Loving The Temperamental Adonis
Chapter 249: The bomb

Chapter 249: The bomb

When his eyes opened again, his entire body was sore and in pain. He was bruised all over, but this time there was no Mia’s twin hovering over him and touching him. Realizing that he hadn’t gone to look for his wife before she’d hit him on the neck, Neil jumped out of the bed in a hurry that made his head dizzy, but he shook it off, angry that she’d caught him off guard when she struck his neck. From how he hadn’t felt her move behind him before she struck him, it was obvious she’d been trained and a master in that.

He was still in that same room from earlier, and if he’d gotten it right, he’d heard Mia’s twin say that Mia was down in the warehouse, which meant the warehouse was still somewhere around here. He touched his throbbing head and realized he had a bandage around it and another one around his midriff. Without even bothering to look for his shirt, he hurried towards the door only to find it locked from the outside.

However, a single lock could never stop him from reaching his wife. He ran back, then ran forward at full speed, using his shoulder to break the door open. The door broke out of its frame and crashed to the corridor. Neil expected men to rush at him, but strangely, nobody came. The corridor was so empty and quiet he could hear his rough breathing. He hadn’t recovered to his full strength as his limbs were still shaking, but that as well would never stop him.

If only he could get a phone to call Liam or James so they could track his call and lead his soldiers here, but Owen was smart enough to take away his gun and phone after knocking him out. He didn’t even know where he was or if he was still in Silverbrook or in another city. Stepping out into the quiet corridor, Neil began to hurry down the path that seemed to lead to an exit.

It was night already and the corridor’s light flickered every now and then, causing the path to look ominous, but he didn’t care. His only goal was to find that damned warehouse and get his wife out of here. For some reason, his heightened sense and instinct told him there was no one in the building but him. He couldn’t sense any presence. Even as he stepped out of the building and was met with the rundown warehouse across the street, he didn’t see anybody.

He looked around his surroundings. Thank goodness there was a full moon that illuminated the darkened night and allowed him to see that he was in the middle of nowhere. Tall trees were all around him and the wind blew in full force, carrying with it a scent of earth like it was about to rain. There was no car or any vehicle in sight.

Cursing under his breath, Neil proceeded to go into the warehouse. He ran all the way there and found the door open. His heart slammed against his ribs as he heard the silence in the building as well. Had they taken Mia away to another place? he wondered as he looked around the huge warehouse with his heart in his stomach. If they’d taken her somewhere else, it would take him a long time to find her, and what if Owen had taken her to the doctors he said would remove her pregnancy?

With those thoughts, Neil felt his blood run cold and panic began to settle inside him, a panic that made him frantically begin to search the entire place while yelling her name, not caring about the men hearing him.

"Mia!" he yelled at the top of his voice, his voice bouncing back to him in echoes.

Neil frantically looked around, sweat dripping from his brow. His search seemed futile and desperation clawed at him. He was about to turn around and look outside when he heard a voice. He stopped and listened. The voice was so faint he didn’t hear it clearly at first, but when he calmed his heartbeat and the ringing in his ears, he finally heard the familiar voice calling his name from the other side of the building he hadn’t checked. He began to hurry towards it and pushed the door open only to see that there was another warehouse inside the first one. He had thought he and Mia had been kept in the one he just checked, but it turned out the building had another inner part. He called her name and heard her cry out his name.

Neil sprinted towards her direction, and when he saw her, a relieved groan tore from his chest. But then he stopped short in his tracks when he saw the gallons and chains she was tied to, then his eyes fell on a familiar device that was ticking around her midriff.

Bomb! He looked at Mia’s eyes and saw how swollen they were, and how they’d lost their glow. She was no longer crying but staring at him like she’d lost hope in living. Her expression was one of resignation and heartbreak, her eyes dull and lifeless.

Neil felt his heart clench tightly as he noticed the bomb would go off in about forty minutes. Without wasting time, he rushed towards her. When he knelt down beside her, Mia began to shake her head and tell him to go before the bomb exploded.

"Neil, you have to leave me. The bomb will go off before you can get someone to defuse it," she said, her voice trembling with panic. "Please, go. Leave me."

Neil cupped her face and said, "Why does it seem like you always want me to leave whenever I find you?" He stroked her cheek. "Remember, I used to defuse bombs when I was still in the military. Just like any bombs, I will defuse this one and take you out of here alive."

A tear rolled down her cheek, and Neil leaned down and kissed it away. His lips lingered on her face for more than a second, his heart warming up. But knowing time was ticking away, he moved away from the kiss and stroked her cheeks, assuring her to stay calm while he cut the wire that would stop the bomb.

Mia bobbed her head and told him, "I trust you."

Neil smiled and sat down on his heels to examine the bomb. To keep her calm, he searched for a topic to talk about to keep her from panicking, and he found the right one when his eyes fell on her stomach. With a smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he was trying to focus on the bomb, he asked, "Have you thought of names for our babies?"

