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A double click was the affirmative answer. The two men responsible for picking up the guards and loading them on the van would arrive within a minute. In the meantime, he and Olivia had ten minutes to set twelve charges.
Running to the northwest corner of the first building, Hawke went to his knees and removed a small device from his pack. Placing it on the metal surface, he heard the slight click, letting him know it was now attached. He flipped the switch, and the detonator light came on.
“One,” Hawke said into his mic.
Grabbing his pack, he went through his sector, attaching each device to the position they had decided would make the most impact. With each additional one, he counted off, listening to Olivia do the same with her charges.
“Done.”
He was halfway to the entrance when Olivia said, “Hawke, number three isn’t giving me a connection light.”
That was one he’d set. “Okay. Give me a sec.” He took off, racing as fast as he could back to the location he’d just left. Sure enough, the light had gone off. Lying flat on the ground, he checked and immediately saw the problem. A wire on the back had come loose. Reattaching it, he clicked the switch again, and the light came on.
“Okay, got it,” Olivia said. “Now get out of there.”
He didn’t need to be told twice. Getting to his feet, he raced back the way he’d come. A glance at his watch told him he had two minutes, twenty-three seconds before—
On his next step, his foot twisted. His knee went one way, his foot the other. Searing shards of pain shot through his knee, and he went down.
“Hawke, you okay?”
Cursing his clumsiness and gritting his teeth, he got back to his feet, and damned if he didn’t almost go down again.
He looked up, noting he had about twenty yards to go before he could even get to the outer section, then it’d be ten yards after that. Yet, he could put no weight on his left leg.
“Hawke?” Olivia’s voice was quiet, but he heard her mounting tension. “Talk to me.”
“Had a little accident. Get out of the blast site. I’ll be there soon.”
“What kind of accident?”
Dragging his leg, he growled between clenched teeth, “Just get the hell out of here, Liv. That’s an order.”
When she didn’t respond, he blew out a sigh filled with relief. She would follow protocol. She would be safe.
He continued to drag his leg, all the while knowing he wasn’t going to make it. Detonation could not be stopped. He wouldn’t give up, that just wasn’t in him, but a quiet calm was enveloping his senses. He’d had more time in this world than he’d thought he’d have. Didn’t mean he wouldn’t have liked to have decades more, but maybe this was the way it was supposed to be. Seeing Olivia, making peace with her, making love to her one more time—those had been gifts he’d never expected.
He didn’t bother to look at his watch again. When it happened, it would happen. No point in—
The sound of running feet caught his attention. He glanced up to see Olivia running like a bat out of hell toward him.
“No!” he shouted. “I told you to get out of here!”
Ignoring him, her expression one of grim determination, she charged toward him. Doing his best, he tried to run toward her, shouting at her the entire time to leave.
She reached him in seconds. “Put your arm around me.”
Arguing now would only get them both killed. He did his best not to give her his full weight.
They weren’t going to make it, and it literally killed his soul to know that she would die with him. Because of him. Never in a million years had he wanted this to happen.
He glanced down at her. Sweat poured down her face, but there were tears, too. He wanted to say something profound, something comforting. All he could come up with was, “I’m sorry, baby. So sorry.”
She didn’t acknowledge his grim words. She just kept moving.
The entrance was ahead of them. His heart kicked up. Maybe they could make it. Ignoring the agony in his leg, he forced himself to move.
Thirty seconds from safety, the world exploded around them.
