As Marcus moved to follow the others into the corridor, a sharp, insistent beeping cut through the tense silence. Electronic, mechanical, purposeful—like a countdown beginning.
Christina reacted first, combat training kicking in as she rushed back to Richard's body. She dropped beside the corpse, ignoring the spreading blood as she grabbed his limp wrist.
"It's a detonator," she said, voice tight with urgency as she examined the blinking red light on Richard's watch. "Dead man's switch."
The beeping intensified, changing pitch—no longer just coming from Richard's watch but echoing throughout the building. Multiple charges priming in sequence.
Marcus's face drained of color. "He wouldn't," he whispered, though his expression said he knew better. "Bloody hell, the man's mad." Richard's contingency plans always had contingency plans.
