Chapter 155 - Is That All You Have To Say At A Time Like This?

Jackson rushed ahead with his gun in his hands. Why was there gunfire? A normal kidnapping barely involved shooting a gun. After all, the ultimate goal was just money.

Had Halia been discovered? Did she try to escape? Was there a fight?

Countless questions ran through his head. 

If something happened to Halia, what would he do? He was planning to finish this mission, retire from the force and lead a normal life with her. There were so many things they hadn't done together yet. Worst of all, he hadn't told her how much she meant to him. He had been in the gangs since he was 18, taking on one mission after another. Never had he come across a woman that made him feel the way that Halia did; a woman that made him want to give up everything and just settle down. A woman that, while he was lying wounded in his hospital bed, gave him a reason to continue living. Was this a sign from God? Would he never be able to lead a normal life?

At that moment, he reached the doorway of the room where the gunshot appeared to have come from. He stood against the wall, concealing himself and waited for the others to catch up. As soon as Sean, Amelie, and Alexander arrived, Jackson carefully peeked around the corner. 

What scene would he be met with?

He held his breath as four figures came into view. Two of them were lying unconscious on the floor. Jackson quickly scanned his eyes across the two on the floor as his heart raced. Was Halia one of them?

But, he quickly breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that both of them were men.

He then scanned his eyes across to a man that was sitting on the floor holding his foot and glanced up to look at the one person that was standing holding a rifle. Her back was facing the doorway, but her long black hair and gorgeous figure immediately warmed his heart.

He knew who it was straight away and every muscle on his body relaxed in relief.

It was Halia. She was safe!

Filled with emotions, Jackson rushed into the room and headed for the woman.

He ignored everything that was happening inside the little abandoned house and dismissed the eyes that were watching him as he walked straight up to her without hesitation. His brave woman was standing tall and mighty, like a general amidst a war zone and he was extremely proud and relieved.

It seemed, she had the entire situation under control...

Roughly 10 minutes ago, while Jackson and the others were still rushing to the scene, Halia had just been told by the lead kidnapper that his real motive was to kill her. But, even as he approached with his knife, she remained calm.

She had to make it out of there alive. If not for herself, she had to do it for her friends and family - especially Jackson. There were so many things she still wanted to do with the man and so many things she wanted to say. They had just been reunited long ago, she couldn't bear to part with him again.

Unbeknownst to the kidnapper, she had a small piece of shattered glass in her hands that she had grabbed when they first entered the abandoned house. Since it had been uninhabited for so long, kids had broken in to graffiti the place and entered through some smashed windows, so there was glass everywhere. Fortunately, she was quick on her feet and grabbed a piece of the glass while no one noticed.

Thus, the man thought he was approaching a completely restrained and harmless woman, but in actual fact, she had already untied herself while he was talking and was simply waiting for the right moment to strike.

So, as soon as the man got close enough, Halia jumped up, flipped the chair over her head and smashed it on top of the man's head. Blood immediately started trickling down from his forehead.

The man touched his head in surprise. Everything happened so quickly. What had just happened?

But, before he could react, Halia swung her leg in one perfect swoop and knocked the man to the floor. All the man saw were a pair of Nikes collide with his cheek before everything turned black and he fell unconscious.

The other two kidnappers in the house heard the noise and rushed in to see what was happening. But, by the time they arrived at the doorway, Halia was already waiting behind the door with the lead kidnapper's knife, ready to ambush them. These two were amateurs. They simply saw their leader on the floor and rushed in swaying their rifles in their hands. Halia sighed. These guys had absolutely no idea who they were dealing with. As soon as they kneeled down to check on their leader, Halia rushed forward, knocked one man out and held her knife up to the other.

"Drop your gun," she ordered as she kicked the knocked out man's rifle away.

In close combat, a knife always won against a gun. Especially when the man had his back to the woman and she had a knife held to his back.

As soon as the man dropped the gun, Halia picked it up and backed away.

Pointing it at the only conscious man, she demanded, "Tell me who sent you or I'll shoot."

The man snickered as he looked at the woman. "Do you even know how to use that gun? You better put it down before the two men outside realize what's going on in here," he warned.

Halia glanced down at the gun. The safety catch was still on from earlier. She held the weapon comfortably in her hands and ran her fingers over it nimbly, unlocking the catch and aiming it confidently at the man.

"Do you want to test me?" she asked. 

She still had knowledge of a weapons expert in her head and the combat skills of her captain; a deadly combo that these men stood no chance against.

"You wouldn't dare to shoot. If you kill a man, you will be sent to jail!" the kidnapper threatened.

Halia looked at the man and smirked. "Kill? Who said I was going to kill you?" she said. 

She then pointed the gun at the man's feet. "Left or right?" she asked.

The man looked at her with confusion, "What do you..."

Before the man finished his sentence, Halia pointed the gun accurately at the man's right foot and pulled the trigger, "Right! Because I'm always right!"

"Now, tell me...who sent you?"

Halia glared at the man as he screamed in pain.

"Are you crazy?" he yelled.

He then held onto his foot and whimpered as Halia continued to point the rifle at his face.

But, as she focused on the man, she suddenly felt a pair of warm arms wrap around her body from behind.

The kidnapper glanced up in surprise as four unfamiliar figures entered the room with surgical masks on. These weren't his accomplices. What happened to the two men guarding the door?

"That's my girl," a voice whispered beside Halia's ear.

Halia jumped a little in surprise and quickly gripped the rifle in her hands. But, she felt a warm sense of familiarity when the man hugging her suddenly said, "You owe me a kiss today."

Halia relaxed and gave a slight chuckle. This was the voice she wanted to hear.

"Is that all you have to say at a time like this?" she asked.

Her heart lit up. It was Jackson.

Jackson loosened his grip and turned the woman around. "No, there's one more thing I want to tell you," he said.

Halia looked at the man curiously. He had a surgical mask on, so all she could see were his eyes. But, she could sense his sincerity as he said...

"I love you."

Halia's eyes became teary as she heard these words. After everything that happened today, these words made everything immediately better. She then leaned forward and kissed the man through his mask.

"I love you too," she replied.