Under the Spotlight

Chapter Two

Jeremiah Winchester was not prepared to have to chase after a fleeing suspect, as made apparent by his suit and tie. Though there's a slight chill to the air, Jeremiah can feel the sweat already licking his armpits. It makes his hands slightly slippery, which is a problem when you're holding a gun.

Originally, today had been his day to be in the office. His boss, Richard Tompson, decided to reassign him at the last minute in order to give Jeremiah the opportunity to "prove himself".

The man has grown used to people underestimating him due to his age. He's barely twenty-four years old, so a lot of people he works with view him as a kid.

What he has not grown used to is the attitudes he is given due to his age. He can go from having a normal conversation with some of his coworkers to having to defend his right to work there.

In front of him, Jeremiah's suspect shoves over an unsuspecting man to enter a building. The stranger's blonde hair becomes disheveled from the fall, ruining its façade of perfection. Jeremiah can practically feel all the scrapes and bruises that the man now has.

Cursing under his breath, Jeremiah reaches out to the citizen. "I'm going to need you to leave the area," he claims. His team member finally catches up to him, wheezing heavily.

Flipps gestures toward Jeremiah, expecting to be informed of the suspect's whereabouts. "Where... did... he—"

Jeremiah gestures toward the studio. "In there." He reaches for his walkie talkie, to call for backup.

Just as he hits the button, the sound of a gunshot leaves the building. Flipps jumps into action, pretending as though he was not seconds from keeling over seconds ago.

"Shots fired inside of Vain Studios. Requesting backup."

Jeremiah shoves his walkie back into his pocket and takes his gun off of safety. He and Flipps slowly wander into the building, checking all of the corners. All that the pair find are people cowering underneath desks and behind couches.

As they pass, they gesture people out of the room.

There's voices coming from the recording studio at the end of the hall. Due to the door, Jeremiah cannot make out what the voices are saying. He can tell that there are at least two women in the room, however.

Flipps holds up a hand to stop Jeremiah, assessing the situation. Then, he pulls out his own walkie. "Suspect has hostages. Requesting negotiators."

Eventually, the pair makes it to the window that peers into the room. There appears to be two women— a blonde and a brunette— inside of the room with their suspect as well as one man. Jeremiah recognizes the blonde from the news. She's a celebrity reporter who only reports on the latest gossip. The guy currently cowering in the corner is likely a cameraman based on how he is dressed.

He does not recognize the brunette, despite the fact that she is easily the most gorgeous woman he has ever laid eyes upon. Her jawline is defined, appearing to be just as sharp as her gaze. The woman has her entire focus on the suspect, carefully dissecting him as though he is nothing more than a lab experiment.

She's gently rubbing her hands along the reporter's arms, softly speaking to her. For a woman being held at gunpoint by an unstable man, the brunette is remarkably calm. Where her fellow hostages are cowering in their corners and crying, she is staying strong.

"Hot damn," Flipps mutters under his breath. "This is not how I wanted to start my morning."

Winchester offers no comment, keeping his focus on the studio door. If they open the door, the suspect is sure to blindly fire at them. Once they are unsuccessful in gunning down the two FBI agents, he'll resort to using one of the hostages as a shield.