Chapter 2

"This gang is extremely careful. We have to stick to the plan. If we mess up tonight, all our hard work will be for nothing."

I nodded again and again with a sincere look of apology before forcing myself to focus and return to surveillance.

But only a few minutes later, the phone suddenly started ringing again.

I stared at my phone in horror.

For a moment, I almost thought I was imagining things.

I regretted answering Lilianna's first call. I regretted even bringing my phone on the operation.

That ringtone was driving me crazy.

Derek pulled out his phone and glanced at it. "It's mine. Some unknown number is calling. Don't worry. Let's keep going."

There were three suspects in the gang we were watching.

Team Alpha and Beta were responsible for taking down the two henchmen, while our Team Charlie was supposed to capture the leader.

Then the phone started ringing again, startling me so badly that Lilianna's face instantly popped into my mind.

"Damn! Who the hell is this?" Derek said angrily as he reached for the phone. But then he suddenly handed it to me. "It's your mom."

My mom?

Why would Mom be calling Captain Cole?

I put the phone to my ear and immediately heard that familiar voice.

"Why did you turn your phone off again? Do you really not want to answer my calls? Florence said she's going to put 800 dollars in a card. Our gift has to be worth more than hers. What do you think?"

I closed my eyes in despair. I stood there frozen for a long moment before accepting that this was actually happening. It wasn't a hallucination.

"Mom, I'm trying to catch murderers! Can you please stop calling me? And please don't call my captain either!"

"But you clearly have time to answer my call. When the suspects come out, just go after them. It'll only take a few seconds. How much time could one phone call really waste?"

I took a deep breath and forced down my anger. "Mom, I'm going to say this one last time..."

Just then, Derek suddenly slapped his thigh and gave a sharp order. "Target acquired. Move in."

Ethan Mitchell had been ready for this. He immediately charged out after Derek.

But I still hadn't finished saying what I needed to tell Lilianna.

I stood there frozen for several seconds before realizing I had to move too. I tossed the phone aside and hurried after them.

But when I reached the stairs outside the suspect's apartment, gasping for air, I heard the sound of a struggle coming from the third floor.

Someone shouted urgently. "Ethan, go after him!"

A few seconds later, a muscular man rushed past me.

I quickly reached out and grabbed him, pinning him against the railing for a moment.

But when I reached for my handcuffs, I realized I had left them behind.

I was so furious and frustrated that I nearly lost my mind.

Because I had been distracted by Lilianna's call, I had forgotten to grab my gear when I got out of the car.

The man twisted and struggled before quickly slipping between my legs and disappearing into the darkness.

Derek and Ethan came running down the stairs, both gasping for breath, and saw everything.

Ethan was furious. He grabbed me and shouted.

"Henry, we were already moving! Where the hell were you? If you had been there, we never would have let him get away! He's a murderer! What if he gets away and kills someone else? Can you take responsibility for that?"

He rushed over, shook me by the shoulders, and grabbed my shirt so hard that his spit landed on my face.

But I was still in a daze. All I could hear was that phone ringing over and over in my head.

"Henry, you really messed up this time. What could possibly have been so important that you had to answer a call during an operation?"