Looking around, Scott focused on the piece of metal he’d used for the cuffs. “You can take that and run it back and forth over the brick seams. It might loosen the new mortar. And can you set up the large flashlight on one of the coffins so it shines over here?”
“Sure.” Picking up the flashlight, she walked toward the coffins. She wasn’t sure which was scarier, the bodies in them or the large amounts of explosives all around them.
“This isn’t going to go off if I accidentally trip over it, is it?”
Scott stopped and stepped toward her, reaching for the clay. “No, C-4 is a stable explosive. It only goes off with extreme heat and a shock wave from a detonator.” He pulled the mechanical device from the one on top of the wooden boxes and she covered her head then ducked.
Doing the same thing to the rest, he chuckled. “I’m disarming them. They can’t go off if they don’t havethe detonator.”
“That’s all you need to do? Take that thing out?”
He nodded, set the flashlight so the beam was toward the wall, and walked back to attack it again.
Feeling foolish, she took up her metal piece and dug in. Her mind whirred with so many things. Didn’t they say your life flashed before your eyes when you were about to die? It was all swirling past, the good and the bad.
“I know my mom said things to you at the party.” She had to get this off her chest before they…got out. Yeah, got out. She wouldn’t think it would endany other way.
“Your mom is always quite pleasant and the perfect hostess.”
“Of course she is. That doesn’t mean she didn’t say anything that was cruel or inappropriate in a veiled sortof way. Right?”
The crowbar dug into the wall more viciously than before. Yup, Mom had said something to him. “What’d she say?”
Pausing for a moment, he glanced at her then went back to hacking. “She simply pointed out that you expected a certain quality of life, and that a mere carpenter would never be able to provide it for you. I could hardly disagree with her. Thousands of dollars for a dress or shoes is a little beyond my budget.”
“That hag. She didn’t tell you I borrowed the dress and shoes. Which I did because spending that kind of money is ridiculous when I’m trying to build a new house. And I sure as hell am not going to letherbuy me anything. That would be selling my soul. It’s not worth the price.”
“What would she expect in return?”
“My complete obedience. Mostly in marrying someone of her choosing. She honestly means well and hopes I’ll find someone like my Dad, but she doesn’t understand that all of the guys she picks out are complete jerks.”
“Like Clif?” The crowbar workedviolently now.
“I told you Clif was an ass.”
“Hm, yes, he certainly did like yours, Sugar Tush.”
Brandishing the sharp metal close to his face, she shook her head. “Don’t ever call me that. Or Iwill cut you.”
“Welcome back, Xena.”
“You have nothing to worry about with Clif. The whole time I dated him I was bored and annoyed. The man is so into himself it isn’t funny.”
“Apparently he’s into the freckle you have on your inner thigh too. Gave me some good advice if I wanted to use it.”
“You discussed having sex with Cliff?” How could he?
“No, I have no desire to have sex with Clif. But Clif still obviously thinks about having it with you.” He tilted his head. “Or with your sister, even thoughshe’s skinny.”
“Ew, Charlotte wouldn’t touch him with aten-foot pole.”
“Charlotte has good taste.” He went back to pounding on the wall.
“Charlotte can be a little snobby at times, like my mom. But she also means well. And she likes to buck authority, in this case what my mom wants. It takes a lot of the pressure off me.”
“Your dad seems like a good guy.”
“Yeah, he’s awesome and he loves my mom, warts and all. He doesn’t care how much money someone has or what their last name is. If a person has a good work ethic and integrity, he’s okay. That’s whyhe likes you.”
