BELLA’S POV
“ Be careful with your words, detective.” Mr. Ramirez threatened me. I also saw how he clenched his jaw. It seemed like I offended him.
“ I apologize if I offended you, I did not mean it that way. However, if you could not control your anger issue in me, it will be difficult for you more if you already faced the court,” I seriously told him.
“ Tsk, as of now, I do not really know why I could not remember anything. Yes, I had alcohol that night but not to the point that I got drunk. Also, I am not using any kind of drugs, for your information,” He responded with grumpiness. More lines were also drawn from his forehead.
“ Do you have any history of being violent if you were drunk?” I asked once again. I really did not want to offend him by any means, but I was simply doing my job...
He sat down properly and seriously looked at me, " I---"
*bang*
I immediately dragged Mr. Ramirez into the floor when I heard a gunshot. The glass window of the condo also shattered into pieces. I listened to some bad words Mr. Ramirez uttered because of shock.
" Mr. Ramirez, stay still, okay? I will check the location of the gunman," I instructed. I was about to search for the location of the gunman when he dragged me.
“ Are you nuts? What if you were shot? I do not want that to add to my charges,” he said while holding me firmly. If we were not in a serious situation, I might laugh so loud because of what he said.
“ Sir, this is part of my job, so you do not have to worry about adding something to your charge. If you do not want to die, stay still here,” I seriously told him and removed his hands. I took my gun on my back and prepared it to aim.
I slowly raised my head to take a peek at where the gunman was. I immediately checked the building in front of Mr. Ramirez’s condo. I was thankful that the light from the sun made it easier for me to see the gun's location since it shone. It seemed like he really was tasked to kill Mr. Ramirez. I think the gunman was in the room parallel to Mr. Ramirez. I immediately looked down when the gunman shot again. Tsk, we are on the losing end because he got an advantage viewpoint on his location. I hurriedly get my phone in my pocket to call for backup.
( Hello, Bella )
“ Riri---” My words were cut off when the vase broke near Mr. Ramirez’s door. Tsk!
( What is happening there?! )
“ Listen! The gunman and gun type is both unidentified. He was located at the next building on the seventh floor, 3rd room from the right. I need some back up,”
After I gave my instruction, I ended up the call. If we stay here for so long, we might die because the gunman seemed like he had no intention to stop shooting.
“ Sir, listen to me. We will crawl until we reach the door,” I calmly told him. I saw how fear kicked in through his eyes.
“ Are we being not in trouble if we do that?” He asked.
“ Sir, if we stay here, we will be really in danger. Just trust me,” I assured him. As a law enforcer, I am responsible for protecting him at all costs.
He nodded and started crawling on the floor. I crawl using my back to see the location of the gunman. Tsk, the cloud covered the sun, so I could not see him anymore. I do not have any other choice but to make Mr. Ramirez run. I stopped crawling when I felt Mr. Ramirez’s foot kick me. I looked at him and realized that we had already reached the door. I moved a little bit to give him space to open the door.
“ When I my count reaches three, you should immediately stand and run towards the exit door. You should not look back, okay?” I instructed him. I did not want him to look back because the gunman might use that to shoot him.
“ But what if I get shot?” He asked.
“ Do not worry about it. I will protect you,” I assured him.
“ But---"
“ One”
“ Wa---"
“ Two”
“ He---”
“ Three! Run!”
He hurriedly stood up and ran away. I made sure that I covered him, so he could run properly. I almost jumped off when I felt something hit me. I did not let it stop me as I ran towards the exit door. I got difficulty running because a lot of people were in chaos. I also held my shoulder when I felt blood dripping from it.
“ What happened to you?” He asked when I reached him. I saw
nervousness and worry in his eyes when he saw me holding my shoulder.
“ Stop asking so many questions. The area is not yet secured, so we need to move fast. My car was in the parking lot,” I stated, pushing him slightly to make him start walking.
We did the run-walk combo while we were going down the parking lot. I could also feel the numbness on my shoulder, but my mind was still on the mission of protecting him.
“ Secure the area!” I shouted after we arrived in the parking lot. I saw my teammates there. Mr. Ramirez tiredly stopped running like me.
“ Bella!”
I looked at where the voice came from. I saw how fast Riri and Ced ran toward me.
“ Are you okay?” Riri worriedly asked me after they approached me. Ced held my waist. Maybe to support my back.
“ Do not mind me. Are there police officers on the next building?” I asked.
“ Yes, they currently searching for the gunman, but we doubt that he was still there,” Ced commented.
“ You mean, this place is not safe. Is there any convoy?” I asked again.
“ Yes. Oh, they are here,” Riri remarked and pointed to the convoy.
Five police officers went out in convoy and saluted at me. I nodded at them since I could not raise my hand anymore.
“ Bring Mr. Ramirez to the safe house until further notice,” I instructed. They nodded and approached Mr. Ramirez.
“ Wait, how about you? You should be sent to the hospital.” He worriedly said.
“ Sir, your safety is our top priority. Do not be so hard-headed,” I seriously told him.
“ But---”
“ Just Go!”
I could not stop myself from shouting at him because he kept contradicting what I had said earlier. I understand that he might be worried about me. However, if he dies, the shot on my shoulder will be wasted. Besides, justice for the murdered reporter will disappear. I will also lose any possible way to know who killed my father. Everyone seemed shocked when I shouted because they looked stunned right now.
“ Sir, please get in on the convoy,” Riri politely told him. I looked away and wandered my eyes on the area. Everyone was already in their respective position to make sure that we could protect Mr. Ramirez while travelling with him in a safe place.
Mr. Ramirez could not do anything but join the other police entering the convoy. I looked at him while he was getting into the convoy when suddenly…
“ BELLA!!” That was the last thing I heard before everything went black.
TO BE CONTINUED!