Page 82 of Into The Rabbit Hole

She searched for Ben, but it was too dark to see down the depth of the chasm. Regina hadn’t realized just how deep and far down the drop was until just now, being this close to it. It wasbottomless.

Ben went over the side, anddied.

Her years spent with him had been a true depiction of a nightmare. She wished to never see him again, but she didn’t want him to die. She never wanted him todie.

A hand suddenly shot up from the darkness and gripped the edge of the rock that juttedout.

Her heart pounded again as she thought it could be Aaron. Another hand came, and when Ben’s head surfaced as he pulled himself up, she cried out in relief and rushed to helphim.

She set the bomb down, away from them, and assisted in his last effort to savehimself.

It was instinct that made her hug him. Tears ran down her cheeks from the relief and the sudden thought that this wasover.

He hugged her, too, and pulled away so that he could look ather.

“Are you okay?” he asked. It was the first time she’d ever seen concern in his eyes forher.

“Me? I’m fine. Are youokay?”

His face was bruised and bloody. He looked far from okay, but at least he wasalive.

He nodded and pulled in a deepbreath.

“You came for me,” shestated.

“Of course I came. Damn it, Regina, the question is why didyoucome? You should have let the police handleit.”

“He said he had you, and he was going to killyou.”

He looked at her with pain in his eyes. “And so you came for me? After all I put you through? I deserve what Iget.”

“Yes, but not on my watch.” She looked at himsternly.

He offered a weaksmile.

A ticking sound brought their attention to the little bomb on theground.

Ben bent down and picked it up. “Shit.”

“What isit?”

The pained look in his expression told her that she wasn’t going to like what he had tosay.

“The bomb just went live. It says tenminutes.”

He tried to press a red button, she guessed to disable it, but the bomb was stillticking.

He looked over at her, stared long and hard into her eyes, then moved over. And to her greatest surprise, he kissedher.

The action stunned her so much it paralyzed her and she couldn’t move. Then he moved back and, before she could say a word of protest, he ran to the lift shaft and sealed himself in, locking the door from theinside.

“Ben, what the hell are you doing?” she yelled, running over tohim.

He put the bomb in his pocket and pressed the elevator on to start itup.

She held onto the bars, trying to pry the door open, but he’d securedit.

“The control doesn’t work, and since I have no idea how to disable a bomb, this will without a doubt go off,” hesaid.