He stopped at a metal shed with a red skull-and-bones sign over the door warning them about explosives inside. "Explosives? Aren't those dangerous?" she said.
"In the wrong hands, yes. I know what I'm doing."
"Have you ever used any before?"
"No, but I did some reading on the Internet before we left. It's not very difficult." He reached into the knapsack for the bolt cutters. "Do you see any wires? There shouldn't be an alarm, but you never know."
She felt around the sides of the shed for any wires, but couldn't find any. Something small and furry darted over her foot and into the bushes nearby. She stifled a scream with her hand, putting the other on her rapidly beating heart. It's probably a squirrel, she told herself. Nothing dangerous.
"What's wrong?" Joseph asked when she returned to the front of the shed. He squeezed her arm hard enough to make her wince. "Did you see anything?"
"No. Just a chipmunk or something."
"Great. Keep an eye out while I go in to get what we need." He used the bolt cutters to slice the lock in half and then opened the door. Samantha stood outside as Joseph had requested, every rustling leaf or hooting owl sounding like a siren to her ears.
Someone laid a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, her arms raised to strike, only to find Joseph standing there with a green canister marked with a red skull-and-crossbones like the door. "Careful, baby. You almost blew us up," he said.
"What is that?"
"Nitro," he said. "Definitely not a toy."
"Do you know how dangerous that is?" She didn't know how she knew, but something told her nitroglycerine was a very volatile chemical. If jostled or shaken enough it could explode, killing whoever was nearby.
"I know. There's nothing to worry about. We'll drive slow all the way back to Seabrooke," he said.
"I don't want that in the car. You can either take it or you can take me."
"Baby, don't act this way. Nothing bad is going to happen. I'll be really careful with it. I've got a safe container for it all made up in the trunk."
"No. This has gone too far. If anyone finds out, they'll put us in jail for the rest of our lives!"
"Sam, you're overreacting. I know you're scared, but there's nothing to worry about, really. I've taken care of everything. Tomorrow night we'll use this stuff on the bank vault and we'll have the money we need. No one is ever going to know. Trust me." He ran his free hand along her arm. "Please. Don't be mad at me."