Chapter 146: Final Goodbye
When the fire started at the back of the van just a minute ago, Rita’s eyes widened in shock. She quickly held Evelyn tightly as they stumbled back, smoke filling their nostrils.
Both women stared at the raging fire, its reflection in their wide, terrified eyes. Smoke filled the van, stinging their eyes and suffocating them, while their bodies pressed closer in fear. Now they were trapped between the blazing inferno and the frenzied mob outside, each threat equally deadly.
"Shit!" Rita cursed in Italian. The flames were closing in fast; if they didn’t escape in the next few minutes, they would be burnt alive, completely engulfed by the van. Even their remains wouldn’t survive a cremation, the fire was that terrifying.
"Oh, we’re doomed!" Rita murmured as the fire crept closer, the door too far to reach. She hurried back, leaving Evelyn clinging tightly to the driver’s seat.
She could break open the emergency exit at the driver’s window with a few forceful kicks. As the glass and metal frame began to give way, she threw open the door and grabbed Evelyn’s arm.
"Ma’am, jump!" she screamed, forcefully pushing Evelyn out in a desperate attempt to save her.
And just as the glass was seconds from shattering, Rita leaped out too, landing painfully on the ground. Reaching for Evelyn, she quickly rolled them both away from the van as it exploded like a bomb.
The smoke was thick, and most officers were busy trying to contain the fire, so none noticed Rita’s life-saving escape.
Rita sat up, shielding Evelyn and hugging her tightly as remnants of the blast lightly struck them. A sigh escaped her lips—they were alive. As long as they could still breathe, it was enough.
"Thank you, Rita," Evelyn murmured, hugging the brave woman tightly. Though both were hurt, with burns and scrapes from the fall, they shared the same thought: as long as they were alive, it was fine.
Tears slipped from Rita’s eyes for an inexplicable reason. She had faced death many times without shedding a tear, but the relief that Evelyn was safe made her emotional.