Scott froze and stared at her. “Oh, God, youare brilliant.”
His eyes darted around the room and he moved toward the wooden boxes.
“I’m glad you’re finally acknowledging my brilliance, but what did I say to convince you of this?”
Picking up a block of the claylike substance he said, “Why didn’t I think of this before? I can use this to blow a hole in the wall.”
* * * *
Heather stared at him like he had six heads. “Won’t that kill us too?”
Scott ripped the paper off the explosive and began to pull it apart. He needed the right amount.
“Not if I don’t use the whole thing. A smaller amount might punch a hole in the wall large enough for both of us to get through.”
“And the explosion won’t hurt us?” Her expression was doubtful. She had a right to be concerned. He haddoubts as well.
Moving toward the coffins, he began to shove them toward the back wall. Luckily, the judge had already stacked them into a few neat piles. Hoping to get the most bang for his buck?
“What are you doing?” she asked, but began helping him push anyway.
“Building a little wall to protect us when this stuff blows.”
“We’ll be safe behind these? They’re only made of wood. And bones.”
“If I use the right amount, sure, we should be.” Once the coffins were in place, he ripped into the C-4, trying to remember blast waves and velocity and shit.
“And do you know theright amount?’
“Well, Keith was the explosives expert. He’d be able to get it right, no problem. I might not have paid as close attention to all that. My job was transportation. Confident I can blow a holein that wall.”
“So, too much, we still blow up. Or too little and the walldoesn’t move.”
“Yeah, that sums it up well enough. If I remember right, a block the size of a potato could bring down a typical house. And you’d be fine if you were standing fifty feet away.”
“Um, Einstein, do I need to point out to you this room is barely twelve feet long?”
“I know, I know. If I place it on the outside of the wall we might not get hit with as much of the blast or shrapnel.” Pulling more of the clay substance off, he stuck it through the small opening they’d managed. “Maybe.”
Now to set the time correctly. Moving toward the flashlight they’d set up, he pressed the buttons and decided on one minute. It would give him enough time to get behind the caskets and cover Heather. He needed to protect her at all costs.
“I think I’ve got it. Get behind the boxes and crouch down in a ball with your back toward this wall.”
“You’re coming back here too, right?”
Turning his head, he raised an eyebrow. “No, I thought I’d stand in front of the blast wave. Of course I’m coming back there. Go.”
She did as told and for once didn’t argue. God, he hoped this worked.
“If anything happens to me but you’re fine, you need to go get help. Don’t sit around here trying to get me out. Do you understand?”
Her head poked up from behind the coffins. “What are you saying? Why would something happen to you and not me?”
“It won’t. We’ll both be fine. But if I set this thing wrong it could go off before I get back there. It won’t,but it could.”
“Scott.” Her eyes filled with tears and her lower lip trembled as she took a step toward him.
Meeting her halfway, he kissed her beautiful lips. “I’ll be fine. Just promise me.”
