Page 54 of Trace's Passion
Chapter 16
Trace
Trace saw the panic on Emery’s face and locked eyes with her. “It’s okay Em. Just be safe. It will be okay.”
He looked up and saw the horrified look on Brek’s face and felt Reid at his back. He held perfectly still knowing that they had both heard what was under his feet.
Lance cut the bonds on Emery’s feet and re-tied her hands together. She started thrashing again and Lance pulled her up to his face level. “You better cooperate with me or I will make your deputy fall off that trigger board. It will set off an explosion that will kill him if he moves. Or if you choose to give me problems, I will set it off with the trigger and will kill him in front of you, so don’t test me.”
She went still and he threw her over his shoulder and then opened the back door and threw her out of it to the ground, careful to not touch the other board that was hidden on the ground as well. Lance had come prepared and now he would pay the price.
At least Emery knew he loved her. That was all that mattered. Brek had hidden behind a tree, and Trace closed his eyes, grateful that Emery was now out of harm's way.
Lance turned back to him and laughed. “Good luck trying to find us.”
Trace snarled, “I won’t need luck. Because you aren’t going anywhere.”
Lance looked slightly baffled, “What?”
Brek had pulled Emery behind a tree and stepped forward, his gun raised. “On your hands and knees.”
Lance snarled and stepped carefully out of the shack as well, not touching the other plate, “I will set both of these off if you don’t let me leave. Everyone here will get injured, but your friend there, he will be blown to smithereens and it will be on your head.”
Trace couldn’t hear what else was said, but saw Reid carefully walk around the edge of the shack, and Trace heard the commotion and two shots fired.
Reid ran around the front again, and said, “We got him. He jumped at Brek and tried to grab his gun. I got him once and Brek got him once. We didn’t see the trigger he was talking about though. He didn’t seem to hit the button on either.”
Trace tried not to move too much, “Get Emery out of here. Just take her and go. I will do my best to get out of here.”
Reid shook his head, “With or without the trigger he was talking about, I have seen a bomb like this before. It doesn’t end well.”
Trace nodded slightly, trying his best not to move, “I know. Just get her away from here. Okay? I don’t want her to see this or to get hurt. If there truly is another bomb, I don’t want anyone to be hurt. No one else needs to die here. Please Reid.”
Reid started shaking his head, but Emery came running around the corner and Reid pulled her to a stop.
“You can’t get close to him. We need to get someone here who knows how to disable the bombs.”
Emery went pale and Brek came around the shack as well, “We need to get the coroner here. He's gone. I called Scott; he has experience with explosives.”
Trace nodded softly, “Just get her out of here. No matter what happens, she needs to get out.”
Emery was crying, “I don’t want to lose you Trace. What if it explodes?”
Trace gave her a look, “I love you Emery. I have since I saw you. I am grateful for every minute we had together. You were always meant to be mine and I am so glad I found you. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. We don’t know if this is the only bomb or if there are two. Go sunshine. Go.”
She was shaking her head and sobbing, and Kian grabbed her arm, trying to lead her away.
She shook her head and started screaming at Kian, and he finally picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, with her just pounding on his back.
Trace shut his eyes, hating that that was the last time he would see her, and Reid said, “I don’t want you to be alarmed Trace, but I hear clicking. He must have set it up where if he didn’t pull the trigger and someone was still on the board that it would blow regardless of his involvement. Like it was on a timer.”
Trace looked over at Reid in shock, “Get out of here! Both of you!”
Brek was shaking his head and the clicking sound got louder and faster.
Reid grabbed Brek’s arm and pulled him away, “Take care of her.” Trace pleaded and shut his eyes as the clicking went faster and faster, then stopped.
He looked down, hoping against hope that there wasn’t truly a bomb under his feet that was going to explode on the final click, and then was tackled to the side, a hard body throwing him just as the bomb he hoped wasn’t there exploded with a massive fireball that engulfed the trees and the shack. The air around them going hot and throwing anyone within a few feet radius to the ground with how big the explosion was.
