Page 56 of SEAL'S Secret Vows

“Do you know Maxwell?” Lena asks, her eyes widening

“No, but Chase told me about him.”

“You know what? I should go and meet them. Look through the hall; see what you can find.” I look through each camera and pause when I see the same man sitting on the last row but without the briefcase.

“That's him, but the briefcase isn't with him. We have to go.”

“Wait. They're leaving the hall.” I look through the brochure handed to us and check for the next activity. “There's a thirty-minute break. That's why they're leaving the hall.”

“That's enough time for us. Come on. We need to warn Chase.”

“Hold, on. I think I brought a knife. Just for protection.” I tuck the knife into my boots, and we rush to the hall to see it’s almost empty without any of the seals in sight or Maxwell either.

“Where do you think they are?” My phone buzzes in my denim jacket and I remove it. “Who is that?”

“It's Joseph.” I swipe up and put the call on speaker.

“Nora, is Lena with you?”

“Yes. She is. Where are you?”

“We're in the garden. Tell her to head to the top floor and get ready to take the shot if things go wrong. I have to go now.”

“I'm going to the top floor. You can head back to the room and monitor things from there. Let me know what you find.”

“Okay. Stay safe.”

Lena runs out through the opposite door, and I take the same route back to the room. I walk a few steps away from the room and something glints under the staircase. I see the briefcase. It’s open with a time bomb inside.

I panic, calling Chase. He doesn’t answer, so I call Commander Keith, who is working operations at the office. Bomb squad arrives in no time, already hiding out in the crowd. An undercover agent who is trained for this finds me in no time, though the ticking seconds on the bomb makes it feel like forever.

When the bomb is finally defused, I breathe out a sigh of relief. The bomb squad guy asks if he should take me outside, but I shake my head.

These guys did not just bring this bomb to put it underneath a staircase. They must have something bigger up their sleeves.

A loud gunshot comes from outside and I grab my knife tightly in my hand. A hand grabs me from behind and covers my mouth when I try to scream.

“Hey, it's me!” Chase half yells.

“Chase?” I whirl around to see he’s wearing a mask and fully geared up.

“Why do you have a mask?”

“So, no one would recognize me. You know Maxwell's after me.”

I feel my eyes sting with tears. “Chase, I was so afraid—”

My eyes widen with fear as I watch a man approach from the back. He makes a gesture by putting a finger on his lips telling me to be quiet. At first, I think it’s Joseph.

“I've got you, Nora. There's no reason to be scared,” Chase reassures me.

Suddenly, every single doubt I had feels stupid and small. “Chase, I’ve got to tell you. I—"

The man is still creeping forward. I realize his build doesn’t match Joseph at all. My heart pounds in my chest as the man cocks his gun.

“No. Chase, watch out!” I cry out, my hand reaching to pull him down, the bullet whizzes over our heads and pierces the wall.

“Maxwell,” Chase says, his voice low and dangerous. “You don't have to do this. We can end this peacefully.”

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