Sawyer clenches his jaw but offers a single nod to Zane, then a soft smile my direction. “We’ll see you soon, Tessa.”
“I know,” I say despite the burning lump in my throat.
Ryker moves past me. “See you soon, Tessa,” he says, mirroring what Sawyer said.
I pray he’s right.
“I’m not going,” Weston says.
“Please, go,” Zane tells him. “Someone has to watch out for Anastasia, and if something happens, that’s up to you, brother.”
Weston’s jaw clenches. He doesn’t respond, just marches past us and heads for the exit.
Zane is already walking around me in slow circles, showing Garrison the vest currently counting down to my last breath.
“Lean in to the wire plate near the clock,” Garrison says.
“Come on, Demo. Give me something, even if it’s wrong?—”
“It won’t be. Okay. You know those compressed air cans I make you guys carry? Do you have one?”
“Yeah.” Velcro tears as Zane reaches into a pouch on his tactical vest and withdraws a small aerosol can.
“Good. You need to locate the clips to rip that vest free the moment that clock freezes. They’ve buried the wires between her and the vest, so there’s no way to diffuse it while it’s on her.”
“She said, if I take it off, it’s going to detonate.”
“It will. Which is where the can comes into play. You’re only going to have seconds—fifteen max—to get it off of her. Toss it and run as fast as you can. The blast zone on that won’t be large enough to take the building down completely, so if you can get far enough, you stand a chance at not being buried in the rubble of the top floor.”
“Okay.” Zane moves around me, his hands tracing the vest until he finds the buckles on either side of my waist. “Tessa, I need you to undo this one, okay? When I say go, unclip it.”
“Zane,” I choke out, tears blurring my vision.
“It’s going to be okay. We have a future now, remember? Things to do.” Tears shimmer in his eyes, too, and he leans in to press his lips to mine. The kiss is soft, gentle, a somber goodbye should this all go sideways.
Then he pulls back. Takes a deep breath.
“Ready?” he asks.
I nod.
Zane bows his head and closes his eyes. “Lord, please be with us. Please grant us more time. In Jesus’ Mighty Name we pray, amen.”
“Amen,” I whisper.
Cold air hits the side of my neck.
“Go!” he orders.
I close my eyes tightly and unclip the vest. He rips it free from my head and flings it to the side. We sprint in the opposite direction, and Zane throws his body over mine as we dive behind an air conditioning unit.
The blast shakes the very air around us, and I scream when the rooftop caves in. Zane wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me against his body as we slide down into the darkness.
Chapter 31
Zane
Standing on the other side of observation glass while Brenda sits just inside, her hands cuffed to the table, feels surreal. For six years, she’s been the shadow living over my life. Ready to swoop in and remind me of my greatest failure, all in an effort to control me.
