5

My instincts screamed at me to run in, to help, but I forced myself to stay put.

Kareem’s words echoed in my mind, heavy with the weight of experience I couldn’t ignore.

But I didn’t trust him.

Not completely.

There was something too calm, too detached about him.

He acted like he knew exactly how this was going to play out, and that made me nervous.

This wasn’t his first time in a situation like this—that much was clear—but his cool demeanor made it hard to read him.

As the bomb squad arrived and began to sweep the building, I shifted on my feet, the tension in my body refusing to ease.

I wasn’t built to stand on the sidelines.

Every nerve in my body was wired for action, for rushing in and doing whatever it took to make a difference.

But this time, I had to wait.

And it killed me.

"Masood, over here!" Officer Qadir’s voice cut through my thoughts, and I hurried over to where he was crouched beside a woman, her leg pinned under a fallen beam.

I dropped down next to her, assessing the situation quickly.

"She’s losing a lot of blood," I said, already pulling out supplies from my kit. "We need to stabilize her before we move her."

Qadir nodded, his face pale and drawn.

I worked quickly, wrapping a tourniquet around her thigh to stop the bleeding.

The woman moaned in pain, her eyes fluttering open as I applied pressure.

"You’re going to be okay," I whispered, though the words felt hollow.

I didn’t know if she was going to make it, not with the way her breathing was labored, her pulse weak.

I focused on the task in front of me, trying to block out the noise, the destruction, the image of the building looming behind me.

But Kareem’s warning still gnawed at the back of my mind.

What if he was right?

What if there was a second bomb?

I clenched my jaw, refusing to think about it.

Right now, this woman needed me.

I wasn’t going to let fear paralyze me.

4

KAREEM

I watched from a distance as Aqsa worked, her movements precise and focused, even in the midst of chaos.

She was good—better than I’d expected.

I had to give her that.

But she was also reckless, driven by emotion in a way that could get her killed if she wasn’t careful.

I shifted my attention to the bomb squad as they finished their sweep of the building.

My gut told me they’d find something, and sure enough, a few minutes later, one of the squad leaders approached me, his face grim.

"We found another device," he said quietly. "It’s deeper inside, but we’ve got men working to disarm it."

I nodded, already anticipating the next move.

"How long?"

"Could be thirty minutes, could be less. It’s complicated."

I glanced at the building, calculating.

We didn’t have thirty minutes.

The way these attacks were planned, the second bomb was meant to catch the responders—me, Aqsa, all the others still on the scene.

This wasn’t just about terror.

This was a tactical strike, meant to cripple the city’s emergency response and spread fear.

"We need to clear the area," I said, my voice low. "Now."

The squad leader hesitated, glancing at the building.

"We can try to disarm it—"

"There’s no time."

I cut him off, stepping closer.

"Evacuate the perimeter. Get everyone out."

His jaw tightened, but he gave a curt nod and moved to relay the order.

I turned back toward Aqsa, my eyes locking on her as she worked on the injured woman.

She was in too deep, too distracted to realize what was about to happen.

I strode over, not bothering to soften my approach.

"Aqsa, we need to go," I said sharply, grabbing her arm.

She looked up at me, her eyes wide with confusion.

"What are you talking about? I’m not leaving her—"

"There’s a second bomb inside. It could go off any minute."

Her face paled, but she shook her head.

"I can’t just leave her here!"

"You don’t have a choice."

I tightened my grip on her arm, pulling her to her feet.