Chapter 286 Bomb
Dalton drove up to an abandoned, half-finished building in his rugged off-roader. As he prepared to get out, Lydia grabbed his arm in a panic.
“Is Meryl here? But it’s so dark… I’m scared…”
The area was pitch-black, and the wind howled like a furious beast. Lydia shivered, instinctively huddling closer to Dalton, hoping for some reassurance.
“Where… where are the cops? Why didn’t they follow us?” Lydia’s voice trembled.
To avoid alarming the suspects, the police had sent only a few skilled plainclothes officers in Dalton’s vehicle instead of a full squad.
Dalton didn’t have time for Lydia’s fears. His sole focus was on rescuing Meryl. He pulled his arm from Lydia’s grasp and said firmly, “Stay in the car. Don’t move. I’m going in to find her.”
At that moment, another car silently pulled up beside theirs.
Dalton looked at the familiar vehicle and was momentarily stunned. “Uncle Chandler?”
Chandler gave Dalton a brief, emotionless glance before turning his attention to the plainclothes officers in the back of Dalton’s car. “I suspect there are explosives here.”
The officers’ faces went pale. “We’ll call in a bomb squad immediately!”
“It’s too late for that. Finding Meryl is the priority. Split up and search,” Chandler said tersely, disappearing into the darkness without another word.
The officers quickly understood the gravity of the situation. One of them radioed the main force while the other two headed into the abandoned building.
Dalton was about to follow, but Lydia’s fear stopped him. “Dalton, what if there’s a bomb? If it goes off, we’re all dead! None of us will make it out!”
There were dozens of unfinished buildings in the area, making it nearly impossible to locate someone with so many potential hiding spots.
“Dalton, let the police handle it. We should stay here and wait!” Lydia pleaded, terrified of Dalton getting hurt.
Dalton brushed her hand away. “If you’re afraid, stay here. I didn’t ask you to come with me!”
Without waiting for a response, Dalton turned and plunged into the darkness.
Lydia was left alone, feeling frustrated and helpless. She knew her concern might have annoyed Dalton, but all she wanted was to keep him safe.
She thought, “Why can’t he see my genuine worry?”
The abandoned buildings loomed ominously in the darkness, their blackened, decayed structures adding to the desolation.
Lydia couldn’t help but think, “If only the explosives would go off now. Then Meryl would be dead, and my position wouldn’t be threatened.”
Meanwhile, the team split up, each taking a different direction. Lydia was left alone in the car, waiting anxiously.
“Beep beep beep…”
On the cold, hard floor, Meryl lay in a daze. Faintly, she thought she heard a sound nearby–maybe an alarm or a ringtone. Her head throbbed painfully, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she found herself in total darkness.
It was pitch dark all around.
She thought, “What has just happened?”
In the abandoned warehouse, two gunshots rang out suddenly, and the two thugs guarding Meryl and Lydia fell to the ground. It was Meryl’s first encounter with death, and she realized how fragile life could be.
Then, through her stunned gaze, a man climbed through the window. Agile and confident, he perched on the windowsill, one leg bent, a gun pointed toward her and Lydia. “Which one of you is Meryl?”