Chapter 186
- Evan -
The closer we got to the bank, the louder the sirens became.
Police with shields blocked every intersection.
Josh slowed as we reached the edge of the barricade.
An officer stepped forward immediately.
"Stop right there!"
Josh raised both hands casually.
"Relax, officer. We're here to help."
"Unless one of you is bomb squad, you're not going any farther."
Josh pointed up at the massive public display screen across the street.
"You're already broadcasting the situation to half the city."
"That's to try and keep people away from the area," he scoffed.
Josh was taller than average and larger as well. But in the last few years, he was taller than most fully grown men.
Josh leaned over close to the officer.
"Let us just talk with him."
The officer looked past him at the rest of us. His eyes paused on Duke, the guardian angel.
"W...well, that is what we are trying to do." He hesitated.
"How is that working for you?" He smirked.
The officer sighed and stepped to the side.
"You've got only one chance. If anything happens, you get out of there!"
Josh walked through, then turned around and walked backward for a second, giving a small salute.
"Appreciate it."
We stepped past the barricade.
The open street between the police line and the bank felt enormous.
Empty.
Exposed.
Rain tapped steadily against the pavement, dripping from the tympanum of the stone architecture.
At the top of the stone steps stood a man, maybe in his 40s, with a scuffy, unshaven face and dark circles under his eyes. It was clear he had not slept in days.
His head snapped towards us as we approached, and his hand shifted, tightening on the detonator.
"STOP!"
Josh immediately stopped walking.
"Good evening," he called.
The man lifted his hand with the device.
"Don't come any closer! Or I'll..."
His voice drifted into silence. There it was, what Duke said: this man does not want to hurt himself or others.
Josh raised his hands slightly again.
"No problem."
Josh stayed exactly where he was.
Behind me, Micah moved a little to my left while Becky stayed close to my right.
I kept Kaysi steady in my arms while she rested. I didn't want to put her in harm's way but still be close enough that I could predict the next move.
A shadow moved above us. Baby, she had reached her position, looking down from the rooftop. Watching and waiting for the next move.
The bomber pointed the detonator toward Josh.
"You think this is funny!?"
Josh tilted his head slightly.
"No, sir, I do not."
He said with a calm voice.
It was almost casual, but Josh was always a loud fireball. Right now, he somewhat seemed docile.
"I think it's a bad day for everybody here."
The man blinked, thrown off.
That wasn't the reaction he expected.
Josh continued.
"You've got the police nervous, the city watching, and a storm that won't quit."
He shrugged.
"Honestly, I've seen worse Mondays. Don't let this uniform fool you; we were supposed to be on vacation, but right now we aren't from here."
The man stared at him.
Confused but still angry. Unsure how to respond.
Behind Josh, Duke spoke quietly, "Observe his breathing."
I watched the man's chest.
Fast, uneven, panicked. But something caught my eye.
The vest. The wires were sloppy. Too sloppy.
Whoever built it either didn't know what they were doing or didn't care if it actually worked.
Micah leaned slightly toward me.
"You see it too? She whispered.
I nodded. "Yeah."
Josh kept what he did best, talking.
"You've got hostages," he said slowly.
"You've got a bomb."
He gestured toward the police line.
"And about forty officers who really don't want to be here right now."
The man shouted again.
"They let my family drown!"
The detonator jerked upward.
The police behind us tensed immediately.
Josh didn't flinch.
"That's rough," he said quietly in a sincere tone.
The man blinked again.
He expected fear or anger, not sympathy.
Josh lowered his voice slightly.
"What's your name?"
The man hesitated.
"...What?"
Josh shrugged.
"I would like to know who I am talking to so I can address you formally. My name is Josh."
Silence hung between them for a second.
Rain dripped off the man's jacket.
Finally, he answered.
"...Daniel."
Josh nodded.
"Alright, Daniel, good to meet you."
Before the man could say another word, Josh blurted out again.
"So..." He gestured to the vest. You have plans for using that?"
Daniel's hands shook.
