Page 50 of Buck Baxter and the Mysteries of Love

“Buck, what the hell are you doing? We don’t have time for that now.”

“Just hold the damn wheel still for a few seconds more, would ya?”

I snapped off his belt, slid one end through the wheel lock and the other through the handhold by the door before fastening the buckle as tight as I could.

Cautiously Harry released the wheel lock.

The belt held firm, the wheel unable to turn… at least for now.

“That should buy us another couple of minutes.”

“Buck! We only got another couple of minutes before this torpedo blows us to smithereens!” Stella shouted.

Harry looked at me, his eyes filled with panic. “Buck, how the hell are we gonnaget outta here.”

I looked from Harry to the torpedo with the spinning timer. “The only way we can. Come on, give me a hand.”

As Bockenheimer whimpered and wailed and tried to free his mechanical prosthetic from the timer, I stepped over him to the front of the torpedo tube. “Let’s get this thing out of here. Then the other one. It’s time we all took a little swim.”

“A swim?” Mrs. Hart asked, her voice quavering. “You can’t be serious, Mr. Baxter.”

“The timer’s almost at the minute mark and moving fast!” Stella warned.

The buckle on Harry’s belt began to twist as the wheel lock started to budge once more.

I looked at Mrs. Hart. “I don’t think we have a choice. Harry, on the count of three. One, two…”

With a heave we lifted the torpedo—with Bockenheimer still attached to the timer—out of the tube and lowered it to the floor.

Quickly I grabbed Mrs. Hart and pushed her unceremoniously into the empty tube.

“Stella, come on. You’re going with her.”

“What about you and Harry?”

“We’ll be right behind you, I promise.”

I lifted Stella into the tube, but before she lay down, Bockenheimer stopped struggling with his robotic hand and blew a kiss into the air. “My minimon cheri, it would seem we were never meant to be.”

Stella had just enough time to flick him the finger. “Ah, stick it up your ass, you crazy fuck!”

I hit the red button beside the torpedo tube and Stella lay down, huddling with Mrs. Hart as the hatch began to shut.

“Hold your breath,” I told them through the closing hatch. “This tube is going to fill with water and shoot you out. Just hang on tight and swim like hell to the surface.”

Stella and Mrs. Hart nodded in fear as the hatch sealed tight.

We heard awhooshfrom the tube and I prayed like hell thatthey’d be okay.

I glanced at the timer.

We had only seconds left.

Harry and I lifted the torpedo out of the second tube, letting this one clang to the floor in our haste.

With a snap, the belt buckle on the door broke and the wheel lock spun.

I shoved Harry into the tube and climbed in after him, kissing him hard. “I love you.”

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