The echo of heavy boots approaching Dominic and Alessia thundered against the cracked concrete floor. The five men who arrived were dressed in thick black suits that swallowed their frames in layers of armor and padding. The matte finish of the uniform reflected no light, giving them a shadow-like presence. The helmets they wore were round and heavy with a broad visor that gleamed faintly, hiding their faces behind reinforced glass. Thick plates shielded their chest and shoulders, and a padded collar rose high to their neck. Straps and pouches that carried different tools were lined on their waist with black gloves.
"Sir?" one of them said as they arrived.
Dominic stood from where he crouched and looked at the men. "Get rid of that on my wife," he ordered.
"Will do," one of the men responded, "but first you need to leave the scene, sir."
Dominic's glare froze him in place.
"On second thought… You don't need to," the man muttered, swallowing hard.
"Clear a perimeter," another one of the men commanded, his voice cold and efficient. Two of them dropped the heavy black cases they carried onto the ground, the metallic clatter made Alessia flinch. The cases snapped open, revealing a blur of wire cutters, clamps, and tools that gleamed beneath the fractured sunlight streaming in through the windows.
Dominic crouched beside her, giving her a warm smile. "Soon you'll be fine. They will get rid of the bomb and then we can go home… together."
Alessia gave him a nod as she tried to calm her racing heartbeat.
"Get me visuals," one of the operatives said as he leaned in. His gloved hands brushed the wires crisscrossing the vest. "The bomb uses motion sensors, would have exploded if you tried to remove it," the operative said as he scanned the bomb. He used a screwdriver to open the case and examined the interior. "The timer is active, luckily it isn't a biohazard bomb…Four minutes, thirty seconds left. I will need absolute silence for this part."
"The red wire is the terminal that will nullify the timer," the technician muttered. His voice was steady as he reached for his cutter, his hands as steady as stone.
Alessia froze. Her breath hitched. She closed her eyes and thought back to when her father used to teach her to fix things and told her that the simplest choice could kill you if you didn't understand it clearly… What if he chose wrong? she thought to herself.
The man cut the wire and afterwards there was a click. The timer jumped forward and the tick on the timer became faster.
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
The sound ricocheted in Alessia's skull. Panic clawed up her throat like fire. "No… oh God…" Her voice broke, her chest convulsing with sobs she couldn't hold back.
"What the fuck did you do?" Dominic barked, his voice snapping like a whip. His hand shot out, gripping the man's wrist with crushing force.
The technician's eyes widened in fear. "It seems like it was designed to give whoever doesn't know how it was made a misconception, which will make anyone cut the wrong wire."
"Fix it now!" Dominic commanded with a hard voice that seemed to crack a little.
The technician went back to trying to defuse the bomb as he continued examining it, his steady hands now sweaty as panic surged through him.
Tears streamed freely down Alessia's pale face. Her lips trembled as she whispered, "I don't want to die, Dominic…"
Dominic's head snapped toward her. He leaned in, so close she could feel the heat of his breath against her ear. "You won't," he growled. His hand covered hers. "Look at me, Aly… Only me."
Her glassy eyes met his. For a heartbeat, the storm of fear quieted. His gaze was sharp, commanding, but beneath it flickered something she had never expected to find there… fear.
"Nothing is going to happen to you."
"How can you still say that?" she said with a cracked voice.
"You're my wife, and not even death can take you away from me," Dominic said with a determined look.
"Two minutes," the bomb technician whispered. His gloved hands moved in precise motions, tracing the wires. "Black or yellow. One disarms. One detonates."
Alessia's breath locked in her throat. The world shrank until there was nothing but the wires, the cutters, and the sound of her own heartbeat battering her ribs.
"Sir, you need to leave now," one of the bomb squad members said to Dominic.
"No one leaves until the bomb is disarmed," Dominic commanded without sparing the man a glance.
Dominic's jaw was clenched so tightly a muscle ticked. He didn't look at the wires—he looked at her. "Trust me," he whispered, his thumb brushing against her clammy skin.
The sound of the cutter cutting another wire was heard, followed by the sound of a tick, and then another tick… and next was silence.
The technician let out a heavy sigh. "The bomb has been disarmed."
Alessia let out a sigh as tears continued to flood down her cheek.
The vest was unstrapped from her trembling body. Alessia's chest heaved as though she had surfaced from drowning. Her vision wavered, and the edges of the room began to bleed into shadow. Relief washed through her, cold and dizzying.
Her knees buckled even though she was still strapped to the chair. Pain screamed through every nerve, her broken fingers, the bruises chaining her ribs, the ache in her lungs. Feeling the relief of the bomb being disarmed, her tensed body finally relaxed and her head dropped to the side as she lost consciousness.
"Alessia!" Dominic's voice tore through the haze, rough and unguarded. He surged forward, catching her before her body could slump against the restraints. He pulled her into his arms, cradling her as though she were made of glass.
"Get the car ready. Now!" His voice was steel and fierce.
His men scrambled, boots pounding as doors slammed open. Dominic lowered his face close to hers, his composure cracking just enough for her fading consciousness to register the rawness in his tone.
"Stay with me, Aly."
Her world slipped into black, the last thing she felt was the press of his chest against her cheek and the relentless beat of his steady, furious heart.
Dominic lifted her without hesitation and carried her from the larger space into the waiting car.
"Hospital, now!" he ordered, as he placed her into the back seat and climbed in beside her, continuing to hold her tightly.