Page 171 of Waiting For A Girl Like You
Holden sprinted around to the driver’s seat as Liam shut Damon up in front with Emily. “Go, go, go,” Liam yelled, hustling to get into the back with Jamison. The truck lurched forward before his door even closed. “Three minutes. Tops.”
Expertly maneuvering the big truck on the narrow dirt lane, Holden didn’t waste time. He took out a few bushes and a small tree, but once they were aimed in the right direction, he hit the gas. The truck flew blindly down the road, holding up against the endless number of dips and potholes like a tank. No one spoke, everyone silenced by their fear.
“That was the point of no return.” Holden made a sharp left, and the truck fishtailed, but he regained control without much effort. “Sinclair’s guy said we should be clear.”
“Clear of the blast, but not the shockwave or debris.” Liam held onto the back of the driver’s seat, leaning forward to watch their progression down the road. “And where did you get the truck?”
Holden caught his eye in the rearview mirror and grinned. “Stole it.”
Sliding back into his seat, Liam turned to look out the rear cab window. Jamison turned as well, unable to see anything except the truck’s bed and the fog descending on them again.
“Was that a bomb a second ago?” she asked him quietly. “When we were on the road?”
Liam nodded. “A small one.”
“How small?”
“Small enough to fit into someone’s mouth.”
“Oh,” she exhaled. “Are they all going to be that small?”
“No, they’re going to be much bigger,” Liam said, locking eyes with her. “And we’re too close. The shockwave… baby, we’re way too close.”
As always, he was correct.
An earthquake struck. Or it was what Jamison thought an earthquake might feel like. The ground shook, rumbling like thunder beneath the truck’s tires. Thick vibrations tossed them about violently, and Madison shrieked in terror.
Holden drove faster, shoving Emily at Damon. “Get down!”
The truck’s back end lifted when a blast of energy hit, causing Holden to swerve as soon as it released them, and the tires slammed back to the ground. The vehicle rattled as if it were about to fall apart right there on the road.
Liam pushed Jamison and Claudia to the floorboard, covering them—and Madison—with his body right as the truck’s windows exploded inward. Glass rained down on the truck’s interior, the sharp shards spraying everywhere.
A coughing fit overtook Emily when debris and smoke flooded the cab. It covered them like a blanket, sticking to their bodies and clothing.
“That was the first round and not even the biggest charge!” Liam shouted over the roar of destruction. “Get us the hell out of here!”
Never letting off the gas, Holden plowed the truck ahead, fishtailing again as he made a sharp turn.
And that was when the second explosion hit.
This time, it was bigger. Brutal, with a shockwave ten times more powerful. Screams erupted as the whole truck lifted and slammed down again, rocking side to side as it came to a full stop.
Past Liam’s shoulder, Jamison saw it. The end rising, its hungry flames clawing at the sky, the cloud of destruction blooming upward like a mushroom of fire and death.
“Oh my God.”
Chapter 41
They had to hold Ben back.
More than seven cops, each thinking they could get between a father and his possibly dying daughter, scrambled to contain Ben behind the barrier set up by officials. Will wasn’t much better. From what Rowan could see via the security cameras scattered around the buildings near the staging area, both men were sure the worst had happened.
Bernie was curled up on the couch, Simone holding her as she wept. Annabeth sat on the floor, having lost the ability to stand when the second explosion hit. The delayed satellite feed was only now catching up with the action, revealing the main building going up in a spectacular ball of fire.
They sat stunned, helplessly watching it all go down. First, there was Holden running through the woods and back to the staging area, where he broke into an extremely large red truck to steal. He nearly drove over a few people when he sped away, only pausing briefly to speak to Will before barreling straight through the barricade.
Then they watched the truck pop in and out of the fog, all of them shouting in relief when Holden stopped about halfway down the road to pick up a group of people running out of the woods. But not just any group of people. Jamison’s platinum hair was a dead giveaway that it wastheirpeople.
