Page 48 of Burning Truth

“Well, Jake, I have good news and I have bad news.”

Jake blinked down at him. “It’s a bomb, isn’t it?”

Severn smiled slightly. “Yes, that’s the bad news. But the good news is, I think I can disarm it pretty easily. I’m going to go around and make sure there’s nothing on the back side I’m not seeing.”

Severn pushed up and out, then circled the van.

This wasn’t a dummy he’d concocted for training with no accelerant. He had no idea what was inside it, but he knew it would have some kind of explosive material inside. Cautiously, he cracked open the slider door, listening closely for any unnatural clicks or pings. Bombers had been known to double rig vehicles, just in case the first device was dismantled. He didn’t hear anything though, so he continued to slide it open.

There was a pop and a hiss from the left. Nothing mechanical, but something more organic. He glanced into the darkness, knowing that there was something there... Light flickered, and began to grow. Fire. Fuck... Scrambling, he climbed into the van and stepped toward the back. A burning matchbook, obviously lit when he opened the door, was lighting a rag. Above it hung a red balloon with something weighty inside. The flame flickered for a second, then flared. As he reached for it to throw it out, the balloon popped, the gasoline spraying everywhere and just missing his hand. Everything itsprayed lit on fire, and there just happened to be conveniently stacked cotton rags bunched around the corner, soaking up the gas. There was no way he was going to get this put out.

He had to get the device under Jake dismantled.

Shifting again, he lurched toward the front of the van. Crates and boxes had been stacked behind the driver’s seat rather conspicuously. Okay, he got it now. The arsonist was throwing him into double jeopardy. If the device wasn’t dismantled, the burning van would possibly take them out.

Severn threw the boxes back toward the fire. He had to get access under Jake’s seat. Finally, he thought he had enough room. He dropped down to the floor of the van between crates and ripped open his nylon tool bag. He found the flashlight on top and leaned down to look under the space. Yep, just what he thought. There was a metal box, obviously fabricated. As Jake sat on the driver’s seat, he’d pushed the plunger down to arm the device. He probably would have been fine driving, but if he’d hit one of those potholes out front, he could have bounced enough to set it off.

Severn had to get inside the box.

Reaching for his bag again, he pulled out the Dremel, and the case of bits. He selected a small round cutting head and leaned back under to start cutting on the box.

The fire was growing behind him. He could feel it. “Do you have a fire extinguisher in here, Jake?”

“Uh, yeah, it should be mounted on the wall on this side.”

Severn twisted his head, looking for the mount. He would have seen an extinguisher. Yeah, the mount was empty. He’d just been hoping there was another.

The arsonist had obviously set this trap very carefully.

One-handed, he reached for his cell-phone and called Gabbie, putting her on speaker. “Gab, in a crunch right now. Dismantling an IED in the news van in the parking lot. Look forany surveillance in the area. I have a feeling he’s either watching us or recording what’s going on.”

“On it!”

He heard keys rattling as her fingers flew, and he turned back to the box. He had to get into it to release the pressure switch. If he pressed too hard on the head of the Dremel, it would shatter. He had another head, but this one was the best for cutting.

Flames began to lick up the back of the van, and Severn could feel the temperature warming. The vehicle itself wasn’t especially flammable, but the arsonist had ensured that there was enough in here to burn.

“So, if something happens,” Jake started.

“No, don’t do that, Jake. You’re going to make it out of this. Just give me a minute to get in here.”

Severn leaned a little harder against the Dremel and it pierced the exterior of the box. Then he started grinding down. He got one side done and adjusted the position of the tool. Within a few seconds, he had another side done.

There was another pop behind him, and the fire flashed, illuminating the interior of the van. Another gasoline-filled balloon?

“Severn, you have to hurry, man. I really don’t want to die.”

Severn drew his legs in. The fire was getting close, and he could feel his own panic building. He pressed harder on the Dremel, through the third side. Sparks flew as the blade cut through, and he knew he was pushing the limits of the tool. Finally, though, he was able to force his fingers in through the jagged metal to pull open the box.

Grinning to himself,he watched the unfolding tableau from his vantage point. There was something so satisfying about seeing fire light up the inside of the van. The ‘bodyguard’ was inside the van, as well as Addison’s cameraman, and he didn’t expect either one of them to survive the next five minutes.

Panning the binoculars to the right, he looked at Addison. She was clutching her hands together, and there were tears in her eyes. The need to wander down there was so strong. He wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be all right. Maybe she would let him wrap his arms around her.

Glancing at his watch, he counted backwards. The test vehicle had been consumed within four minutes and fifty-two seconds. They were nearing the four-minute mark. It had to be getting hot inside.

Chuckling, he shifted his position in the tree stand. He’d found this spot by accident one day when he’d been scoping out the garage. He would burn it one day, but for now, it was the perfect vantage point to watch a murder. Or two. Maybe he would hear them scream...

There were a few people inside the garage, and they’d realized what was going on in the lot. One of the men scrambled out with a fire extinguisher in-hand, but it wouldn’t matter.

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