Chapter 17 - The Wire
The digital countdown blinked: 00:42.
"Drop the trigger, Elena," I whispered.
"No," she said, her finger tightening against the spring. "We all burn."
I didn't lunge for the trigger.
I lunged for the cast-iron gas valve handle three feet to her right.
I grabbed the heavy red lever with both hands and threw my entire body weight downward, slamming the primary gate valve shut with a deafening, metallic CLANG.
Elena screamed and mashed the red button on the transmitter.
A sharp electric click popped inside the explosive pack.
The small blasting cap detonated with a sharp crack like a firecracker, blowing chunks of gray explosive against the furnace wall.
But with the primary gas line sealed, there was no secondary fuel to ignite.
The concussive force knocked Elena backward against the concrete foundation. The transmitter flew from her hand, shattering against the floor.
She scrambled across the floor on her knees, clawing at the wall, gasping for breath.
I walked over, grabbed the collar of her blouse, and hauled her to her feet.
"He called you Mama," I said, my voice dead, flat, and hollow.
"Mark... please..." she choked out, looking into my eyes, searching for the man who had loved her for eight years. "I had no choice... Richard forced me—"
"Save it for the judge," I said.
I dragged her toward the basement stairs just as Detective Cross and three tactical officers came thundering down with rifles raised.
"We have her," Cross said, taking her arms and ratcheting heavy steel cuffs around her wrists. "Medic is working on the boy outside. He’s asking for you."
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I didn't say another word. I turned and ran up the stairs toward the light.
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