Chapter 218: Dust & Debris

Rico froze for half a second in disbelief before immediately throwing the broken chains aside. He ripped the wooden lid open so fast it nearly came off completely.

Calla looked up at him with terrified tear-filled eyes. Her wrists and ankles were still tied tightly, her mouth taped, and her cheeks wet from crying.

The moment she saw him properly, another sob escaped her lips.

“I’ve got you,” Rico breathed quickly, his own voice shaking now. “I’ve got you.”

Calla’s chest tightened painfully at the sound of his voice. He really came for her. Even after everything, he still came.

Rico carefully tore the tape from her mouth and immediately pulled her into his arms. There wasn’t enough time to fully untie her legs properly.

Calla barely had time to breathe before her eyes landed on the timer beside the bomb, and fear shot through her entire body.

00:00:42

Rico must have seen it too, because the look on his face changed instantly. Without thinking twice, he lifted her fully into his arms and ran.

Calla had never seen him move that fast before.

His boots pounded violently against the dry field as he held her tightly against his chest. His breathing came out rough and painful, but he still forced his legs to move faster.

Calla buried her face into his chest, trembling badly as tears continued falling from her eyes. Her tied legs pressed awkwardly against his body while her fingers clung desperately onto his shirt.

Rico didn’t dare look back. And somehow, neither did she.

All Calla could hear was the sound of Rico’s uneven breathing, the hard pounding of his heartbeat against her ear, and the terrifying countdown screaming inside her head.

Then suddenly, the explosion tore through the field with a deafening blast.

Calla screamed instantly as the ground shook violently beneath them. Heat and force slammed hard into Rico’s back, throwing both of them forward at once.

A harsh groan ripped from Rico’s throat as he lost balance, but even while falling, his body twisted protectively around her. He wrapped both arms tightly around her and took the full impact himself as they crashed hard onto the ground.

Dust and debris burst around them violently. The ringing inside Calla’s ears became unbearable for a few seconds, almost drowning out every other sound around her.

Rico’s body remained tightly over hers, shielding her completely beneath him.

Calla could feel how hard he was breathing and could feel his chest rising painfully against hers.

Neither of them moved immediately, they just stayed where they were. Then a shaky sob escaped her lips. And in that moment, Calla realized something that made fresh tears rush into her eyes all over again.

They were alive.

For several long seconds, Calla could not hear anything properly after the explosion.

A loud ringing filled her ears while smoke and dust spread heavily through the air around them. Her body felt numb from fear and shock, her chest was rising and falling painfully beneath Rico’s weight as he covered her completely with his body.

She could feel his arms wrapped tightly around her like he was still trying to shield her even after the explosion had already gone off.

Calla’s eyes slowly blinked open. Everything looked blurry at first. The sky above them spun slightly, and her head throbbed badly.

She felt Rico’s body trembling over hers.

“Rico…” she whispered weakly.

He immediately pushed himself up despite the obvious pain written all over his face. His breathing came out rough and uneven as his dark eyes searched frantically across her face and body.

“Are you hurt?” he asked quickly. His voice sounded strained and breathless. “Lyra, answer me. Are you hurt?”

Calla stared at him silently for a moment after he had untied her hands. There was blood running down the side of his neck from somewhere behind his head. His hair looked messy and damp with sweat, and his face had lost almost all color.

The sight made her chest tighten painfully. She stared at him, trying to find her voice. “I…” Her lips trembled badly. “I’m okay.”

Rico shut his eyes briefly the moment the words left her mouth, like a man who had been holding his breath for hours. A shaky exhale left him.

Calla suddenly burst into tears.

Everything that had happened came crashing down on her at once—the kidnapping, the bomb, the fear of dying inside that box, hearing Rico desperately trying to save her while the timer counted down.

Her body shook violently as she grabbed his shirt tightly and buried her face against him.

Rico held her immediately. His arms wrapped around her so tightly it almost hurt, but Calla didn’t care. She had never felt safer in her life than in that moment.

“It’s over,” he whispered hoarsely against her hair. “You’re okay now.”

But his words only made Calla cry harder. Her tears soaked into his shirt while her fingers clung tightly to him like she was scared he would disappear if she let go.

Rico kept one hand against the back of her head, breathing heavily while he held her close.

For the first time since Marco took her, Calla finally felt the crushing fear inside her chest begin to loosen. Rico came for her. He found and saved her.

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine reached them from a distance.

Calla flinched immediately, her breath hitching. Rico’s body tensed too before he quickly looked up.

One black car sped back toward the field, dust rising behind it. The car barely stopped before Ezio and Bruno hurried out.

The moment Ezio saw the burnt remains of the exploded box behind them, his face changed completely.

“Fucking—” he muttered under his breath before rushing toward them, and Bruno followed quickly behind him.

Calla slowly pulled away from Rico’s chest, her face wet with tears as she watched the two men approach.

Then Bruno suddenly paused and frowned deeply. “Boss…”

Calla turned immediately at the worried tone in Bruno's voice. She furrowed her brows and turned back to look at Rico. That was when she noticed it properly.

Rico looked pale. Blood continued dripping slowly from the back of his head onto his shirt collar. Even his breathing sounded wrong now—too slow and uneven compared to before.

Fear immediately crawled back into Calla’s chest. “Rico…” she whispered.

Rico tried standing up fully, but his body swayed dangerously the moment he moved.

Ezio quickly grabbed his arm to steady him. “Easy.”

“I’m fine,” Rico muttered roughly, trying to pull away.

But Calla could tell he wasn’t. He was strong and always unfazed. But now? She has never seen him look this pale before.

His eyes looked unfocused now, like he was struggling to stay present.

“You’re bleeding,” she said shakily as she slowly rose to her knees. Her tied ankles made movement difficult, so she quickly untied them. “Oh my God…”

Rico looked at her immediately after hearing the fear in her voice. And somehow, despite everything, he still managed to give her a faint look meant to calm her down.

“I said I’m fi—”

The words suddenly stopped midway. His body staggered hard. Ezio cursed instantly and grabbed him before he could hit the ground.

“Boss!” Bruno yelled and rushed to his side.

Calla’s heart nearly stopped. “Rico!” she cried, panic flooding her voice as she hurried toward him as much as her little strength allowed.

Rico blinked slowly, trying to stay conscious, but his vision had already started fading badly.

The last thing Calla saw before his eyes finally shut was the exhaustion and pain he had been forcing himself to ignore all this time.