Chapter 261: Three, two… Stop! Kellan’s voice cracked with desperation; his bloodshot eyes were wide with panic.

“I’ll do what you want, but you have to let her go first.”

Despite the life-threatening situation, Kellan placed his unwavering trust in Allison. He reached for the gun, his hand steady, as if ready to turn it on himself. But behind his grim expression, his mind raced. He knew that Allison should be prepared for what came next.

The man in the peaked cap sneered, his lips curling cruelly. “Fine. I’ll let her go… with one hand.”

Still clutching the remote control tightly in his right hand, he loosened his left hand slightly. But before anyone could react, a piercing scream shattered the tense silence.

“Ah! My hand!” In a desperate move, Lorna had sunk her teeth deep into the man’s wrist. He yelped in pain, reflexively releasing his grip. Lorna dropped to the ground, scrambling away, her hands and knees moving frantically over the rough pavement.

Faster. Faster. She had to escape. She couldn’t let Uncle Kellan and Allison worry about her!

The man, now enraged and humiliated, raised his gun, the barrel aimed at the fleeing child. “You brat!” he yelled. “I warned you—move again, and I’ll shoot!”

A gunshot rang out. In an instant, Kellan threw himself forward, snatching Lorna into his arms. The bullet hit his shoulder, and he let out a low, agonized groan, blood soaking through his shirt almost immediately. Lorna, trembling in his embrace, stared blankly at the red stain spreading across his clothes. Unbearable, terrifying memories flooded her mind, and her small hands clutched Kellan’s arm with desperate strength. Her voice, fragile but clear, broke through her trembling lips.

“Uncle Kellan…” Then, as if a dam holding back her emotions shattered, she burst into tears.

Kellan looked down at her in disbelief. Lorna… She hadn’t spoken since the last kidnapping—not a single word. But now, she had called his name. For a moment, a flicker of joy passed through him, but there was no time to dwell on it.

The kidnapper, now seething with rage, couldn’t believe he had been outsmarted by a child. His face twisted with fury. “Then we all die!” he snarled. Without hesitation, he slammed his finger down on the detonator. This was it—his final act. He was determined to take everyone down with him.

Panic erupted like wildfire. People screamed and scattered in every direction. “Run! He’s going to blow the place!” “Mr. Lloyd, get back!” “Help! Somebody, please!”

But Kellan didn’t move. He couldn’t. They were too close—he and Lorna—too close to escape the blast. If the bomb went off, there would be no chance of survival.

As he held Lorna tight, curiously, his mind didn’t dwell on the fear of death. Instead, it wandered to Allison. Images of her flashed through his mind, fleeting and bittersweet: their first night together, the kiss they’d stolen in the elevator, the scent of gardenias lingering between them like an indelible memory, the reckless passion that had consumed them both. When had he lost control? Again and again, because of her? Love had never been something Kellan believed in.

But as those thoughts swirled in his mind, the seconds stretched on—and the explosion never came. A strange, stunned silence followed. People, wide-eyed and breathless, blinked in confusion. Then, someone’s voice, thick with relief, rang out.

“It’s Ms. Clarke! She cracked the remote control device! I knew she could do it! Those scumbags are finished now!”

The man in the peaked cap froze, his face a mask of disbelief. His gaze snapped toward the car where Allison sat, barely visible through the window. She was hunched over, eyes glued to the screen of her computer.

“No… No way…” He stumbled back, his fingers frantically hammering the detonator. Over and over again, he pressed the button. But nothing happened.