Bella's breath caught as she stared at the blinking red light beneath Ava's seat.
A bomb.
Damien cursed. "Leo, pull over. Now."
Leo swerved the SUV onto an empty side road, tires screeching.
"Everyone out!" Damien barked.
Bella yanked Ava's arm, dragging her from the car. Leo jumped out, scanning the area for threats.
Damien dropped to his knees, assessing the device. The red light pulsed in an eerie rhythm, a countdown ticking beside it.
00:02:17.
Two minutes.
"Can you disarm it?" Bella asked, panic clawing at her throat.
Damien's jaw clenched. "I don't know."
He pulled out a knife, slicing through the panel to expose the wires. The tangle of circuits and explosives looked nightmarish, even to him.
Ava sobbed. "I didn't know! Morelli said I was free—I didn't see him plant it!"
Leo growled. "Bullshit! He used you to lead us here."
Damien ignored them, eyes locked on the bomb. His mind worked fast. There were three wires—red, blue, and yellow.
00:01:45.
He'd done this before. But if he cut the wrong one—
Boom.
Bella knelt beside him. "Damien…"
Her voice was steady despite the fear in her eyes.
He looked at her—then at the bomb.
The blue wire led to the trigger. The red connected to the charge. The yellow…
00:01:20.
It's the failsafe.
Morelli was smart. If Damien cut the wrong wire, the bomb would detonate instantly.
He exhaled. Steady hands. Steady heart.
He grabbed the knife.
00:00:55.
And sliced through the yellow wire.
The countdown stopped.
Silence.
Bella let out a shaky breath. Ava collapsed in sobs.
Leo wiped his forehead. "Holy fuck."
Damien stood, his expression unreadable. Then he turned to Ava.
"You're coming with us," he said coldly. "Until I decide what to do with you."
Ava swallowed hard but nodded.
Bella looked at Damien. "What now?"
His eyes darkened.
"Now we stop running."
Because Morelli had just declared war.
And Damien was about to end it