The bomb squad tech in his thick suit kneels at Jaxson’s feet and slowly brushes some sand away from his foot. A few seconds later, he stops, then lifts his head and says something to Jaxson.

The former detective lifts his head to the sky, but I’m not close enough to make out his expression. Is he praying? Begging for mercy?

Please, God, don’t let him die. Please don’t let him die.

Dread coils in my belly as the bomb tech raises his hand, signaling something to the other officers on the beach. They exchange looks.

“Oh no. He’s on one, isn’t he?” I ask Michael.

My brother doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to because his expression says it all. He reaches over and takes my hand, squeezing it gently. Reyna is on his other side, while Lance, Elijah, and Silas are all lined up beside her.

Both Lance and Elijah have their heads bowed in prayer, while Silas stares straight ahead, his jaw set. I can only imagine that they must be reliving some horror from their time overseas. Some tragedy they bore witness to or suffered through.

A car screeches to a stop behind us, and I glance over as a woman wearing blue scrubs jumps out and races toward us, her eyes wide in fear. She looks at me, then crosses over to Silas and stands silently at his side.

Bianca. She saved all of their lives on more than one occasion, according to my brother, and relocated here almost a year ago. She doesn’t speak as she joins us, so I don’t either. I stand, hand in hand with Matty and Michael as the bomb tech kneels at his feet again.

Even though we’re a safe distance away, I can feel Jaxson’s gaze locked on me, so I stare straight at him, imagining what would have happened had his phone never rang. It helps to distract from what might be the very last time I see him.

The minutes turn into what feels like hours, before Jaxson finally moves. Slowly, he lifts his foot, and for a moment, I can hear nothing but the pounding of my own heart.

“We’re clear!” the tech yells. The crowd around me cheers, and I let loose the breath I was holding. Michael releases my hand, and Matty wraps his arms around me, crushing me to him.

The adrenaline leaves my body in a rush, and I begin to shake, unable to keep myself stable. Jaxson remains on the beach a moment, then the tech guides him up toward the stairs, likely to avoid any other incidents.

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