" I'm... still alive? " She drops the chair she was holding and had pats her chest as if not doing would calm her down from her late panick. Her hands trembled as she wipes her caramel colored strands away from sticking from her sweaty forehead.
Rodriigo couldn't believe this person who had looked like a predator who was ready to strike their prey a minute ago, now looked like the prey standing in from of a top predator. Shaking like a leaf.
His brow furrow seeing the woman continued patting her chest.
His large hand held hers to stop the act of hurting herself and as if she just realized there was a large man standing next to her, she paused and looked up.
Their eyes finally met and when Rodriigo sees her properly, he couldn't help but stop his action to pull his hand back.
One second she was swinging the chair like a bat with her maximum strength and the next she had saw a man in black uniformed and bulletproof vest in front of her, then she realized she wasn't going to die. Veronica had lived a typical life until today.
Never had she thought she was going to welcome the worst ending, she was sure to be the distraction. She had it planned, go out and made them think she was alone inside and fight them as her last struggle for a chance to live. Even if she goes down, then, she would bring at least one of them with her to death.
She didn't realized she was going into panick mode when a warm large hand stop her from beating herself up.
Her eyes immediately gone wide at the contact and she looks up at the tall man in front of her. She immediately sense that this person wanted her to stop panicking, she couldn't see his face under that head protector but his eyes were sharp, yet there's gentleness in them. It put Veronica at ease.
She thought he wanted her to stop panicking so she wouldn't faint if it continued.
Veronica steadied her breathing and remembered her small students hiding.
" Don't worry sir, I'll faint later but right now I need to get my students " she had priorities, her students come first before herself.
Help now, Faint later. She chanted in her head.
She pulled her small hands back and turned to pick up her phone that fell to the ground, Veronica snakes her hand on the wall flipped the switch and the light were on.
There were sounds of footsteps coming from above but she ignores them and hurriedly goes to one corner of the room, she didn't even notice the tall man following her inside.
She calls out to her students and they replied with an unsure voice.
" Is it over? "
" w-what was that scary sound Miss Veronica ? "
" I wanna go home! "
" Daddy! I want my Daddy! "
The children had cried from behind furniture and Veronica was about to manage the lifting herself when she realized she had no strength left.
" Calm down now everyone, it's fine, your going home now " she hurriedly tried to coax them, she was tired and sweating. She really wants to just go shut down on the spot but knows she can't at the moment.
The man behind watched her before he lightly touched her shoulder, Veronica looks up to the man.
" I'll do it, just sit down and calm yourself first " he gently pushed he to the nearest table and she immediately sat, she didn't want to disobey the man's order. She stared at his back as he worked on putting the furnitures on the side, and he seems to do it with ease.
She looks down to her slightly trembling hands and clenched them.
Pull yourself together, she tells herself.
I'm fine.
Everything's fine now.
When the medics arrive to the basement, it made her feel like they are really going to be fine.
The medics hurriedly checked the children and one by one, carried them away from the place.
Veronica watched them leave from the basement and she gave a tired smiled at them. The criminals were already handcuffed and sent straight away to another maximum prison.
Veronica didn't want to be asked by the police at the moment, she was exhausted, drained, worried at her other co-workers, sleepy, and surprisingly very hungry.
As her shoulder was draped with a blanket, she felt like she was ready to passout without a care. Today's even was too much for her.
The police was in the middle of asking her about the details of the situation in her perspective when suddenly the taller man stood at her side and looks at her, his head gear still covered his face.
He lowered himself, leaning his head down and looked at her with sharp yet tender eyes.
" You don't need to answer them right now, you can rest " His deep and low toned voice was so matured and reassuring that Veronica was in a state of daze as she stared back in his light colored eyes. She couldn't tell if it was grey or blue, all she knows that his eyes was sharp and light and they looked at her warmly.
" Time to go up, if it alright if I carry you? " he asked politely, his deep voice tickling her ear. While they were in ther own world, the other people around who knew the captain, had looked at him in complete shock.
Veronica didn't see their reaction as she sees him opened his arms and she nods, understanding what he means. She settles in his strong chest as he scoops her up gently, Veronica doesn't look at the others after that and just immediately slept.
The officers that saw them had looked confused at the man who just let a woman enter his embrace, even was the one who initiated the contact first!
Rodriigo Hunter, whose already 29 and a workaholic public and government servant, who hates skin contact, a cold hearted bastard and who loathes attention from women, was now being extremely nice to the victim.
Their captain was never this nice to any of thr people they rescued, it's also the first time he stayed long enough after the objectives are completed.
They watch as their Captain leaves the basement with the woman in his arms.
One of the swat members shakes his head with a smile on his lips, amused.