tightened and she could barely breathe. “But...that’s where they put the coffins.”
“It’s your only chance. You’re strong. You can do this. You have to open up one of those squares and crawl inside.”
* * *
DARBY’S FACE WENT PALE and she started shaking. “No, I can’t... I can’t.”
“You have to. Pick one without a name on the front. That means it’s empty. It won’t be sealed. Just four little screws, one on each corner. Then use the knife to cut the caulking around the square. It should pop right off. Crawl inside. I don’t know if it will totally shield you from the blast, but it’s the only chance you have. Hurry, Darby. It’s the only way.”
The fear and panic in her eyes was killing him.
“What about Nick?” she asked. “I can’t just leave him here.”
Grief nearly buckled his knees. He looked at his brother, so still and quiet, lying on the floor. “There’s nothing you can do for him now.”
“But...I can’t. Don’t you see? I can’t go in there. And I can’t leave him. I can’t abandon him.”
He grabbed both her hands and pulled her close against the bars. “Look at me.” He gave her a small shake. “Look. At. Me.”
Her chest was rising and falling too fast. She was close to hyperventilating. He squeezed her hands and gently shook them again until she met his gaze.
“You are going to take off one of those marble squares, Darby. You are going to crawl into that dark, tight hole. And do you know why you’re going to do that?”
Her lower lip trembled. “No, why?”
“Because you won’t be alone. I won’t abandon you. You’re going to survive. And after...after the explosion, I’ll be here for you. I won’t abandon you. I’ll search for you. And I’ll find you.”
She blinked several times. “You don’t understand. You don’t know... It’s not that I won’t. It’s that I can’t.” Her voice broke on the last word.
How much longer did she have? Four minutes? Three? He had to get her in one of those holes in the wall, or she would die. How could he make her do something that terrified her more than the idea of a bomb exploding and ripping her to pieces?
His gaze shot to Nick. Darby was softhearted. She wanted to save everyone, and above all, she never wanted to abandon someone in need, whether they deserved it or not. He’d thought that was a flaw. Now he knew better. It was her strength. And he’d use that strength to save her life. She wouldn’t go in that dark, tight hole to save herself.
But she would do it to save someone else.
“You’re right,” he said, purposely making his voice hard. “You can’t leave Nick to die. But I can’t save him. You have to save him.”
Her eyes widened. “But, how—”
“Get the marble square off. Slap Nick. Punch him. Do whatever it takes to wake his lazy ass. Then make him crawl into the hole behind you.” He didn’t think she’d be able to wake Nick. And even if she did, Nick would probably be too weak to move. But at least with the marble square off, her preservation instincts might kick in and she’d dive into the hole before the timer ran out. “Check the timer. How much more time do we have?”
She ran to the bomb. “Three minutes!”
“Save my brother, Darby. Please. You’re the only chance he’s got. Go!”
She ran to the far side of the mausoleum and got down on her knees in front of one of the squares on the bottom row.
Rafe watched her unscrew one of the corners. “Good, faster, babe. Hurry. Three more.”
She nodded, her movements jerky as she worked on the second corner. Then the other two corners. She reached out and tried to pry the marble square off the wall. “It won’t move.”
“Cut the caulking. Run the blade around the edge. Then kick it if you have to.”
She did as he said, and the square fell onto the concrete floor, cracking in two.
The hairs stood up on the back of Rafe’s neck. A whisper of sound had him jerking around. He dove to the ground just as Sonntag brought a tire iron down where he’d been standing moments before. The tire iron banged against the bars and fell to the ground.
Darby screamed from inside the mausoleum.
“Get in the hole, Darby! Now!” Rafe yelled. He grabbed for his gun, but Sonntag slammed into him. The gun went flying into the trees.
* * *
SAVE MY BROTHER.
Darby didn’t