Zacharias was met with nothing but ruins. All the houses had been destroyed. If Shirley were really here, she’d be buried six feet under.
“Shirley? Shirley!” he shouted, his voice filled with despair. As he fell to his knees, his mind became a blank canvas.
Imogen had come down as well. She stood around, watching, her heart filled with delight. She rejoiced in her heart, muttering, Finally, the woman I hate the most is dead, and I killed all the kidnappers. There’s nothing to worry about anymore. However, a familiar voice interrupted her thoughts. “Zacharias.”
That voice was salvation for Zacharias. He turned and spotted a slender figure emerging through the smoke-filled surroundings-it was Shirley. She had survived. Tears welled up in his eyes, and the sight of her resurrected his cold, lifeless heart. “Shir!” He hurried toward her.
Shirley, too, ran to meet him, and amidst the swirling smoke, they embraced. Imogen watched, her eyes wide. She couldn’t believe Shirley had escaped instead of dying in the explosion.
“Where were you? I was worried sick!” Zacharias ruffled Shirley’s hair, and he kissed her dust-covered cheek. Only her warmth could affirm that everything around him was still real. She smiled. “I’m sorry for worrying you. I got out before that sh*tstorm went down.”
He hugged her tightly, and this time, he would not let her go.
When Shirley directed her gaze at Imogen, panic seized Imogen. Unsure if the kidnappers had exposed her involvement, she wondered, Could she have found out I was involved too? Anxious, Imogen observed Shirley, who seemed normal, but Imogen felt the ominous ticking of a bomb in her heart.
Despite feeling suffocated by the hug, Shirley sensed Zacharias’ love. Observing his tears, she thought, He must have believed I was gone. Look at him, crying. They say men only cry when their hearts are shattered. When she had seen him earlier, kneeling and crying, she couldn’t help but empathize with him. She made a silent vow never to cause him to worry like that again.
Roy, with a still-swollen cheek, suggested, “This isn’t the best place to linger, sir. We should head back to the hotel quickly.”
Finally releasing her from the hug, Zacharias held onto her hand tightly, unwilling to let her go just yet.
Then, she noticed Roy’s swollen cheek. Concerned, she said, “Mr. Barlowe, you’re hurt.”
Roy quickly explained, “It’s nothing. I tripped.”
“He didn’t. I punched him.” Zacharias harrumphed.
Shirley looked at him, surprised. “What? Why’d you do that to him?”
“Because he deserved it,” Zacharias snapped. He almost wanted to kill Roy for locking him in the car. One punch seemed like a small retaliation.
A little aggrieved, Roy said, “The vice president wanted a gun. He wanted to come in and save you. I had no choice but to lock him in the car. I deserved that punch.”
She looked at Zacharias seriously. “You cannot hit him the next time he does this.”
Perplexed, Zacharias asked, “Why?”
“Because he was doing the right thing,” Shirley said solemnly. She thought, That was what Roy should do. He couldn’t let Zacharias risk himself, especially when he was going to be reckless about it.
And then Zacharias felt aggrieved. “I was going to save you.”
“In that situation? I don’t need your help. If anything happens to you, I don’t think I could deal with it.” She looked tense.
Roy was happy and touched that Shirley took his side and defended him.
