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“I saw you.” Nathan Bingham’s raspy, breathless voice whispered through his chest into Emilia’s stethoscope.

“What?” She pulled away. His weak heart sounds and short, irregular breaths made her doubt she could pull him through another twenty hours under conditions that would be appalling for a man in perfect health. But she’d made him as comfortable as possible. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I saw you at the college. You and your man.” Every word was a painful gasp. “Billy likes to watch when I put on a show for him. Twenty-four years old and he still thinks like a kid.”

Emilia sat on the table, facing him. “Did you see how frightened we all were? I lost my father in an explosion. Yesterday, I could have lost my sister, too.”

“I’m seventy years old. I’ve killed a lot of people. Done it for money. Done it for revenge.” A fit of coughing racked his frail body, leaving him unable to speak for several minutes. But, as though sensing last chances and final breaths approaching, he pushed himself a little more upright and continued. “But my greatest crime is that boy. Letting him grow up to become the monster he is.” What was she supposed to say to that? She was locked in a room with a murderer, and instead of feeling fear or loathing, all she felt was pity. What a waste.

“Your man’s a smart one. I saw it in his eyes. He can neutralize my bomb. He’s a cop, isn’t he?” Emilia had to stand up and walk away. She’d probably just confirmed his guess, but she wouldn’t say the words to betray Justin’s cover. Nathan’s breath wheezed out and almost didn’t catch again. “I saw how much he loves you, too.”

Emilia spun around. “What?” How could this man, this shriveled-up man who was more dead than alive, possibly say such a thing to her?

Because it was true.

She’d known Justin a week. It made no sense for feelings to develop so quickly, so deeply. But she knew it was possible.

Because she loved him, too.

Nathan pointed a gnarled finger at her. “Allow me one last shot at redemption, Doctor.”

“How? How can you possibly atone for the things you’ve done?”

“Those boys are stupid. I taught him everything he knows about the business. But I didn’t teach him everything I know. They lock me away in this room. Leave me with all the supplies each time a shipment comes in.” On a last burst of strength, he pointed to an outlet on the wall. “A man has to have his hobbies.”

Emilia examined the outlet and wires running from it. It looked like an extension cord at first, but as she followed the device around the room, she discovered a whole lot more was going on. “Is that a...?”

Nathan nodded. “A bomb. This whole building is rigged to blow. I’ll do it tonight, when those three boys close the bar to celebrate a victory that hasn’t happened yet.”

“Tonight? Um, I have a slight problem with that.”

He pointed to the bricks of plastique with his eyes. “I’ll show you how to blow the hinges. You get out of here and be with your man. Oh, and tell him he’ll have to defuse the bomb at the bank. I won’t be around to show him how.”




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