Hostile Takeover ❖ Jake Riley | ✓ [book 1]

4~ Tragedy Plus Time

"I'm working as fast as I can, officer!" he replied.

"Guys! Guys, what's going on?" Max asked.

"Nothing Max, it's nothing," Jake told him, "Listen. Let's talk, okay? Let's talk. Earlier today, we were talking about Hawaii 5'0,"

"The early series, not the later one," he said.

"Yeah. I didn't watch the early series much, what was it like?" he asked.

"They're old-school detectives. They're some of the most powerful cops in Hawaii! And the suits they wear are awesome!" he replied happily. Jake smiled, even Lex broke out into a grin.

"Listen, guys. If I don't make it out of here, I need you guys to do something for me," he said.

"No! Max! No! This is not the time, you're going to be just fine!" Lex assured him.

"Listen to me. If I don't make it out, just call my mom, and tell her I love her. And tell her, even though I was scared, I was brave just for her," he said. Jake felt his eyes beginning to sting.

"I'm not going to do that, Max. You're going to be just fine," he said.

"Her name is Sibah! She always makes really good butter chicken," Max said.

"Well, when we get you out of here, we can come over for butter chicken," Lex said, "You like butter chicken, don't you Jake?"

"Yeah! Yeah, I love it, man!" Jake actually wasn't a big fan, but he wasn't about to tell Max that. Not now.

Meanwhile, on the other end, Aaron was down to two wires: one yellow, one green. He couldn't figure out which one to cut.

"Doc, what's going on?" Reynolds asked him.

"It's one of these two wires! I just can't decide which one is which! One will defuse the bomb, the other will detonate it!" he replied.

"We got just under a minute, doc. Go with your gut here," she said. Tate stared down at both wires, right until he made his final decision.

"It should be the yellow one," he took his shears and snapped the wire in two. But instead of diffusing the bomb, it shortened its time. Instead of forty seconds, they only had twenty.

"Wrong one! Wrong wire!" Lex shouted. Tate cut the other wire, but the beeping only got faster.

"This is all wrong! I can't stop it!"

"What!?" Jake looked up, "You have to stop it!"

"We got thirteen seconds! Everybody get back!" an officer shouted. Everybody began to get clear.

"Wait! Wait! What about Max!?" Jake shouted back.

"Jake!" Max shouted, "It's okay! Go!"

"No! Wait-!" Lex grabbed Jake and hauled him back to a safe distance, just as the timer ran dry, and the bomb went off. The car was sent flying into the air in a blast of orange and white lights, and it landed with a loud boom.

Jenna covered her head with her good arm, and when she looked up, she was surrounded by fiery car parts. But that's not what scared her.

Before her were the remains of a charred human hand.

Jake and Lex had hit the deck, and when they looked up, the car was in a million pieces, with flames devouring each fleck and scrap. Jake didn't dare blink, all he could hear was his heavy breathing, and he felt like somebody had just ripped his heart out. Max was dead;

And it was his fault.

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