The Threefold Secret

Chapter 19

---

I raise the gun from his chest, the tip still trembling as I keep it pointed directly at his heart. My mind races, a storm of thoughts clashing with each other, but one question breaks through the chaos.

"What the hell are you talking about? How do you know her?!" I erupt, pushing myself closer, my hips pinning him down as I sit firmly on top of him, the gun wavering but steady enough to show I mean business.

A twisted smirk spreads across his face as he casually pulls out a phone—*my* phone—from his pocket. My breath catches in my throat as the realization hits me. He must have taken it when I was busy rifling through his office, too focused on finding evidence to notice. The bastard waves it tauntingly in front of me before gripping it tightly, his fingers curling around it like a vice.

"My men," he begins with a dark, almost bored tone, "are now in your friend's workplace. Three bombs, each on a different floor, are being planted as we speak. The timers are already ticking."

My heart plummets into my stomach. Every word he speaks feels like a knife, twisting deeper into my gut. My gaze flickers to the clock on the wall of his office.

"In about three minutes," he continues, glancing at the clock, "all of them go splat." His chuckle is low and sinister, as if this is nothing more than a game to him—a game where lives are mere pawns.

"N-no... No, you're b-bluffing..." I stutter, my breath hitching. My mind desperately tries to reject the reality of what he's saying, but the cold, calculating look in his eyes tells me otherwise.

He shrugs nonchalantly, as if my disbelief is of no consequence. "Believe me, don't believe me... Up to you. But don't bark at my face when you're the reason those innocent lives are lost." His words are venomous, taunting me with a terrifying calmness.

I can feel the gun slipping from my grasp, my fingers trembling uncontrollably. My mind races, thoughts of Lila, the people in the building, and the devastating consequences of his words swirling together into a chaotic mess.

"Keep the gun down, and I’ll call off the bombs," he says, his voice soft yet dripping with malice. "You’ve got two minutes and fifteen seconds." He locks his gaze with mine, and a sickeningly sweet smile spreads across his lips as he whispers, "Tick... Tick... Tick..."

Panic surges through me like wildfire. My heart pounds in my chest as I throw myself off of him, practically shoving the gun into his hands as he stands, towering over me. "Okay... O-okay... Please. Call off the bombs... Please, don’t do this," I beg, my voice cracking under the weight of my desperation. Tears well up in my eyes, blurring my vision as the enormity of the situation crashes down on me.

He chuckles, a cold and heartless sound, as he toys with my phone in his hand before tossing it back to me. My trembling fingers fumble to catch it, nearly dropping it in my panic. I look at him, confusion and terror battling for dominance on my face.

"You've got a minute and a half," he says, his tone almost casual, "to tell your friend to get out of there." He settles into his chair as if he's watching a show unfold, his eyes never leaving me.

My fingers scramble to dial Lila’s number, my heart pounding louder with each passing second. The phone rings—once, twice—and then she picks up.

"LILA... g-get out of there NOW! NOW... get out of there, tell your friends to leave the building! PLEASE... Lila, GET OUT OF THE OFFICE!" I scream into the phone, my voice breaking with fear and desperation. Tears stream down my face, my chest tightening as I wait for her response.

"Nadia?! What happened? The office is closed today, we all are at home!" Lila's voice, confused and slightly concerned, filters through the phone, but her words barely register in my panicked mind.