President's Daughter's Bodyguard-Chapter 86: Rooftop

Chapter 86: Rooftop

He had no time to look at the screen since Theo knew it was just a time-buying thing. Theo didn’t remember reloading, or even moving through the corridors.

To him, every single turn brought another fallen guard, another breath closer to the monster that had destroyed everything...

And after a few more minutes, he finally found Ethan standing in a control room and Theo couldn’t believe it.

His white shirt was torn, his hair looked damp with sweat, but his smile remained calm...

"Theo," Ethan called him like a greeting to an old friend. "You finally found me."

Theo raised his gun. "Where is she?"

"Hahaha!" Ethan laughed. The sound was beautiful and horrible at once. "I expected a thank you. You should be grateful. I brought you back to life. You were lost before me."

Theo fired once. The bullet grazed Ethan’s shoulder, spinning him backward. Ethan stumbled, laughed harder.

"There it is," Ethan hissed. "The rage. The fire. You finally look alive."

Theo dropped the gun. He wanted this to be personal. His fists clenched as he charged. The first punch cracked against Ethan’s jaw. The second sent him against the control panel. Sparks burst around them.

Ethan wiped the blood from his lip and smiled again. "You hit like him."

Theo didn’t care who "him" was. He hit again. And again. The sound of bone meeting bone filled the room. Ethan didn’t block, didn’t run. He just took it and smiled like he loved every second.

"You think you are saving her," Ethan said through a bloody grin. "But she does not want to be saved."

Theo slammed him against the wall. "Where is she?"

Ethan leaned close, his eyes looked glassy with a strange joy. "You are almost there. Roof. Go now."

Theo hesitated. "You are lying."

Ethan smirked. "Then stay and watch her die. The clock is ticking."

Theo punched him one more time for good measure, grabbed the radio off his belt, and sprinted toward the staircase.

Behind him, Ethan coughed out a laugh. "Run, brother. Run before she decides to end it for both of you."

Theo took the stairs three at a time. The sirens screamed louder, alarms flashed red through the narrow halls. The air grew hotter, filled with smoke and dust from this warehouse-looking basement.

Every heartbeat sounded like the ticking of the bomb he could not yet see.

"Danielle!" he shouted. "Hold on!"

Frank’s voice came through the earpiece, breathless. "Theo, where are you?"

"Roof!" Theo barked. "He said she is on the roof!"

Frank’s voice crackled. "Be careful. We are on our way up. There might be-"

Static swallowed the rest.

Theo reached the top. The steel door at the end of the corridor stood half open. Cold night air rushed through it.

The scent of rain and smoke filled his lungs. He pushed the door open and stepped into the night.

The rooftop was wide, surrounded by broken railings and floodlights that flickered like dying stars. Beyond, the city stretched in all directions, towers glowing faintly through the fog.. And there she was...facing the city.

Her hair whipped wildly in the wind. The bomb vest glowed against her torn clothes, small red lights blinking in slow rhythm.

She looked fragile and untouchable at once, like a ghost standing at the edge of heaven.

"Danielle!"

Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice.

Theo took one step forward.

"Stop!" she screamed. Her voice cracked from exhaustion, but the command froze him in place.

He raised both hands slowly. "It’s me."

Danielle turned around, tears streaked her dirty face. Her eyes were wide, red from crying. "Don’t come closer."

Theo’s throat locked. "Danielle... please. I am here now. You are safe."

Her lips trembled as she shook her head. "No one is safe. Not while I am wearing this." She glanced down at the bomb strapped to her chest. The blinking light reflected in her tears. "He said if anyone touches me, if anyone takes a step closer, he will detonate it."

Theo’s heart nearly stopped. "He can’t. I destroyed the control room."

Danielle’s gaze faltered. "He said it doesn’t matter. The trigger is manual now."

Theo felt his knees weaken. His eyes darted around the roof for anything...like tools, wires, a chance...but there was nothing except broken metal and the open sky.

"Listen to me," Theo said in a trembling voice of anger and fear. "We can figure this out. You have to trust me. I will get that thing off you."

Her tears fell faster. "He told me if I moved wrong, it would explode. He said I should stand here and wait for you. He said you would come."

Theo swallowed hard. "Then he was right."

"No. He said you would come, and he said you would die with me."

Theo’s chest burned. He took one slow step closer.

She flinched violently. "Theo, stop!"

The red light on the bomb blinked faster.

Danielle’s sob escaped her lips like a broken melody. "He said I could watch the city before it ends. Ethan said he wanted to give me a view."

Theo’s hands trembled. "You are not going to die tonight."

"I already have," she whispered. "I have been dying since the day he took me."

Theo’s vision blurred. "Please, Dani, look at me."

She finally did. Their eyes met through the distance, through the wind and the smoke and the nightmare.

He saw the woman he loved, bruised but unbroken. And she saw the man who had crawled through hell to reach her.

"If you take one more step back, you will fall."

"Then maybe that is better."

"Don’t say that."

Her hands shook as she wiped her tears. "You always told me to stay brave. But bravery feels like a curse now."

"We can fix this. Just trust me one last time."

The wind howled around them. The red light blinked faster, its rhythm echoing like a dying heartbeat.

Danielle pressed her hand gently to her chest, right above the bomb. "He said this is my heartbeat now. That when it stops, everything stops."

Theo’s jaw clenched. "He is wrong."

She gave a weak, heartbreaking smile. "Then prove it."

He took one careful step closer. The light flared red, almost blinding.

Danielle screamed from her lungs, "Theo, don’t move!"

"I’ll die with you, Bunny..."