Never let go CHENFORD FF English version

Chapter 21 negotiations

"What did you do to her?" Tim yelled at the man, staring in disbelief and worry at Lucy.

"Me? Nothing," Crash replied with a grin. "But I did find a really nice ring on her. Don't tell me I hit the jackpot, and you two aren't just playing a cute couple."

"Leave her alone. I swear, I'll kill you, no matter the cost," Tim growled, fixing his gaze on Crash.

"Oh, calm down. I didn't know she meant that much to you. I just felt betrayed by you two. You pretended, and as soon as I let you both go, a whole team storms my halls. That's quite rude," Crash continued.

"What do you want from her or me?" Tim was getting annoyed. He needed to free Lucy before Crash could hurt her and the baby any further.

"My men free? Some peace? That would be a start," Crash replied.

"You're an even bigger idiot than I thought," Tim blurted out, immediately regretting it as one of the men struck Lucy hard in the face. "Okay. Okay. Okay. But I can't release your people. And you came after us. We haven't done anything else," Tim continued.

Nolan stayed in the background, knowing he couldn't do much unless things escalated to shooting. Fortunately, no one paid much attention to him, allowing him to discreetly turn on his radio so it would transmit, hoping Grey could hear they needed help. Grey knew where Tim was heading and could track the car's GPS. As Nolan expected, everyone was focused on Tim and didn't notice.

"Then you'd better think of something, or I'll start cutting pieces off your girlfriend every hour and see how much she can survive," Crash's voice turned icy.

"Okay, I don't know how you imagine that, but..." Tim was cut off as another door burst open, and more men entered behind Nolan. Tim looked around, confused, until he realized it was his team, who quickly took all the men into custody.

"Believe me, Bradford, we're not done," Crash hissed as he was led past Tim. Tim didn't even look at him. He ran to Lucy and untied her.

"Hey. I need help here," he shouted through the hall, and two paramedics promptly arrived, placing Lucy on a stretcher and preparing her for transport to the hospital.

"Please, she's pregnant," Tim informed them as they moved Lucy to the ambulance. Tim, of course, rode along, watching everything the paramedics did.

Lucy had to recover, and so did their baby. If not, he would go to prison and personally kill every one of those bastards, even if it cost him his job. They would have taken the love of his life from him.

At the hospital, Lucy was taken for several tests, and Tim had to wait outside. A hundred thoughts raced through his mind, all because of this stupid undercover operation. Yet, it was how they had gotten so close. Still, he cursed the fact that it had put her in danger.

"Hey Tim," he was pulled from his thoughts as Angela sat next to him.

"Hey, she's still being examined. They haven't told me anything yet. If she or the baby are seriously hurt, Ang..." Tim looked at her sadly. She had never seen him so emotional. Tim was usually cold, not letting feelings get to him, let alone showing them.

"Stop, Tim," she interrupted. "They're taking care of her here, you understand? She and the baby will be fine. Lucy is incredibly strong. And when she wakes up, you'll be there to protect her, and the gang is now completely behind bars. They kidnapped and mistreated a police officer, took her hostage—they won't get out anytime soon. Plus, the colleagues are digging up as much as possible to bring even more charges. Crash is done," Angela tried to reassure him, and Tim nodded slightly. "I also have something for you. They found this on one of the men. I think it's yours, or rather, Lucy's," she said, handing Tim the ring he had placed on Lucy's finger a few hours earlier.

"Excuse me, are you Sergeant Bradford?" a doctor approached them, and Tim nodded. "Lucy Chen is done with the examinations. No internal injuries. She looks beaten up, and the wounds will take some time to heal, but she and the baby are otherwise fine. There will be no lasting damage. You can see her now. She's been asking for you."

Tim and Angela went to Lucy's room together. She sat in her bed, looking tiredly at them as they entered.

"God, I'm so sorry," Tim whispered, taking Lucy in his arms and giving her a gentle kiss, careful not to hurt her.

"It's not your fault, but I hope they're all behind bars now," Lucy whispered, still regaining her strength. Angela nodded, confirming Lucy's hope.

"I'll leave you two alone. If you need anything, call me," Angela said, leaving Tim and Lucy alone.