Chapter 187
- Evan -
Everyone was silent, except Micah, who nodded once.
"He's right."
Daniel's head snapped toward her. He must have overheard her.
"What do you mean he's right, little girl?!"
Micah took one cautious step forward.
"Sorry if I upset you. I have a friend who is really good at tech, and I happened to learn a thing or two. That's the receiver box near your shoulder."
Daniel hesitated.
Slowly... his eyes shifted down.
Rain dripped from the wires of the vest and the small black box that sat next to his collar.
Completely separate from the detonator in his hand.
His face went pale.
"...No!"
Josh kept his voice steady.
"You didn't know? The person who built that vest... It wasn't you, was it?"
Daniel shook his head.
"...Someone helped me."
Of course they did.
Behind us, Duke folded his arms calmly.
"A puppet," he murmured quietly. "Someone to take advantage of him in this vulnerable state."
If Daniel wasn't the mastermind, who was, and why? What was the ulterior motive?
He was the distraction.
Josh continued calculating every word as if it were a matter of life or death.
"Daniel, can you tell us who helped you?"
Daniel's jaw tightened.
"The city needed to pay."
"Who said that?" Josh pressed a bit more.
Or better yet, who put that thought in his head?
Danielie looked toward the bank doors behind him.
"He met me earlier last night."
Micha frowned.
"They are inside the bank?"
Daniel nodded slowly.
"He said that if I wanted people to listen, I would need to capture the attention of the corrupt politicians who took my family away, as this would make them listen."
Josh tilted his head.
"And then what?"
Daniel swallowed.
"He told me to stand here and wait."
The words echoed strangely in the rain.
Wait?
Wait for what?
Baby remained perched high above the street, watching everything.
I locked eyes with her and gestured for her to look. I am sure she could hear some of the conversation.
She looked around and shook her head—' No.'
Josh scratched the back of his neck.
Micah turned to me slightly.
"If someone gave him the vest, he could still trigger it whenever he wanted," she said, her eyes lowering. "...they could still trigger it whenever they wanted."
"Exactly," I agreed.
Daniel stared down at the device again.
"You said it wasn't connected."
Josh nodded.
"I believe so; the button in your hand is not."
Daniel's face twisted in confusion.
"...What does that mean?"
Duke answered calmly.
"It means someone else may hold the real trigger."
The words seemed to freeze the air around us.
"You mean—"
"Yes," Duke said.
"You may not be the one in control right now."
Daniel's hand began shaking violently.
"No... No, that's not what he said..."
Josh took one careful step closer.
"That's exactly what someone would say if they wanted you standing here instead of them."
Daniel looked around the street.
Police, cameras, barricades—the entire city was watching him.
And suddenly—
The anger drained from his face.
Leaving fear.
"...He used me. Why?"
Josh nodded.
"It looks like it. Maybe he didn't think you had the guts, or this was about what you wanted all along."
Daniel looked back at the bank.
"He's still inside there."
Every muscle in my body tightened.
He was inside the bank building among the hostages.
Micah whispered under her breath.
"That's why he stayed outside."
Josh exhaled slowly.
"Well, that's a problem."
Above us, Baby waved for my attention.
She mouthed—'movement.'
All of us looked toward the bank windows.
A shadow moved behind the glass.
Then another.
The hostages shifted nervously.
And in that reflection of the dark lobby—
A figure stepped quietly into view.
He wasn't panicked or scared. Watching the chaos inside was like entertainment.
My stomach sank.
He didn't act like the hostages; he was observing the situation, studying us, and waiting for God knows what.
Josh muttered under his breath.
"Well...There is our real problem."
Daniel looked at the bank window and whispered words that tasted like poison.
"That's the bastard."
The figure inside the bank smiled faintly. And slowly lifted something in the other hand.
A remote trigger.
Behind me, Duke spoke quietly.
"That's the true hand behind the bomb."
This changes everything. The man with the vest was no longer the most dangerous person in the street... The one inside was.
"He is testing us, waiting for something, but what?"
The man shifted his weight as if trying to get a better view.
His eyes stayed locked on Daniel, and his expression changed.
He is studying how far his control extends.
"You may not have the detonator, but he does," I sighed. "And in this chaos, I wouldn't be surprised if he planted bombs inside the bank to keep the advantage in his hands regardless of what unfolds."
Daniel's voice broke.
"It doesn't really matter what happens today. If it gets the governor's attention and the other corrupt bastards', I guess I'll play the puppet. My life doesn't matter anyway anymore. Since I lost them, I lost myself and the will to live.
"So you're just going to let him win?" Josh said, looking back at him.
"DANIEL!!!" A group emerged from around the crowd on the other end of the police lines, escorted by the police themselves.
Soaked, tired, and injured, then bandaged up.
Daniel turned his head and froze, looking out.
A woman stumbled forward, first being held up by a crutch, and a young teenage girl.
Daniel's breath broke.
"Lora?...Lena?"
The woman looked up at him, then at the bomb.
"Dad!"
Daniels' arms dropped. And he let go of the detonator halfway.
His knees almost gave out as he stumbled in place, only taking an awkward step back.
"...You're both alive...How did I see you drown?"
Josh reassured him. "You're not seeing things; they are here...alive."
Josh had a shift in his eyes because the situation wasn't just emotional; it was destabilizing.
A variable that the real bomber did not account for.
Becky whispered.
"Oh, no, this changes his control over Daniel..."
Duke nodded.
"And removes compliance leverage."
The family couldn't cross the line, and the police held them back for safety. The woman pressed.
"We thought you had drowned. After the flood, the waters separated us—we couldn't find you—it pushed us into the upper evacuation route."
"Mom and I were in the hospital for a bit. We left there to come here. We are okay, just banged up pretty good."
Pain, confusion, and realization hit him all at once.
"...You made it out..."
His voice was almost small.
"I thought I lost you..."
His daughter shook her head rapidly.
"Dad, we looked for you... And then we saw you on the screens here."
Daniel's breath collapsed into something unstable.
The detonator hung useless now on a strap connected to the vest—
It was still active. Still connected to the other unknown bomber.
Josh noticed it too.
"Hey."
Daniel didn't respond at first.
"Hey, Daniel, don't forget where you are."
That snapped him slightly back. He looked at Josh, who was pointing at the vest.
Daniel whispered.
"...I don't care anymore."
Josh Wen is still confused. The sentence changed the street's temperature.
Duke noticed it instantly.
"That's dangerous thinking." He said, lowering his brow.
Becky's head tilted.
"What do you mean, Daniel?"
Josh answered quietly.
"It means he stops being his predictable puppet."
A pause.
Then Daniel looked at Josh.
"...They are alive, v.e., and that was all..."
His voice cracked.
"I don't need this anymore..."
His hand moved to the strap on the vest.
"Stop, we still don't know if the vest is temper-proof. If you remove it, it could trigger it to go off."
It was too late; the man unbuckled the first strap.
Daniel's head snapped back at the bank.
The bomber's smile faded dramatically. It was as if something had gone off-script in his hand, prompting him to hit the button the moment he saw us.
It felt as if the rain and world slowed down.
The faint mechanical lights on the vest lit up red, then yellow...
Josh's eye never moved off of Daniel for a second.
Josh, with no hesitation, jumped toward Daniel.
Everyone else reacted, jumping back, all except Becky, who leaped forward.
"NO, JOSH!"
Before she could finish, Josh's arms were already around the man in a hug as the vest light hit the final and definite red light.