"Police, freeze!"
Kathrina peered over her shoulder and saw three officers walking in her direction. Until one of the officers put the handcuffs on Alex, she didn't release the grip on his leg. Then, after making sure that Alex wouldn't have a chance to escape, she left him with the officers. Kathrina held her stomach while sauntering; she was limping. Kathrina continued to look straight and then noticed Bianca's tear-streaked face. Kathrina gave her best effort to offer her smile even though she was sure it looked stiff due to the wound on her lips.
"Oh God, Detective, are you okay?" Bianca scanned her from head to toe, looking for any indication of a fatal injury on her body. Thankfully, there weren't any.
"I'm okay, Mrs. Frank. Now, please follow the two officers behind me to give your statement."
Kathrina let the two officers take Bianca as far as possible from her. She did not have the power to talk with her. When Alex walked past her, Kathrina scoffed at him, which made him halt and stare at her with a hateful gaze.
"You see, Mr. Frank, we thought you accidentally killed Miss. Francesca, but now I think you deliberately did it. When you saw me fighting for my life, the expression on your face made it clear you enjoyed what you did, which led me to question why your wife is still alive when she has a psycho like you as her husband."
Alex gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up.
Kathrina nodded, understanding how much the man detested her, "Enjoy your time in jail, then."
The officers hauled Alex to the vehicle in. Even though the man tried to rebel, he could not do anything to them since they used more powers to restrain him.
From Kathrina's peripheral view, she noticed Theo running to her like someone was chasing him. The man stopped right before her. "Are you okay?" he asked with an anxious voice. He reached out to touch her but stopped midway, knowing Kathrina wouldn't like it.
"As you can see, I'm still alive."
Theo exhaled a sigh of relief and said, "Thank God."
"How did you lose him?" Kathrina questioned him in her interrogating tone. She did not care whether this man was her team member. All she knew was the fact that Theo did not do his job properly. Bianca could have lost her life if she had come home alone tonight.
"I was distracted, sorry." Theo's shoulders slumped. He was embarrassed to the bone. Gone was the chance for him to get her. He believed, in her eyes, he was an incompetent man.
"Hmmm," she hummed. Then, finally, she decided to drop the subject and did not want to probe further. After all, Theo would have to explain himself to Xavier so she did not need to hear his reason.
Kathrina breathed out. The man in front of her looked so pitiful, like an abandoned puppy. She tapped his back when she passed him. "Go with Mrs. Frank."
"I'll take you to the hospital first."
"No need, I'm going home. Goodbye, Theo."
Kathrina moved away from him, waving her hands in the air. She needed to tend her wound, to make sure it could heal before her family dinner three days from now. Her family would pass out on the spot if they saw her current predicament. She shuddered when the image of her mother nagging her nonstop entered her vision. She immediately rushed towards her car. The sooner she got home, the quicker she could treat her wound.
***
Arthur arrived at the parking basement half before midnight. He held his black suit in his hands as he exited his car. He didn't look as tidy as he did in the morning. Now that his shirt sleeves had been pushed up to his elbows, the veins on his hand were clearly evident. His hair also looked a bit messy.
Arthur focused on his phone; he was reading all the reports he could not finish in the office. He grimaced when he saw the report about Marcella. That woman still won't give up on her demand. With how she behaved, there was no way for him to extend their contract.
Marcella started to get on his nerves. He was aware of the risk of being a big star like her. However, to demand the same treatment FSS gave to high officials was ridiculous because she was in no danger like those people. He had already made sure of it; all the investigations his employees did wouldn't lie, and there was no reason for him to doubt it. The ones who did the research were all his trusted employees. So, he would only accept her request once his team gave him concrete evidence to support Marcella's claims.
Arthur's head rose when the light from a small car shone through him. He knew the owner of that car and who was behind the steering wheel. He would approach her after waiting till the woman had done parking.
'Who would've guessed that we would see each other twice a day.' Arthur almost wanted to chuckle. He imagined that someone above was giving him a sign to pursue his interest in her.
When Kathrina finally left her car and walked towards the entrance, Arthur's brows were fused together. He saw that she was limping, and it seemed like walking was an arduous chore to her. So, with his big steps, he made his way to her.
When Kathrina noticed another pair of shoes in front of her, she halted her motion. She raised her eyes to see the shoe owner's face, and after that, she would unleash her anger at him. Her body was aching all over, and this person decided to pester her.
Kathrina moved back as soon as their gaze locked with each other. She cursed under her breath. Arthur was the last person she wanted to see among many people who resided in this apartment.
To Kathrina's surprise, she felt his hand cup her chin. So, she had to turn back to face him. She was perplexed by the expression in his eyes since was fury in them; it almost looked like he could burn the whole world.
"Wha…what are you doing?" She stuttered; her hand tried to shake off his hand, but he held her instead. Her eyes enlarged in shock.
'What the fuck is he doing?'
Arthur looked at her attentively and said, "You're hurt." He took notice of Kathrina's swollen cheek, the cut on the corner of her lips, a handprint on her neck, and the injury on her knuckles. He could feel his rage building within him; if he didn't find out what caused her wound, he would wreak havoc.
"Why are you hurt?" Despite the raging fire inside his heart, he still managed to use his calm voice to ask her.
"None of your business. Now let me go."
Arthur ignored her, and he even stroked her swollen cheek softly. Katharina closed her eyes under his gentle touch as if she was bewitched.
"Why? Answer me, Kathrina?"
"Occupational hazard," she uttered those words without thinking. She was too lost in him.
"What? Are you a boxer or something?"
Within a split second, Kathrina's eyes opened. She suddenly became aware that she had just allowed herself to be intimate with a total stranger. Of course, in a normal situation, she would not act in such a manner because this was not who she was. But as he caressed her cheek, it was evident that she briefly felt safe. Kathrina wanted to slap herself for daring to think that way.
She backed away from his space and ensured their distance was far enough so when he ever tried to touch her again, she could avoid it or possibly run away.
"Why do you sound like a worried boyfriend? You are not even my friend, so there is no need to feel concerned about my condition. We are strangers to each other; remember, it was only two days ago we started to know each other's existence."
"Wrong, it was three days ago." He corrected, grinning.
"What...." Kathrina ceased talking after a moment. She remembered that the day she had thrown up should have been their first encounter. Then, as if she was struck by lightning, Kathrina finally recalled. It was at the elevator. At that time, she had no chance to see his face because she was in a hurry, so she ignored him; she only thought he had a pleasant voice.
"The point still stands; we are strangers."
"I was worried because you are my neighbor."
"We are five floors apart." Kathrina's voice started to sound more hostile than it usually does. "Just let me go, okay? I'm tired. My body hurts so much." She was not aware that suddenly her voice had changed. Now she sounded like she was whining to him.
Arthur's expression turned soft, "Okay, let me help you."
Kathrina sent a glare at him. He dropped their silly argument but was still determined to help her. In the end, she opted to be an adult. Right now, the most important thing was to get her wound treated.
Arthur placed Kathrina's left hand on his neck, and his right hand was dropped to clasp her waist. He was aware the woman's body went rigid for a moment, and then it relaxed when given a light tap twice. Arthur's mouth opened into a wide smile that lasted until his left cheek's dimple became visible.
"Don't be nervous," he said as he dropped his lips till they were at her ear level. "I won't bite."
Kathrina stepped on his feet, it did not hurt at all, but he still let out a fake groan mixed with a laugh. Arthur loved their current condition; having her in his arms was blissful. He would be content if he could be like this forever.
It did not take long until Arthur realized he had just crossed a dangerous line.