Undercover Cops

Chapter 15

"Are you sure that it's the right address?"

Nick nodded, verifying one last time the place on his phone. "That's exactly what Selena told me. Atlanta, restaurant Sweet Heavens, 515 Avenue Nine. Let's go."

Cole nodded and they entered the restaurant, searching for the owner. They soon found a Chinese man in his eighty's or so who seemed very pleased with their visit. Nick eyed the man sternly.

"你好! Hello!" exclaimed the owner greedily. "What a marvelous visit! We have any oriental food you want, here! The Spicy Rice specialty is only 50,99$ per bowl, and the Won-Ton soup is in special, so 19,89$! But since you're new and charming customers, I can give you a discount of-"

"We're not here for the food," interrupted Nick impatiently, but also quite amused by this little man.

The Chinese grandpa stiffened, and soon, his mask fell. "I would like you to leave my restaurant, especially you, the one with the creepy hairstyle and ridiculous dress. Only clients are allowed here so no, you can't use the toilet. If you don't go away right now, I will call the police and believe me, they will send you to jail!"

Nick and Cole glanced at each other, both restraining their laughter with difficulty.

"Funny thing," grinned Cole. "I think we shall present ourselves. I'm Cole Whittle, special agent chief, official undercover cop. Here is my colleague, Nick Jonas, who is currently on a mission. Consider yourself overly lucky that we're too busy to report some greedy and impolite man like you."

The owner's eyes widened and jaw dropped as he saw the two badges, and his face started to lose its colours. He then grumbled a wave of incomprehensible Asian curse words before forcing a smile.

"What can I possibly do for you?"

"We want to know the list of customers who entered your restaurant on March 2, hours between midday and 4 pm," Nick calmly responded.

"This is impossible to find because I didn't write down-"

Nick gave him a warning look, making the man immediately shut his mouth. It didn't take long for the leader of the team to receive a list of 28 names. It was almost impossible to determine which was Zac's nickname!

Nick let out a frustrated groan. They needed more clues and fast... 

Or Beatrice's life might be taken.

___

Ariana never felt that proud in her whole life. Demi was risking her life to save innocent victims and she was there, yelling at her, accusing her to be a slut or addicted to drugs. All this time, Demi was only protecting her!

Being a cop isn't easy, especially when you're a special agent. Everyone having a connection with the agent is potentially in danger and Ariana understood that. And now, her best friend who was investing her heart and soul to save a teenage girl. She couldn't be prouder. Even if she was scared for her, she believed in her.

"She's so brave," breathed the red-haired girl with a smile. "I admire her so much."

"I do agree," said Miley without any hesitation. "She's so much more than what she let everyone else sees and she has a golden heart."

"So is this your first Code Red mission?" the short girl asked fearfully.

"Yes," replied the other one. "For now, everything's going well, but we babe to work faster. Beatrice is only fifteen and her immunity system isn't as strong as an adult's one."

"I wish you all the best. I already know that you're extraordinary people, and I'm happy she found loyal friends. She deserves so much better than me."

Miley shook vigorously her head and hugged Ariana tightly. "I'm sorry for misjudging you. I'm glad you're not as superficial as I initially thought. You're definitely the same amazing friend which Demi always describes to me."

Ariana smiled sadly when something dreadful caught her attention. She stressfully blinked, holding her tears, and gently picked up Miley's wrist.

"What... are you doing?" gulped the agent with a leather jacket, immediately moving away.

Ariana was truly hurt when she saw the cuts of her new friend and her eyebrows jutted up quickly as she asked one simple word. "Why?"

Miley squinted at her and she felt like suffocating. The air was so thick, so heavy for both girls, as the silence braced themselves. Suddenly, Miley's mask fell and she let out an over-exerted gust of breath. "I'm depressed," she slowly began. "So depressed that I don't wanna live anymore."

Ariana peered at her deeply, listening carefully. She gently held her hand, allowing her to continue.

"It's so hard," blurted out the broken girl. "My dad left us when I was a kid without looking back, saying that I was worthless, unwanted, and worse than trash. My mom started to hate me and blamed me for my father's departure. She... She was only sixteen when she had me and couldn't handle the pressure of being a single mom. She sold her body and used to buy alcohol with that money."

Ariana held her hand tighter, never breaking the gaze.

"She hit me. At first, I was only slapped. I should've known that it was a matter of time. I tried cutting for the first time when I was fourteen, hoping to stop the pain. It didn't stop, more like the opposite, and I soon became addicted to it. My mom didn't care since she was always high or drunk. She even threatened to kill me if I didn't bring her money, so I worked as a waitress in twelve different restaurants. People there used to spank me, mock me, throwing hurtful words just because of my mom."

Ariana knew that Miley was becoming emotional, so she tried to retain her tears and look strong for her.

"The worst was when I hit my sixteenth's birthday. Mom brought home that man who abused me even more. I tried suicide attempt many times, but never had the guts to actually do it. One day... One day, my mom's boyfriend beat me so bad that I fell unconscious. When I woke up, I packed my bags and decided to run away, but he caught me and then stabbed my shoulder with a knife. I could have died if the neighbor hadn't called the police. I never saw them again."

Ariana wrapped her arms around Miley when the story ended. "Shhhh," she calmly whispered. "Now, it's alright. You're safe."

"It still haunts me," Miley confessed. "I still have nightmares. And I'm in pain. Never-ending pain, Ariana. it doesn't want to stop and it won't. I just want...I don't know... To end it."

"No, softly said the receptionist. "You must continue to fight for the people who love you. Demi. Joe. Selena. And especially Nick! They will blame themselves so much."

"They'll get over it," the agent sniffed, pessimistic as always.

Ariana sighed and put a hand on her shoulder. "Fight for them because you're stronger than you think, okay? You deserves happiness, and you will fight to have your happy ending."

Miley didn't respond; she just cried silently. After a few minutes, she finally said thanked her new friend. "I owe you so much for making me feel better. Thank you for listening to me."

The red-haired girl's lips curved into a sneaky smile and said happily: "Oh, you owe me so much? I know how you'll repay me. I want shooting lessons!"

"What? No!" firmly refused the agent. "Absolutely, definitely, certainly, surely not."

Ariana giggled at her reaction and her smile grew larger. "You owe me," she stated smugly.

Miley groaned and scanned her eyes across the empty room, thinking about that possibility. Why not? It could be fun. "If you're sure."

The adventurous girl grinned widely and ran how fingers through her long hair. She then put her thumbs up and smiled. "I am sure."

_____

Nancy xox