I jerk away from him. “My girlfriend is in there!”
“Sir, I understand, but we’re working on getting everyone out of the building right now. You can meet your girlfriend over at the reunification site.”
I glance where she points, but there’s no sight of Maddie. I know if there are still patients inside, that’s where she’ll be. I make a split-second decision to go in after her, brushing past the officer and entering the hospital. I’ve got to find Maddie and get her out of here.
“You can’t just go in there! Sir!”
By the time I get inside, most of the first floor is empty, but I run into Peyton, who’s wheeling a bed outside.
“Peyton!” I jog towards her. “Have you seen Maddie?”
“She’s helping me evacuate patients on the third floor.” Peyton’s tone is tight. “Roman, I think there might really be a bomb. This isn’t like the other times that we had threats. Maddie thinks it’s a prank.”
“I’ll find her, I promise,” I say, squeezing Peyton’s shoulder and heading towards the stairwell. I take them three at a time until I get to the third floor.
“Maddie?” I call down the empty hallway. There’s no response, so I make my way from room to room as quickly as possible.
“Maddie, are you up here?”
Still no response.
“Come on, Maddie.” I’m almost to the last room, and at this point I have no idea what I’ll do if I don’t find her. I start to panic a little. If this really is a bomb...
My heart lurches as I look into the last room. Maddie stands in the center of the room, between a little girl and Dr. Bauer. There’s a backpack with wires poking out of it at his feet, and I see a digital clock ticking down with each passing second.
Son of a bitch.
“Well, it looks like the gang’s all here.” Bauer gets a sinister grin on his face. “This just keeps getting better.”
Maddie gives me a desperate look as we lock eyes.
“Are you okay?” I ask, stepping into the room.
She nods, biting her lip with tears in her eyes. All I want is to reach out for her and hold her in my arms, to comfort her and to protect her, but Bauer has all the power here and he knows it. The little girl behind Maddie is bawling, terrified of what is about to happen.
“Look, I’m sure we can work all of this out.” I turn back towards Bauer cautiously.
“We’re not working anything out, Roman. I was just explaining to your sweet little girlfriend here that no one is walking out of here alive. We’re way past that. But if it makes you feel any better, you’ll both die here together.”
“Dr. Bauer, please,” Maddie begs. The look in her eyes shatters my heart. “This is between us. You and me and Roman. Please let her go.”
“I’ll stay in her place, Bauer,” I offer myself up. “There’s no sense in hurting an innocent little girl. I’ll stay here and do whatever you want.”
Bauer chuckles to himself. “I’m not a completely unreasonable man. If you stay, she can go.”
“Okay.” Maddie sucks in a sharp breath of relief, kneeling in front of the little girl. “Okay, sweetie. Do you think you can get outside by yourself?” Maddie’s maternal instinct kicks in and she wipes away at the girl’s tears.
“Not without you.” The girl continues to cry, clutching Maddie’s hand.
“I can’t go with you right now, but I promise, when all this is over, I’ll come meet you outside and everything will be okay.”
“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” Bauer growls. “Get her out of here before I change my mind.”
Quickly, I assess Bauer and try to figure out what exactly I’m dealing with. I can see the bomb, and if I don’t move soon, he’s right—no one will be leaving here alive. I inch my way toward him while he’s distracted by Maddie and the girl.
His hand is on a trigger, and if I tackle him, it will come off. More than likely, that will blow the entire place up. I have to avoid that at all costs, but I have no idea how.
“The elevator is right down the hallway,” Maddie tells the little girl. “Do you know how to get it open?”
