Blonde Bomb Tech

by Lara Santiago

  “Good. Let’s keep it that way. I’m in no shape to face him.”

  “Coward,” Murphy said, and then made some low chicken sounds.

  “Shut up, Murphy.”

  It took all of Sabrina’s willpower not to look up at Jake. She was lying to herself if she thought she could ignore him or stay away. She worried that he was here next to the potential danger and thankful that he was here checking up on her all at the same time.

  “Shit,” Murphy said, and stepped in front of Sabrina, blocking her view when she glanced up.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Councilman alert. He’s closing fast. Buck up, kid.”

  “Sabrina.” Peters smarmy voice was close. “Sabrina, what do you think you are doing here? Do you have any idea how much your ineptitude has cost his city already? A bundle.” Sabrina stood. Murphy stood in front of her.

  “I was just in the neighborhood,” she said quietly, wishing she were anywhere else but in close range of Peters and his pouty attitude. “I saw it on the news. I used to live here, you know.”

  A distasteful look crossed his face. “You lived at this… institution?”

  “Yes. For most of my life.”

  “How unfortunate for you.” He paused and looked at Jake across the parking lot. “I see you brought your boyfriend along with you. He should be muzzled.”

  Sabrina stepped around Murphy and got close to Peters. “Jake is a good guy. I don’t want to hear anything negative from you about him, you got me?”

  “Whatever. I don’t care about him. I want to ensure you don’t go anywhere near that bomb to defuse it. You got me, missy?”

  “Yeah. I get you and don’t ever call me missy. My name is Sabrina,” she said in a firm I’ll-kick-your-ass tone he wouldn’t mistake for softness.

  Peters inched the upper part of his body forward and his resolute face made her think he was about to test her attitude. He snuck a look over his shoulder at Jake and backed down. If he valued his eyeballs he wouldn’t stare at her chest.

  “Captain Hennessey, I want to talk to you,” he yelled over her shoulder.

  Sabrina turned in time to see Hennessey notice Peters. Sabrina watched his shoulders slump in frustration. Her boss turned to address Peters. Brian and Jake followed behind Hennessey once he wasn’t blocking them anymore..

  “Did you defuse it?” Hennessey asked Sabrina.

  “No.” Sabrina gave him an eye roll at his comment in front of the councilman.

  “You let her in there?” Peters squawked in anger.

  “It doesn’t matter. I couldn’t defuse it. There is still an hour on the timer, but it’s too difficult. It’s going to blow. You need to make sure everyone is out of the building.”

  “Send in the other two that defused the bomb from that empty realtor space last week,” Peters confidently ordered.

  “If Sabrina couldn’t do it, they won’t be able to do anything but stick their thumbs up their asses and do a dance while it blows up in their faces,” Hennessey said.

  “No, boss. Send them up with Murphy. He can show them all the things we already tried. Maybe they’ll have fresh eyes. Perhaps they’ll be able to think of something we didn’t.”

  Hennessey looked at her like she’d just grown a third eye in the middle of her forehead. She nodded at Hennessey and widened her eyes, willing him to go along and not make waves.

  “Murphy, go get Brown and Smith and take them up.” Hennessey’s gaze never left Sabrina’s face. She made a tight-lipped smile and winked at him so that no one else could see.

  “Right, boss.” Murphy spared her a look briefly and headed into the building with the other two men following closely.

  Sabrina sat back down on the bumper of the bomb truck and tried to look defeated. At the Councilman’s insistence, Hennessey and Councilman Peters went over to the police line to make a statement to the press. She sensed Jake hovering close by but she didn’t know what to say.

  After a few silent awkward moments, Jake sat down next to her on the bumper. Brian strolled out of ear shot giving them privacy.

  “Your eyes are all puffy and red.” He started off with the obvious.

  “Well, it’s been a tough night. So did you spill all to Brian?”

  “No, but he’s known me a number of years and he’s not stupid.”

  Sabrina gave him a sharp look.

  “Don’t worry, he thinks we’re having a spat. All your secrets are safe.”

