“Ah!”
As the wind blew, the metallic scent of blood filled the air. It was only when the shock wore off that James felt an excruciating pain radiating from his palm, swiftly followed by immense pain throughout his entire body.
His legs buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his hand and letting out a heart-wrenching scream.
The scream sent chills through everyone present. The villagers of Woodsea and onlookers instinctively took a few steps back, fearing they might be caught in James’s fury.
Many even dropped to the ground, worried that stray bullets might fly their way.
But James was tough. After a few agonizing cries, he gritted his teeth and motioned for a few deputies to help him bandage his wound.
“Darnell, are you okay?”
Lillian lowered her hands from her ears and, in a panic, rushed over to Darnell, asking with concern, “Are you hurt?”
“No… I’m fine… Just scared me to death!”
Darnell shot an angry glare at James. “What the hell were you thinking, firing a gun like that? What if you hit someone?”
The onlookers, now coming back to their senses, all wore pale faces, clearly shaken, and began to condemn James for his disregard for human life.
No one felt sympathy for his injuries. As for why the gun exploded, no one bothered to investigate.
James felt like crying. Damn it! He was the one injured, yet everyone was blaming him!
Lillian found Darnell’s reaction both amusing and infuriating. The man had just let out such a chilling scream that anyone who didn’t know better would think he had been shot. Little did they know, he was completely unharmed-just “scared” out of his wits. Lillian could tell Darnell was feigning his panic.
Garrett stared at the damaged firearm, realizing that he was the only one who had witnessed what had truly happened.
Just as James was about to pull the trigger, a small pebble had lodged itself in the gun’s barrel while Darnell covered his ears. Then, with a loud bang, the police gun exploded.
The precision of that act was even more terrifying than Darnell’s earlier display of violence in the hall…
James looked at his bloody right hand and laughed in fury. “Darnell, I will never let you get away with this!”
At that moment, two police cars and two black sedans pulled up. The sound of gunfire always put the police on high alert.
Eight officers jumped out of the police cars, rushing to the center of the chaos. Upon seeing the injured on the ground and James with a wound, they quickly surrounded them while drawing their weapons. Then the door of one of the black cars swung open, and a domineering voice rang out.
“What happened? Which bastard fired that gun?”
As thoughts raced through Darnell’s mind, two beautiful girls emerged from the car, one older and one younger. The older woman was Kendra Wolmer, dressed head to toe in black, exuding an air of authority.
The younger woman was Bella Carlill, who had previously clashed with Darnell.
Darnell’s eyelids fluttered as his gaze locked onto the speaker. He silently cursed his luck. It seemed this little witch had come back to haunt him. Things were about to get messy.
Bella stood with her hands on her hips, her voice fierce. “Do you know that firing a gun in public is a serious crime? Whiteville has been going through enough trouble. You dare to make me stop and check this out?”
“Who fired the gun? Step forward now. Otherwise, I’ll make sure to break your hand!”
Everyone was at a loss for words, thinking that this girl’s logic made no sense at all.
The gun could only have been fired by either a police officer or a criminal. If it was a police officer, it wouldn’t be a grave offense. But if it wasn’t, then it had to be a criminal-and when would a criminal step up to admit their guilt?
Kendra stepped closer to Bella, placing a firm hand on her shoulder, then turned to survey the tense scene. “I’m Kendra Wolmer, the consultant for the Whiteville Major Crimes Unit.”
She exuded an air of authority, scanning the crowd as she sternly asked, “What’s going on here?”
Seeing the reinforcements arrive, James regained some courage, gritting his teeth as he pointed at Darnell. “Ms. Wolmer, you’re just in time!”
James seemed to recognize Kendra and hurried over, almost crawling.
“That brat and those seven guys injured civilians, assaulted officers, and tried to grab a gun. You need to have your men cuff them and take them into custody for questioning.”
“They all need to be arrested and given ten to eight years in prison! Otherwise, the authority of the police will be completely undermined.”
At the mention of assaulting officers, the firearms of a dozen police officers were instantly raised, aimed at Darnell and Garrett, their expressions filled with suspicion.
It seemed that if Darnell and his group made any suspicious moves, they would be shot on the spot.
As Kendra turned to look at Darnell, Bella recognized her arch-nemesis. Her face grew cold as she shouted, “Darnell! It’s you again! Not only did you insult me and injure Finn, but you also dared to publicly assault an officer. You’ve got some nerve.”
The nearby officers barked commands, “Everyone, stay still! Raise your hands!”
A small officer stepped up, licking his lips as he approached Darnell, ready to grab him by the neck. “You better behave.”
Smack!
Noemi, having taken off her flip-flops, stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. “Behave? Get lost!”
“You’re already accusing him of assaulting an officer before you even understand what happened. Is this how you ignore the law and just grab people?”
“Think for a moment! How could we innocent civilians just go and assault an officer?”
She continued to slap the small officer while cursing, “If it weren’t for us being pushed to the edge, who the hell would dare to hit a cop?”
The small officer was sent stumbling back, and as a few other officers moved to intervene, Noemi shoved them aside with ease.
“When you need to uphold justice, you pretend not to know anything.”
