Noel Buencamino kicked the door open and counted at least a dozen men scattered across the stuffy, derelict meth lab.
He raised his gun. "Quezon City Police, put your hands up!"
Seven uniformed policemen, guns aimed at the perps, walked behind Noel and entered the room after him.
"Don't make any stupid moves now." Noel eyed the suspects.
A lanky, dark skinned bearded man in a tattered black shirt pointed his gun at Noel, who saw him in the corner of his eye and ducked. The bullet zinged above his ear.
Pandemonium ensued.
The suspects fired at the cops, who all dashed for cover in different directions and fired back. Noel crouched behind a sturdy metal table. The glass containers and vials above it clanked and shattered in bits as casualties of the crossfire.
He hit three thugs with masterful duck-and-shoot motions.
"Detective," one of the uniforms said. "Kiko's on the run!"
Noel peeked above the table and saw a bald young man in a purple muscle shirt, squeezing himself out a window and running.
"Deal with these clowns," Noel said. "I'll get him."
He got out of the small, dilapidated building and ran after Kiko. His forty-something body could muster only a few seconds of sprinting, but it was enough to get a crucial gain on his target, who was running towards the crowded plaza. Noel grimaced and sprinted once more, trying to get to Kiko before he reached the sea of humanity.
A young woman carrying a basket of long stemmed roses stood on the sidewalk. Kiko looked back and saw the detective was now only a few meters away. He grabbed the flower vendor by the neck and pressed his gun against her temple.
"Stand back," Kiko shouted to Noel. "Stand back or I'll blow her goddamn head off, I swear!"
"No, please," the flower lady whimpered. "I don't want to die, please."
People gathered on the sides and watched the spectacle.
"Let her go, Kiko," Noel said, aiming his gun. "Come on, maybe we can make a deal, huh? Let's work things out, let's talk."
Kiko sneered. "Talk about what?"
"Tell me about your boss. What's his name? Who are you working for?"
"You want me to rat out my crew? Are you stupid or something?"
"You don't have to rot in jail, Kiko, we're more interested in your employers. Give us what we need and maybe we can talk about a light sentence."
"I'm no rat, damn it, now drop your gun!"
"You don't want to do this, Kiko, come on, let's--"
"Shut up and drop the gun or this bitch dies!"
"Calm down, there's no need--"
"You got three seconds, pig."
"Kiko, don't--"
"One..."
"I don't want to--"
"Two..."
"Goddamnit..."
"Thr--"
Noel pulled the trigger and hit Kiko in the forehead, slightly above his left eye. The flower lady bolted away as her captor dropped to the pavement.
YOU ARE READING
Wrath Of The Butterfly: Rayah Reyes Chronicles Book 1
ActionLourdes was just a typical teenager who'd recently graduated high school, until a heinous crime left her family dead and put her in a coma. Her medical condition attracted the attention of a mysterious international security agency, which took her i...
