Page 27

CHAPTER 27

R aven 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.

Jake nodded, trying to hide the tension across his face—Raven was certain of it.

But he wasn’t successful. Raven could read the anxiety on his expression.

“We’ll need to make sure we’re quick and precise when we do this,” Jake instructed, his voice steady and calm. “When I pull Raven off, those weights need to go right on top. Then we all need to get away from this site as quickly as possible. There’s a good chance the weights will shift and everything will go up in flames.”

Raven’s throat felt even drier at the thought.

One wrong move, and she’d be dead.

Jake appeared in front of her, his gaze locking with hers. “You can do this.”

She appreciated his confidence, though she wasn’t sure she believed him.

She didn’t doubt his abilities. But anyone in this situation had to know how dicey it was.

“You guys get behind Raven with the weights,” Jake said. “Raven, I’ll be in front of you. On the count of three, I want you to grab onto me. At the same time, you guys put the weights on top of this explosive. Got it?”

Everyone murmured, “Okay.”

A new tremble captured Raven. As much as she wanted to get off of this bomb, right now it felt safer to stay in place. At least she knew while she was on top of it, if she didn’t move, she’d stay alive.

But she couldn’t stay on this all night. She had to move.

She prayed to God for strength to get through this.

This had to work. That was all Jake could keep thinking to himself.

He’d do this for anyone in this situation—not just Raven. He’d been in similar circumstances before, especially when he’d worked in the Middle East.

There had been literal minefields there that his team had navigated.

He would have taken a bullet—or a blast—for any of them.

In fact, he preferred that to the alternative.

Jake drew in a deep breath before nodding to Ty and Colton. Then he held his hands out to Raven.

She stared at them, apprehension simmering in her gaze.

“You can do this.” He locked gazes with her again. Gave her a nod.

She nodded back, the motion stiff and uncertain.

Then he started his countdown. “Three. Two . . . one.”

He grabbed Raven and pulled her, praying even more fervently than ever that this plan would work.