Chapter 69 The Last Second
Isabella — POV
1:33
No one in the room breathed.
James and his men crouched around me, their hands moving carefully over the wires strapped to my chest. Tools clicked softly against metal as they studied the vest.
The bomb felt heavier with every second.
Like it was pressing down on my lungs.
The timer blinked again.
1:21
Alexander’s hand tightened around mine.
I could feel his pulse racing through his grip.
He hadn’t taken his eyes off the vest.
Not even for a second.
“Don’t touch that wire yet,” one of the men muttered.
“I’m not,” another answered.
James leaned closer, studying the mechanism.
“Pressure trigger tied into the timer,” he said quietly.
“Moretti built a clever one.”
Alexander’s voice was tight.
“Can it be stopped?”
James didn’t answer immediately.
Which terrified me more than anything.
The timer blinked again.
1:05
One of the men carefully lifted a wire with a tool.
The timer suddenly jumped forward.
0:49
“Shit!” the man barked.
My heart slammed violently against my ribs.
“What happened?” Alexander demanded.
“Tamper acceleration,” the man said quickly. “Every wrong move speeds up the countdown.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
His arm wrapped more firmly around my shoulders.
“I’ve got you,” he whispered.
James leaned closer.
“Okay… okay… think.”
The timer blinked again.
0:38
One of the men tried another wire.
The numbers jumped again.
0:29
My breathing became shallow.
“Oh God…”
Alexander lifted my chin gently.
“Hey.”
I forced my eyes away from the timer and looked at him.
“Look at me,” he said softly.
His thumb brushed a tear from my cheek.
“You’re going to be okay.”
But I could hear the tension in his voice.
James cursed under his breath.
“Wait.”
He suddenly grabbed one of the men’s wrists.
“Stop touching it.”
Everyone froze.
The timer blinked.
0:18
Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he studied the wiring more closely.
Something changed in his expression.
Recognition.
Understanding.
“Move,” he said suddenly.
James looked up at him.
“What?”
Alexander stepped forward.
“Move.”
His voice had that sharp edge of command that no one argued with.
James and the men shifted back instantly.
Alexander crouched in front of me.
His eyes scanned the vest quickly.
Every wire.
Every connector.
Every trigger.
The timer blinked again.
0:12
My heart pounded so hard it hurt.
Alexander reached for the tools.
“Moretti didn’t design this from scratch,” he said quickly.
“He modified a military detonation system.”
James frowned.
“You’re sure?”
Alexander nodded once.
“Yes.”
His fingers moved quickly, tracing the path of the wires.
“He reversed the circuit to punish interference.”
James leaned closer.
“What does that mean?”
Alexander’s voice stayed steady.
“It means everyone’s been trying to disable it the wrong way.”
The timer blinked.
0:09
Alexander grabbed the cutters.
Then another tool.
His hands moved with terrifying calm.
“Red wire is a decoy,” he said.
“Blue is acceleration.”
James’ eyes widened slightly.
“What’s the trigger?”
Alexander followed the wiring to the back plate.
“There.”
A thin gray wire barely visible under the casing.
The timer blinked.
0:06
Alexander exhaled slowly.
Then looked up at me.
His hand gently cupped my cheek.
“I love you.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“I love you too.”
He pressed his forehead briefly to mine.
Then turned back to the vest.
The cutters moved.
The blade slid carefully under the gray wire.
The timer blinked again.
0:04
James held his breath.
No one moved.
Alexander cut the wire.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
The red numbers kept blinking.
0:03
My heart stopped.
0:02
Then suddenly—
The numbers froze.
The red light flickered once.
Then turned green.
The timer went dark.
Silence filled the warehouse.
For half a second no one spoke.
Then one of James’s men exhaled loudly.
“It’s disarmed.”
Alexander didn’t wait another second.
He pulled me into his arms so tightly I could barely breathe.
His lips crashed against mine in a desperate kiss.
Relief.
Shock.
Love.
Everything at once.
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered against my lips.
His hands moved over my face like he needed to make sure I was real.
I held onto him just as tightly.
James stood up behind us, watching the moment.
“Well,” he said.
“That was dramatic.”
I laughed weakly through the tears and looked at him.
“Thank you.”
He grinned.
“Like I said to him you can thank me by naming your first child after me.”
I blinked.
“I’m not even pregnant.”
James shrugged.
“I have a feeling that’s going to happen very soon.”
I laughed again.
He pointed at Alexander.
“And tell your husband to stop being so damn stubborn next time.”
Alexander rolled his eyes slightly.
James continued casually.
“Oh, and by the way…”
He folded his arms.
“We located Moretti.”
Alexander’s head snapped up.
“What?”
James smirked, clearly enjoying the moment.
“Yeah,” he said casually. “We tipped off the police.”
He shrugged, glancing toward the warehouse door.
“This time I figured I’d try doing things the right way for once… instead of putting bullets in every single one of them.”
His grin widened.
“Seems like your recent softness is rubbing off on me.”
He made a face.
“I hate it, by the way.”
Then he shrugged again.
“But you look happier these days… so I thought I’d give this whole ‘doing the right thing’ experiment a try.”
Alexander stared at him for a moment.
“They’re already on him?” he asked.
James nodded toward the door.
“By now? Probably.”
“They’ll be arresting Moretti and his men as we speak.”
Alexander frowned slightly.
“How did you pull that off?”
James’s grin grew wider.
“Because I’m smarter than the mafia boss.”
He paused, then chuckled.
“Okay, maybe not smarter.”
He scratched the back of his neck.
“I just paid a guy who knows a guy that works for Moretti.”
“He’s been talking… for the right price.”
Alexander lifted an eyebrow slowly.
James pointed straight at him.
“And your black card is going to feel that price.”
He shrugged casually.
“I’ve been using it like there’s no tomorrow.”
His grin spread across his face.
“So yeah… saving your life cost you a few hundred million.”
Then he leaned closer with a playful smirk.
“But what’s a few hundred million when you’re a billionaire?”
He tapped his own chest proudly.
“Unlike me.”
“I’m just your humble millionaire friend.”
Alexander shook his head, letting out a quiet laugh.
“I don’t care about the money.”
He pulled me closer into his arms.
“But I owe you my life.”
His voice softened as he glanced down at me.
“And hers.”
Then he looked back at James, his expression turning serious.
“Thank you.”
“For saving the love of my life.”
James stared at him for a moment.
Then suddenly burst out laughing.
“What is happening to you?”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
James shook his head in disbelief.
“First you walk straight into a death trap alone.”
“Now you’re standing here all emotional and grateful.”
He crossed his arms, studying Alexander.
“Tell me something.”
“Does being in love make a mafia boss dumb or something?”
Alexander glanced down at me.
A small smile touched his lips.
“Something like that.”
Then he looked back at James.
“But I meant what I said.”
James watched him for a second longer.
Then his smile softened.
“Yeah,” he said quietly.
“I know.”
More chapters will be uploaded shortly. Thank you for reading and staying with the story! Chapter 70: After the Storm