All the blood rushed from Aria's face, leaving her as pale as a ghost. The world outside the tinted windows seemed to tilt on its axis.
"Damien," Aria choked out, the word tearing at her throat. "Is that... is that what I think it is?"
Damien didn't take his eyes off the road. His jaw was clenched so tight the muscles ticked in his cheek. He aggressively downshifted, the twin-turbo V8 engine roaring as he pushed the car past a hundred and forty miles an hour.
"Stay calm."
"Stay calm?!" Aria shrieked, her voice pitching up into a breathless squeal. "We are sitting on top of an explosive!"
"Aria," Damien snapped. "Look at me. Breathe. Freaking out only fogs the brain, and panic causes mistakes. Breathe."
Aria tried. She squeezed her eyes shut and forced a jagged intake of air through her nose, but her heart was hammering a chaotic rhythm against her ribs. The adrenaline was corrosive, burning through her veins.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