Mia shook her head while using her free hand to stroke the wound on his head as he bent down before her. "I haven’t chosen a name yet, but I have been considering the ones we both thought of the night we laid in bed together."

Mia knew they were talking to keep from panicking, but she couldn’t help but notice her husband’s momentary pause as he opened the bomb connection panel. She saw sweat glisten on his forehead, and he swallowed hard as he stared at the bomb connection panel like his worst nightmare had come to life. He didn’t blink and stared at it in horror.

Mia knew immediately something was wrong and asked, "What is it, Neil?" She remember Mariana saying something about the bomb being a rare one and from the looks in Neil’s eyes, she could tell it was indeed a rare one that seemed to make him speechless.

Neil quickly flashed her a reassuring smile and said, "It’s nothing." He lied to keep her calm so she wouldn’t insist he leave her, he would rather die here with her than leave.

The bomb was nothing like the ones he used to defuse in the past. It looked and seemed nothing like it. The wires were different. It was as if it had been made to never be defused. He looked at the ticking time and saw that it was thirty-eight minutes remaining. He felt his head begin to ring, and his heart began to beat wildly. There must be a way to stop the bomb, but looking at the complicated wires, he knew he could never risk cutting the wrong one or else it would explode sooner than later. And if he didn’t try, it would still explode in thirty-seven minutes.

"Mia," Neil said, trying to keep his voice steady, "I need you to stay calm. This bomb is different from the ones I’ve dealt with before, but I’m going to figure it out. Just keep talking to me, okay? Tell me more about the names you were considering."

Mia nodded, tears brimming in her eyes but her voice steady. "I was thinking about the names we talked about that night. But now that I’ve remembered my past, I think I know the right names for them."

Neil momentarily stopped and looked up at her in disbelief, "You’ve remembered your past? Everything?"

She nodded her head with a bittersweet smile. "Yes. I remember everything. I remember you, I remember us. I remember your parents and my mother. Neil, you look just like your father, so much like him." Tears streamed down her cheeks as she recalled how his father and mother had lain lifeless on the grounds of their house. "I am sorry... they got killed because of me. Mom wanted to take me away from Kelvin and asked for your father’s help. If it weren’t for me, she would never have gotten your family involved. I am sorry..." She sobbed brokenly as she avoided his gaze.

Neil swallowed the huge lump in his throat. He had once hated Ella and her daughter for dragging his family into their mess, but he would be no different from Kelvin if he still hated them for things that weren’t their fault. If he had been in his father’s shoes and Mia was in Ella’s shoes, he would have done the same, perhaps even worse, to see that the woman he loved was out of danger. He had blamed Ella then because he had no idea what it was like to love someone wholeheartedly. He had no idea how love could change a man until he met Mia Harrison.

He’d once told her that he’d get his revenge on the man who killed his parents by killing his entire family, but now he realized that was stupid of him to say. Mia was his life, she was his everything. If it was possible, he loved her more than love itself. Seeing her tears and broken state broke his heart into pieces. He reached out and cupped her face. "It was never your fault, Mia. I forgave Ella a long time ago, and I have never blamed you for anything. There’s more I’d like to say, but for now, I will try to defuse this damned bomb while you tell me the names you picked, alright?"

Mia nodded her head, smiling through her tears. She knew this was no time to get too emotional while the time was ticking away. Neil flashed her another smile and bent his head to continue what he was doing while asking her the names.

"When I was little, I remember my mother always telling me a story about her father, my grandfather. She said he was a hero, and she wished she had a son to carry his name. Now that I think about it, I want one of our sons to have his name."

"What’s the name?" Neil asked as he tried to move the complicated wires apart.

"Nolan. His name is Nolan. And our other son can be named after your father. Noah. What do you think?"

Neil’s hands moved with precision, but inside, his mind was racing. "I think those are beautiful names, my love. Our children will have the best names. Nolan and Noah."

He traced the wires, trying to determine which one would stop the timer. His heart pounded in his chest, and sweat dripped from his forehead as he held the two wires, knowing he had to cut one to stop the timer. But he didn’t know which one, as they were both the same color. If he cut the right one, the bomb would stop, but if he cut the wrong one, it would explode. Taking a deep breath, he made his decision to cut the one his instinct chose, but before he did, he looked up at his wife and cupped her cheek.

"Mia, no matter what happens, I want you to know that I love you more than anything in this world. Whatever the outcome today, I will always be by your side, in death and in life."

Mia’s hand squeezed his gently. "I love you too, Neil. I believe in you."

With those words, Neil used a sharp object he’d picked up from the floor and placed it against the wire. He didn’t look down as he cut it; he was looking at his wife, who was gazing at him with so much love and trust, smiling at him. Smiling back at her, he cut the wire, and a booming sound erupted throughout the entire warehouse.