“How about not doing that again?” Mack asked, sounding shaken.
“Yeah. Why didn’t I think of that?” Evan made light of the accident, but he swung his leg over the thick steel and let out a breath as he grasped it tightly between his thighs.
He flipped open his Leatherman.
Forgot about everything else.
Forgot about Nabi potentially standing nearby with a phone. Or Bilal with a Wi-Fi router, ready to set off the bomb.
Forgot about Mack waiting at the bridge. Even forgot about Kiley.
It was just him and the device, and the harsh rain pelting the bridge.
He sent up a quick prayer. Took hold of the wire. Held his breath. Tightened his legs. Snipped.
Silence save the pounding rain.
He sighed. But this was only the first step. He located the timer wire. Cut it. The bright letters continued to count down on the phone, flashing into the dark, but the clock was now disconnected and didn’t matter.
He moved on to the detonator, carefully removing it from the RDX, moving it well away from the explosive, and taping it in place. The timer continued counting down, ineffective numbers flashing into the night.
He let out a long breath and hung there for a moment to still his racing heart.
“Device disarmed,” he said.
“Thank goodness,” Kiley said.
He turned his thoughts to the main event. “We any closer to finding the hack?”
“No.”
The finality of the word resounded in his head. He looked at his watch. Thirty minutes until midnight. “Bring me up, Mack.” Evan let go of the girder and relaxed, working out the tension in his shoulders while making sure not to bang the second jar of phosphorus as Mack hauled him up to the bridge.
He handed the jar to the sergeant, stripped off the harness, and looked at Mack. “I’m heading to the server room.”
Mack nodded, his eyes filled with concern. “I’m right behind you.”
The door burst open, and Kiley spun to see Evan rush into the room. She’d never been so glad to see someone in her life. She ran her gaze over him and sighed a long breath of relief. His clothing and hair were drenched, but he looked as ruggedly handsome as ever. Maybe more so with the tool belt slung around his trim waist.
“Nice to be inside.” He ran a hand over his face and shook off the rain. “Mack stopped to talk to the sheriff. What did the bomb squad and dog find?”
Kiley stared at him, hating to answer, yet he deserved to know how dire the situation had become. “They’ve swept the whole facility and located nothing.”
He frowned. “So this is definitely cyber then.”
She clenched her hands together. “We haven’t found anything there either.”
He gaped at her. “Seriously? Nothing?”
“Nothing.” Her stomach clenched.
“Well, if it existed, you all are the ones who would find it.”
“Exactly,” Kiley said. “These terrorists might be good, but there’s no way they’re better than our combined skills.”
“The bombs on the bridge say we definitely have the right target.” Sean clamped a hand on the back of his neck and looked up at them. “We have to be missing something.”
“But what?” Kiley asked, that elusive lead that she knew was at the tip of her fingers but couldn’t find still nagging at her. The only thing left to do was to review everything as a last-ditch effort before the clock hit midnight. She stepped up to Sean and pointed at his computer. “I know we’re missing something. Pull up the information we have on all the suspects again.”