  “What are you doing here?”

  “I called Brian to get a ride. I had too many beers to drive and I needed to chase after someone important to me. He picked me up and then got the call for the bomb and brought me along. I figured you might be here.”

  “Well, as you heard, I’m not supposed to be.”

  “Well, I didn’t expect it would stop you.”

  Sabrina heard Murphy call to her on a private line they’d set up. She stood up from the bumper . “Jake, will you do me a favor?”

  “Of course.” He stood.

  “Come closer and block me while I talk to Murphy.”

  Jake smiled, “I knew you wouldn’t willingly let anyone else work on that bomb.” He put his arms around her and rested his hands at the base of her spine. He leaned his head into hers and placed his face against her hair. She put one hand on his shoulder to steady herself from the warmth radiating off of him in waves. Taking a deep breath of Jake pheromones, she tried to remember what she was doing. Oh yeah, Murphy.

  Sabrina keyed her personal transmitter and cryptically chatted with Murphy for several seconds. She told him to wait until the timer had ten minutes on it before announcing they’d defused it. She also told him to make a big loud deal of them defusing it and not her. “Make sure Smith and Brown are on board with our deception,” Sabrina said finally. Murphy acknowledged her and went radio silent.

  “Thanks,” Sabrina said to Jake and stepped away from him with difficulty.

  “Sure, but I still want to talk to you.” His hands rested on her arms.

  “I’d rather not.” She removed his hands and turned back to the truck. She sat down on the bumper with her legs out in front of her resuming her previous pose.

  “You lied to me,” he said with a sharp edge to his voice. “Twice.”

  Sabrina remained silent. He was right. She was ashamed of herself. He deserved better than her regardless of her childbearing abilities. She looked away as Jake sat back down on the truck next to her. He didn’t touch her, but she could feel the heat from him, which radiated off of his body.

  “You do want kids and you don’t have any issue with me being a fireman, do you?” She turned back to him and looked into his emerald green eyes sadly, shaking her head.

  “Why did you lie to me?

  “I’m a coward. I didn’t want you to give me that look after I told you…my other secret.” Sabrina said. She couldn’t even say the words.

  “What look?”

  “The one you gave me. The pitiful look which would have been followed directly by the disdainful one that says I’m not good enough because I can’t reproduce.”

  “I never looked at you like that,” he whispered hotly. “and I never would either. I don’t have disdain for you, Sabrina. I felt bad because I’d been running off at the mouth about getting you pregnant. Obviously it bothers you, but I’m not your idiot ex-boyfriend. You never gave me a chance. You already had your mind made up. Once again I lost a fight I didn’t get to participate in. When are you ever going to trust me?”

  “You’re right. I should have trusted you, but it doesn’t change anything between us. It’s better this way. No grief. You deserve better.” The hopeful thoughts she’d had earlier dissolved like sugar into hot water. No amount of consults with doctors was going to give back her dream, a detrimental voice said deep with in her. Save Jake. Don’t make him suffer with you.

  “No, it isn’t better this way. I love you. It doesn’t matter to me if you can…reproduce or not. We can adopt k
ids. From this very orphanage. They look like they might need a place to stay anyway.”

  “Jake…”

  “What, Sabrina? You’re all out of arguments. Give me a chance. Trust me, we’ll work it out.”

  “But what if it’s like Joe said? Adopting is not the same as having your own.” Sabrina stared at the ground next to her feet knowing it was a losing battle. She wanted to be with Jake and soak up the strength of his body whenever melancholy thoughts threatened to make her morose. With him so close to her right now it was all she could do not to wrap herself inside of him and force the harsh world away. Even if every single person present watched them.

  “Of course it won’t be the same, but maybe it will be better,” he responded.

  “That isn’t the only issue anyway,” Sabrina gave it one last argument. His family. What would they think of her fertility issues? Would they be as forgiving?

  “Name another issue?”

  “What about your family?” She voiced her final concern.

  “What about them?

