Chapter 6 - The Ticking Clock
The terrifying reality of the bomb threat hung heavily in the dark, dusty air of the curator's office.
Marcus kept his assault rifle aimed squarely at Mara’s chest, fully aware that she was Edward’s greatest vulnerability.
"Kick your weapon over to me, Mr. Hale, right now," Marcus demanded, his finger resting dangerously on the trigger.
Edward slowly lowered his hand, his eyes burning with a silent, incredibly calculated fury.
He dropped his sleek black handgun onto the carpet and kicked it gently across the room toward the corrupted security chief.
Marcus smirked triumphantly, bending down slightly to retrieve the discarded weapon while keeping his rifle raised.
It was the single, incredibly fleeting moment of distraction that Edward had been desperately waiting for.
Edward lunged forward with explosive, terrifying speed, completely disregarding the barrel of the rifle pointed directly in their direction.
He grabbed the heavy brass desk lamp sitting on the edge of the mahogany desk and swung it violently into Marcus's skull.
The heavy metal struck the security chief with a sickening crunch, sending him crashing backward into the doorframe.
Marcus dropped the rifle, groaning in agonizing pain as he collapsed into a heap on the hallway floor.
Edward immediately scooped up his handgun and kicked the assault rifle far out of reach.
"We have exactly ninety seconds to find that bomb in the lobby," Edward shouted, grabbing Mara’s hand tightly.
They sprinted out of the office, leaving the unconscious security chief bleeding heavily on the carpet.
Mara ignored the sharp pain in her bare feet as they raced back up the concrete stairwell toward the main level.
They burst through the heavy fire doors and sprinted into the grand lobby, which was now entirely evacuated and eerily silent.
The shattered remains of the crystal chandeliers covered the marble floor, sparkling menacingly in the dim emergency lighting.
"Where would he hide enough explosives to destroy the entire structural foundation?" Edward asked frantically, scanning the massive room.
Mara forced her panicked brain to focus, visualizing the architectural blueprints of the historic building perfectly.
"The central support columns near the dinosaur exhibition, it is the weakest load-bearing point in the entire museum," Mara deduced rapidly.
They ran toward the towering skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex, their footsteps echoing loudly in the empty hall.
Strapped to the base of the massive marble pillar was a thick brick of plastic explosives wired to a digital timer.
The glowing red numbers were mercilessly ticking down from thirty terrifying seconds.
"I am not a bomb disposal expert, Mara, we need to evacuate the building right now," Edward urged, trying to pull her away.
"There is no time to reach a safe distance, the blast radius will inevitably collapse the entire roof on top of us," Mara argued, dropping to her knees.
She stared closely at the complex wiring of the explosive device, recognizing the components from a specialized exhibit on military history she had curated last year.
"Marcus used a standard commercial blasting cap, which means the receiver is entirely dependent on the primary yellow wire," Mara muttered, her hands shaking violently.
"Are you absolutely certain about this?" Edward asked, kneeling beside her and shielding her body entirely with his own.
"I am absolutely certain that if I am wrong, we won't feel a thing anyway," Mara replied with a terrifyingly calm acceptance.
The timer crossed the ten-second mark, beeping loudly to signal the impending detonation.
Mara reached out, wrapped her fingers tightly around the thick yellow wire, and yanked it completely out of the circuit board.
The timer instantly froze on exactly three seconds.
Mara collapsed backward onto the cold marble floor, gasping for air as the sheer adrenaline finally broke.
Edward pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly and burying his face deep in her neck.
"You are the most incredibly brave woman I have ever met in my entire life," Edward whispered fiercely against her skin.
He tilted her chin up, and this time, there were no interruptions as he pressed his lips passionately against hers.
The kiss was desperate, completely consuming, and filled with the terrifying relief of entirely cheating death.
Mara tangled her fingers in his dark hair, entirely losing herself in the intoxicating taste of the billionaire who had turned her life upside down.
Suddenly, the harsh, blinding glare of police spotlights flooded through the massive glass windows of the lobby.
"Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air!" a voice boomed over a police megaphone from outside.
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Mara looked toward the entrance, her heart completely stopping as she saw who was leading the heavily armed SWAT team.
It was Peter Maddox, holding a police badge and pointing a triumphant finger directly at Mara and Edward.
