~ 26: A Mission to Rescue - Part 3 ~

Of course, the police would take us in as potential suspects. We raised our free hands without letting go of Mel.

"Where are you taking the girl in the middle?" he asked in severeness.

"To seek medical attention," I answered. "Some gangster had brought her here, and had her tortured and harrassed to the verge of death."

"Who are you and how are the two of you related to her?"

"I'm Celestine, her closest friend, and this man has helped me in bringing her out."

"I'm Lucas, sir," said my brother-figure. "I'm Celestine's unofficial brother."

"So we finally have Lucas D'Silva in our hands," said the officer with a chuckle. "It was very difficult to trace you with the country running around in search for you. Fortunately, you landed right into our hands. Was it because you decided to prey on women?"

"If I was here to prey on them, I wouldn't be hacking away behind a computer screen, getting the essential information and working away to set up a difficult trap. If I got caught despite my hacking skills, then it must be for my own good."

"Don't worry, you won't be serving in prison. Not without getting that wound treated and further investigation on who called upon us and why."

"Is your head so thick that you can't see I summoned you here, sir?"

'Be polite,' I snapped at him softly, nudging him from the back. 'I don't know about you, but I surely don't want to see you behind the bars instead of those men.'

'It won't be that easy to contain me,' he answered.

"Surely, the hacker would be the one to report to the law enforces?" said the police, raising his eyebrows. "I can't arrest a law-abiding citizen. You may have hacked in our accounts, but it looks like you have done it for the greater good."

"Just so you know," he said sharply, "I wouldn't be trying to risk my life and honour to get the things to arrest the wrong while saving myself from this hell. I was trying to escape from a place that had captured something important of mine and broken it. I was only waiting for an opportune time to get back at them, not only for me but for every sufferer here."

"We will see, Lucas. You have done much for the country with this case as a white-hat hacker, or in your case, as a grey-hat one. If your previous crimes aren't exorbitant by working unwillingly under them, we will let you off the hook."

Questions out of curiosity started popping up in my head. It wanted to know the full list of information regarding his identity, what of his had been broken and why he was doing this with my aid than his own when he was already so powerful. But then the last question was erased when I remembered that small, tender creatures could do much more than large, mighty ones.

We were let go off immediately after being searched out for weapons. The ambulance doors were opened, allowing the other two to receive the treatments to their severe wounds before they scarred. I crouched close to the wall, watching them and the people scurrying about.

The people, with their blue uniforms and emblems on them, had walked into the basement and had brought back the unconscious bodies of the two disgraced humans. Their partners in crime had been arrested, along with other individuals who had been agonised here.

But I never expected to hear a crystal clear voice say, "Melissa! Are you alright?"

A middle-aged man or slightly older, who had been turning his head, finally caught sight of my friend. Before I could get defensive, I realised that he was her father, who I had seen rushing in to greet her at her VIP room.

I collapsed to the ground due to my lack of strength. Everything had turned out to be fine, despite the rough events. I could gladly sleep peacefully and not worry about anything...

'I'm forgetting something, am I not?' I asked myself.

Before I could find the solution, I expectorated phlegm on my side. My lungs feel hollow from the strain and they hurt when I inhaled air deeply.

'Lucas's payment for his services,' said the little voice. 'You must keep your promise.'

However, I was too tired to stand and too sleepy to open my eyes. I wanted to ask him where he lived or studied so that I could get him what he wished of me. I didn't get up on my feet as I hit my head lightly on the wall and dozed off. My subconsciousness knew that I was lifted and carried off somewhere that I couldn't bother to notice.

~

"How did she end up here?" I heard a male voice snarl. "And what exactly is wrong with her? Why won't she wake up?"

I sat up straight and felt my weight jump on a soft foam mattress. My head spun from the force, and I held it in my hands. My body ached in different parts that I didn't know were exerted to the fullest.

'How long had I slept?' I asked myself and tried to focus on the strong light by looking down and looking through the slits between my fingers.

Then, everything from the previous night came back. I stared at the white covers, realising they weren't the ones I usually used. I looked around to see where I was, and if I could find the two of them.

I was isolated from everyone with white curtains around my bed. That loud voice was still yelling away piercingly, generating a flinch every time it spoke and swore. I got down slowly from the side, dragging the drip bag along with me. After removing the pulse oximeter, I gently picked up the long hospital pants that hindered my movement.

Peeking through the curtains, I saw that it was still dark from the windows at the front. A man, in somewhat expensive casuals, was shouting at the nurse or doctor a little far off. When he turned his hooded head, millions of questions poured right into my brain.

"Celest!" he shouted in what seemed like half-joy and half-anger. He barged into me at full force, making me whisper-yell in pain.

"Too... tight..." I puffed out as he wouldn't let go of his firm embrace.

He bent his huge frame, picked me up and gave a short spin. When he had finished, I could not let go because I was weak and the spin made me dizzy. He didn't stop there and put me down on the bed while he crouched on the floor.

After that, I poured out my questions in one long breath.

"How did you get here? Who told you anything about what happened? And where are those two? What time is it that it's still dark? Did I miss my classes?"

His hand was over my mouth, stopping the source of speech. I frowned at him for not letting me speak everything I needed to.

"Wow, even after a horrendous event, you still have the energy," he said in a dull voice. "I'm impressed by your diligence, but I'm most certainly 'not' done with you nearly sacrificing your life."

"Why? Whatever in the world happened that you were screaming your head off? You are losing your respect and reputation in front of everyone."

"You think I could sit still knowing 'you' got hurt? And in the process of saving Mel from those kinds of people? You have got to be kidding me to get your courage up and storm into just a place. Next time, I will have to tie you up so that you wouldn't be out in such adventures late at night."

"Why does it even matter? It's not like Mel—"

I gulped down the question when I had to face his threat. He had shoved me down on the bed. He pressed his arms on either side, capturing any space through which I could struggle out. His face was extremely close to mine. I held my breath the entire time in anticipation of the wrath that had sparked in his eyes.

"I didn't want to tell you this yet, but it would be better to get it over with. I knew Mel was in that kind of danger, and I was planning to get hold of them early in the morning when they sold their illegal things out."