Explosive Alliance. Susan Sleeman

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СКАЧАТЬ Opa and looked at the pack a few seats away. That unsettled feeling returned.

      Stop it, Krista. What did she think was in the pack, a bomb?

      Ha! The guy was rude, maybe a bit creepy, but that didn’t make him some lunatic leaving a bomb behind. He’d likely had too much to drink, needed to use the restroom and would be right back. That’s why he didn’t take her concern seriously.

      She ignored the fact that there weren’t any empty cups by his seat and forced her attention on to the game. Not that she knew anything about football, as Opa called it, other than it involved a ball with two nets and Opa loved it. She tried to get into the game, but the backpack kept nagging at her, and she continued to check her watch. The man had been gone for fifteen minutes. Far too long for a trip to the bathroom or snack bar when long lines weren’t likely due to tonight’s low attendance.

      Her gaze slid back to the pack.

      Should she check it out? With all the craziness going on in the world today, could she afford not to check it out?

      She glanced down the stairs to confirm the guy wasn’t returning, then slid over to the pack. Once a vivid blue, it was now worn and dingy gray. She checked for the owner one last time, then pulled the zipper and spread it open.

      A cell phone lay on a stack of red blocks. Next to it, large neon-green numbers on a timer counted down from twenty-seven minutes fifty seconds. It was strapped to the bricks resembling modeling clay with wires leading to the stack.

       Timer. Bricks. Wires.

      “Bo—” she started to shout, then realized what yelling “bomb” would do to nearby spectators.

      A bomb! It’s really a bomb. What should she do?

      She and Opa didn’t have cell phones, so she couldn’t call 911. So then what?

       Think, Krista, think.

      The numerals kept flashing their countdown—taunting her.

      Twenty-five minutes ten seconds. Nine. Eight.

      Panic crawled up her spine.

       No, no, no!

      Why had she waited so long to look? How should she handle this?

      Deputy Cash Dixon, the name barreled into her brain. She had to alert him.

      She started to rise. Caught sight of Opa. In his fragile state, if she took him with her, it would take a long time to climb down the stairs. Precious minutes would be wasted before the bomb squad could be notified. She had no choice. She’d have to leave him sitting in his seat.

      Here. Near a bomb.

      She couldn’t do that to her Opa.

       You have to or all of these people could die. Go! Now!

      She’d bring the deputy up here, leave this situation in his hands and guide Opa to the exit. She had enough time. If she hurried.

      Her stomach threatening to revolt, she gently closed the flaps on the pack from prying eyes and jumped to her feet.

      “I’ll be right back, Opa.” She forced the words over a lump in her throat.

      “Okay.” He didn’t look up.

      “I love you.” She hoped it wouldn’t be the last time she ever said these words to him.

      His perceptive gaze met hers. “What’s wrong, Liebchen?”

      “Nothing.” She offered him a wobbly smile, then jogged down the stairs to discover Cash Dixon now leaned against the restaurant wall, that casual pose still in place. Her confidence in him evaporated.

      Could he handle this? This man who seemed to excel in flirting? Was he just a pretty face, or was he cool and calm under pressure? Steady? Trustworthy?

      Because he needed to be. Desperately needed to be, if he was going to stop this bomb from exploding and bringing the building down around them.

TWO

      Rent-a-cop duty.

      Could Cash sink any lower on the boredom scale? He didn’t usually go in for security duty, but his buddy’s wife was having a baby and his buddy needed someone to cover at the last minute. Ninety minutes into the job, he was regretting his decision to help.

      He glanced at his solid titanium watch he’d worn on countless Delta Force missions.

      Now that was an exciting job.

      There was nothing more thrilling than serving on the army’s elite tier-one Special Ops team. Fast-roping down to free a hostage. Night jumps and rock climbs to raid insurgent groups in Afghanistan. Diving into dark, murky waters.

      Man, he missed it. Missed it all. The team. The camaraderie. Working with guys who really got him. His life hadn’t been the same since a friendly bomb had gone astray, taking out his whole team. Why he’d survived, he had no idea, even after eighteen months.

      Stop, he warned himself. Standing here brooding wouldn’t help him figure it out. He needed to keep busy.

      He searched the crowd, looking for someone whose chops he could bust. He spotted the woman who’d brushed past him a few minutes ago to retrieve a cup of water charging down the steps.

      Good. Just the distraction he was looking for. A particularly beautiful one at that. He loved the way she’d blushed when he’d flirted with her. Wasn’t often these days that he ran into a woman exhibiting such innocence.

      She hit the landing and ran toward him, skidding to a stop in front of him. Eyes the color of his army dress blues were dark with worry, sending a curl of apprehension into his gut.

      “I need your help.” She panted to catch her breath. “There’s a...” She paused to look around, then drew him away from a man standing nearby.

      She leaned close to Cash’s ear. He caught a faint whiff of vanilla and another appealing spice he couldn’t identify.

      “There’s a bomb,” she whispered, her breath warm on his skin.

      He pulled back. “Don’t even kid about that, ma’am.”

      “I’m not kidding.” Full lips drew down in a scowl as her gaze continued to dart around.

      “What’s your name, ma’am?”

      “Krista Curry.”

      “Well, Krista, why don’t you tell me what you saw?” It was very unlikely she’d actually seen a bomb, but whatever she’d witnessed had clearly upset her and he needed to take it seriously.

      “It’s by my seat,” she said. “A guy got up and left his backpack. There’s a cell phone inside with a timer attached to a bunch of red bricks. It’s counting down. It СКАЧАТЬ