**Second Arrest**

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" The violent pounding on the door jolted Ethan Parker awake. With a low roar of satisfaction, he released himself and gasped for breath.

"We're the police! Open the door for inspection!" Loud shouts came from outside the door.

Before Ethan Parker could recover from his shock, there was a loud "bang" as the door was kicked open and several uniformed officers rushed in.

"Why didn't you open the door!" A male officer walked over, pulling Ethan Parker off the girl and draping two towels over them. He then instructed a female officer, "Help cover the girl."

"What are you doing?" Ethan Parker's consciousness finally returned.

"What's your relationship with this woman?" the male officer asked.

"I don't know her…" Ethan Parker replied numbly. The alcohol clouded his mind, making it difficult to piece together what had happened.

The male officer nodded to the female officer. "Let's take him in and sort it out later."

Both officers knew that this might be a ** case, as the report suggested. At the very least, it was an incident of sexual misconduct.

The girl had woken up during Ethan Parker's assault but the intense pain and humiliation kept her from opening her eyes. Hearing the police arrive, she finally opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face. Ethan Parker had his back to her, preventing her from seeing the man who had violated her.

"Save me…" the girl weakly muttered before passing out again.

The two officers were now certain of the nature of the case, and the girl was clearly the victim. The female officer used a makeshift hood made of newspaper to cover the girl's face, to protect her privacy given the personal nature of the crime.

Ethan Parker, however, was immediately handcuffed and pushed out. Confused, he was led to the police car by the male officer.

Logan Carter and Zhang Biao hid among the onlookers, snapping photos of Ethan Parker being escorted to the police car with a flashless digital camera.

"Kid, it's you!" On the police car, Charlotte recognized Ethan Parker as the guy who had been at the station a few days ago.

The cold wind outside sobered Ethan Parker up a bit. He stared at the female officer and finally recognized her, "Officer Charlotte."

"You still remember me? I always knew you were no good. Captain Ava Bennett even believed you and got you a commendation for bravery! Now you're finally caught in my hands. What do you have to say for yourself?" Charlotte vented her frustration from the previous days.

"What did I do?" Ethan Parker was confused. Was he still dreaming? This dream seemed too long and too bizarre.

"What did you do? You raped a girl! Ethan Parker, you've got some nerve. A few days ago you killed someone, and now you've moved on to rape. Don't tell me this is another act of heroism!" Charlotte sneered.

"I raped a girl?" Ethan Parker slapped his head, memories of the girl's painful cries, her frowning face, and the bloody stain on the sheet flashed through his mind.

Yes, it seemed he had forced himself on a girl. But wasn't that a dream? Could it be real? Seeing the bustling scene outside the "Paradise on Earth" hotel, Ethan Parker realized he had indeed done something stupid.

Logan Carter! It must have been Logan Carter who set him up! Ethan Parker cursed inwardly, thinking he had been careless and fallen into Logan Carter's trap.

Ethan Parker could almost see Logan Carter's smug face, laughing triumphantly. The expression seemed to say, "Try competing with me for Ava Bennett now; you'll spend the rest of your life in prison!"

"Damn you!" Ethan Parker slammed his free hand against the car door. The door dented with a "bang," showing his anger.

"You're still causing trouble even in the police car!" Charlotte, seeing Ethan Parker swearing and hitting the car, angrily swung her baton at him.

Ethan Parker felt a sharp pain in his back and glared at Charlotte. He hadn't expected her to be so violent, but for someone used to fighting, this was nothing.

"What are you staring at? Want me to hit you again?" Charlotte, a bit unnerved by Ethan Parker's fierce look, threatened.

You little bitch, Ethan Parker thought, vowing to get back at this self-righteous and hot-tempered officer. But assaulting a police officer was not something he dared to do. He was already in deep trouble; adding assault would mean spending his life in prison.

"Enough, Charlotte. If you injure him, we'll have to pay for his medical bills," the male officer cautioned.

"Fine, medical bills it is," Charlotte muttered.

The experienced male officer didn't say another word the entire trip, making Ethan Parker uneasy.

The police car pulled into the Songjiang Police Department. Upon arrival, Ethan Parker and the girl were separated, and Ethan Parker was taken to the interrogation room once again.

Thus, Ethan Parker became a repeat offender.

Same place, same people. The difference was that this case, while seemingly lighter than the previous murder case, was actually much more serious.

When Ava Bennett saw Ethan Parker, he frowned. He couldn't believe that someone who had stopped others from harassing a girl a few days ago could now be accused of rape.

His intuition told him that there was more to this story.