  “I don’t want to be the wife that can’t have kids. I’ll get to hold all the new babies born in the family all the time knowing I can’t participate in the experience myself. Everyone will tsk, tsk behind my back about how unfortunate it is I can’t have my own and say poor Jake what was he thinking marrying her?” Sabrina said with fresh tears in her eyes and voice.

  “It wouldn’t be like that. My family sticks together, and they would never make you feel bad. Give them some credit,” Jake whispered hotly, defending his family.

  “I give them a lot of credit, but I don’t want to be pitied.”

  “You won’t be. Besides, maybe it’ll turn out I’m a macho stud or that there are new possibilities available to us. Let’s at least explore the opportunities. Give us a chance. Okay?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Us. He said us like it was still a possibility. Was it?

  “Think hard. I don’t want you to live alone until this bomber is caught. I want you to stay with someone you trust.” Suzanne’s face flashed in her mind when he’d said ‘someone you trust’. Sabrina scanned the crowd to see if she was still around. “Or better yet, come back and stay with me.”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Yeah, you do. Come on, give me a chance to be a good guy.”

  “You are a good guy, Jake. That has never been the issue.”

  “You think so?” He asked, smiling. When she nodded he smiled and added, “so will you marry me, now?”

  She shrugged. “I’ll think about going public with the dating thing…eventually.” She allowed a small smile creep over her sullen emotions. After a second or two she had a full blown grin on her face.

  “No. Now. You announce to everyone we are dating now. Everyone knows it anyway. Even Ted.” Jake looked over at the brooding face of the aforementioned firefighter who’d been watching their exchange for a few minutes now. “You need to especially tell Ted Echols and Councilman Peters you are involved with me and only me, babe.”

  “You just said they already know,” Sabrina teased.

  “They need to hear it from you. I wouldn’t want to beat the stuffing out of anyone for staring at your chest again if they don’t know you’re my property.”

  “Your property?” Sabrina asked, raising her voice.

  The laughter in his eyes gave away his dig. “I’m only joking, but I love to see your eyes flare in righteous indignation. It’s sexy.”

  “Hmm,” was all she said as another smile tugged at her lips. His sexy voice was playing havoc with her senses.

  “So what are the odds of taking you back to my place tonight?” His tone of voice so irresistible that the words felt like a caress.

  “Your odds are getting better and better.”

  “Excellent. What can I do to make it a sure thing?”

  Sabrina took a deep breath. Talk some more in that ultra sexy voice you possess, she thought and closed her eyes. “Be patient with me, Jake. I’m in untested waters. I don’t want to rush things.”

  “Oh babe, you know I don’t ever want to rush…things. I’ll go hypnotically slow for you. I won’t go fast now. Not even if you beg me to, and that’s a promise.” His whispered words made a hot rush of sexual sensation fly low and dive straight between her legs.

  Woo boy. Calm down. He’s only talking, for pity’s sake. He wasn’t even looking at her. If Jake had actually reached out and touched her she wondered if she would have moaned in climax. She sucked in a deep breath as a rush of vivid sexual memories washed over her. She imagined the feeling of Jake and his enormous cock pushing deliciously inside of her body for that first wickedly wonderful full feeling of flesh sliding across flesh before he retreated and pressed forward again. He would go rhythmically slow until she begged him to fuck her hard. Sabrina took another deep breath to calm her libido, knowing she had only to say the word and they’d be writhing on the ground in front of the world.

  Sabrina weighed the option of crossing her legs as moisture rushed to the juncture there and wondered whether it would make her fall off the bumper of the truck. She didn’t want to risk it, so she straightened her legs and crossed them at the ankles.

  “Okay, I’ll come home with you,” she said quietly, turning to chance a look at Jake. She hoped she could control herself from flying onto him and violating him as she toppled him into the back of the bomb truck.

  “Sabrina!” She heard Hennessey yell for her as if he’d read her mind from ten paces away. Sabrina popped off truck so fast she almost fell down. Jake grabbed her arm to steady her. His touch vibrated through her. She couldn’t act on it as Hennessey stepped up in front of her, a strange expression of fear on his face.

