Page 42 of Good Girls Don't Cry

“I’ll try.” Tears spilled down Olivia’s cheeks as she looked at Kane. “You killed him.” Her eyes widened. “Is he really dead?”

Nodding, Kane squeezed her shoulder. “Yeah, he’s dead.” He pressed his com to talk to Rio. “The perp is down. Get here ASAP.”

“Copy.”

Raising an eyebrow, he looked at Carter. “Gutsy call. What made you shoot?”

“I know the device. It’s not what most suicide bombers and the like use. They arm their bombs to explode when they remove their finger. That type needs two pushes on the button to explode. It’s a failsafe.” Carter shrugged and went to Olivia. “You’re gonna be fine. Just sit still for a little longer and I’ll have you out of this in no time.” He went to his knees beside Olivia and then glanced up at Kane. “Jenna won’t be happy. She wanted him alive.”

Kane waved his concerns away. He’d seen Jenna’s horrified expression at the autopsies. “It was him or me. I don’t figure she’ll shed a tear for this guy.” He went to stand beside Olivia, keeping his body between her and the corpse. He crouched beside her. “You were very brave. Those signals you gave me saved all our lives. Carter here will free you, but you must try and remain calm. I’ll be right here holding your hand, okay?” He indicated to Raven. “This is Dr. Johnny Raven. Once we’re out of here, he’ll take a look at you and then we’ll get you to the hospital.”

“No hospital. He didn’t hurt me. I just want to go home and see my mom.” Olivia searched Kane’s face. “My friends? Are they okay? He raped them and beat them. I’m glad he’s dead.”

Ripping off the Band-Aid was Kane’s only choice. He squeezed her hand. “They didn’t make it. I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Oh, my God.” Tears streamed down Olivia’s face and she trembled. “You gotta get me out of here.” She gasped in air at a frantic pace. “Don’t let me die. Please, get the bomb off of me. I can’t stand it a second longer.” Her lip trembled and she sobbed, her entire body shaking.

“The bomb will trigger if you don’t sit still.” Carter’s face was slick with sweat as he cut wires. “This is a little more complicated than I imagined. It’s gonna take time.”

“Oh, Jesus.” Olivia tore at the vest. “Get this thing off of me.”

Kane gripped her hands. “Take deep breaths. Carter can’t help you if you shake. If he cuts the wrong wires, we’re all toast.”

“You can say that again.” Carter looked at Raven. “Can you give her something? She needs to relax.”

“Olivia, look at me. Now, take some deep breaths.” Raven moved closer. “I’m going to give you a tranquilizer.” He took a shot from a small case and pushed the needle into her thigh. “You’re doing fine. It will all be over real soon.” He smiled at her. “Slow breaths… in and out, in and out.”

“I need more light.” Carter looked at Kane, his face etched in concern. “This set up is like a bowl of spaghetti. It has traps all over.”

Kneeling beside him, Kane pulled out his MAGLITE and held it steady. “Take your time. We have all day.”

Beside him, Carter’s face was tight with tension. His teeth dug deep into his bottom lip as he worked. Minutes ticked by and each time Carter’s pliers closed around a wire, everyone held their breath. Intent on the almost impossible task facing Carter, Kane tried to slow his racing heart as his friend made each snip, followed by the long second’s wait for an expected explosion.

Sweat ran down his face, and Kane gritted his teeth as he watched each delicate move. Carter’s intent gaze moved back and forth, tracing wires and cutting them like a surgeon performing brain surgery. He hardly dared to breathe for the fifteen agonizing minutes it took before Carter lifted the vest from her. He sighed with relief and nodded to him. “Great job.” He looked at Olivia. “You’re okay now. Put one arm around my neck.” He lifted her into his arms. “Let’s get you out of here.”

Forty-Seven

Jenna met the team as they spilled back into the office. She stared at Kane. “Silas Thorne? He’s dead? What happened?”

“See for yourself. Although it was dark down there.” Kane removed the bodycam and handed it to her. “He had Olivia wired with explosives and threatened to blow us all sky high. Carter hit him in the shoulder. I went to disarm him and he drew down on me. It was self-defense.”

“There is a nice confession on there as well and Dave read him his rights.” Carter moved a toothpick across his lips. “We saved the girl. It was a successful mission.”

Jenna fingered the bodycam and frowned. “Where is Olivia?”

“In the conference room.” Kane indicated behind him with his thumb. “Raven is checking her out. She looks okay, scared to death but no major problems. He didn’t hurt her. I guess he was saving her for a special kill. I gave her my phone to call her mom. Her parents will be along soon. They’re happy for you to question her and she’ll tell you everything that happened the night of the prom and since then. She’s seventeen and a credible witness.”

Clearing her throat, Jenna looked from one to the other. “So you walked out and left the body for the rats?”

“Nope.” Carter smiled at her. “I called Wolfe, and his team is heading there now.”

Kane and Carter were both dirty and their faces streaked with sweat. She waved them out of her office. “Okay, you go and take a shower. I’ll order some food from Aunt Betty’s. Ask Rio to sit with Olivia, so Raven can do the same. I’ll watch the footage and then speak to her.” She smiled. “Seems to me, you handled everything without me. Great job.” She picked up her phone and placed a delivery for takeout.

As Kane and Carter headed for the locker room, she leaned back in her chair and smiled at Duke. “I do believe it’s time for me to go home and wait for my baby to arrive.”

She slid the card from the bodycam into her computer and watched the dark footage. She could clearly hear everything that had happened. She swallowed hard at the sight of the scarecrow and chills ran down her spine each time Carter diffused the bombs. The confession was there to a point, but she needed to know what happened on the night of the prom.

Jenna picked up her recorder and headed to the conference room. Olivia was sitting up on the sofa wrapped in a blanket drinking hot chocolate. She looked at Raven. “I need to question her. Is she okay?”

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