Page 59 of Chain Reaction

Jake shrugged. “I told him if he could stand on one foot for thirty seconds, I’d buy him a steak dinner.”

“Is that right?” She tilted her head skeptically.

“Then I told him if he could do the flamingo pose for an entire minute, I’d buy him a weekend in Vegas. Eventually, it escalated to: If he could do an impression of a T-Rex with those tiny arms while humming the national anthem, I’d do his paperwork for a month.”

“And did he?”

“He did—while literally standing on what could be his death. The other techs were horrified but also couldn’t help but laugh.”

A knowing look remained in her eyes. “So what happened? Did he survive?”

“After three hours, we discovered it wasn’t a pressure plate he was standing on after all—just a rusty metal disc. Jim had been performing an impromptu circus act for nothing.”

“That’s terrible. And I don’t believe a word of it.”

“What? Why would I make this up?”

“Oh, I don’t know . . .”

“It wasn’t all bad news. Later, we had a talent show on base. Jim performed his T-Rex National Anthem routine, which became his signature party trick. It’s how he eventually found his wife. Now they’re married with four children.”

“It’s a good thing I can’t move right now. Because if I could, I might give you a good shake, Jake Laudner.” Despite her exaggerated anger, she chuckled.

Just the thing he wanted.

He had to keep her distracted.

CHAPTER 27

Raven generally considered herself strong. But right now she felt lightheaded, like she might pass out.

She knew doing so would kill everyone around her.

That only made the pressure weighing on her shoulders heavier.

She wanted desperately to grab hold of Jake so she could stay steady. But she knew better than to do that. Any shift in her weight could be disastrous.

How much longer would it take until they got back here with those weights?

Not only that, but now that night had fallen, it had turned cold outside. Even adding a jacket over her shoulders could trigger this bomb. They couldn’t risk that. She’d have to deal with the chills she felt.

How long had she been standing here already? It felt like hours. Yet she had a feeling it had probably been less than an hour.

She was grateful Jake had distracted her with his stories. They’d really helped.

In the time since Ty and Colton had left, two fire trucks had arrived on scene. They remained on standby a safe distance away.

Two police cruisers had also pulled up.

She wasn’t certain if their presence made her feel better or worse.

A shout sounded behind her, but she resisted the urge to turn toward it.

A few seconds later, she saw Colton and Ty walking toward them. They both carried weights.

They paused in front of her.

“This should be almost an exact match.” Ty nodded with confidence.