After a momentary pause, Blessard asked in a controlled voice, “Did the dog find something?”
With a quick glance at Jules who, even in the dim light, Theo could see was looking more and more terrified, he muttered, “Affirmative.”
“Get out now, Bosco.”
“Working on it, LT.” When Jules made a small, scared sound, he crouched down next to her again and cupped the back of her neck in a clumsy attempt at comforting her. He vowed to himself that he would get her out. Whatever it took, he’d get her out alive. “I’d recommend moving the perimeter back another two hundred feet.”
“Out now, Bosco! The bomb squad is on its way.”
“That’ll take too long. It’s an hour drive, and I bet they haven’t even left Denver yet.” The lack of response confirmed it. “All three of us will be out as soon as possible.”
The silence that time was even heavier, but all Blessard said was, “Copy.”
Viggy trotted back into the cooler and dropped his penguin next to Theo’s right foot, then looked at him expectantly.
Trying to keep calm, Theo ran his gaze over the shelving the handcuff chain had been looped around. It was welded metal, and cutting or dismantling that would take longer than waiting for Fire to arrive and snip the chain.
“Fire’s on their way to the door.”
At Blessard’s words, Theo stood, grabbing the end of Viggy’s leash. “I’ll be right back.”
“Don’t.” Her mouth shook, and the flashlight beam reflected off the tears gathering in her eyes.
“I have to leave you for just a second,” he explained, guilt clawing at him at the misery on her face. “I’ll be back as soon as I grab the tool we need.”
“No,” she said, her voice catching on the word. “Don’t come back. Leave. I’ll wait for the bomb squad. Don’t sacrifice yourself for me.”
In response, Theo took her face in both hands and kissed her hard. “No. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Be right back.”
“But…” Her words sputtered out behind him as he left, tugging Viggy with him. There were a couple of figures shaped like firefighters in bunker gear silhouetted against the glass door. He lifted Viggy and sprinted for it, arriving just as they opened the door.
“Thanks.” He thrust Viggy into the arms of one of the startled firefighters and grabbed the long-handled cutters. “Take Viggy and get back.”
“Wait—what…” The fireman bobbled the dog, surprise keeping him from holding on. Viggy squirmed free, jumping out of the startled man’s arms. He darted back into the diner, nearly knocking Theo down on his way back inside.
“Fuck!” Theo grabbed at the dog, but Viggy slipped out of reach and tore behind the counter. Frustrated, Theo watched the end of his tail disappear. He moved to follow the dog, tossing back over his shoulder a final “Go!” to the firemen.
Shoving open the door to the kitchen with his shoulder, Theo almost tripped over Viggy as the dog slipped through the doorway with him.
“You decide now that you want to be around me?” he muttered, running through the kitchen toward the propped-open door of the walk-in cooler. Jules was staring fixedly at the box, tears running unchecked down her cheeks.
“Get out, Theo!” she cried. “It made a beeping sound. I think it’s going to blow up. Please go.”
As if to punctuate her words, a quiet tone sounded from the box. He turned toward it, not liking that noise. He was torn, not sure if he should see if he could diffuse the device or if he should just cut her loose so the three of them could run like hell.
He was no explosives expert. Although he’d been trained in the basics, it was mostly in identifying explosive components and learning the protocol. If he was told something was a bomb, then that meant he treated it like a bomb by evacuating and calling in the bomb squad. Disarming an explosive device was not his forte.
“Cut and run, then.” He turned toward Jules. “Lean forward.”
She obeyed, and he set the flashlight on the shelf next to where her hands were secured. He tried to maneuver the blunt head of the cutters so it could clip the chain, but the way Jules’s hands were linked to the shelving made it awkward.
“Pull your hands to your left, as far as you can.” This gave him another half inch of chain to work with. Sweat beaded on his face, even in the chill of the cooler. It stung his eyes and made it harder to see, especially in the dim and uneven light. He finally was able to ease the chain into the opening between the bolt cutter’s jaws.
The box holding the bomb gave another beep, making Jules jump. Her movement jerked the chain out of position.