Sophia's hand remained rigidly raised in the air, the empty gun barrel aimed at Capone. Perhaps it was merely an instinct for self-preservation, as Capone was also pointing his gun at her. Maybe it was the shock of the situation that made her forget to lower her weapon.
Once Lucas left, the tension in Capone eased, and his eyes no longer bore that unreadable, calm demeanor.
He casually flicked his fingers, twirling the gun in his hand before placing it on the ground.
"Go ahead and shoot, Sophia! Kill me, and you can leave. Lucas has no grudge against you or the Diaz family, and he won't bother you again!"
"No, you... what are you saying?"
Sophia, as if awakened from a trance, lowered the gun in her hand. His tone was so casual, as if he were offering her a gift, something simple for her to take.
"No, I won't kill anyone!"
"If you don't pull the trigger, none of us will walk out of here today!"
Tears began to spill from Sophia's eyes, flowing just like the blood from Capone's shoulder. She recalled that injury, remembering how he had been hurt in almost the same place when they first met.
How similar it was that in moments of parting, they always recalled their initial encounters, even when those moments had been less than pleasant.
"Don't come any closer! I don't want to shoot, I don't want to kill anyone, especially you!"
"Don't you hate me?"
Sophia was forced to back away under his pressure. "I do hate you, I want to kill you! But not like this! If you want to survive, just kill me. After all, I've always been your hostage, your plaything! It's not like this is the first time you've pointed a gun at me; it wouldn't be surprising if you ended my life!"
Capone chuckled. "If I wanted to live, I wouldn't need to worry about you. I could have killed you earlier and just gone straight out! If I hadn't confronted you, Lucas wouldn't have retreated!"
They were now close enough that Capone could easily reach out and touch her cheek or her hair.
"I'm giving you one last chance. Shoot!"
Sophia stared at him with tear-filled eyes, her chest rising and falling with a surge of emotions she couldn't express, unable to utter a single word.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you hate me? Don't you want to kill me? Why aren't you making a move? If you kill me, you can go home right away!"
Sophia slammed the gun down onto the ground and then punched Capone hard in the chest, exclaiming, "Yes, I hate you! I hate you to death! But I can't bring myself to do it… *sniffle*…"
She broke down in tears, her fist striking Capone again, deliberately landing on the fresh wound he had just received. His shirt was still damp, and with her hit, more blood began to seep out.
As if that weren't enough, she kept pounding him, knowing he was a monster who wouldn't flinch from pain. No matter how hard she hit, it wouldn't faze him.
She only resented that her other hand was cuffed and unable to move, or else she could unleash even more of her frustration!
Capone let her hit him, waiting until she was almost exhausted before pulling her tightly into his embrace.
"Fool!" he murmured, his chin resting against her soft hair, "If you miss this chance, there won't be another!"
Sophia sniffled, resting one hand on his chest, trying to push him away, but he held her even tighter. They were pressed so closely together that there was no space between them, and Sophia couldn't muster any strength in her arms.
Just as she was about to scold him, they heard the sound of clapping from outside the cabin. Lucas's voice came from the other side of the door: "Truly a deep affection, what a spectacle to behold! Since that's the case, you both won't be leaving! Oh, I almost forgot to remind you—better take a look at what's next to those boxes behind Miss Sophia. Don't get so lost in each other that you forget to escape!"
Capone rushed to the door, only to find it locked up tight with chains wrapped around it, preventing any exit. Through the cracks, he saw Lucas and his men had already jumped onto another boat and were abandoning ship.
"Damn it!" Capone slammed his hand against the door. Remembering Lucas's warning, he quickly returned to Sophia and lifted the empty wooden boxes behind her.
A black package was clearly visible, secured to the wall of the cabin. The moment he touched it, a red timer began counting down.
It was a bomb!
90 seconds—was the final countdown!
"Capone…" Sophia's face turned pale as she clearly saw the bomb, each tick of the timer signaling that death was getting closer.
"Don't be afraid; we'll escape together!"
Capone's eyes darkened slightly. Even in this critical moment, he couldn't remain indifferent, especially since Sophia was on the ship. She couldn't die alongside him!
"Step back a little!" Capone instructed her to move aside, then smashed the cabin's glass with the butt of his gun, using his elbow to break it into pieces. Outside was the ship's railing; if they could jump into the sea before the explosion, they could survive.
70 seconds!
Capone grabbed Sophia by the shoulders; she was already using the shattered glass to cut through the rope binding her feet.
No wonder she's my woman, Capone thought with a swell of pride. In the face of such danger, she remained calm and collected!
He quickly used his Swiss Army knife to cut the rope off her feet, but the handcuffs on her wrists had no key to unlock them! It seemed Lucas had done this on purpose, knowing they would need to escape and intentionally fastening Sophia to the iron rail.
The handcuffs were custom-made; there was no key, and not just any metal could easily pry them open.
The cold sea breeze blew through the shattered window, chilling them to the bone, but a thin layer of sweat formed on Capone's forehead.
"Why can't I get it open? Why won't it budge?" A normally composed man, unflinching even under the gun, was now trembling with frustration.
60 seconds!
He violently struck at the handcuff, but the high-purity steel wouldn't budge. Sophia's wrist, however, was getting scraped, a faint trickle of blood seeping out.
"Don't be afraid; I can definitely get it open. We'll get out of here!" he tried to reassure her.
From her initial shock and fear, Sophia surprisingly found herself calm at that moment.
She simply wanted to cry, feeling an inexplicable sense of regret.
They had just embraced; it seemed they had finally understood each other's significance, and now they were suddenly facing death.
She didn't want this, but fate was never in one's control.
50 seconds!
With no time for persuasion, Sophia withdrew her free hand and slapped Capone hard across the face. He froze, but she said, "It's all your fault! It's because of you that I'm going to die here! Get out of here, don't worry about me; you escape! I don't want to die with you!"
One person dying is better than sacrificing two.
But Capone seemed to have calmed down as well, leaving behind a statement that sounded more like a vow than a promise: "I won't leave you!"
"Capone!"
He gave up trying to fiddle with the handcuffs and ran over to the bomb. He bent down, and the bomb's structure became clear; it wasn't too complicated, just like something out of a movie. It had the typical dramatic twist—two wires, one red and one blue. Cut the right one, and it wouldn't explode.
He knew that if one person were here right now, this danger could be eliminated immediately. Unfortunately, that person was currently at MIT in Massachusetts, pursuing his second PhD.
40 seconds!
Capone decisively pulled out his phone and pressed a name. The signal was weak, but it connected.
"Karl, tell me which wire to cut to disarm this bomb!"
Among their group, the youngest, Karl, was an outstanding bomb disposal expert.
Sophia had no idea who was on the other end of the line; she could only hear Capone speaking in the simplest terms, using words she didn't understand to seek help. However, the signal remained poor, and Capone could barely hear the other person's response.
"Damn it!" Capone angrily threw his phone to the ground. The BlackBerry shattered into pieces, as if foreshadowing their impending fate.
Capone couldn't bring himself to cut either wire, knowing that once he made a decision, it would determine their lives and deaths.
Suddenly, the timer stopped at 30 seconds, remaining frozen.
"Capone!" Sophia tugged at his sleeve. He moved closer, feeling neither rage nor calm; he felt empty, with his eyes only on her.
Just the two of them felt like the entire world.
"Just go! While the bomb is stopped, hurry and leave. Don't come looking for me again; just pretend I'm still alive… Hurry up and go!"
Sophia shouted at him through her tears. Capone pressed his lips tightly together and cupped her face, kissing her deeply.
"I said I won't leave you. If we're going to die, then let's die together!"