Page 96 of Forged in Peril

To live for.

“Please, let me go, Jaclyn,” she said, leaning closer to the desk and to the gun. “Please. I’m so scared. Whatever you need, I can help you, but I’m begging you, please just stop this now before you do something we all know that you don’t want to do.”

Jaclyn’s eyes went wide for a moment, no doubt surprised by her sudden outburst after hours of stoicism.

Good.

The sobs made her chest ache, and she hated how pathetic she sounded, but it seemed that her shift in demeanor was yanking Jaclyn off balance, just as she’d hoped it would.

“My mother doesn’t have anyone else,” she continued. “If you shoot me, she’ll be all alone. Whatever it is I’ve done, don’t punish her for my mistakes. Please. I want to figure this out.”

Cameron glanced between the two of them, waiting.

At last, Jaclyn spoke, touching a finger to her lips as she glanced up at the ceiling.

“I suppose there is one option I’d consider, Forge,” she said at last, turning to Cameron.

Bristol’s heart skipped a beat.

However cold and heartless Jaclyn was acting, it was clear that she didn’t actually want to kill her.

Not directly, anyway.

She was okay with planting a bomb, but when it came to doing the dirty work herself, Bristol had a feeling that she’d prefer to find another way out if she could.

“What can I do to help?” Cameron asked, his face the picture of compassion.

She knew that he wasn’t acting either, at least, not any more than she was.

He had always been able to find some of God’s love to share, even with the people who deserved it the least.

It was one of the things she’d always loved about him.

“If you bring Reilly in here, unarmed and without a vest, I’ll let Bristol go,” Jaclyn replied, her tone all business once more.

Bristol sucked in air.

An opportunity was arising now, a risky one, but if it meant being able to alert Cameron and possibly the other Forge brothers to the bomb waiting downstairs, it was a chance she had to take.

She prayed that he would understand.

“Why do you need to shoot Reilly, Jaclyn?” she said quickly, not wanting to give Cameron a chance to interject. “His office is right above the bomb. You planned it that way, I would guess, though I still have no idea why.”

She glanced over at Cameron. His jaw was tight, and though he was trying to retain a neutral expression, she could tell that he was surprised. The question was, was he surprised about the bomb’s existence, or about the fact that she’d let the information slip?

Jaclyn laughed, but no touch of humor reached her eyes.

“An admirable attempt at a warning,” Jaclyn said. “But if the stream of FBS employees pouring onto the street out front is any indication, they already knew a while ago.”

Bristol opened her mouth to speak, but Jaclyn cut her off.

“No. The others are concerned about ridding the world of Forge Brothers Security. My personal interests are much more narrow.”

Who were these others? How did they fit in?

Bristol felt she was going insane with curiosity, but she said nothing.

Jaclyn’s words hung in the air for several long seconds until Cameron broke the silence.

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