“When it’s time to crack down on crime, you stand by and watch coldly.”
“Where were you when we needed you to fight against the gangsters?”
“We pay so much in taxes every year. Even a dog knows how to repay its owner. What about you?!”
The small officer tried to shield himself from her blows and attempted to use his gun to intimidate her, but she only struck him harder. It wasn’t until three officers rushed in to separate them that Noemi finally relented.
Seeing Noemi’s defiance, Bella, furious, attempted to rush at her to deliver a couple of slaps, but was unfortunately shoved back by the chaotic officers.
Though Noemi was aggressive, her words held some truth. Kendra hesitated for a moment, lowering her weapon slightly.
The crowd of onlookers and villagers quickly rallied around Noemi in support.
“Exactly! Who would dare hit a cop?”
“It’s clear that James came into our village to bully us civilians. Darnell was just forced to defend himself.”
“Besides, it was James who fired the gun, which then exploded. How could anyone have assaulted an officer?”
Hearing these protests and seeing the crowd’s growing anger, Kendra wavered a little, her expression shifting slightly. She silenced Bella with a gesture and decisively ordered, “Take Darnell and the seven of them back for questioning.”
She fixed her gaze on Darnell. “Darnell, you’d better cooperate. If you’re not at fault, I’ll get you justice, but if you resist arrest, I can’t protect you.”
Kendra pointed at the police gun on the ground. “Since someone fired a gun, we need to resolve this matter.”
Bella was furious. “Kendra, there’s no need for an investigation. It’s obvious this bastard assaulted an officer. We should just beat him up and execute him!”
She wanted to beat Darnell right there, hoping to break his arms and legs to avenge herself and the injured Finn.
Darnell looked at Bella with a serious expression. “You can’t say that. I’ve only ever assaulted women’s chests, never officers.”
He glanced at Bella and teased, “But don’t worry. You’re safe. I’m not interested in your chest.”
“Bella! Don’t act impulsively.”
As Bella prepared to charge at Darnell, Kendra stepped in to block her, then coldly addressed Darnell.
“Don’t be so arrogant, or your life will become very difficult. Also, I want to tell you that while I have a good temper, I do have my limits.”
“You better cooperate with our investigation, or you’ll be the one to suffer in the end.”
Kendra thought Darnell was too arrogant, not understanding his position and the respect he should show.
Seeing that she couldn’t beat Darnell, Bella settled for kicking Garrett and the others a few times to vent her frustration.
Darnell’s expression grew cold, but then he calmed down and smiled.
“Ms. Wolmer, now that you’ve said it like that, how could I not cooperate? We will go with you to the police station for questioning.”
James’s face fell in disappointment. He had hoped Kendra and the others would deal with Darnell on the spot… but now he could do nothing but grit his teeth.
“Darnell, the law will definitely punish you! Even if the law can’t touch you, you’ll get your comeuppance. You won’t die a good death!”
His venomous glare made everyone feel certain he would seek revenge on Darnell in the future.
“Oh, no!”
Just as Darnell was about to follow the police, his legs suddenly gave way, and he stumbled against a stone table nearby. As pain crossed his face, he lifted his shoulder.
The stone table flew out, slamming into James’s abdomen. James let out a scream and was sent flying, spitting out blood and looking utterly tragic.
“Sorry, my legs gave out.”
Darnell apologized to James, “Officer Adington, are you okay?”
James, pinned beneath the stone table, was in so much pain he could barely speak. “You… you…”
“Don’t move!”
The police shouted again. A few rushed over to lift the stone table off James while others aimed their guns at Darnell, their hostility evident.
Everyone knew Darnell had done it on purpose, but without evidence, they felt frustrated.
Kendra’s expression darkened. If it weren’t for Noemi and the others watching, plus Darnell’s connection with Areli, she would have kicked him a few times herself.
Bella jumped up, furious. “Darnell, you bastard! You did that on purpose. How dare you offend the police?!”
“I won’t let you get away with this! You’re driving me crazy! Wait and see. I’ll make your life miserable!”
Darnell grinned. “I’m curious how you plan to make my life miserable.”
Bella charged at him, but a commanding voice came from the black car. “Bella, don’t act out. Mind your place.”
Darnell finally saw a man in glasses-clearly Elvis, the guy from the other day.
Bella seemed to regard him with trepidation. Though she was furious with Darnell, she halted her advance, glaring daggers at him instead.
Several police officers raised their guns, their gazes sharp and threatening. “Don’t move!”
“Okay, okay, I won’t move. Just be careful not to accidentally shoot each other!”
Darnell patted Garrett and the others weakly, saying, “Brothers, we need to cooperate with the police.”
Garrett and the others showed no fear, shouting in unison, “Understood!”
Darnell turned back to Lillian, nodding gently. “Lillian, you and Noemi should go home for now.”
“Don’t worry. There’s nowhere in this world I can’t go alive. I will definitely come back safe.”
Bella wore a sinister smile. Come back safe? Dream on!
Lillian nodded. “Stay safe. We’ll find someone to get you out soon.”
Five minutes later, the police cars sped away. Lillian picked up her phone and called Areli.