"Don't test me!"
Josh sighed dramatically.
"I am not testing you, man. I am curious."
He pointed toward the building behind Daniel.
"You've been standing out here yelling for a while, I can tell."
Dainel froze slightly.
"If you actually wanted to blow the bank and everyone else up, you'd be inside for one, and secondly, you would have already done it by now."
Daniel's mouth opened, then closed, speechless.
Behind me, Micah whispered softly.
"I am sure he didn't think anyone would notice."
Duke's voice followed quietly.
"The intent is conflicted."
I studied the device again—the wires and trigger, along with the position of charges. Then something clicked. The detonator in Daniel's hand didn't match the wiring on the vest.
Not even close. I learned enough to tell there were 9 bomb packs on his vest, but the detonator only had 6 channels.
I leaned toward Micah.
"That trigger doesn't connect to that vest."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Are you sure?" She asked.
"It is a hunch, but look at the receiver box."
She followed my gaze.
And then she saw it.
"Oh, I see..."
Josh kept his attention.
"You're angry?"
Daniel shouted again.
"You're damn right I am!"
"I get that."
Then he added quietly—
"But do you think it is fair that anyone else dies tonight, much less your family? Would they want you to live like this?"
Daniel's breath grew heavier; he didn't answer right away.
His grip on the detonator loosened slightly.
His eyes drifted.
Not at Josh or the police, past us toward me. Or more specifically—Kaysi in my arms.
His expression shifted.
Not anger.
Not rage.
Something... Quieter.
"I...I know it's not here," he said suddenly."
His voice changed. Softer distance, all of us froze.
Josh didn't interrupt.
Didn't move.
Daniel swallowed hard, his eyes still locked on Kaysi.
"But your friend... looks so much like my daughter."
My chest tightened.
Instinctively pulled Kaysi closer without thinking.
Daniel let out a shaky breath.
"She would've been eighteen today."
Silence swallows the street.
Even the rain felt quieter somehow.
Josh spoke gently.
"What was her name?"
Daniel's lips trembled.
"...Lena."
He smiled.
But it broke halfway through.
"She hated storms."
A small, weak, broken laugh escaped his lips at the statement.
"Used to run to me every time thunder hit... like I could stop something."
His hand shook again.
But this time—
Not from anger.'
From memory.
"They told us to evacuate," he continued, voice cracking. "They said everything was under control... said the barriers would hold..."
His eyes darkened.
"But they didn't."
The detonator lowered another inch.
"The water came so fast..." He whispered, his voice hitched.
"I grabbed my wife—she grabbed Lena—and then..."
He stopped. Unable to finish, Josh didn't push or rush him.
Daniel's voice dropped to barely a whisper as he looked up to the artificial sky.
Rain rolled down his face like tears.
"I saw her hand for a second in the waters..."
His fingers twitched like he was trying to hold everything in.
"And then she and my wife were...gone."
No one moved or spoke; not even the police behind us dared to interrupt.
Daniel shook his head slowly.
"They said the system worked... said it was safe..." His eyes lifted again.
But now—
There was no rage left, only something hollow.
"So tell me..."
His voice cracked completely.
"...Who exactly am I supposed to trust now?
His thumb hovered over the button.
The entire street held its breath.
Josh spoke one more time.
Soft and careful. "Daniel."
He pointed slowly toward the vest.
"That detonator isn't connected to anything. But they don't know that, do they? I mean, of course, things would be different if they did."
Daniel froze.
Complete silence across the street as the people watch, trying to anticipate this next move.
Rain hit the detonator in small drops, dripping to the ground.
Daniel stared down the street at the people and then at the device in his hand. Then back to Josh.
Fear flashed across his face.
Behind us, Duke murmured.
"There it is, the answer confirmed."
Micah whispered with a gasp.
"He didn't build the bomb. If it wasn't him, then who did and who has the real detonator?"
I stared at the vest again. The realization fully hit my mind like a cold stone.
There is another player in this situation pulling the strings.
One that we have not seen yet.