HER BODYGUARD [WINRINA/JIMINJEONG AU]

PART.16

Stepping out of the room, Winter closed the door, hand lingering on the door knob. Her smile slipped as she thought to herself, "This is going to be tough for her,just be her rock,kim minjeong."

Heaving a sigh,she turned and strode down the hall and into the living room where the rest of the team was gathered.

"Is the VIP awake," Taeyong asked as he leaned over to peek out from the kitchen,she scent of instant ramen cooking on the stovetop filling her nostrils.

Taeil and Chenle looked up from where they were sitting on the couch to catch sight of her. Scrambling out of their seats,they quickly bowed to her which she returned in kind.

"She's awake and changing right now," Winter said as she took up a spot just outside the hallway. "A little shaken so make sure to make her feel as safe as possible," she said, her tone commanding, eyes set as she looked between the 4 men.

They all nodded curtly. "So, we received some news," Taeyong said solemnly as he stepped out of the kitchen, a small black lockbox held in his hand.

"Last night the police in Dongdaemun were anonymously notified of a murder in warehouse near Gyeongdong market."

He held out the lockbox to Winter,her fingers shaking as she took it from him, a long sigh escaping her lips as she set it on the table.

She knew what this was and didn't like what it meant. Placing her thumb against a biometric scanner on the side, she heard the internal locks snap open.

"Inside they found the van and the two men who attacked you and Ms Yu last night."

Opening the case, she looked inside, her stomach sinking.

A black semi-automatic pistol and three fully loaded magazines were nestled into foam cut-outs.

"They were both dead. Killed by gunshot. We've been authorized for armed duty," he said slowly.

She stared at the weapon, her lips pulled into a deep frown, the rest of her features steel as she took the weapon up in her right hand.

Sliding the rack back, she checked the ensure the chamber was clear before taking a magazine and shoving it in, the slide slapping forward to load a bullet into the chamber.

It rang in her ears like an echo of the past, memories she wanted to forget, the metallic clack making her want to jump.

Setting the other two magazines on the table, she pulled up the foam to find a hard plastic holster for the pistol and a matching one for the magazines. Flicking the safety on with a thumb, she slide the pistol into the holster before attaching it with clips to her belt, hidden beneath her long coat.

She felt her heart pound with a nervous energy and remembered the words of her firearms instructor, "You should always feel nervous about carrying a weapon. Let it sober you. If you ever pick up a weapon with the hope of using it against another, it is time to put it away and never touch one again."

"Did they give any more information than that," she asked as she attached the magazine case to her belt on the other side.

"Not much other than they were killed by a long range shot. Nobody reporting gunshots in the area so we can only assume it was done with a silenced rifle."

Her lips drew into a tight line as she nodded,stepping into the hallway to look at the full length mirror at the other end wanting to make sure the gun wasn't visible.

"This means the threat dynamics have changed," she said with a stolid voice. "The guys from last night weren't professionals. It sounds like someone more capable was brought in on this."