Chapter 608
Chapter 608:
Seeing this, Abrial cried out, desperation sharp in her voice. “Ashton! There’s still time for you to escape. Run—leave, before the bomb swallows us both!”
Without a flicker of hesitation, Ashton crossed the small room and knelt beside her. Gently, he brushed the tears from her cheek, his touch warm against her cold fear.
“It’s me who got you into this,” he murmured, his voice steady as stone. “I won’t let you die like this. Even if it means death, I’ll stay with you.”
With that, Ashton turned his gaze to the bomb strapped around her, studying the twisted maze of wires with the focus of a man refusing to yield to death.
He had defused bombs before, but this one was far more complex, with wires crisscrossing in a chaotic maze. One wrong snip, and they’d be nothing but dust.
Time slipped away like water through his fingers as Ashton analyzed each wire, each color, each connection, with the patience of a man locked in a battle against the ticking clock.
Three minutes ticked by, and he still hadn’t made his move. Abrial’s heart sank, a cold resignation creeping in. With less than a minute left, she began to let go of her hope.
As she gazed at Ashton, who remained hunched over, painstakingly studying the wires and seemingly oblivious to the dwindling time, Abrial felt a strange solace amid her despair.
It was a cruel twist of fate, a moment of deep connection hovering on the edge of oblivion, with mere seconds left. In a flash of dark humor, she thought that if she could die with Ashton, perhaps it wouldn’t be the worst way to go.
To soften the looming dread, Abrial forced a smile, her voice light with forced jest.
“If Rosalie hadn’t called earlier, we could have had sex. Then I wouldn’t die with the regret of never having made love with a man.”
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At this, Ashton looked up sharply, his eyes blazing. “If you really want to know what it’s like, I promise you’ll have more than your fill once we get back.”
“Do you honestly think we’ll make it back?” she whispered, her voice breaking with the faintest tremor.
Ashton didn’t answer. He bent his head to the task again. With only eight seconds left, he finally identified the right wire and ripped it free with his bare hands.
Abrial screamed, her heart pounding in her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the explosion. But instead of the searing heat of doom, she felt her bonds loosen. She fell forward, clutching Ashton as though he were her lifeline.
Time had run out, and yet… there was no explosion. Tentatively, Abrial opened her eyes, staring at the bomb’s silent, lifeless display. Relief started to flicker, but it was short-lived.
A taunting voice broke through the stillness.
Red Jack’s mocking tone echoed, “Surprised, Ashton? That wasn’t a bomb; it’s just a tape recorder! Congratulations on passing my second game!”
A sinister pause lingered before he continued, “Here’s the final twist. Since my time was short, I have only one game left for you. Just leave the room to win.”
A sick smile crept into Red Jack’s voice. “But as you’ve come this far, I’ve activated the real bomb beneath the floor. Step carefully—the path is rigged. One wrong step, and this entire resort will come down on top of you.”
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