  “What? You scared the crap out of me,” she said as he approached with a wireless phone and handed it to her.

  “The mad bomber is on the line. He asked specifically to talk to you.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Sabrina looked at the phone Hennessey tried to hand her like a poisonous angry snake ready to strike her with three-inch fangs dripping venom.

  “Once we connect you, see what he wants. Try to keep him talking; we’ll record it to analyze later. We don’t have a warrant yet, but on the off chance he’s stupid and is calling from a land line and we can back trace this call later once we secure one. Since the department also doesn’t have caller ID because Peters is such a cheapskate with our funding.” Hennessy rolled his eyes and motioned once again for her to take the wireless.

  Sabrina reached out tentatively and took the phone. She closed her eyes and took a deep cleansing breath. Game time. She watched Jake walk over towards the fire truck where Brian stood waiting. Hennessey pointed to her and she heard a crackle on the line.

  “Hello,” Sabrina said flatly all emotion out of her voice.

  “Sabrina Morgan. The blonde bomber meets the mad bomber. How quaint. I’ve been wanting to converse with you for some time now.”

  The bomber used a computerized voice-changing device as a cover for his voice. Or her voice. Sabrina couldn’t determine if it was a he. The voice was high and childish like someone who’d been sucking on helium balloons and their voice had frozen that way permanently. Daffy Duck high on helium. It was creepy.

  “What do you want?” Sabrina responded in the same emotionless tone.

  “I’d like to know why they call you the Blonde Bomber when you defuse bombs instead of setting them.”

  “Well, I’m kind of busy trying to defuse one of your bombs right now, maybe we could meet later and discuss putting you behind bars where you belong.”

  “Oh I don’t belong behind bars, my dear Sabrina. Just like you aren’t defusing one of my bombs. I’m watching you. I also watched when you came out of the building only minutes ago to throw things around in anger at your continuing failure and my incredible brilliance.”

  Sabrina stiffened and forced her eyes not to roll back in her head at his audacity. She did not want to show any outward emotio
n. If this bomber were watching her live, she didn’t want to betray the utter loathing she felt for this person trying to ruin her life. She wanted to reach through the phone and grab this maniac by the neck and bring the rotten bastard to justice. And maybe pound his head a couple times in frustration. However, she remained calm.

  Sabrina hadn’t forgotten the personal level the bomber had reached already. He’d brought this spree to her doorstep by violating the confines of her house and destroying everything she owned.

  The bomber continued, “You failed already and there you stand on the outside of the building waiting and wishing for the other two to do your job for you. I wonder what you are wishing harder for…that they will succeed…or that they will fail?” His last question was highlighted by an evil laugh.

  Sabrina was saved an immediate response when she heard a commotion behind coming from the building behind her. She swung around as Brown, Smith and Murphy came out laughing and yelling that they’d defused the bomb with almost ten minutes to spare. Sabrina schooled her features to produce a grim lined smile and turned her back on the building.

  Over the phone the bomber started laughing, “Let’s hope you were rooting for them to succeed. I see your expression, though. It’s priceless. I can see the headlines now. The blond bomber fails, yet again.”

  “Listen, you demonic lifeless soul, of course I hoped they would succeed. Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because this seals your doom on the bomb squad. Once again you have failed and others have rescued your incompetence. This will make you look foolish and stupid in the public eye as well once the papers are delivered tomorrow morning. I’ll think of your humiliation as I breakfast on tea and pumpkin muffins over the morning’s paper.”

  “What does that mean?” Sabrina asked, looking over at Hennessey who’d moved back inside the truck while she endured this stupid call they weren’t tracing this second anyway. Hennessey surreptitiously made a signal to stretch it out longer. Sabrina resisted the urge to roll her eyes dramatically.

  “It means that I’m almost done playing with you…”

  “Great, after you finish breakfast, if you could surrender yourself to the authorities, we’ll find a nice padded cell for your comfort.” She broke in.