CHAPTER THIRTY
May braced herself, ready for the worst, but prepared to do whatever she could to disarm the killer and get his bomb away from him.
Owen landed on the man's shoulders and she watched Dirk's face contort in utter shock. He wrenched at Dirk’s arms, and she saw his grasp slip. Grabbing him from behind had been totally unexpected, and he hadn’t been braced against it.
This was her chance.
May rushed forward and grabbed hold of the bomb, her heart hammering as she tugged it away from him. She was no bomb squad expert. She had no idea what might detonate this terrifying and surprisingly heavy device. Was the fuse attached to Dirk? It hadn't sounded like it from what he'd said, but it could be that he'd done that.
She had no choice but to take its full weight in her hands, because Owen was on the attack, preventing Dirk from getting hold of it again.
Owen clamped his hands on either side of the man's neck and squeezed, his fingers digging into the flesh of his victim's throat. Dirk began screaming and thrashing, trying to throw Owen off.
And May staggered back, now the new owner of this deadly bomb.
She crept a few paces away and set it down carefully. She didn't trust it, not one bit. It might still detonate. And he could have planted other bombs. For now, this basement was a high risk area.
Seeing a blinking light on the side of the bomb, May stared down in horror, realizing the impossible truth as she took in the information on the screen.
It was a countdown device.
The bomb must have a manual override system that Dirk had threatened her with. But otherwise, May saw to her horror, it was due to activate in exactly two minutes.
No wonder Dirk had been laughing so confidently, so maniacally. She guessed that at the last minute, he’d planned to throw the bomb in her direction and race away to the stairs. He’d been watching the timer, planning. No wonder he’d been happy to keep talking. It had suited him, too.
Two minutes was all they had to get out. She didn’t know if they could do it.
Then, hearing a grunt and a cry from behind, she spun around, her hand dropping instinctively to her gun. Despairingly, May saw things were not going well. In fact, the fight had changed course completely.
Dirk was on the attack. He'd thrown himself backward, knocking Owen off balance, and had wriggled out of his grasp. Now the two men were wrestling on the ground. She heard grunts and cries, and the thud of fists making contact with flesh.
In the thick, billowing smoke, as they fought and rolled, May didn't dare to use her gun. It was too risky.
Instead, she rushed forward to join the fray. They had to try and subdue this man, but he was fighting like a demon.
Dirk was far stronger than she'd guessed him to be, and he was clearly powered by desperation and fury. He was using his fists and his feet, and he had not given up.
May charged forward, adrenaline surging. Two minutes was all they had before a lethal explosion that annihilated them all.
She heard his fist connect with Owen's gut, and she saw her deputy go down. Dirk raised his hand and punched him hard in the throat. Owen convulsed, choking desperately.
And then, Dirk burst free, throwing himself at May. Grabbing her arm, he flung her directly back into Owen.
He was going for the bomb.
May made one desperate grab for him, knowing that it was all she had time for in this life or death situation.
By a miracle, in the smoky semi-dark, she managed to catch hold of one of his legs. She sprawled on the concrete floor, grasping it with all her might, trying to hold him back from reaching that lethal weapon. Never had it been more important to keep her grip. But then, his other boot came up and caught her in the face - a painful, head-snapping blow.
She recoiled back, her cheek on fire. She felt her grasp on his boot slipping and her stomach tensed as he jerked free.
But Owen was on his feet now, racing forward, grabbing Dirk's arm and jerking him away.
Snarling, Dirk twisted around, throwing a vicious punch that Owen only just managed to avoid. But he was ready to retaliate, even though he was badly off balance.
She saw Owen's fist connect his solar plexus, and now Dirk was the one off balance.
He reeled back, his breath escaping him, and May turned the moment into a full-on tackle.