Codename: Jumping Spider [Published]

Twenty

Nick brought the knife to his wrist, and Jenn widened her eyes. He was really going to do it. But before he could touch the blade to his skin, the door burst open.

"Police! Put your hands where I can see them!"

Nick's head snapped up, his face morphing into a furious mask. "Lying bitch!" he sneered, moving swiftly behind the chair that Jenn was tied in. He lowered his body behind her, using her as a shield. He grabbed her shoulder roughly, his nails digging into her bare skin. She flinched, biting back a gasp. Jenn moved her gaze to the door and saw her partners. Ben and J. Lee were both pointing their pistols at her, trying to get a clear aim at Nick, who was hiding behind her.

J. Lee spoke in a firm and calm voice. "Nick Jefferson, this place is surrounded by our men. You have nowhere to escape. Do yourself a favour. Put down your weapon and release the hostage."

Nick laughed derisively. He brought his lips near Jenn's ear and whispered, "You've got everything planned out so well, Jumping Spider, except for the part where you're still trapped to this chair and I have the weapon. I win." Then he plunged the knife into her stomach.

Jenn's breath seemed to be knocked out of her as a strangled scream escaped her mouth. Behind her, Nick was chortling insanely. Then he pushed the knife deeper into her, twisting it violently and cruelly. Jenn's face contorted in agony, gasping. She couldn't manage a scream this time.

In front of her, Ben was shouting at J. Lee to arrest Nick while rushing towards her. Then she felt Nick's hands releasing both the knife and her shoulder as she heard him being tackled to the ground with a grunt.

Black spots started clouding her vision. Sirens of police cars outside the house echoed in her ears, but the sound slowly started fading as she felt her body going limp in the chair. The last thing she could remember was Ben anxiously untying her hands and calling her name before she was pulled into the darkest depth of nothingness.

~

As soon as he finished untying her, Ben quickly laid Jenn on the floor. She was already unconscious as he gingerly pulled out the knife from her stomach. "Man down! I need paramedics!" Ben yelled, pressing his hands onto Jenn's stomach to stop the bleeding. "Paramedics! Please!"

Agent Turner appeared in the doorway of the room, looking out of breath. "Jumping Spider!" he blurted out in shock as his eyes fell on Jenn. Before he could move in closer, J. Lee pushed a cuffed Nick into his hands.

"Bring him back to the department now," J. Lee ordered. Agent Turner nodded in a daze and dragged the guy out of the house.

J. Lee rushed to Jenn's side, throwing the bloody knife aside as she knelt down beside Ben. Her eyes went to the necklace which Jenn was wearing and noticed something odd about it. She brought her hand to the teardrop pendant and turned it around. She frowned when a small black object came into view. It was then she had realised that Jenn had planted a bug on herself. Jenn was recording her conversation with Nick to get his confession.

Just then, the paramedics arrived in the room. J. Lee quickly took the necklace off Jenn before stepping aside. The paramedics took over the situation and moved Jenn's unconscious body onto a stretcher, bringing Jenn out of the house and into an ambulance as quickly as possible. Jenn's body was transferred onto a hospital bed in back of the ambulance. Ben was about to enter the ambulance when J. Lee put a hand on his upper arm to hold him back.

"What?" he asked distractedly, giving J. Lee a fleeting glance before turning his worried gaze back to the ambulance.

J. Lee held up the bug in her hand. "I think she did this to get Nick Jefferson's confession for all the other murders he's committed."