Deserving | ✔

Chapter 43

From the other side of the door, two armed men walk inside, ready with their defense. 

"We're from FBI, sirs. We request you to turn around facing the wall and cup your hands around the back of your head," a tough voice says.

Petrified, yet knowing not to be resistant, I do as they instructed. To my left, I see Ian do the same. But before I can notice it, he retrieves a gun from under the back of his neck and swiftly aims for one of the officers. I hear no sound from the gun and only the sound of a groan and a body slacking against the hard tiles tell me that Ian shot a man to the ground.

I curse under my breath. My heartbeat is ringing hard into my ears as I feel an arm tucked under my forearm and I'm spun to the front. Ian places the tip of his hot gun to my forehead. The other officer says, "Hey, easy! Don't shoot anyone."

"That depends on your actions, officer. Drop your gun to the ground," Ian authoritatively demanded. The cop does as he says and pushes the gun to the side. 

"Phillip, take that gun," Ian instructs me and my body obeys without any resistance whatsoever to the fact that  my best friend has a gun to my head. I crouch to my feet and retrieve the gun and hand it over to Ian. Pocketing it safely, he takes the gunpoint from my head and points it to the officer.

"Get inside one of the stalls," Ian orders and walks towards the cop with the gun aimed at the man as he walks backward into one of the bathroom stalls. As soon as he is inside, Ian latches the door from the outside and quickly checks the officer he shot before. My legs stand rooted to the ground as I notice the bullet lodged in the right side of the officer's lower abdomen. He seems to have blacked out in the impact.

"Okay, there's no damage here. It must have hit near the end of the rib cage. He's safe. Let's move now!" Ian shouts and walks across the man lying on the ground. He then turns back and throws me the gun I retrieved from the officer.

"You may need it," he says and signals me to come behind him as he sets foot outside the restroom. I wordlessly follow him, pretty shook by the whole scene. What am I supposed to do now? Just follow Ian wherever he goes and dodge all FBI officers?

As we both step into the main party hall, we see it is deserted. No officers, no party members and no workers. The whole hall is deserted as if all of them had been caught held by the FBI. How long were we inside that restroom?

Ian signals me to stay here as he moves around the hall to some rooms I didn't know of. It seemed like a smart decision because he must know the place in and out since he worked with the gang to arrange this party. 

I plop myself in one of the couches as shudders run through my spine. How did the FBI get in here? Who would've tipped them? Trisha? Leril? Daniel advised us not to do any such thing. And this building is actually known for encouraging no such raids. Then how come all of this is happening?

I rewind my mind through all that happened ever since I entered the restroom with Ian. In all the seven years I was with Stephanie, she told me nothing about these events of her life. From what little Ian had said, there might be so much more running between Stephanie and her killer. Who may not be Killer Denny now. Who is this Penny Cruller?

My mind reels back and forth between all the memories and relations of Killer Denny. The name was first written in the letter Steph got from her parents. After that, it got reconfirmed in Daniel's list of the Scott's service. Then Daniel gave me the tip to use JP as my dealer. JP revealed he belongs to Blood Gang. Daniel later told that Blood Gang belongs to Killer Denny. 

Correlating the facts, I see that JP never told that Killer Denny had the gang. After the letter, it was all Daniel, Daniel, Daniel.

Daniel was the only guy who planted the idea of Killer Denny in my mind.