"Only a minute or two," he said. "I can do this. I can do this. Just take these cuffs off my hands so I can work."
It was a necessary request, but before he uncuffed him, Knox checked around the table and the immediate area for anything Fernando could use as a weapon. As soon as that bomb was defused, he wasn't sure what Fernando would do. Attacking Knox wouldn't make any sense. But Fernando wasn't full of sense.
"You need all those screwdrivers?" Knox asked, gesturing to the tools on the table.
"Just the smallest two."
Knox scooped up all the tools from the table except the two smallest screwdrivers and set them on a different table, out of Fernando's reach. Then he uncuffed Fernando and stepped back a couple of feet to let him work.
He took out his phone and glanced at his texts. At least the other half of their plan was working well. And Nash was in the helicopter. He worried what Kendall might do if he discovered Nash's true identity. He especially worried what he would do to Allie. They needed to get the contract to Kendall as soon as possible so that he and Allie weren't waiting at the helipad long enough for Kendall to get chatty with Nash. Once they got the contract, he hoped Kendall and Fernando would rush off the island, not questioning Nash's explanation for replacing their pilot—or the fine print of the contract.
"Oh no," said Fernando.
"What's wrong?" Knox asked.
"I dropped my screwdriver."
"Where is it?"
"It fell on the grate." He motioned wildly at the floor. "And slipped down."
Yep. There was a grate in the floor near Fernando's feet.
"You can't use a different one?"
"No. The others are too large." He pointed at the grate again. "That's the one I need!"
Knox flicked his attention to the countdown display. Eight minutes and forty seconds left. "Move out of the way," he barked. He grabbed the largest screwdriver he'd removed from the table and used it as a lever to pop open the grate. He hated turning his back on Fernando while he worked, but at this point, Fernando had every motivation to disarm the bomb. They were on the same side—for at least eight minutes and forty seconds.
It took him longer than he'd hoped to remove the grate. Just below the grate opening was a shallow area used for water runoff. Leaning in, he stretched down until he could reach the screwdriver and gripped it. He pulled himself up and thrust it into Fernando's hand with more force than necessary. "Get back to work."
He glanced at the countdown display. Seven minutes left.
Fernando returned to his work, and Knox replaced the grate cover so Fernando wouldn't accidentally fall in. Because Knox could absolutely see that happening.
In the movies, someone eventually disarms the bomb with only one second left, after the booming musical crescendo. Knox didn't need that kind of drama today. Seven minutes was terrifying enough, thank you very much.
Mercifully, thirty seconds later, the display dimmed, then turned off. Fernando stepped back. "That's it."
"Are you sure?"
Fernando's head bobbed. "Yeah. Listen, I know you think I'm a moron, but I promise that thing isn't ticking anymore."
Knox didn't correct his assumption.
Fernando exhaled a long breath and grinned. "That was a close one, man."
"You think this is funny?"
"No. I'm just happy to be alive. Today isn't going the way I'd hoped." He shrugged. "Until now. Now we take that contract to Kendall. You get your girl. And everyone is happy."
The guy's attitude grated on Knox's nerves, but he needed to focus. He needed to get to Allie before their plan fell apart.
Knox gripped Fernando's arm and shoved him toward the door. "Let's go. Kendall wants you and the contract. Allie's safety is all that matters to me right now, so get moving."
By the time they reached the roof, Kendall's pace had slowed but not faltered. Allie was sure he would allow himself to bleed out before he let himself stop to rest. He trudged on, pushing her ahead of him. As they approached the helicopter, it suddenly occurred to her that she'd never met Nash and didn't know what he looked like, so she prayed the dark-haired, broad-shouldered pilot was Nash. It's not like she could ask him when they—
The pilot hopped out of the helicopter and greeted Kendall.
