Page 119 of Fatal Mistake
That’s why she had to trust him, like she had to trust God. To believe the unseen and know that it would all work out for her good.
“Spin,” he whispered urgently.
She pivoted. His hand holding the nail came up. He slammed the nail into the hole in the bomb that he’d asked about. Something whirred inside the pipe.
“No!” Fear washed over her, and her legs gave out. She latched on to Cal’s arm. He stood strong and unwavering.
Shane catapulted from behind a stack of boxes and slammed his fist into Oren’s arm. The gun went flying.
“I’ll detonate,” Oren warned.
Cal smiled as the middle section of her bomb suddenly released and opened. “Go ahead, Keeler. Press the remote all you want.”
Shock overcame Oren’s anger, but Tara didn’t have a chance to appreciate it before Kaci flew from the sidelines to tackle Oren.
The moment Oren hit the ground hard, Cal removed the necklace from around Tara’s neck and placed it on a crate on the other side of the room. He turned back, and his lips lifted in a bright smile unlike any she’d seen from him. She stood transfixed in the impact that his smile had on her heart.
He took slow steps toward her, his gaze fixed on hers. The look of raw vulnerability in his eyes sent her blood racing. He swept her into his arms and kissed her neck. Then her mouth, his lips urgent and hungry. He held her close, firmly, as if he might never let go.
She was safe in Cal’s arms. Safe!
Oren was in custody and she was free to return Cal’s kisses with her own urgency, which she did with abandon.
He lifted his head for a moment to look into her eyes and whisper, “I’ve been waiting to kiss you like this since we first met.” He grinned mischievously and kissed her hard again.
Tara gave herself to the kiss, fully and completely, and as soon as they stopped to catch their breath, she would declare her love and tell him that she thought they belonged together.
Applause and catcalls from the background finally broke through her senses, and she remembered that she and Cal weren’t alone. Heat flooded her face, and she pushed from his arms. This was definitely not the place or time to confess her love, but at least the kiss told her all she needed to know—he thought they belonged together, too, and she could wait until they were alone to talk about it.
Cal stood motionless a moment, then jammed his hand into his pocket and pulled out his phone. He dialed and held it up to his ear. “We have Keeler in custody. The safety arming switch can be released by inserting something like a nail into the hole on the front of the device. I’ll hold while you do it.”
“June,” Tara said, feeling foolish that she hadn’t even thought of her aunt.
Cal marched over to Oren where he lay handcuffed on the floor, Shane’s knee in the jerk’s back.
“Thanks, Keeler,” Cal said, staring down on him. “Nice of you to give me the dummy bomb to study. If you hadn’t, I never would’ve noticed the hole in the one you put on June and Tara.”
Oren grumbled something under his breath.
Tara nipped on her lower lip. “Was that from the callout I urged you to go on?”
Cal nodded. “The bomb was a fake, and Keeler here chose not to add all of the components. But he gave me enough so I could figure out how to release you from your bomb.”
“Way to go, man.” Kaci clapped Cal on the back and offered Tara a beaming smile. “It’s over. You’re free, and we couldn’t be happier.”
“I second that,” Shane said.
Tara’s eyes welled up at the display of affection from Cal’s team members, but more than anything, her heart soared at Cal’s affection, and she couldn’t wait to get him alone.
“Yeah,” Cal said into his phone and listened. “Hold on.”
He crossed to Tara. “It’s June. She’s free from the bomb and wants to talk to you.”
Tara grabbed the phone. “Aunt June.”
“Is it really all over, sweetheart?” A loud exhale followed her question. “Did Cal arrest Oren, and you’re safe, too?”
“Yes, it’s all over.” She smiled up at Cal.
