Page 71 of Tempted By Poison

I release a short breath, my mind whirling for oxygen now. Everyone in the room releases a heavy breath of relief. I glance at Ronan, who has the exact reaction.

Hope. The relief is enormous, but it’s short lived.

“You have done a fantastic job, Scarlet. See, very courageous.” He forms a weak smile. He removes the bomb cautiously from her waist. Chris comes up, taking the bomb from Boone and navigates to the wall to set it down.

She looks down, then her face brightens even more over the tear stains. “You did it?” She leaps off the chair, crushing him with her small body. I can’t help the subtle touch of delight bursting in my heart. I never would’ve thought this man would be able to comfort a child, but he did.

His shoulders slumped, patting her back before releasing her and standing up and turning around to walk off.

“Boone's a softie, who would’ve thought,” Wicked Mal says with surprise.

“Fuck off.” His face’s back to the hardened face he normally wears.

The kids began chattering all at once. “Please help me next. Me get me. Please.”

I step in. “Don’t worry, we will remove every bomb,” I say reassuringly.

“Alright, we all saw what Boone did, let’s get the ball rolling. The countdown is now at ten minutes. Don’t touch shit if you don’t know which wire it was,” Ronan says, walking to the next kid.

My heart bangs into my throat, but I get to work, replicating Boone’s movements. The colors are bold in my mind, and the precision is used to cut the wire.

I lick my lips, looking up at the kid who seems a bit more confident than I am. Then I push the two buttons while clipping the red wire. Nothing explodes, no screams, or darkness.

My shoulders sink as I wipe the sweat from under my hairline.

“Shit. This is fucked,” Red says, strolling forward and carefully untangling the bomb from my grip.

The rest of the team help the others put the deactivated bombs to the side. I help the kids stand up, Mal does the same, gathering them together.

I help the kids who are already out of their restraints, their eyes sunken with fatigue, the pungent scent of urine stings my nose from their dingy clothes. “You're safe now.”

Once they're all free, we lead them out of the stuffy room. They’ll never have to see this ever again.

I count each kid as they pass me; Ronan swipes his hand to the front as they follow Boone and the men in front with their guns raised. Mal walks at the back. Some kids gasp seeing the dead men sprawled out on the floor and blood pooling around them—it’s unfortunate. Not for the men, but the kids. They shouldn’t see this side of the world. Blood and death. The only blood they should see is the common scrape on the knee.

“Okay, that’s all twelve of them,” I say, walking up to Ronan, who’s intently focused on the kids.

“Alright, let’s go.” He touches my waist before walking to his crew.

By the time we make it outside, the shot of cold air swarms over me. It’s like a breath of fresh air. A weight off our shoulders. We actually did it. My first extraction. I don’t settle in my joy yet. We need to get them on the bus and out of here—then, Victor is ours.

A young girl cries in the row, touching her collar bone. “I left my necklace. I need it.” She shoots out from the line, and I immediately step in, holding out my hand.

“You can’t go back there, we have to get you into that bus,” Mal says, blocking her from going back too.

Ronan looks back to see what’s going on.

“Please, it's my father's ashes.” Her face distorted in pain.

Ronan steps forward now. “I’m sorry about your necklace, but we can’t go back.”

“Please.” Tears fill her eyes. Something from her cries lurches a pain in my bones. It’s the only thing she has of her father. I understand. It’s risky to go back in, but...

“I’ll go and get it,” I speak up, gripping my gun.

Ronan turns to me with sheer destruction pouring from his hard stare. His jaw’s so tight that I’m worried it’ll break. “What?” he grits through clenched teeth. “You’re not going.” The fury in his voice could erupt a volcano.

I hold up my hand to calm the magma spewing from his flaring nostrils. “I’ll be fine. All the men are dead—it's only Victor and Jax now.” I gaze up, challenging him.

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