Page 128 of The Savior

Zee Zee’s face twisted. “You had everything and threw it away to become a federal agent?”

The words clanged loudly in Chelsea’s head. Zee Zee sounded likeher mother.

Tears streamed down the woman’s face. “She should’ve kept me!”

Chelsea didn’t give herself time to process the words. She shot her arm out and clasped Zee Zee’s fist in hers. If her hand kept tight, the bomb could not explode.

“Run!” She struggled as Zee Zee fought to release her hand. “Everyone—” A fist snapped against her jaw. “Go!”

To hold a person by just their hand was impossible, but she couldn’t let go. Zee Zee screamed. She bit. Hands pulled at Chelsea’s back as though she needed to be pulled off Zee Zee.

“Bomb!” Chelsea cried, holding onto Zee Zee’s fist for dear life. “Run!”

Zee Zee dug her teeth into Chelsea’s shoulder, ripping back and forth like a rabid beast, and beat her head repeatedly.

Bright lights and clouds skewed Chelsea’s vision, and she hooked her unbalanced leg behind Zee Zee’s knees. They crashed to the asphalt. Zee Zee took the brunt of the fall and gasped as the air was knocked from her lungs.

Their arms were tangled between their stomachs. Chelsea couldn’t move her hands to strike, and her grip slipped as they rolled. Their knees jabbed. Zee Zee fisted Chelsea’s hair, tearing back as she bit into the soft flesh of her neck.

The brilliant slice of pain paralyzed Chelsea. She was going to die. Zee Zee would rip out her throat and sever her carotid artery, and the bomb would still explode.

Warm wetness slicked over them—her blood—and the same nausea from before roared back. But she couldn’t fail. She’d worked too hard to catch Zee Zee. It meant too much to Julia. Living for Liam meant a family one day, and God help her, she wanted to send a message to Mac that he could kiss her sugar plum tail.

Chelsea reared back, tearing free, and head-butted Zee Zee’s blood-smeared face. Stars exploded in her eyes, and her stomach turned. All her strength was gone as blackness ebbed. Chelsea blinked hard, ignoring the threatening bile, and pulled the dead man’s switch into her hands as Zee Zee fell limp.

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